1st & Football: Oklahoma Sooners, Oklahoma State Cowboys, Tulsa College Football Preview Show

[Music] 4 days from now college football is [Applause] back but there's something a little different and then you saw something new you saw bivo and you saw the sooner scooner after 28 seasons and one final bam battle and the Cowboys with a crucial game-winning fourth down stop to seal this Victory here in bethle U is moving on from the Big 12 to the SEC I don't think sec's ready for us the Sooners will face off against top 25 opponents almost every Saturday Oklahoma you know isn't intimidated as a as a football program we we're running towards the SEC and they're taking Texas with them the Sooners turned away people on the goal line and with 15 seconds to go the Sooners are on top in the P ball opening the door for a new top team in the Big 12 be the deepest conference in America every week will matter with key players back for the orange and black in [Music] Stillwater we're going to be better than we've been in quite a while the Cowboys will line up against some old familiar foes and a few new ones I feel like we we're serving on everyone's schedule two different conferences 16 teams each kicking off a new era in college football first [Applause] football hello everyone I'm Dean bevens and Welcome to our fifth annual college football preview I'm John hul we'll spend the next hour hearing from coaches and players and we'll break down everything you need to know about the upcoming season and I'm be Rolland it is game week for OU OSU and Tu and while change is always in the air this time of year that has never been more the case than it is right now for the Sooners new conference new offensive and defensive coordinators and a new quarterback this year for the Sooners crimson and cream get started on Friday they host Temple the first conference game of the year that would be Tennessee in mid-september well The $64,000 Question is are the Sooners ready for this big leap into the SEC Brent venables did not have time for an interview but we did get some comments from the coach you really have seen exponential uh growth and uh improvement with uh guys on the offensive side where there was again a few more guys that either are first time here that we're counting on or again you to look at a guy like a Jackson Arnold that's just a freshman coming off his freshman year and started one college game and so where my hins you know that he just got here in January so um you you know all the different Transit tight end group again that has transformed we've got a lot of talented guys as we know you talent and reputation don't win for you you know the work does but this is a a group of guys that were willing to work and put the time in and uh they wanted to be challenged no doubt the focus is on that offensive line it's completely rebuilt except for Jacob ston maybe but it's a it's a group that has to come together so the key is going to be bill beatbo can he get this Bunch together because they got to open lanes for those running backs and then protect for the quarterback and I think Brent Venable Dean feels good about the defense and the Special Teams going into the year but he also knows that his team has to prepare for everybody in the SEC while the rest of the SEC only has to prepare for the new guys OU in Texas again not a soap box it's the reality you got you don't know the DNA uh of you know 11 of those teams so that's been a challenge it's been a you know a lot of fun to put in a lot of work to try to get ready but until you actually play people and and understand the league and how you play you know you you got to kind of go through that we challenge our guys not to to be comfortable uh you know thinking about our first you know three games at home but thinking about you know that 74 because that's how I look at it you know who's going to realistically be able to get on the bus you know game four and or game five I love where we're um uh at in in the kicking game right now we still have a battle there uh with our place kickers and and I really like the the length and the speed the athleticism the explosiveness and the playmaking of our of our units that we have you know in special teams where we got again a nice blend of offense and defensive guys uh hungry group of guys that they recognize this is an opportunity for them to be be one of the 74 so our title for this segment is oh you ready for the SEC right that question's been going around now for three Summers we're still here although the games are just a few days away you know I like how venables has just recruited extremely well even though he hasn't always been uh on the same level in terms of what they can do nil wise as some of the other teams but they're still you've got to have that depth and that quality of play on both sides of the line of scrimmage and Oklahoma's got some players but will they have enough are they going to win the championship I don't know but this question's a little humorous for me in the past decade plus they've won at Tennessee at Ohio State at Florida State at Notre Dame they've played the big boys it's going to be tough but the question for me isn't as much is Oklahoma ready for the SEC is the SEC ready to have Oklahoma in