No Father's Son

[redsox907]

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2029 College Football Playoff Fiesta Bowl Preview - #9 Ohio State (12-2) @ #1 Oklahoma (12-1)

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Boone Tillman // Sooner Born • Published: December 31st, 2029

Armando Leon has led the Oklahoma Sooners to a 12-1 record, the program's first SEC Championship, their historic 9th Heisman Memorial Trophy, and now the #1 overall seed in the 2029 College Football Playoff. All that's left, outside of a National Championship, is to end the Sooners six-game losing streak in the playoffs. Standing in their way? An equally motivated Ohio State Buckeyes team who rebounded from an ugly loss to a 5-7 Michigan squad in "The Game" to end the USC Trojans' undefeated season and claim the Big Ten Championship.

We'll preview how we stack up against the ninth-ranked Buckeyes before we get to a Playoff edition of the "Schooner Scoop" with Armando Leon to discuss how Oscar Robledo intends to follow up a Heisman season, how his own playoff experience will help the Sooners, and the status of coordinators Jerry Mack and Kirk Ferentz amid a hectic coaching cycle.


•••

#1 Oklahoma Sooners (12-1)             | Description                   | #9 Ohio State Buckeyes (12-2)
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96 Overall // 95 Offense // 97 Defense | Team Rating                   | 95 Overall // 96 Offense // 94 Defense
Armando Leon (23-4)                    | Head Coach                    | Ryan Day (126-24)
Spread                                 | Offensive Scheme              | Spread
3-3-5                                  | Defensive Scheme              | 4-2-5
47.5 (1st)                             | Offensive Points Per Game     | 40.1 (9th)
18.6 (4th)                             | Defensive Points Per Game     | 24.9 (27th)
492.6 (4th)                            | Offensive Yards Per Game      | 467.1 (10th)
314.5 (1st)                            | Defensive Yards Per Game      | 370.1 (38th)

Oklahoma Sooners               | Description     |  Ohio State Buckeyes
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102-72                         | Combined Record | 103-70
Oklahoma State (8-4) W 45-3    | Week One        | Arkansas (5-7) W 38-17
@ Oregon (7-5) W 52-14         | Week Two        | FCS W 63-17
@ Vanderbilt (3-9) W 56-21     | Week Three      | Liberty (5-7) W 21-13
@ Kentucky (5-7) W 49-6        | Week Four       | UCLA (9-3) W 49-35
@ Florida (8-5) L 52-51        | Week Five       | BYE
Missouri (10-3) W 49-17        | Week Six        |  Rutgers (6-7) L 35-30
Texas (5-7) W 45-38            | Week Seven      | Penn State (8-4) W 51-16
Nebraska (5-7) W 49-14         | Week Eight      | Minnesota (8-4) W 32-31
Tennessee (10-2) W 56-24       | Week Nine       | @ Illinois (6-6) W 33-32
BYE                            | Week Ten        | @ Washington (8-4) W 52-31
Tulsa (5-7) W 45-7             | Week Eleven     | @ Purdue (2-10) W 49-21
LSU (7-5) W 38-14              | Week Twelve     | @ Wisconsin (6-6) W 42-21
@ Texas A&M (9-3) W 34-13      | Week Thirteen   | @ Michigan (5-7) L 32-28
South Carolina (8-5) W 49-9    | Conference Champ| USC (13-1) W 36-14
BYE                            | First Round CFP | @ Georgia (10-3) W 37-34

Oklahoma Sooners                                                 Ohio State Buckeyes
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N/A                                            | Injuries      | N/A

