October 9, 2024 • 17 mins
The Voice of the Sooners, Toby Rowland, joins the show to talk Texas-Oklahoma with Craig Way. Toby talks about the season for the Sooners, Michael Hawkins Jr., and what needs to happen for Oklahoma to win.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:02):
It's the Craigway Show with the voice of the Texas
Loghoords and Hall of Bain broadcast there Craig Way.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
Okay, whenever I am a guest on the program hosted
by our next guest here, what they invariably do is
bump back from their break with Texas Fight. And my
comment is always that I'm sure there's somebody like on
you know, the Turner Turnpike or you know, the Broadway
(00:46):
Extension or something like that, just drove off the road.
Hearing that and Toby Rolling may feel that maybe somebody
on Mopak just screeched to a haul or or something
like that. But that notwithstanding the play by play voice
of the Oklahoma Sooners and a longtime friend joining us now,
Toby Roland, how you doing, Tiro.
Speaker 3 (01:06):
I'm good.
Speaker 4 (01:07):
Everybody was already stuck in traffic in Austin. I didn't
cause any recks. Yeah, you're right, everybody's fine. I just
made them mad.
Speaker 2 (01:17):
Well, this game always drives quite a bit of emotion.
I'm kind of curious before we even get into some
of the names and the key personnel for this thing
on what the vibe has been like in the Greater
Oklahoma City, Norman area, and really throughout the course of
the state because of the weight and baggage that this
(01:39):
game always carries for the folks up there, just as
it does down here. What's been the feeling like this
week and the run up to the one hundred and
twentieth edition of the Red River Rivalry.
Speaker 4 (01:51):
I would say, you know, coming off the Auburn win
a week ago Saturday and the fourth quarter comeback that
that was there was a lot of excitement.
Speaker 3 (02:00):
There was there was relief and excitement.
Speaker 4 (02:05):
Things could have been really kind of spiraling the wrong
way if they had lost too in a row to
start conference play, and the offense certainly has not looked
great this year, but they were able to pull that
one out of the fire on the road, and so
they came home and kind of carried a lot of
momentum into last week. When you start sizing up this game, however,
(02:25):
obviously Texas is really good, best team. They faced number
one in the nation for a reason, and Oklahoma's an
underdog for a reason. So I think that it's a
it's a weird mixture that both sides of this rivalry
have felt periodically where you're excited about everything that is
(02:47):
the Red River rivalry, and at the same time, you
got that lump in the back of your throat that, oh,
the other team might have the better team going into
this game, and let's hope we're not, you know, leaving
the Cotton Bowl having to hear a whole bit to
Texas fight. So I think Texas is a fourteen point
favorite for a reason. They got a really good team
and it's going to take something special from Oklahoma or
(03:09):
it's going to take Texas helping them out a little
bit if they're going to find a way to win
this football game.
Speaker 2 (03:13):
Well, I think you had a really good point when
you talked about how maybe the Tensionees is a little
bit coming off of the Tennessee game and going down
to Auburn and win and being able to win there.
The continuous theme that I'm hearing is that not only
Sooner fans, but really and truly and you could kind
(03:34):
of hear it in Brent Vinnables voice in his press
conference history how good he feels about his defense right
now and judging how they played, I think with good reasons. Well,
how about your take? Was it pretty much expected all
along that this Sooner defense was really going to be
the one carrying the male for this Oklahoma football team
(03:55):
this year.
Speaker 1 (03:57):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (03:57):
I mean, you go back to when Brit Vinnibles was
hired and Oklahoma had had some really good teams around
here and gone to college football playoffs, but the defense
could not hold up its endo the bargain when they
ran into the Alabamas and George's and lsus of the world.
Speaker 3 (04:13):
And so the quest and the point in hiring Brent.
Speaker 4 (04:17):
Vinnables was, we want to get back to playing the
kind of great Oklahoma defense that they did when Brian
Bosworth and Rocky Caalmus and Teddy Layman and Roy Williams
were around here and win in national championships.
Speaker 3 (04:31):
And he's done that.
Speaker 4 (04:32):
I mean, in three years, you've seen the recruiting on
that side of the ball as well as the development
and the depth really increased dramatically. I think to answer
your question, coming into the season, there was no doubt
the defensive side of the ball would be the strength
of this team just by sizing up the amount of
talent and.