it this by far is the biggest addition the SEC has ever made to their conference in a tradition like Oklahoma yeah and you can understand why a lot of people are asking that because the SEC Champion or whoever from the SEC has won so many national championships but to me it comes down to this guys it's old school football Dean can you run the ball effectively and can you stop the run enough to give yourself a chance to beat some of these really strong teams who have those guys on the offensive and defensive lines I think the concern for Oklahoma fans is they think back to those playoff games where the defense was routed yeah and this team is better the other team been better but how much better that was always Alabama or Georgia or LSU though that's not every week in the secc but it's a lot of and speaking of that three key games what are they guys I'm going to jump in and say you're going to get through the non-conference fine but then Tennessee comes to town H I love this Tennessee football team and Josh iook and Flatout coach they've got a quarterback that I spent a half an hour learning how to pronounce his name and all I can tell you now is it has six syllables uh and his first name Nico he's really good that team's really good Josh hypo is ready to get back at Oklahoma and I'm talking to those SEC players the down at SEC days the Tennessee players they have it circled believe it or not the environment that day is going to be off the charts I'm going to go the next week because the first road game in the SEC is Auburn it's a winnable game it's a tremendous environment but if U could go into Auburn and win a road game first half of the Season make a huge statement John about they mean series ious business in this league so you got Tennessee at Auburn Texas is right there on the schedu too right you know and and everybody now agrees that Texas is back but to me you get there and you're in good shape that becomes a very key game so the Sooners could either have lost 0o one or two stay tuned the sooner schedule this year includes Four Road games against new SEC opponents Auburn in late September Old Miss at the end of October then former for Big 12 opponent Missouri and LSU both in November for fans who've never made the trip to Auburn the school mascot is a tiger but you'll see an eagle flying over Jordan hair stadium before kickoff the team also does the tiger walk across campus to the stadium before the game Auburn's also famous for its marching band at Old Miss The Grove is upscale tailgating Central and fans we high heels or coats and ties instead of t-shirts the player's walk of Champions goes right through the middle on the way to VA Hemingway stadium and don't forget to listen for the hottie totty champ oh you fans no strangers to missou you'll remember trips up there and watching those games they'll be familiar with the rock M 90 ft wide 95 ft High carved out of stone in the North End Zone of fough field and if they win a big game you can bet the tiger is going to be tearing down the goalpost and taking them to Harpo's Bar and Grill and saving what may be the best road game for for the last Baton Rouge parade grounds is the prime tailgating spot or you can set up near the Greek Ampitheater where LSU's band will warm up before marching to the stadium and make sure to say hi to Mike the real live tiger in his state-ofthe-art habitat right there on campus now even though Oklahoma state is staying put in the Big 12 the Cowboys also facing some new foes this season well the Big 12 up to 16 what conference isn't right and to get there owe you in Texas out and then you bring in some pretty good teams Arizona Arizona State Utah really really good and then there is prime time in Colorado I'll tell you what in Las Vegas at Big 12 media days no one captured everyone's attention quite the way that Deion Sanders did so you have 16 teams in the league and while the flash may be with Colorado because not only Dion but his son shadur the quarterback and Travis Hunter the all-purpose player plays on both sides of the ball secondary and receiver very dangerous Talent it's interesting to see guys whether or not the big massive overhaul of the roster will work if he continues to do this Utah is one school because Mike Gundy had talked about how Kyle Whittingham and Utah had that they are similar in the way that they have been able to build their programs they're tough they're the preseason pick to win the league and Dean there's room for a new boss OU and Texas are lead leing so who's going to be the team that takes over and runs this conference and obviously Oklahoma State's got a shot to be that team oh absolutely Cowboys have a tough early schedule and then they have a chance to get there all I will add is that Utah Is For Real have a 15th year quarterback and uh they'll be a tough egg to crack and you mentioned Arizona sooner fans know what Arizona is all about we got all we could take of the wild cats in the Alamo Bowl last year Utah at Stillwater against OSU on the 21st of September the Big 12 realignment discussion continues ahead we're sitting down with Cowboys head coach Mike Gundy plus why fans keep hearing Nick Martin's name for OSU before the season even starts Cowboys optimistic about this season