Oklahoma Sooners                                                          Ohio State Buckeyes
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SR(RS) Cole Welliver (91) 286/407 (70%), 3,515 Yds, 33 TD, 9 INT  | QB  | SR(RS) Jason Wright (87) 335/474 (70%), 4,477 Yds, 52 TD, 9 INT
JR(RS) Oscar Robledo (89) 210 Att, 1,742 Yds, 25 TD               | HB  | SO(RS) Deon Boutte (91) 237 Att, 1,037 Yds, 6 TD
SR(RS) Ja'Kayden Ferguson (92) 52 Rec, 682 Yds, 8 TD              | WR  | FR(RS) DeAndre Hocker (91) 97 Rec, 1,285 Yds, 11 TD
JR(RS) Iosefa Topa (89) 56 Rec, 649 Yds, 8 TD                     | WR  | SR(RS) Keylen Adams (89) 73 Rec, 1,226 Yds, 19 TD
SR MLB Kyle Brink (92) 100 Tkl, 27 TFL, 7.5 Sacks                 | DEF | SR SS Cody Haddad (80) 70 Tkl, 3 TFL, 2 INT
SR DT Karlos Vigil (92) 37 Tkl, 25 TFL, 16.5 Sacks                | DEF | SR(RS) MLB George Herron (91) 39 Tkl, 18 TFL, 9 Sacks
SO(RS) DE Leon Britt (88) 42 Tkl, 21 TFL, 9 Sacks                 | DEF | SR(RS) DT Maxwell Roy (85) 44 Tkl, 13 TFL, 7.5 Sacks
JR(RS) SS DeMarco Slayton (84) 76 Tkl, 12 TFL, 5 INT              | DEF | SR(RS) CB Aydan West (84) 65 Tkl, 3 INT

Quarterfinal Matchups
Fiesta Bowl: #5 USC (13-1) @ #4 Tennessee (10-2)
Orange Bowl: #11 Texas Tech (12-2) vs #3 Miami (11-2)
Peach Bowl: #7 Missouri (10-3) vs #2 Notre Dame (11-1)


•••


Schooner Scoop

BT: "Coach, Oscar Robledo may have hoisted the Heisman trophy a few weekends ago in New York, but something tells me he's hungry for more. How motivated is he to join the prestigious list of players who won a Heisman and National Championship in the same season?"

AL: "He isn't just aiming for the Natty, Boone, although that is the ultimate goal. He's got Adrian Peterson's school record dead in his sights, as well as being the first FBS player with 1,000 rushing and receiving yards in an individual season. And he's leading by example. He's the first one in, first one out, holding everyone accountable. You can tell he wants it. We all do. We're all well aware of the Sooners' postseason record and we're taking the field with the mindset to officially put that narrative to rest in Dallas tomorrow."

BT: "What did you as a coach learn from last year's playoff run with Maryland that will help you guide the Sooners to success?"

AL: "That it ain't over till it's over. We were up going into the fourth quarter on Oregon last year and let it slip away. We won't make that same mistake again. I don't care if we're up by 21 points in the fourth-quarter, it's up until the final whistle. Ohio State is explosive offensively and Jason Wright was a Heisman contender most of the year, they're definitely not a team you can get a two-touchdown lead on and think it's over. You do that, and you're going to be watching red and white confetti fall when you're walking off the field."

BT: "Last one, Coach. I know you publicly declared you weren't going anywhere, but what is the word on your coordinators? Both Jerry Mack and Kirk Ferentz have head coaching experience, have you heard of any teams reaching out to interview them?"

AL: "I haven't heard anything on either front, but they know that if they're getting interest they have our full support. I've been in situations in the past where my head coach didn't support my desires to become a head coach, and it's not a good feeling. Both Jerry and Kirk know that should they want to leave for a better opportunity, they have my full support. From what I'm hearing, Freeman to Michigan and Franklin to Clemson is already finalized, leaving Notre Dame and Penn State open—both great jobs for the right person. I'll go ahead and say it again for the people in the back: I am not that person. But if Kirk wants to go back to being a head coach, or Jerry wants to continue his career, I wish them all the best and I think they'd be terrific candidates for either program."


•••


As with most matchups against high-profile opponents this season, our defense is going to be the X-factor. They've got an explosive offense and an exemplary senior quarterback, but I fully expect Coach Leon to cook up some exotic looks at the end of the game that tip the scales in our favor.

This has the making of another classic akin to the last time we were in the Cotton Bowl, edging out the Texas Longhorns behind a defensive stand followed by an explosive punt-return by eventual Jet Award winner Isaac Adcock.

There's no way I'm going against our guys now, we're riding the wagon until the wheels fall off. 31 Ohio State, 35 Oklahoma. We finally get that elusive College Football Playoff win, and I'm hoping a few more in quick succession.