Speaker 3 (04:51):
Depth that they have there. They had almost.
Speaker 4 (04:54):
Everybody back, including Danny Stutzman and Billy Bowman, who decided
not to go to the NFL Draft and come back
another year. They were able to bring in some transfer
portal talent to help them up front as well, specifically
and Dominic Williams, who came from TCU and had a
very talented career. There a couple of secondary guys too,
(05:15):
So coming into the year, that was the belief that
certainly the defense was pretty good last year and had
a chance to be even better, maybe really good this year.
Something they've done the entire time Branvinnables has been here
is take away the football. They've been really good at
forcing turnovers and that has continued so far this season.
(05:37):
Some of them big, obviously, like the Kip Lewis picked
six against Auburn.
Speaker 2 (05:43):
If you were to pick out a player because we
know and knew Danny Stutsman and Billy Bowman junior, they
were certainly going to be the key leaders of this
Sooner defense. But if you were to pick out somebody
who raised an eyebrow for you and went, wow, he's
really stepped that, would it be a guy like are
Mason Thomas or Robert Spears Jennings or even you mentioned
(06:07):
Dominic Williams. Is there one guy in specific that stands
out to you that said, wowe, he's really delivered. We
were hoping for this and he's really showing out.
Speaker 4 (06:17):
I think there are three, not to cheat on your answer,
but there are three that have taken their game to
another level this year on the defensive side of the ball.
Speaker 3 (06:27):
Two of them you mentioned.
Speaker 4 (06:28):
R Mason Thomas is a talented pass rusher who has
suffered injuries each of the last two years on campus.
He's finally healthy and he's become quite a force for.
Speaker 3 (06:40):
Them this year.
Speaker 4 (06:41):
They've taken to calling him the closer around here because
five of his five and a half sacks have come
in the fourth quarter to kind of seal games. He
leads the SEC in that category. Robert Spears Jennings is
a safety who also has dealt with injuries in his career.
Is a thumper, a hard hitter, a heavy hat to
the football, and this year has been healthy and has
(07:04):
made a bunch of plays for them, whether it's you know,
getting into the quarterback and forcing turnovers there or he
has an interception. He's made several big hits on the
back end. The other guys Kip Lewis. Kip Lewis is
a youngster who has been kind of groomed alongside Danny Stutzman.
He's fast, but he didn't really know what he was
doing last year, and this year he started to put
(07:27):
the pieces together. And while Stutsman gets all the spotlight
and for good reason, Kip.
Speaker 3 (07:31):
Lewis is the fastest guy they have at linebacker and
makes a ton of plays there.
Speaker 4 (07:36):
So I think those are the three Theams names that
jump out as defensive guys who have really elevated their
game this season.
Speaker 2 (07:44):
We're visiting with Oklahoma Sooners, played by play voice Toby
Rowland here on sports Radio AM thirteen under Zone.
Speaker 3 (07:50):
Let me jump to the offense.
Speaker 2 (07:51):
The obvious question, I want to get your thoughts on
the progress that Michael Hawkins has has delivered. I know
there was great excitement and yeah for Jackson Arnold, and
he's had ups and downs. And I saw both of
these guys play in high school doing the high school
coverage that I do, and it's been pretty impressive to
(08:14):
watch Hawkins deliver as he has. How about your thoughts
on his progress and what he's still trying to get
better at as any freshman would be.
Speaker 4 (08:24):
Well, it's a small sample size. You know, he's played
six quarters, but he's been impressive. He came in in
the Tennessee game when they were really floundering and gave
him a spark, gave him a chance to win that game.
And then while he didn't put up huge stats against Auburn,
he really played with a composure. You saw how dangerous
(08:47):
his legs can be when he had the forty eight
yard touchdown there to give him the early lead, and then.
Speaker 3 (08:52):
He had a little bit of a clutch gene.
Speaker 4 (08:54):
In him in the fourth quarter when they were making
that comeback as well.
Speaker 3 (08:58):
He's a legacy guy here.
Speaker 4 (09:00):
His dad played at Ou, and so I think the
fans are drawn to him in that aspect a little bit.
I don't think anybody's given up on Jackson Arnold. I
think he still may end up being a fantastic quarterback
at Ou or you know, who knows, in this day
and age, and maybe it'll even be that he's called
upon on Saturday.