they get things rolling John on Saturday afternoon against South Dakota State the jack rabbits not exactly an easy opener the jack rabbits are the two time defending national champs in FCS they've won 29 straight meanwhile USU is looking for continued Improvement on defense in their second year under coordinator Brian Nardo now my goal this year is to tackle really well in game one in defense in a sense if you tackle and get them down you don't drop coverage Force offenses to run 8 n 10 11 plays in a drive and in most cases the offenses are going to mess something up and they're going to set themselves back this sophomore season will be a true test of how well the Cowboys continue to grasp Nardo's 335 scheme but Mike Gundy has said he wants to be more multiple on the defensive side so expect more four down up front one of the key contributors last year the leading tackler Nick Martin is back among all the experience on the defensive side of the ball as our Dylan Rivera found out there isn't much Nick Martin can't do who is Nick Martin uh I probably say Nick Martin is somebody you can't really just put into one category on the football field Nick Martin has made a name for himself as a hard-hitting ball Hawking intimidating linebacker but when he takes the helmet and pads off he's a different person a self-proclaimed jack of all trades growing up Nick was surrounded by football and music he's found at least one thing that they have in common we play in a bunch of like like thousands of thousands of fans but like you don't even realize they there on the field and that's kind of how it feels like with guitarist like the only thing that matters right now is just me like just figuring this out you know and just having fun with it Nick's older brother was a talented drummer Nick always wanted to learn but didn't have enough time as a kid because he was busy with yet another activity crazy thing is man I would I would uh go to karate practice and then change in a car uh into my football uniform and then go practice so I a really had that much time for a drum listening football music karate and don't forget fashion Nick designs his own clothing Eastern garments e estn he sketches everything that's put out because oh yeah he draws and collects art but he doesn't just make clothing he knows how to make a fashion statement just look at the shoes he wore to Big 12 media days I got like 10 different pairs so like yeah it's crazy I got like turtles I got I got elephants I got some wolves those are the ones I wore to the Big 12 media day I got some flamingos I got uh some some bears um I got some cats I got it's crazy so at this point you're probably asking the same question that I am is there anything Nick Martin can't do his answer to that was wise Beyond his years good advice for everyone my mom she calls me like a renaissance man so feel like it's things I haven't done yet that I plan on doing one day but as of now I I don't I don't think it's anything I can't do I mean for like if you limit yourself you you cut yourself short on so many Avenues and just like aspects of life that you just missing out of reporting on the renaissance man I'm Dylan Rivera guys Martin had such a tremendous year and he led the way down the stretch on the defensive side of the ball he tackled really well the rest of the team started to tackle better one guy though that started to get kind of lost in the shuffle a little bit learning a new position linebacker for Colin Oliver you so dangerous as a rush end and you saw late in the bowl game too he he started coming back up there and getting after the quarterback again he won't be lost when the opposing team start looking at video guy guy can PL fat Flatout play Kendall Daniels coming down gain some weight he's a monster overall John that team did some good things last year there's room for improvement which is a good thing I love the linebackers you throw in Justin Wright the TU transfer as well how they use Kindle Daniels this year Dean is going to be fascinating and when you've got Cory black and cam Smith on the corners it really gives you a chance against some of these big-time receivers in the Big 12 Conference but I mean that's how OSU wants to play right ground game and solid defense they got to be good on that side of the ball they've got more depth UPF front than maybe they've had in years still ahead we're talking U offense how new starting quarterback Jackson Arnold is handling the responsibility of his new role plus our sideline expert is weighing in on what's ahead for Tulsa this season well the first team to play in the 2024 season in our state is Tulsa they'll kick off Thursday night against the Demons of Northwestern State well and then Tu will be hosting the Cowboys Cowboys have gotten the better of Tu but you never know that'll be September the 14th this is the second year for Kevin Wilson in charge of the golden hurricane program Tu has had back-to-back losing Seasons but optimism abounds at 11th and Harvard Justin Woodard has a preview just with this being the last ride and the Last Dance it's going to be a move Anthony Watkins staying in bounds all the way for a touchdown well the script is there Tulsa running back Anthony Watkins has had a career of ups and