[djp73]

Win.

[James]

PLANT THE FLAG

[redsox907]

Win.

PLANT THE FLAG

[redsox907]

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Cole Welliver Leads the Charge As Sooners Circle the Wagons In Dallas

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Boone Tillman // Sooner Born • Published: December 31st, 2029

It took fifteen long years, but the Oklahoma Sooners can finally count themselves among the programs to have won a College Football Playoff game after Armando Leon led the No. 1 ranked Sooners to a dominant 33-6 mud-stomping of the Big Ten champion Ohio State Buckeyes.

From the first play of the game, the Sooners' defense set the tone: win or lose, they were going to leave with their pound of flesh. Lombardi winner Karlos Vigil drove Buckeye center Ben Damico straight back on the first snap of the game for Ohio State, knocking him on his ass at Jason Wright's feet before throwing Wright to the ground. It was the first of seven sacks Wright would absorb in the Cotton Bowl as the Buckeyes struggled to maintain any momentum between the constant pressure on Wright, and the overall ineffectiveness of Deon Boutte.

While Wright would salvage the opening drive, with a 61-yard completion to Keylen Adams who hauled in the third-and-long pass over both Nathan Tilmon and Ralph Saylor, the Buckeyes would settle for a field goal, another theme of the first half.

While the Buckeyes turned in a pair of field goals on their four first-half possessions, the Sooners went a perfect 3/3 with the only miscue coming on the final drive of the game. With less than a minute left and facing third down, Welliver went for the kill shot. Instead of finding a streaking Ja'Kayden Ferguson, he instead found CB Quin Okine who picked off the pass to end the first half.

It was the first, and only, incompletion Welliver threw in a nearly immaculate first half. While Oscar Robledo was limited to just five yards on five carries, although with another six receptions for 44 yards, Welliver buoyed the Sooners, completing 22 of his 23 first-half passes for 231 yards and three touchdowns.

The Ohio State Buckeyes had a brief moment to reclaim the momentum and mount a comeback, but the opportunity slipped through their fingers as quickly as it arrived.

Oklahoma started the second half with another 11-play drive, but facing 4th-and-goal from the three-yard line, and with Oscar Robledo officially ruled out with a sore ankle, Armando Leon put the ball in Cole Welliver's hands. For one of the only times on the night, Welliver came up short. Defensive tackle Anthony Redman rose up and swatted the would-be touchdown to the turf, ending the scoring threat and giving Ohio State an opportunity.

Jason Wright dropped back into the end zone as the Buckeyes took over at the three-yard line and was promptly buried by linebacker Steve DiNapoli for a safety. Terrance Butcher would slash in the touchdown after the free kick and the Buckeyes never recovered, generating only one drive that reached midfield throughout the final quarter and a half.


•••


Question One - James McDavid (OU Daily): "Congratulations on finally powering the University of Oklahoma to a CFP victory. I think if you told someone before this contest that Oscar Robledo would only have 81 all-purpose yards and no touchdowns, they'd assume this game was another Sooners' loss in the playoff. What can you say about the performance Cole Welliver put on the field today?"

AL: "Our first play of the game was a quick RPO to Oscar in the flat and he came up favoring his ankle. He said he was good, but the longer the game went on, you could tell it was bothering him. Coach Mack and I went right to Cole and told him, this is your game. And he responded. That's what big-time players do, step up when the team needs them. He was surgical tonight and while people will look at the two interceptions, neither of those hurt us. One was the end of the half, Ohio State had no time to strike back, and the second was later in the game on 3rd-and-long from midfield. It was essentially an arm punt, something we'd already talked about before the play. You take those two throws away, and he's completing 85% of his passes. Against Ohio State, in the Cotton Bowl. That's the kind of performance that turns you into a campus legend."

Question Two - Meg Semental (SEC Network): "Coach, you mentioned Oscar Robledo's ankle bothered him after his early reception. He had 11 touches in the first half for 49 yards, then only had three more in the second half before spending the rest of the game on the sideline. Did the injury get worse over the course of the game and do you think it was something he should have taken a seat with earlier? To add on to that, what is his status going to be for the Sugar Bowl next week?"