Speaker 3 (09:21):
But he was going through a tough stretch where he was.
Speaker 4 (09:24):
Having a hard time, you know, not turning the football over,
and so maybe the reset button is good for him
here a little bit to just kind of sit back
and watch. But Michael Hawkins is going to be the
first true freshman ever in the one hundred and twenty
years of this rivalry to start at quarterback for OHU
in this game, and that's a big deal. You know,
(09:46):
everybody knows how overwhelming this atmosphere can be sometimes even
to veterans, much less kids who have never.
Speaker 3 (09:53):
Been in it before. So I think it's.
Speaker 4 (09:56):
A lot to ask of him on Saturday to go
in win the football game for them.
Speaker 3 (10:02):
I think he's just has.
Speaker 4 (10:03):
To not make mistakes, make plays when they're available, and
see if the fourth quarter rolls around, if maybe they're
in a position where they can try to go win
this thing.
Speaker 2 (10:14):
Where would you say right now that the Sooner running
game is and what they're trying to get to with
Javonte Barnes and Gavin Sawchuk and Taylor Tatum and even
Sam Franklin, where would you say they are in terms
of what they're trying to get to.
Speaker 4 (10:28):
It's a struggle. It's been a struggle all year. I
think it is the fact that they have a quarterback
who can add to that now as explosive of Michael
Hawkins helps, But the old fashioned.
Speaker 3 (10:40):
Running game has been a struggle all year.
Speaker 4 (10:43):
I think it's as much on the offensive line as
the backs. More so, Really, the offensive line has been
a scramble due to injuries. They finally have their five
guys healthy for the first time healthy ish, they're in
the game for the first time against Auburn, and it
looks like, barring a setback we're unaware of, they're going
to play back to back weeks for the first time,
(11:04):
so hopefully that will help a little bit. But I mean, Craig,
everything's been a struggle on offense, and certainly the inability
to run the ball consistently and certainly at the rate
that Oklahoma likes to try to run the ball leads
to things not being open in the passing game and
everything snowballs from there, So it's.
Speaker 3 (11:24):
Been a struggle. I think Javonte Barnes has been the best.
Speaker 4 (11:27):
I think Taylor Tatum, the freshman, has shown glimpses of
being spectacular, but then he got hurt against Tennessee and
we don't know if he's going to be back or not.
Gavin Sawchuk has been a little bit of a mystery
because he closed last year like a house on fire.
He had five straight one hundred yard games to finish
the season, but has disappeared this season and hasn't been
(11:48):
a factor at all. So hopefully with the addition of
Hawkins and the threat he brings with his legs and
the maybe developing can assistency of the starting offensive line
being back together, maybe that'll lead to the running game
being better, if not Saturday, sometime in the near future,
hopefully Saturday.
Speaker 2 (12:09):
Which leads us to the passing game and the receivers,
which I know has resembled a mash unit for the Sooners.
Where would you place the Oklahoma receiving corps with availability
to be able to even get on the field on Saturday.
Speaker 3 (12:27):
I've never seen anything like it.
Speaker 4 (12:29):
I've never seen one position group get entirely wiped out
like this. I mean last Saturday and maybe this Saturday.
The top five wide receivers are out, and we're talking
about guys who have been big time playmakers in their
career like Nick Anderson who had the game winner last year,
and Andrea Anthony and Jalil Feruk who had one hundred
(12:51):
and thirty yards in this game last year. Jaden Gibson
was expected to be a big factor. Dion Burts is
the big transfer they brought in who was expected to
be an all see guy this year. He's had a
fine start to the season, but then he got hurt
and we don't know if he's gonna be able to
play or not. So it's really unbelievable, and there's not
a lot of hope that most of those guys are
(13:13):
gonna get back. I mean, I think Burks will be
back at some point, hopefully Saturday. I think there's a
chance maybe late in the season for Rouke could be back.
But they're kind of gonna have to roll with what
they've got, which is a makeshift group of youngsters and backups.
So last week, JJ Hester, a senior who has played
(13:37):
very little, stepped up and made a big sixty yard
catch in the fourth quarter at Auburn.
Speaker 3 (13:42):
That's kind of what they need. They're gonna have to.
