January 7, 2009

Coach's View: Breaking down OU-UF

Five coaches contributed their breakdowns for the BCS National Championship game to the NYT College Sports Blog. Some highlights:

LLOYD CARR: "But in this game I don’t think either defense is going to be able to shut down those offenses. It’ll come down to the team that gives up the fewer big plays and causes the most turnovers will end up winning."

HOUSTON NUTT: "If Coach Stoops called and asked how to beat Florida, I would tell him that it’s very difficult. First off, they need to keep doing what they’re doing. Oklahoma is scoring a bunch of points. If you don’t turn the ball over, you have a chance."

BRIAN KELLY: "The matchup really to me is not about Tim Tebow and Percy Harvin, although they’re very important, clearly. It’s about Florida’s defense and how it matches up against the Oklahoma offense. That will be the telltale sign because you have to outscore Oklahoma. If you have to score 45 points as Texas did, that’s one heck of a great day. I don’t know that you can bank on scoring 40 points against Oklahoma. You’ve got to just start shooting 3-pointers when you get off the bus. That’s really the only way you can beat Oklahoma."

BO PELINI: Oklahoma is very capable on the offensive line. They’re outstanding. It’ll be interesting to see how Florida’s defense holds up against that big group. Oklahoma’s offensive line will have to neutralize Florida’s defensive speed. It’s going to be a fun game to watch. I’m looking forward to it.

GARY PINKEL: Offensively for Oklahoma, you have to deal with their tempo. Their control of tempo in the game is as great as I have ever seen. It really puts a lot of pressure on your defense. I don’t think there’s some great answer to solving their tempo. You have to be able to signal your signals out to your defense and make the calls quickly. That sounds like that shouldn’t be that difficult, but it is. You have to work at it really hard in practice to get that done. It’s just not easy to do.

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Coach's View: Breaking down OU-UF
Five coaches contributed their breakdowns for the BCS National Championship game to the NYT College Sports Blog. Some highlights: LLOYD CARR: "But in this game I don’t think either defense is going to be able to shut down those offenses. It’ll come down to the team that gives up the fewer big plays and causes the most turnovers will end up winning." HOUSTON NUTT: "If Coach Stoops called and asked how to beat Florida, I would tell him that it’s very difficult. First off, they need to keep doing what they’re doing. Oklahoma is scoring a bunch of points. If you don’t turn the ball over, you have a chance." BRIAN KELLY: "The matchup really to me is not about Tim Tebow and Percy Harvin, although they’re very important, clearly. It’s about Florida’s defense and how it matches up against the Oklahoma offense. That will be the telltale sign because you have to outscore Oklahoma. If you have to score 45 points as Texas did, that’s one heck of a great day. I don’t know that you can bank on scoring 40 points against Oklahoma. You’ve got to just start shooting 3-pointers when you get off the bus. That’s really the only way you can beat Oklahoma." BO PELINI: Oklahoma is very capable on the offensive line. They’re outstanding. It’ll be interesting to see how Florida’s defense holds up against that big group. Oklahoma’s offensive line will have to neutralize Florida’s defensive speed. It’s going to be a fun game to watch. I’m looking forward to it. GARY PINKEL: Offensively for Oklahoma, you have to deal with their tempo. Their control of tempo in the game is as great as I have ever seen. It really puts a lot of pressure on your defense. I don’t think there’s some great answer to solving their tempo. You have to be able to signal your signals out to your defense and make the calls quickly. That sounds like that shouldn’t be that difficult, but it is. You have to work at it really hard in practice to get that done. It’s just not easy to do.