Armando Leon: "He said he was fine after the first drive of the game, trainers said he was good on the sideline after, and they said the same thing at half. Their words, and I quote, were 'It isn't going to get worse, from an injury standpoint, it's entirely a pain tolerance decision for Oscar.' Once the adrenaline wore off, I think the pain doubled down on him. He said he could go if we needed him, but we were up 30-6 at that point, so I made the call for him to wrap it up and save it for another day. He didn't want to leave, but he's also smart enough to know that he needs to pick his spots and we're going to need him next week. We're going to monitor it throughout the week, but from what I know right now, he's going to be good to go."

Question Three - Taylor McGregor (ESPN): "Coach Leon, Jason Wright was a Heisman contender for much of the season and threw 52 touchdowns on the season. What did you do defensively to hold him, and the Buckeyes offense, without a touchdown for the first time this season?"

Armando Leon: "All the credit goes to our defensive line. We can scheme up whatever we want, but if they aren't executing it doesn't matter. If a quarterback has enough time, eventually someone is going to shake free. Karlos set the standard from the first play of the game, flattening the center and then Jason Wright. That set the tone and we just carried that tune all day. This isn't a slight, just to clarify, but better quarterbacks than Jason Wright have folded under a relentless pass rush. Hit him early, and hit him often, was the crux of our game plan."


•••


It may have taken fifteen years, but it damn sure feels good to finally get that zero off our chest. The Sooners came to Dallas for the second time, and left as conquerors once again.

Oscar Robledo's ankle is concerning, because as great as Cole Welliver played you have to wonder how he'll perform if the opposition knows Oscar is limited. But that's a problem for next week.

For now, we're partying in Norman like it's 2001.

BOOMER SOONER.

Team	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	Final
Ohio State	3	3	0	0	6
Oklahoma	7	14	9	3	33

Q	Team	Time	Play	Ohio State	Oklahoma
1st	Ohio State	6:39	Sam Mitchel, 38 Yd FG	3	0
1st	Oklahoma	2:22	Ja'Kayden Ferguson, 14 Yd Pass From Cole Welliver	3	7
2nd	Oklahoma	6:47	Trynae Washington, 3 Yd Pass From Cole Welliver	3	14
2nd	Ohio State	3:04	Sam Mitchell, 42 Yd FG	6	14
2nd	Oklahoma	1:18	Darren Lyles, 4 Yd Pass From Cole Welliver	6	21
3rd	Oklahoma	6:04	Safety	6	23
3rd	Oklahoma	4:17	Terrance Butcher, 3 Yd Run	6	30
4th	Oklahoma	6:11	Brian Rowe, 28 Yd FG	6	33

Ohio State                                                       Oklahoma

Passing               | Stats                                    Passing            | Stats
----------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------
Jason Wright          | 21/33, 229 Yds                           Cole Welliver      | 34/42, 344 Yds, 3 TD, 2 INT

Rushing               | Stats                                    Rushing            | Stats
----------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------
Deon Boutte           | 10 Att, 26 Yds                           Oscar Robledo      | 7 Att, 29 Yds
Jason Wright          | 7 Att, -34 Yds                           Terrance Butcher   | 13 Att, 86 Yds, TD

Receiving             | Stats                                    Receiving          | Stats
----------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------
Nate Roberts          | 5 Rec, 54 Yds                            Oscar Robledo      | 6 Rec, 52 Yds
DeAndre Hunter        | 4 Rec, 47 Yds                            Trynae Washington  | 9 Rec, 155 Yds, TD
Keylen Adams          | 4 Rec, 80 Yds                            Ja'Kayden Ferguson | 3 Rec, 35 Yds, TD

Defensive             | Stats                                    Defensive          | Stats
----------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------
CB Aydan West         | 11 Tkl, INT                              MLB Kyle Brink     | 6 Tkl, 2 TFL, Sack
LB Afernee Salter     | 10 Tkl, 2 TFL, INT                       DE Leon Britt      | 4 Tkl, 3 TFL, Sack
DT Anthony Redman     | Tkl, TFL, Sack                           DT Karlos Vigil    | 5 Tkl, 3 TFL, 2 Sacks