Speaker 4 (13:44):
Have some guys step forward who haven't made plays at
this level and start to make plays. But it's it's
a dire situation for them at wide receiver.
Speaker 2 (13:53):
Would that would that include the former long horn Brendan
Thompson from Spearman yet that they might look forward because
I always thought he had a lot of talent, and
obviously he has great speed.
Speaker 4 (14:02):
Yeah, he's got the ability to get behind the defense
with his speed. They've been using him more, you know,
in the screen game or the underneath the short stuff too.
This year.
Speaker 3 (14:13):
I mean they got nobody else Creig. So yes, he's
going to have.
Speaker 4 (14:16):
To be one of those guys who hopefully can against
his former team, maybe make him play on Saturday or
two or three.
Speaker 3 (14:21):
What in your thought and estimation?
Speaker 2 (14:24):
We always ask each other this question when we're on
each other's program, So I'll put it to you first.
What turns the game? What has to turn right for
the Sooners for them to win this football game.
Speaker 4 (14:37):
I don't think Oklahoma has enough firepower to win this
game on offense.
Speaker 3 (14:42):
They can't go toe to toe with Texas.
Speaker 4 (14:45):
They're just two diminished in their weapons. So the defense
is going to have to help him out. And you
know that's what gives you hope if you're a Sooner fan,
is they've had a track record of doing that.
Speaker 3 (14:58):
You know that you go back.
Speaker 4 (15:00):
To this game a year ago, they forced three turnovers
against Tennessee and the loss, they put them on the
five yard the defense turned them over on the five
yard line and the thirty five yard line twice they
put the offense in plus territory and they couldn't cash
in or they might have won that game. Last week
the defense said, fine, will do it ourselves and they
got to pick six to win that game. So you know, frankly,
(15:23):
the defense is gonna have to help out and maybe
significantly for them to win. So I think probably, you know,
the keys to victory for OU is that they got
to win the turnover margin, maybe by two or more.
I think when Texas gets into the red zone, Texas
is going to move the ball, but they got to
limit them to field goals, you know, threes and not sevens,
(15:44):
and then find a way to win the rushing battle.
It's the age old adage in this game. But twenty
two of the last twenty four years, the team that's
run the ball better has won it. And I think
that'll be true. That is a daunting task for how
the OU running game has been so far this year.
But they got to feed out of way and probably
the answer there is Michael Hawkins needs to have a
big day on the ground as well.
Speaker 2 (16:05):
Your go to State Fair of Texas deep fried food
choice is we do.
Speaker 4 (16:12):
This every year on my show We Go over all
the new foods, and we get excited about everything. There's
a I love pimento cheese. There's a grilled ham and
pimento cheese sandwich this year, and there's all.
Speaker 3 (16:23):
Kinds of fancy stuff.
Speaker 4 (16:24):
But every year, Craig, every year I look over these
great new items, and I go to the game and
I get a corn dog and I leave every year.
Speaker 3 (16:34):
So I can't imagine going and not getting a Fletcher's
Corny dog.
Speaker 4 (16:38):
So I'm sure, despite how good all that stuff looks,
I'm sure I'm gonna get somewhere between one and seven
Fletcher's Corny dogs, depending on how the game goes, you know, Saturday.
Speaker 2 (16:48):
You know how on Facebook you have those memories that
you look back two years ago, four years ago, seven
years ago. Last week, I looked at No, No, it
was just a few days ago. I looked at one
day and it was memories of and it was and
it were days that Texas and o You had played.
And in all but one of those pictures, I'm holding
a corn dog in all but one of them.
Speaker 3 (17:11):
That's what we like about you, Craig.
Speaker 2 (17:13):
All Right, he's Toby rolling play by play voice or
the Oklahoma suitors. Uh t you are great to visit
with you. I look forward to a visit with you
tomorrow in your program. Look forward to seeing you on
the fairground Saturday.
Speaker 3 (17:24):
Sounds good.
Speaker 4 (17:25):
Talk to you.
Speaker 2 (17:26):
All right, that's Toby Roling. Uh he's right. I mean,
you know all of these great things, all of the
you and I. I saw your eyebrows go up there
with geez.
Speaker 3 (17:37):
Yeah. All right.
Speaker 2 (17:38):
Uh So what we're gonna do for Inconceivable is run
down that state fair food list.