downs a low Point came in 2022 when Watkins brother passed away and then he was ruled academically and eligible for That season Watkins though faced the adversity head on recently earning his degree in his brother's honor I used that as motivation towards when I got it I just felt nothing but a blessing I felt Happ it because I accomplish a goal it was a struggle and nobody really just knew because it was just like ah a you got it but T is a little tough but I mean I always love a little challenge defense has found it tough to contain Watkins last year with him racking up a career best over 885 rushing yards to go with four touchdowns a bulk of those numbers came in the last four games leaving Watkins confident heading into the 2024 season I'm in a good mindset where I'm like I just feel like something is real special going to happen now a sixth year senior Watkins feels the golden hurricane can prove the doubters wrong and that's why he's become a great team leader in order to get better you got to want to get better you want to have people who push you you want to have people who encourage you have people who challenge you at times so I feel like Anthony do a great job of that we're here with a mindset of showing what The Underdogs is made of joined Now by Jeremy Poppin pop going to be fun to see Watkins run this season I think he can have bigger numbers than he's had his entire Tu career but have to have some holes to run through he does it starts all up front with the bigs and Tulsa has three guys that are coming back Walter Young bear is one of those Ray Bernett who started towards the end of last year Tai marks is back this year he's going to be playing Center but outside of that those are the only three returning guys that have a significant amount of snaps everyone else pretty young all right 4 and eight last last year in Kevin Wilson's first year but for those eight losses by one score less so they were right there on a couple of occasions had he flipped the script I think it starts defensively coach pitti the defensive coordinator will tell you in that secondary they've got some new faces that'll be back there Malachi Jones moves over from wide receiver he'll be taking one safety spot danne Hodge is back and then you got Tyreek Carlile who's on the outside as a cornerback he'll lock up one side but there's good competition they just don't have a lot of snaps under their belt heading into 2024 well it's here now Thursday night 7:00 Northwestern State in town we're going to see what the golden hurricane have it's great to have pop aboard and uh how about it guys he's doing some Tu radio right yeah yeah now we've got uh all three that's right School broadcasts covered here which is which is pretty cool you know when you look at the golden hurricane this year there's been an upgrade in a lot of places in Talent Kevin Wilson's done a really nice job trying to get transfers in that he thinks will really help the program secondary you've got a lot of new faces back there Toby I'm looking on the other side of the ball Steve Spurrier Jr in this offense of course that's where Kevin Wilson hangs his hat Camden Benjamin is back had a big year last year with six touchdowns they bring in Jack right from North Dakota State he's a deep threat can they be more explosive on offense tul by the way yeah and not unlike another team in this state offensive line might just end up being the key still ahead very different storylines for starting quarterbacks at OU and OSU what's at stake for the newcomer and the veteran Plus Mike Gundy is looking back at 20 years coaching the Cowboys in Stillwater it is safe to say those Cowboy fans are excited about you just have to call it a promising season for sure and for the first time home game tickets are sold out John before the first game unbelievable Mike Gundy is entering his 20th season as head coach of the Cowboys and the first question I asked him when we sat down for a one-on-one is how much has the game changed since the first year the game kind of turns a full circle so when I first started as a head coach we were trying to play fast on offense Larry Fedora was our coordinator and Larry and I were together at Baylor and we talked about playing fast a lot but our head coach then didn't want to play fast and then it kind of came back around and we did that and we slowed down a little bit then we started playing really fast and then we slowed down a little bit and so that's turned a full circle um the tight ends being in the offense out of the offense back in the offense now defense have G from four down defense is still a lot of three Downs to now multiple defense it hasn't really changed much it just kind of turns the full circle um but we've tried to stay in front of it the best we could but you have to base that on the type of players that you have you have seemed always done a really good job on the offensive side of the ball especially of staying that one step ahead forcing defenses to change to what what you're doing instead of Vice Versa is that one thing that maybe you're most proud of in your head coaching ten years so far I still go back that um I'm convinced the RPO was originated right here U people in the SEC get credit for it but we can go back to to