CFP Quarterfinal Results
Fiesta Bowl: 42 #5 USC (14-1) @ #4 Tennessee (10-3) 17
Orange Bowl: 30 #11 Texas Tech (12-3) @ #3 Miami (12-2) 41
Peach Bowl: 35 #7 Missouri (11-3) @ #2 Notre Dame (11-2) 19

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[djp73]

Fuck yeah

[redsox907]

Fuck yeah

almost there

[redsox907]

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2029 College Football Playoff Sugar Bowl Preview - #5 USC (14-1) @ #1 Oklahoma (13-1)

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Boone Tillman // Sooner Born • Published: January 9th, 2030

Folks, you couldn't write this script if you tried. Not only has Coach Leon already gone through Dan Lanning and Josh Heupel this season, but now with a chance to go to the National Championship Game the one standing in his way is none other than the USC Trojans and former Sooner head coach Lincoln Riley, quite possibly one of the most disliked men in the state of Oklahoma. This matchup has enough juice even if you aren't a fan of the Sooners, as both the Trojans and Sooners rank in the top 10 nationally offensively and defensively as well as boasting the men who finished first and second in the Heisman voting, Oscar Robledo and Tavien St. Clair respectively.

Once we see how evenly matched these two foes are in the quick graphic, we'll get right into a Sugar Bowl version of the "Schooner Scoop" with Coach Leon as we discuss the irony of the matchup, the versatility of Tavien St. Clair, and of course the health of our own Heisman winner Oscar Robledo.


•••

#1 Oklahoma Sooners (13-1)             | Description                   | #5 USC (14-1)
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96 Overall // 95 Offense // 97 Defense | Team Rating                   | 95 Overall // 96 Offense // 94 Defense
Armando Leon (25-4)                    | Head Coach                    | Lincoln Riley (78-31)
Spread                                 | Offensive Scheme              | Air Raid
3-3-5                                  | Defensive Scheme              | 3-4 Multiple
46.5 (1st)                             | Offensive Points Per Game     | 43.9 (3rd)
17.0 (5th)                             | Defensive Points Per Game     | 17.1 (6th)
490.2 (3rd)                            | Offensive Yards Per Game      | 479.0 (4th)
296.6 (1st)                            | Defensive Yards Per Game      | 322.6 (4th)

Oklahoma Sooners               | Description     |  USC
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120-76                         | Combined Record | 115-78
Oklahoma State (9-4) W 45-3    | Week One        | FCS W 62-14
@ Oregon (8-5) W 52-14         | Week Two        | BYE
@ Vanderbilt (3-9) W 56-21     | Week Three      | @ Arizona State (10-4) W 56-13
@ Kentucky (5-7) W 49-6        | Week Four       | Iowa (4-8) W 52-13
@ Florida (8-5) L 52-51        | Week Five       | Michigan State (6-6) W 54-10
Missouri (11-3) W 49-17        | Week Six        | @ Oregon (8-5) W 38-10
Texas (5-7) W 45-38            | Week Seven      | @ Illinois (6-7) W 43-6
Nebraska (5-7) W 49-14         | Week Eight      | @ Notre Dame (11-2) W 48-17
Tennessee (10-3) W 56-24       | Week Nine       | Michigan (5-7) W 49-27
BYE                            | Week Ten        | @ Purdue (2-10) W 55-3
Tulsa (5-7) W 45-7             | Week Eleven     | Northwestern (4-8) W 38-36
LSU (8-5) W 38-14              | Week Twelve     | @ Nebraska (5-7) W 21-13
@ Texas A&M (9-4) W 34-13      | Week Thirteen   | UCLA (9-4) W 56-21
South Carolina (8-6) W 49-9    | Conference Champ| Ohio State (12-3) L 36-14
BYE                            | First Round CFP | Pittsburgh (10-3) W 31-20
Ohio State (12-3) W 33-6       | Quarterfinal CFP| Tennessee (10-3) W 42-17

Oklahoma Sooners                                                 USC
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N/A                                            | Injuries      | N/A