Speaker 3 (17:44):
That's up next
Speaker 2 (17:45):
When we continue on sports Radio AM thirteen under the
zone of the iHeart Radio app.
It's the Craigway Show with the voice of the Texas
Loghoords and Hall of Bain broadcast there Craig Way.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
Okay, whenever I am a guest on the program hosted
by our next guest here, what they invariably do is
bump back from their break with Texas Fight. And my
comment is always that I'm sure there's somebody like on
you know, the Turner Turnpike or you know, the Broadway
(00:46):
Extension or something like that, just drove off the road.
Hearing that and Toby Rolling may feel that maybe somebody
on Mopak just screeched to a haul or or something
like that. But that notwithstanding the play by play voice
of the Oklahoma Sooners and a longtime friend joining us now,
Toby Roland, how you doing, Tiro.
Speaker 3 (01:06):
I'm good.
Speaker 4 (01:07):
Everybody was already stuck in traffic in Austin. I didn't
cause any recks. Yeah, you're right, everybody's fine. I just
made them mad.
Speaker 2 (01:17):
Well, this game always drives quite a bit of emotion.
I'm kind of curious before we even get into some
of the names and the key personnel for this thing
on what the vibe has been like in the Greater
Oklahoma City, Norman area, and really throughout the course of
the state because of the weight and baggage that this
(01:39):
game always carries for the folks up there, just as
it does down here. What's been the feeling like this
week and the run up to the one hundred and
twentieth edition of the Red River Rivalry.
Speaker 4 (01:51):
I would say, you know, coming off the Auburn win
a week ago Saturday and the fourth quarter comeback that
that was there was a lot of excitement.
Speaker 3 (02:00):
There was there was relief and excitement.
Speaker 4 (02:05):
Things could have been really kind of spiraling the wrong
way if they had lost too in a row to
start conference play, and the offense certainly has not looked
great this year, but they were able to pull that
one out of the fire on the road, and so
they came home and kind of carried a lot of
momentum into last week. When you start sizing up this game, however,
(02:25):
obviously Texas is really good, best team. They faced number
one in the nation for a reason, and Oklahoma's an
underdog for a reason. So I think that it's a
it's a weird mixture that both sides of this rivalry
have felt periodically where you're excited about everything that is
(02:47):
the Red River rivalry, and at the same time, you
got that lump in the back of your throat that, oh,
the other team might have the better team going into
this game, and let's hope we're not, you know, leaving
the Cotton Bowl having to hear a whole bit to
Texas fight. So I think Texas is a fourteen point
favorite for a reason. They got a really good team
and it's going to take something special from Oklahoma or
(03:09):
it's going to take Texas helping them out a little
bit if they're going to find a way to win
this football game.
Speaker 2 (03:13):
Well, I think you had a really good point when
you talked about how maybe the Tensionees is a little
bit coming off of the Tennessee game and going down
to Auburn and win and being able to win there.
The continuous theme that I'm hearing is that not only
Sooner fans, but really and truly and you could kind
(03:34):
of hear it in Brent Vinnables voice in his press
conference history how good he feels about his defense right
now and judging how they played, I think with good reasons. Well,
how about your take? Was it pretty much expected all
along that this Sooner defense was really going to be
the one carrying the male for this Oklahoma football team
(03:55):
this year.
Speaker 1 (03:57):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (03:57):
I mean, you go back to when Brit Vinnibles was
hired and Oklahoma had had some really good teams around
here and gone to college football playoffs, but the defense
could not hold up its endo the bargain when they
ran into the Alabamas and George's and lsus of the world.
Speaker 3 (04:13):
And so the quest and the point in hiring Brent.
Speaker 4 (04:17):
Vinnables was, we want to get back to playing the
kind of great Oklahoma defense that they did when Brian
Bosworth and Rocky Caalmus and Teddy Layman and Roy Williams
were around here and win in national championships.
Speaker 3 (04:31):
And he's done that.
Speaker 4 (04:32):
I mean, in three years, you've seen the recruiting on
that side of the ball as well as the development
and the depth really increased dramatically. I think to answer
your question, coming into the season, there was no doubt
the defensive side of the ball would be the strength
of this team just by sizing up the amount of
talent and.
Speaker 3 (04:51):
Depth that they have there. They had almost.