video that we were running rpos two years before it ever got into the SEC but that doesn't make good for National media but I think that my offensive background has helped us in that area um but defensively U that's the the area that we really want to improve in because whether we like it or not the committee that picks the playoff teams they want you to be good on defense they favor defense more than offense obviously you Ed the word a lot with Oly last year humble keeping him humble and and given everything that he's he's going through to this point and there's been a little time now between the incident to now um what are you seeing from him right now I know Camp's just open but what are you seeing from him so in some cases I said this um in Las Vegas that OE is very fortunate that he ran into a terrible situation and got out and didn't hurt anybody didn't hurt himself and didn't hurt anybody else and I think it made him aware of things that could happen he's um he's going to do some volunteer work and things that we've asked him to do to make him aware of the danger and the people that have gone through that that have been tragically injured and had family members they've lost family members football-wise he has to practice harder and be more physical than he has and was last year in order for us to be successful we're going to hang our hat on what he does now defenses may choose to put everybody up there and just stop the run that's fine we have enough weapons that we can throw passes success for this team this year here what does that look like in the end so offensively we need to function and just do what we've done we're going to be better than we've been in quite a while if we stay healthy we haven't been healthy at wide receiver in three or four years um we've struggled healthwise in the offensive line off and on over the last four years that's not easy for us at Oklahoma State I feel better about our depth I feel better where we're at from a health standpoint defensively like we talked about earlier if we can avoid dropping coverage we can get in our gaps and tackle and get guys down we'll be just fine I'm really excited about our special teams we've got a number of guys returning that have covered and we have good returners um Joe Forte has done a great job um in the Special Teams area now we brought in Sean Snider brings in 30 years of experience and um our players have really enjoyed those two guys coaching them so I think we're in a good position we need the ball to bounce our way a couple times but if we're good condition and guys will stay humble and play hard we'll be just fine hard to believe guys 20 years for Mike Gundy on the sidelines and and from a distance from the radio Booth you look down or you watch him on TV you remember how he started as a first year head coach it looked like he was trying to be a little more buttoned down like a little more corporate and he has that natural fire and then you kind of started to see that come out he's gone through a real Evolution over the 20 years but the thing that has stayed the same is he is built a program and has built a culture that's been sustainable don't let the H Jinx get you I mean he is a football guy that's a competitive family you want them on your team right I've always said that about any Gundy I includ you Ray Gundy um but you know Mike the QR code for example you know they're going to have them on the back of their helmets a lot of people are saying what in the world's going on I give Mike credit he has a fertile mind I mean that's the typical thing that I know of him in some other conversations just you think it's kind of coming out of left field and often times it has a lot of validity he's done an unbelievable job they got a lot of publicity for that QR code as well he's W in different ways too Dean I mean he was a air raid guy and throw it around guy and most recently with Oly Gordon leaning on defense a little more ground and pound the view from the radio booth now that radio booth has Windows that open by the way as well but Mike Gundy I mean what a conference of characters now when you got Gundy Dion Willie Fritz Joey Maguire Sunny D Gus miles on this is going to be a fun conference to follow yeah he and Kyle Whittingham have uh the same tenure pretty much Whittingham was named the coach at Utah maybe a month or two before Mike took over at OSU and so we'll see if this is whittingham's last year at Utah by the way but you know you've done something I won't tell them that we left out Dion yeah I was about to say you know you've done something when Dion Sanders said calls you legendary that you're a legend all right let's talk big game for each of us on the cowboy and I'll I'll go ahead and start because speaking of Utah and Whittingham they're very tough experienced quarterback another seventh year guy in cam Rising September 21st the conference opener wow you you get the the favorite in the league on your home field to get things started yeah I know that is really big but you got to get over Arkansas or you would like to I guess you could lose to Arkansas and rally you know but you really want to take care of the Hogs and they're going to come to play I mean Sam pitman's go is on the line Bobby patrino is back