Oklahoma Sooners                                                          USC
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SR(RS) Cole Welliver (91) 320/449 (71%), 3,859 Yds, 36 TD, 11 INT | QB  | SR(RS) Tavien St. Clair (99) 390/571 (68%), 4,632 Yds, 44 TD, 5 INT; 185 Att, 837 Yds, 17 TD
JR(RS) Oscar Robledo (89) 217 Att, 1,771 Yds, 25 TD               | HB  | JR(RS) Ben Romero (91) 250 Att, 1,422 Yds, 23 TD
SR(RS) Ja'Kayden Ferguson (92) 55 Rec, 717 Yds, 9 TD              | WR  | SR Jordan Cantrell (88) 84 Rec, 1,180 Yds, 8 TD
SR(RS) Trynae Washington (82) 47 Rec, 806 Yds, 4 TD               | WR  | SO(RS) Tyrone Stingley (91) 100 Rec, 1,080 Yds, 11 TD
SR MLB Kyle Brink (92) 106 Tkl, 29 TFL, 8 Sacks                   | DEF | JR MLB Barry Morrison (89) 83 Tkl, 4 TFL, 2.5 Sacks, 2 INT
SR DT Karlos Vigil (92) 42 Tkl, 28 TFL, 18.5 Sacks                | DEF | SR(RS) LB Ko'o Kia (90) 63 Tkl, 21 TFL, 13.5 Sacks
SO(RS) DE Leon Britt (88) 46 Tkl, 24 TFL, 9.5 Sacks               | DEF | SR(RS) DE Shawn Ward (82) 24 Tkl, 14 TFL, 6.5 Sacks
JR(RS) SS DeMarco Slayton (84) 84 Tkl, 12 TFL, 5 INT              | DEF | SR(RS) CB Jett White (87) 66 Tkl, 2 TFL, Sack, 5 INT

Rose Bowl
#3 Miami (12-2) vs #7 Missouri (11-3)


•••


Schooner Scoop

BT: "USC and Lincoln Riley are the only ones standing between the Oklahoma Sooners and the National Championship, Coach Leon. After everything you, and this team, have overcome in regards to criticism and scrutiny, how ironic is it that Lincoln Riley is your last hurdle to a National Championship?"

AL "It's not lost on me, Boone, but I do think it's a tad trite. Riley has been gone for almost nine years, and it's not like he won a National Championship while he was here. In fact, he was 0-3 in the playoffs with Oklahoma. In that regard, you could argue I've already done more for the program. So, he may be a former Sooners head coach who scorned the program, let's not parade that he's some legendary coach. He was good, not great. We're about to show him what a great Oklahoma team really looks like."

BT: "Let's talk about Tavien St. Clair, arguably the most dynamic quarterback in the country. What do you need to accomplish defensively to limit his impact?"

AL: "There is no arguably about it, Boone. He's hands down the best quarterback in the country and outside of Oscar Robledo, the most impactful offensive player in the country. You don't stack 61 touchdowns on your own unless you're a game-changer and he certainly falls into that category. It's a hard matchup to scheme against, because most quarterbacks you pressure them to shake their confidence and disrupt their timing. Tavien will just scramble and take the yardage. You sit back in coverage and he has the arm talent to shred a zone, or again, just take off. We'll have to be disciplined, in both coverage and containment, and pick our spots to get aggressive. If we overtrend one way or the other, throw us in rice."

BT: "Speaking of Heisman winners, how is Oscar Robledo's ankle? I know Cole got it done last week, but I'd like our chances a lot better if Oscar was back there with him."

AL: "He says he's good to go, trainer says he's good to go, as far as I'm concerned—he's good to go. We'll play it by ear in the game, but he's got a full workload as far as I'm concerned. But if something happens in game, we've got no problem putting the ball in Cole's hands. He's proved it all season, ain't no reason to think he won't prove it again."


•••


One win away from the National Championship, it doesn't get any better than this folks. So long as Oscar Robledo is really good to go, I have full faith in this team to finish the job and get us to Miami.

If Robledo isn't good to go, things get a little hairier. But, either way, I'm riding with Leon until the wagon wheels fall off.

31 USC, 35 Oklahoma.

[redsox907]

LETSSSSSA

[redsox907]

GO