Speaker 4 (04:54):
Everybody back, including Danny Stutzman and Billy Bowman, who decided
not to go to the NFL Draft and come back
another year. They were able to bring in some transfer
portal talent to help them up front as well, specifically
and Dominic Williams, who came from TCU and had a
very talented career. There a couple of secondary guys too,
(05:15):
So coming into the year, that was the belief that
certainly the defense was pretty good last year and had
a chance to be even better, maybe really good this year.
Something they've done the entire time Branvinnables has been here
is take away the football. They've been really good at
forcing turnovers and that has continued so far this season.
(05:37):
Some of them big, obviously, like the Kip Lewis picked
six against Auburn.
Speaker 2 (05:43):
If you were to pick out a player because we
know and knew Danny Stutsman and Billy Bowman junior, they
were certainly going to be the key leaders of this
Sooner defense. But if you were to pick out somebody
who raised an eyebrow for you and went, wow, he's
really stepped that, would it be a guy like are
Mason Thomas or Robert Spears Jennings or even you mentioned
(06:07):
Dominic Williams. Is there one guy in specific that stands
out to you that said, wowe, he's really delivered. We
were hoping for this and he's really showing out.
Speaker 4 (06:17):
I think there are three, not to cheat on your answer,
but there are three that have taken their game to
another level this year on the defensive side of the ball.
Speaker 3 (06:27):
Two of them you mentioned.
Speaker 4 (06:28):
R Mason Thomas is a talented pass rusher who has
suffered injuries each of the last two years on campus.
He's finally healthy and he's become quite a force for.
Speaker 3 (06:40):
Them this year.
Speaker 4 (06:41):
They've taken to calling him the closer around here because
five of his five and a half sacks have come
in the fourth quarter to kind of seal games. He
leads the SEC in that category. Robert Spears Jennings is
a safety who also has dealt with injuries in his career.
Is a thumper, a hard hitter, a heavy hat to
the football, and this year has been healthy and has
(07:04):
made a bunch of plays for them, whether it's you know,
getting into the quarterback and forcing turnovers there or he
has an interception. He's made several big hits on the
back end. The other guys Kip Lewis. Kip Lewis is
a youngster who has been kind of groomed alongside Danny Stutzman.
He's fast, but he didn't really know what he was
doing last year, and this year he started to put
(07:27):
the pieces together. And while Stutsman gets all the spotlight
and for good reason, Kip.
Speaker 3 (07:31):
Lewis is the fastest guy they have at linebacker and
makes a ton of plays there.
Speaker 4 (07:36):
So I think those are the three Theams names that
jump out as defensive guys who have really elevated their
game this season.
Speaker 2 (07:44):
We're visiting with Oklahoma Sooners, played by play voice Toby
Rowland here on sports Radio AM thirteen under Zone.
Speaker 3 (07:50):
Let me jump to the offense.
Speaker 2 (07:51):
The obvious question, I want to get your thoughts on
the progress that Michael Hawkins has has delivered. I know
there was great excitement and yeah for Jackson Arnold, and
he's had ups and downs. And I saw both of
these guys play in high school doing the high school
coverage that I do, and it's been pretty impressive to
(08:14):
watch Hawkins deliver as he has. How about your thoughts
on his progress and what he's still trying to get
better at as any freshman would be.
Speaker 4 (08:24):
Well, it's a small sample size. You know, he's played
six quarters, but he's been impressive. He came in in
the Tennessee game when they were really floundering and gave
him a spark, gave him a chance to win that game.
And then while he didn't put up huge stats against Auburn,
he really played with a composure. You saw how dangerous
(08:47):
his legs can be when he had the forty eight
yard touchdown there to give him the early lead, and then.
Speaker 3 (08:52):
He had a little bit of a clutch gene.
Speaker 4 (08:54):
In him in the fourth quarter when they were making
that comeback as well.
Speaker 3 (08:58):
He's a legacy guy here.
Speaker 4 (09:00):
His dad played at Ou, and so I think the
fans are drawn to him in that aspect a little bit.
I don't think anybody's given up on Jackson Arnold. I
think he still may end up being a fantastic quarterback
at Ou or you know, who knows, in this day
and age, and maybe it'll even be that he's called
upon on Saturday.
Speaker 3 (09:21):
But he was going through a tough stretch where he was.