he don't be doing this he'll test him uh offensively so I I think that Arkansas game's huge I thought about taking the Kansas State game in Manhattan but I'm going to jump all the way to the end of the season I mean come on Gundy versus Dion the day after Thanksgiving who knows what's going to be on the line a ton of national media attention for that one I cannot wait and two legendary guys 10 a.m. kick Mountain Time most people might not be awake by then most of Oklahoma State's Road games are are in familiar enemy territory but this October the Cowboys will line up for the first time inside lavel Edwards Stadium at BYU traveling fans might see the famous y Mountain overlooking the campus about a half mile to the east you might also see the Beehive boot floating around the 100-year-old Pioneer boot trophy is awarded to the Utah team with the most instate wins I've been there and done that it's awesome John and if the Cougars win you'll hear the victory bell ringing coach Gundy says Provo Utah returning to Boulder are the two places players are most excited about this season in Colorado the players run onto the field behind a live Buffalo named Ralphy and don't be surprised by the boom of the cannon to open games at fome field his skill U his arm Talent his toughness his instincts his ability to lead people bring out the best in people uh no question about it he's ready for uh you know his opportunity and his moment two of the biggest changes for the sooner offense this season new starting quarterback Jackson Arnold and new offensive coordinator Seth Latrell and they'll have that new gear working right and those two guys have jived really really well uh I think that will not be a problem you got to have you got to bounce back if you're the quarterback from a disappointing bowl game but I think he'll get there if he can get some protection and production he'll get there and venables and Latrell have expressed nothing but trust so far in Jackson Arnold we asked the quarterback how he's feeling going into the opener Jackson how do you handle the pressure that comes with being the starting quarterback at University of Oklahoma just block it out I mean I know uh or not Billy Woody Washington sent me a tweet from a or a DM from was a tweet is a quote from Kobe and it said you know it's only pressure if you put it on yourself so I mean really just blocking it out not putting pressure on yourself and just staying levelheaded I feel like the guys that you know we've brought in from either the transfer portal or the 2024 class are really competitive um big guys um can get after it um got after us today and practice you know I mean guys like that are going to be a big difference for us and guys that we've had and we've developed are going be big difference for us this year I think it was a good experience for Jackson Arnold to get in that TCU game and then have that bowl game didn't go perfectly but at the same time I've seen enough from this guy from back when he was a sophomore in high school up until now to know that so far so good he's got everything you look for um I think that a couple of reads and and being careful with the ball is something that he has to be smart about but not too careful you know if that makes sense you mentioned the importance of the offensive line but he's loaded with weapons all around him with Barnes and Sawchuk in the backfield and Dion Burks everybody excited about him Nick Anderson Jalil faroo how big Dean do you think the Jaden Gibson injury is for them well I don't think they're totally healthy at that position so that's especially difficult because Jaden Gibson was a guy that 65 he can go up and high point it and catch I mean he was coming on on so I I think that they're going to have to stay healthy from here on out I think is the answer to that to give Burks an opportunity they can't let people load up on him cuz he's special in the slot still ahead a special pre-season edition of play the percentages plus two key players returning for Oklahoma State's offense what they say is different heading into this season there'd be 19 returning starters if I wasn't here so being able to say hey let's really really try and come back and and and do something special here was the reason why I wanted to and so another year under the belt confidence with with the offense working together as another year um we're going to be really good well you're looking at opposite ends of the spectrum when you look at U with a brand new guy and a quarterback that is it eight years seven seven it'll be eight in still mod 19th grade is what he called it yeah first day of school second year at Oklahoma State after he got the extra year of Eligibility well his positive influence last year is one reason why they turned the season around but the most important guy on the field for OSU last year was oi Gordon and he just led the nation in rushing and he's an early Heisman favorite here in 2024 Mike Gundy has said though that Ali needs to practice harder and be more physical consistently and when I talked to Oly earlier this preseason he told me the same thing you know I got to work 10 times harder just knowing everybody in the country is watching me and just with that I mean our team has to work 10 times