From The Other Side

Photo Attribution: Icon SMI

I had a great time joining Matt Hofeld and the fellas over at Crimson and Cream Machine on their weekly podcast. Matt and I also traded some Q&A about what we can expect to see tomorrow night, enjoy:

Kyle: Why should fans expect this year to be any different than the last eight?

Matt: There are a lot of OU fans who expect the outcome every year to be the same it has been for the last eight. However, this has been a year in which streaks have been snapped for OU, First it was the nation’s longest home winning streak, then it was a 20-0 winning streak against Baylor. Is Bedlam next?

There are so many things that have not gone Oklahoma’s way this season ranging from injuries, to defensive breakdowns to coaching decisions. It seems like the perfect storm could be brewing in Stillwater.

Kyle: How much has Ryan Broyles’ injury affected Landry Jones?

Matt: It has affected the entire offense and not just Jones. He was everything from the inspirational leader to the go-to guy. He was the one opposing defenses game planned around. Since his injury against A&M there hasn’t been another player step up to take on his role and the offense has reflected that. Jones has now gone two complete games without throwing a touchdown pass.

Kyle: Who is the offensive playmaker OSU fans have never heard of that could have an impact on Saturday’s game?

Matt: That’s a good question. With the injuries to Ryan Broyles and Dominique Whaley there are guys like Dejuan Miller and Brandon Williams who have to step in and become offensive weapons. That said, look for Trey Franks to possibly be a play maker and a difference Saturday night. He’s a kid who hasn’t received a ton of touches this season but has blazing speed and can do a lot of things with the ball in space. They like to use him on jet sweeps and reverses as well as in general passing routes.

Kyle: Is the Cotton Bowl a bad season for either of these teams?

Matt: I’m going to go ahead and say yes. Obviously the Cotton Bowl means you’ve had a successful season but they expectations for both teams going into this season were much higher than that. Oklahoma was the preseason #1 team in the nation and pegged by just about everyone to win the Big XII and play for the BCS championship. OSU entered the season as a conference contender and went into the Bedlam game firmly in the driver’s seat. For either of these teams to be in the Cotton Bowl would mean that they didn’t live up to the expectations.

Kyle: Is this game a letdown since the morning of the OU Tech game both teams were staring at 11-0?

Matt: I think in a way yes. It goes back to the answer to the previous question. Both teams were poised to make this the biggest Bedlam game of all-time and it just didn’t pan out on either side. However, this game being the Big XII championship game is a pretty good consolation.

Kyle: Score prediction.

Matt: I’ve got to be completely honest with you and say that I’m extremely nervous about this game. I wouldn’t be shocked at all if the OSU ends Oklahoma’s winning streak just because that’s the kind of season it has been. However, I do run an OU blog which makes me an absolute optimist and homer so I’m going with 35-34 Oklahoma.