Speaker 4 (09:24):
Having a hard time, you know, not turning the football over,
and so maybe the reset button is good for him
here a little bit to just kind of sit back
and watch. But Michael Hawkins is going to be the
first true freshman ever in the one hundred and twenty
years of this rivalry to start at quarterback for OHU
in this game, and that's a big deal. You know,
(09:46):
everybody knows how overwhelming this atmosphere can be sometimes even
to veterans, much less kids who have never.
Speaker 3 (09:53):
Been in it before. So I think it's.
Speaker 4 (09:56):
A lot to ask of him on Saturday to go
in win the football game for them.
Speaker 3 (10:02):
I think he's just has.
Speaker 4 (10:03):
To not make mistakes, make plays when they're available, and
see if the fourth quarter rolls around, if maybe they're
in a position where they can try to go win
this thing.
Speaker 2 (10:14):
Where would you say right now that the Sooner running
game is and what they're trying to get to with
Javonte Barnes and Gavin Sawchuk and Taylor Tatum and even
Sam Franklin, where would you say they are in terms
of what they're trying to get to.
Speaker 4 (10:28):
It's a struggle. It's been a struggle all year. I
think it is the fact that they have a quarterback
who can add to that now as explosive of Michael
Hawkins helps, But the old fashioned.
Speaker 3 (10:40):
Running game has been a struggle all year.
Speaker 4 (10:43):
I think it's as much on the offensive line as
the backs. More so, Really, the offensive line has been
a scramble due to injuries. They finally have their five
guys healthy for the first time healthy ish, they're in
the game for the first time against Auburn, and it
looks like, barring a setback we're unaware of, they're going
to play back to back weeks for the first time,
(11:04):
so hopefully that will help a little bit. But I mean, Craig,
everything's been a struggle on offense, and certainly the inability
to run the ball consistently and certainly at the rate
that Oklahoma likes to try to run the ball leads
to things not being open in the passing game and
everything snowballs from there, So it's.
Speaker 3 (11:24):
Been a struggle. I think Javonte Barnes has been the best.
Speaker 4 (11:27):
I think Taylor Tatum, the freshman, has shown glimpses of
being spectacular, but then he got hurt against Tennessee and
we don't know if he's going to be back or not.
Gavin Sawchuk has been a little bit of a mystery
because he closed last year like a house on fire.
He had five straight one hundred yard games to finish
the season, but has disappeared this season and hasn't been
(11:48):
a factor at all. So hopefully with the addition of
Hawkins and the threat he brings with his legs and
the maybe developing can assistency of the starting offensive line
being back together, maybe that'll lead to the running game
being better, if not Saturday, sometime in the near future,
hopefully Saturday.
Speaker 2 (12:09):
Which leads us to the passing game and the receivers,
which I know has resembled a mash unit for the Sooners.
Where would you place the Oklahoma receiving corps with availability
to be able to even get on the field on Saturday.
Speaker 3 (12:27):
I've never seen anything like it.
Speaker 4 (12:29):
I've never seen one position group get entirely wiped out
like this. I mean last Saturday and maybe this Saturday.
The top five wide receivers are out, and we're talking
about guys who have been big time playmakers in their
career like Nick Anderson who had the game winner last year,
and Andrea Anthony and Jalil Feruk who had one hundred
(12:51):
and thirty yards in this game last year. Jaden Gibson
was expected to be a big factor. Dion Burts is
the big transfer they brought in who was expected to
be an all see guy this year. He's had a
fine start to the season, but then he got hurt
and we don't know if he's gonna be able to
play or not. So it's really unbelievable, and there's not
a lot of hope that most of those guys are
(13:13):
gonna get back. I mean, I think Burks will be
back at some point, hopefully Saturday. I think there's a
chance maybe late in the season for Rouke could be back.
But they're kind of gonna have to roll with what
they've got, which is a makeshift group of youngsters and backups.
So last week, JJ Hester, a senior who has played
(13:37):
very little, stepped up and made a big sixty yard
catch in the fourth quarter at Auburn.
Speaker 3 (13:42):
That's kind of what they need. They're gonna have to.
Speaker 4 (13:44):
Have some guys step forward who haven't made plays at
this level and start to make plays. But it's it's
a dire situation for them at wide receiver.