harder just because they know I feel like we're circled on everyone's schedule I feel like you know we're everybody's Super Bowl we're everybody's Batman game you know they want to be villains I just feel like that's us but with our players I feel like we'll make it worth their while with that one obviously a bit of a tumultuous offseason for oi Gordon with his arrest and everything but it appears to me that that's helped refocus him he was very fortunate in that situation as well but he's not the only weapon Dean that this offense has you look around and he's got some solid backups behind him when he needs a break but it's that receiver court and if Alan Bowman has time to find those guys they'll be really dangerous Brennan Presley is back he's been there a while as well but here's a guy who is just produced year after year after year and there are others that can flat out play but you combine them all they kind of share the load and they take the focus that's the concern is you don't want to be loaded up against olly Gordon I like the fact they got Trent Howland from Indiana who can at least take some of the load off of alli's shoulders keep him fresh later in the year but Allan bman got to be more efficient he threw over a 100 more passes than any other quarterback in the Big 12 last year and was 11th in completion percentage if he can be more efficient and oi can be Ali watch out well you know you didn't have a guy who looked like it was going to be the top Target for much of last season the transfer in last year toon stribling he's back he's healthy and he gives you one of those guys like we were talking about with Jaden Gibson who can high point a ball and he's got good size just like Howland by the way 6'3 the back there offensive line a lot of depth and that will another key don't go away we're taking a closer look at the sooner defense what fellow coaches are saying about new defensive coordinator Zach allly plus we're talking with Billy Bowman senior about his son's return to Oklahoma I want to simulate like the real look of it I'm at five I want up one y not too far we can feel the spacing he has tremendous Innovation um in his skills but he's a Fundamentalist he's he's demanding uh he knows what Excellence looks like that's some High Praise from Brent venables for new defensive coordinator Zach allly well both those guys are going to be looking for consistency on the defensive side that's going to be a key and Zach Alli looks to me like just a miniature of Brent venables yeah and he's got a couple of big impact players that decided to return and Danny stutzman and Billy Billy Billy Billy Bowman Jr is back as well we had a chance to talk to Billy Bowman senior about the man his son is becoming here's Chris Williams Billy Bowman Jr has earned a reputation as one of the most electric players in college football picked off intercepted Billy Bowman he's going down the sidelines he's at the five un hits it all the way when you lead the country in interception touchdowns the NFL comes calling but Billy felt like he had some unfinished business in Norman to attend to why Rush the next stage of my life you know it's going to be there so coming back you know having this time to you know spend with my teammates Billy started his career with flag football at four years old by age 10 he was begging his dad to sit down and watch film with him so he could continue to improve his dad would coach him all the way through high school and even now as he watches his son flourish on the national stage Billy Bowman Senor still sees that joyful little kid every time the Sooners take the field just seeing him going out and enjoying it that's he excuse me just his passion his ambition his love forward and and that's what that's what excites me because he is having fun he he he he absolutely loves the game Billy has always had contagious energy leading by example but now as he guides the sooner defense into SEC country country he's finding his voice when he speak people listen cuz he don't speak a whole lot but when he speak people listen cuz people always even through through Elementary to Middle School to high school Billy didn't talk much he wanted to go play and he wanted to go prove himself on the field and people just follow now he speak up and people listen b he's already built a legacy on ow wind field but it's his growth off the field that his parents admire most is his faith in God that's what I'm most proud of the man that he's becoming um I always asked him to be better be better than me be better than the day before just be better for Oklahoma zone I'm Chris Williams I loved Billy Bowman back in high school coming all the way through maybe because Jada Coleman was this gal right but uh the kid can flat outplay and he's headed to the NFL if he can stay good and healthy I think the secondary you know Dean very deep very good everybody feels great about Danny stman and the linebackers the question if there is one on defense for U is up front on the defensive line they bring in Dominic Williams from TCU looks like Jaden Jackson The Freshman is going to be a player but do they have a pass rush Dean are they going to be able to get pressure on the quarterback that that's that's the concern cuz they're