This breakdown was posted before our game with them last week. It should be accurate except for not including the recap of our (Baylor's) game with OSU.
I am reposting it here without worrying about formatting.
http://www.baylorfans.com/forums/showthread.php?t=223088&p=3644063#post3644063Watch out, Gundy is a man who is over 40...
and moves like a breakdancer...
and is using Oregon-like Uniforms in an attempt to help his recruiting...
Onto the serious notes now...
Okie Lite is up next. A look at who they will put out there...
OFFENSE
QB is Brandon Weeden- 6'4 former baseball player who is older than any other QB we will face and probably has the strongest arm as well. Smart guy has done well this season and last. He's on good terms with his star WR Justin Blackmon.
RBs are #1 Randle and #31 Smith. Both are guys that have some good speed and quickness. I would not say they are as good as A&M's guys but certainly as good or better than ISU and KSU's backs. Capable of running & catching well and very dangerous.
When they use one their main fullback is #9 Kye Staley who moves well for a FB.
Their best WR is no secret. #81 Justin Blackmon has been making big plays for over a year now and is well regarded. 6'1 215 with speed. I don't think he is as good as Dez Bryant was but he is still NFL good and a handful for any DB to take 1 on 1. He and Weeden have the fade down very well.
Main slot guy is #25 Josh Cooper who is very much like Ryan Swope was last week. He is about as big and also has a lot of speed.
On the outside they lost their other starter Hubert Anyiam to injury and have 2 backups slated to replace him. #82 Isaiah Anderson in a 5'10 170 pound speedster much like TCU had with Skye Dawson. #7 Michael Harrison is Blackmon-sized and has good speed. He took advantage of a blown coverage by Mizzou for a long TD last week.
Their other main slot guy is #87 Tracy Moore (6'1 233) who is a tough size matchup like Josh Norman (6'2 225) was for OU's 2000 title team at the same spot.
They are absolutely loaded at WR and according to their coaches have 8 guys who they feel can make big plays. After watching them, this is more than simple coach speak and each of them has seen real time and made plays.
Their main TE is Wilson Youman #86 who also sees time on the D Line as OSU loves using multiple RBs in their diamond formation instead of TEs near the goal line.
Offensive line is very good and has been spectacular in pass protection this year.
DEFENSE:
They have a very talented secondary. Justin Gilbert #4 (6'0 205) is very fast and so is his partner at the cornerback position #19 Broderick Brown (5'8 185). Each made big INTs to turn the A&M game around.
Markelle Martin is their best safety and is very athletic. 6'1 and can jump like crazy.
Their linebackers line up like ours where the MLB is obviously in the middle and the the SLB and WLB flip to where the SLB is always covering the more dangerous half of the formation in the passing game. #45 Caleb Lavey is their middle linebacker and is quick but not as speedy as the other 2. WLB is #37 Alex Elkins who moves very well at that spot. SLB for them is #11 Shaun Lewis (5'11 220) who plays a similar spot to how we use Antonio Dixon. He's fast and is backed up by James Thomas #22 who has a similar skill set and comes in frequently on nickel and dime packages.
Defensive Line rotates a lot of guys. Main 4 guys are #50 Blatnick and #99 Richetti Jones at DE and #94 Anthony Rogers and #89 Nigel Nicholas at DT. Of these 4 there were 2 that stood out to me. Blatnick is very strong for a DE. He is listed as 6'3 265 but plays as strong as most 285 pound guys. He apparently bench presses Mark Mangino's bodyweight with each arm. 
At DT the guy who stood out was Nicholas. He is very quick and a capable interior pass rusher who reminds me of former CU Buffalo George Hypolite or former KU Jayhawk James McClinton. He isn't the bulkiest DT but makes up for it with quickness.
When they go with nickel packages they usually take out one or both DTs and replace them usually with backup DE #80 Cooper Basset (6'5 275) and then have either Nicholas or a backup DE like #96 Ryan Robinson stand up as a pass rushing linebacker next to a 3 man front. They used this look a lot against Arizona who runs a very air-raid based system.
SPECIAL TEAMS:
Kick returns are very strong with this group. If we can hold them down we can call the TCU coverage issues solved. That said I doubt we can. Gilbert has taken 2 back for touchdowns this year and is very dynamic.
