Irresistible Force vs. Immovable Object?

(OU FOOTBALL DISCLAIMER: This is another OU football post. In fact, there will be nothing in this post other than discussion of OU football. If you're not interested, move along...nothing to see here.)

So tomorrow night's game against Tulsa will be an interesting one. TU has had some success so far, even beating well-regarded BYU 55-47 last week. Mom (herself a TU alum) and Dad were at that game and they told me it was a wild one. This week, though, they'll have a bit more of a challenge...and that's the whole crux of this game. TU's defense has been relatively porous, ranking 93rd in scoring defense (32 pts/game) and 108th in total offense (486 yards allowed/game). That defense will a great deal of trouble against OU's offense, which is ranked 3rd in total offense (565.3) and 1st in scoring offense (61.3). Worse news for TU is their lack of effectiveness against a strong ground game. They've given up 184.5 yards per game on the ground against the likes of BYU and Louisiana-Monroe, neither of whom is known for an outstanding rushing attack. ULM runs a bit more because of a lack of solid passing, but BYU is definitely NOT a running team and they still put up 157 yards in their game against TU. Against OU's superior blocking and deep stable of talented running backs, the ground game should have a field day. I predict 300 on the ground for OU before the day is over, in fact, with several long runs like last week. OU has the clear advantage overall and should be able to put up at least 50 points for the fourth straight game.

However, TU's offense is ranked highly as well, 4th in total offense (559 yds/game), 6th in passing offense (398.5 yds/game) and 15th in scoring offense (45 pts/game). That amazing offense goes head-to-head with OU's super-stout defense, ranked 2nd in total defense (179.7), 6th in scoring defense (8.7), and 12th in passing defense (135.3). OU's D has racked up 10 sacks, while TU's O-line has only given up 3 in two games. TU's had 2 passes intercepted, while OU has taken 5 from their opponents, with two of them returned for TDs.

This could be the real irresistible-force-vs-immovable-object game, one of the toughest OU will play, in fact. No offense to Texas or any of the other opponents on the OU schedule, but TU might be the toughest test OU's defense will receive. Since TU's passing game will be the big factor in this battle, I predict that these sack and interception stats will be the difference makers. TU's O-line will do well, but they will ultimately wear down against the strong Sooner D-line, allowing OU pressure Paul Smith.

My predicted score: OU 56, TU 31.

Thanks for reading along.