good in the back end corner is going to be strong need Gentry to get healthy but up front you know linebackers would be fantastic up front you do have some five starish TI type players but a couple of them don't have the experience in in stone and Jackson so uh that that will be the question can they get some pressure from the middle but more importantly can they get it from the outside it's concerning to me cheetah needs to be a position in a Brent Venable defense and it hasn't been great so far desan Mulla healthy this year would have been great he's not healthy don't know when he's coming back kendle Dolby though I think could be the real deal at cheetah I'm steveen mgee coming up after the break a special edition of play the percentages John Dean and Toby will supply the answers welcome back to First in football time now to play the percentages question number one gentlemen percentage chances Oklahoma will go unbeaten into the Texas game Let's assume they win the non-conference games then you get into conference you got Tennessee and then you've got at Auburn it will not be easy at Auburn and I've told you Tennessee is going to be a killer Oklahoma can come out with one loss and be fine I say a 44% chance well I'm going a little bit higher I I've got a little bit of optimism here 57% because I think they'll come out with a lot of energy and take care of non-conference and I think having Tennessee in Norman is a huge deal here and I think they'll get it done I'm close to you John I'm going to go 60% Oklahoma will be a slight favorite at home over Tennessee as of now they're a slight favorite at Auburn as well I say 60% they're undefeated going to Dallas question number two gentlemen percentage chances Ali Gordon will be a Heisman finalist well it came out of nowhere last year was tremendous showed a lot of things that no one really knew that he had but I'm going 51% he's got a big bullseye on his back that every team is going to try and stop him and force OSU to beat them with a pass alli's biggest problem is this is a Quarterback Award only three running backs have won the Heisman since 2000 I think they're going to give him fewer carries this year to try to you know keep the load down I'm going to say only 35% that he's invited in New York City guys I feel much better about his chances I go 80 I'm saying there's a zero chance he gets hurt but 80% he's that good and I think they're going to know how to utilize him and they got to get a running back in there sometime percentage chances Oklahoma state will earn a playoff spot in December I think probably you're looking at two teams out of the Big 12 getting in osu's pick third in the Big 12 preseason poll I'm going to say 25% and I think that's that's pretty high it's is a the playoff tough to get into I'm going to stick with the numbers and the numbers come from Vegas and other places offshore and and they say that Oklahoma state is the 17th most likely team but it's all the way up to 22% oh 's 15th at 25% OSU at 22 is pretty good I do like the fact that get Utah at home that could be a big spring board for great things over the course of the schedule there and that's one reason why I'm going to say 40 it's not above 50 but it's pretty good question number four Oklahoma averaged 334 passing yards last season percentage chances they top that this year I think that's almost impossible frankly uh I'm going to go 35% they can still have success at 35% these defenses are going to be much much much better down there and I think if Oklahoma has success they're going to be a better run team than they were and therefore I end up at that number well I don't think it's that impossible for something like that to happen Burks deep Burks deep go do that several times and you'll have that number so I'm going 60 yeah this is a tough question I think they will be more aggressive offensively but they're also going to face as Dean mentioned much better defenses this year I'm going to say 49% final one percentage chances Kevin Wilson in The Golden hurricane win at least six games strong 55 I think they'll be favored in four they'll p two upsets in Kevin Wilson I trust 70% not that John really knows and I darn sure didn't look over my shoulder at him but I've got you Kevin and Steve spur you're up there at 55 gentlemen remember at the end of the season we will review the numbers to see who won this special first in football played percentages new this season news9 and News on Six are teaming up with ou Athletics to provide extra sooner Sports content almost every day of the week starting tonight at 10:35 you can watch U Sports Programming like sooner Sports Talk in Coaches Corner every night Monday through Friday on ksbi in Oklahoma City and on the CW in Tulsa you can also catch coach Venable postgame show with Dean blevens every Sunday night after the blitz at 11:30 on news9 and News On 6 news9 and News On 6 are your goto all football season long for scores highlights analysis and breaking sports news and programming note U athletic director Joe castig Leon joins live tomorrow morning on news9 at 9 hey guys it is a season like none other it's guaranteed to be a season like none other so best of luck to the teams and you fans at home still got it hey firston football