Speaker 2 (13:53):
Would that would that include the former long horn Brendan
Thompson from Spearman yet that they might look forward because
I always thought he had a lot of talent, and
obviously he has great speed.
Speaker 4 (14:02):
Yeah, he's got the ability to get behind the defense
with his speed. They've been using him more, you know,
in the screen game or the underneath the short stuff too.
This year.
Speaker 3 (14:13):
I mean they got nobody else Creig. So yes, he's
going to have.
Speaker 4 (14:16):
To be one of those guys who hopefully can against
his former team, maybe make him play on Saturday or
two or three.
Speaker 3 (14:21):
What in your thought and estimation?
Speaker 2 (14:24):
We always ask each other this question when we're on
each other's program, So I'll put it to you first.
What turns the game? What has to turn right for
the Sooners for them to win this football game.
Speaker 4 (14:37):
I don't think Oklahoma has enough firepower to win this
game on offense.
Speaker 3 (14:42):
They can't go toe to toe with Texas.
Speaker 4 (14:45):
They're just two diminished in their weapons. So the defense
is going to have to help him out. And you
know that's what gives you hope if you're a Sooner fan,
is they've had a track record of doing that.
Speaker 3 (14:58):
You know that you go back.
Speaker 4 (15:00):
To this game a year ago, they forced three turnovers
against Tennessee and the loss, they put them on the
five yard the defense turned them over on the five
yard line and the thirty five yard line twice they
put the offense in plus territory and they couldn't cash
in or they might have won that game. Last week
the defense said, fine, will do it ourselves and they
got to pick six to win that game. So you know, frankly,
(15:23):
the defense is gonna have to help out and maybe
significantly for them to win. So I think probably, you know,
the keys to victory for OU is that they got
to win the turnover margin, maybe by two or more.
I think when Texas gets into the red zone, Texas
is going to move the ball, but they got to
limit them to field goals, you know, threes and not sevens,
(15:44):
and then find a way to win the rushing battle.
It's the age old adage in this game. But twenty
two of the last twenty four years, the team that's
run the ball better has won it. And I think
that'll be true. That is a daunting task for how
the OU running game has been so far this year.
But they got to feed out of way and probably
the answer there is Michael Hawkins needs to have a
big day on the ground as well.
Speaker 2 (16:05):
Your go to State Fair of Texas deep fried food
choice is we do.
Speaker 4 (16:12):
This every year on my show We Go over all
the new foods, and we get excited about everything. There's
a I love pimento cheese. There's a grilled ham and
pimento cheese sandwich this year, and there's all.
Speaker 3 (16:23):
Kinds of fancy stuff.
Speaker 4 (16:24):
But every year, Craig, every year I look over these
great new items, and I go to the game and
I get a corn dog and I leave every year.
Speaker 3 (16:34):
So I can't imagine going and not getting a Fletcher's
Corny dog.
Speaker 4 (16:38):
So I'm sure, despite how good all that stuff looks,
I'm sure I'm gonna get somewhere between one and seven
Fletcher's Corny dogs, depending on how the game goes, you know, Saturday.
Speaker 2 (16:48):
You know how on Facebook you have those memories that
you look back two years ago, four years ago, seven
years ago. Last week, I looked at No, No, it
was just a few days ago. I looked at one
day and it was memories of and it was and
it were days that Texas and o You had played.
And in all but one of those pictures, I'm holding
a corn dog in all but one of them.
Speaker 3 (17:11):
That's what we like about you, Craig.
Speaker 2 (17:13):
All Right, he's Toby rolling play by play voice or
the Oklahoma suitors. Uh t you are great to visit
with you. I look forward to a visit with you
tomorrow in your program. Look forward to seeing you on
the fairground Saturday.
Speaker 3 (17:24):
Sounds good.
Speaker 4 (17:25):
Talk to you.
Speaker 2 (17:26):
All right, that's Toby Roling. Uh he's right. I mean,
you know all of these great things, all of the
you and I. I saw your eyebrows go up there
with geez.
Speaker 3 (17:37):
Yeah. All right.
Speaker 2 (17:38):
Uh So what we're gonna do for Inconceivable is run
down that state fair food list.
Speaker 3 (17:44):
That's up next
Speaker 2 (17:45):
When we continue on sports Radio AM thirteen under the
zone of the iHeart Radio app.
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