Kicker is ok and so is their punter. Only weak area is that they are 110th in punt returns.
ONE BIG FACTOR: Oklahoma State is the number 1 team in turnover ratio. That cannot be overlooked.
SCHEMES:
On offense OSU made a great move last year in hiring Dana Holgerson who gave them great results on the field and a less than ideal storyline off of it. He took his improved version of Leach's air raid and the Cowboys who were 70th in total offense in 2009 and elevated them to 3rd last year despite losing Dez Bryant, Zac Robinson, and Russell Okung. Sadly the appeal of West Virginia's head coaching spot and their casinos was too much for Dana and they had to hire a new guy.
Gundy was smart enough to not change things that were working and got Todd Monken to run the same stuff as 2010. It has worked well so far and they are once again 3rd in total offense nationally.
Their scheme isn't 100% air raid but it isn't far from it. They add some vertical stems to begin the routes and run it more often but the core identity is pretty much the same.
One look they have used a lot of is the diamond formation with 2 WRs and 3 backs.
Other than being a pistol version of the T formation it allows them to do several things,
1- Easily mess with defensive alignments based on declaring strong side and weak side with simple shifts
2- Give easy protection for the flea flicker plays they use as play action passing
3- Give new blocking angles on the edge runs
4- Force the coverage of the safeties inside leaving Blackmon 1 on 1 outside.
A couple articles that break down their offensive schemes and sets.
Smartfootball.com on Diamond formation- http://smartfootball.com/offense/the-diamond-formation-and-other-multi-back-pistol-sets
Article on diamond formation inside & outside zone- http://offensivebreakdown.blogspot.com/2011/01/diamond-formation.html
(pic from smartfootball.com)
Another tactic they got A&M with last year and torched Arizona with for a long play is running smash routes on each half of the field (slot corner & WR hitch) and then sending their RB deep down the middle. Against cover 2 is stretches the Safeties out to defend 3 vertical threats and typically the RB is open.
Article on double smash with more explanation- http://smartfootball.com/passing/double-smash-pass-concept-with-the-runningback-deep-down-the-middle
This article on Holgerson offense by smartfootball before WVU-LSU explains a couple things he does to amplify the leach air raid. Worth a read. - http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/7005204/louisiana-state-vs-west-virginia
One video that timed out on ESPN broke their draw down well. You wisely mention the draw and OSU runs it a bit different with a key wrinkle in it and Holgorsen explained it last year to Ubben. They still do this. They run a hitch with the inside slot guy and throw it or hand it off so the LB responsible for both is always wrong if they have a typical defensive set across from them.
My attempt at rehashing what Holgerson drew up for Ubben.
WRs on each side take outside releases and draw the coverage upfield.
Outer slot runs either a bubble route or out route. Simply taking his man to the sideline.
Tackles draw block and invite the DEs to rush upfield.
Center and 2 guards trap block 1 DT, block the other, and let the last guy release to the non-read Linebacker.
Inner slot runs a hitch right behind the LB on his side.
Leaves only 1 LB in the box to defend the run. This is the guy circled in green.
If he moves to defend the run, the QB throws the hitch behind him before the safety closes like I have drawn in grey.
If he stays with the route you have 5 blocking 5 with the draw and the RB takes it like I have drawn in blue. It is tough to execute but when run right it is hard to stop.
On defense they base out of a 4-3 and much like they made an upgrade hire with Holgorsen they made a great hire with Bill Young. He has them playing well despite how playing Tulsa, Arizona, A&M, and Mizzou will skew anyone's statistics at midseason. He ran very strong defenses at KU in 2004, 2005, and 2007 which is saying something. That place is not known for football prowess.
They will go to a 3 man front with a DE/LB type of guy standing up usually rushing as well in some of their nickel packages.
THEIR RESULTS THUS FAR:
GAME 1: Louisiana Lafayette- They dominated this group. They were ahead 44-20 after 3 quarters with 14 of the opposition's points coming on 2 interceptions for TDs. That is not characteristic of Weeden and he has only thrown 1 pick in league play this year.
GAME 2: Arizona- It has to be very sweet for OSU fans to have their school play a role in getting Mike Stoops fired. OSU scored on their first 3 drives and Arizona was able to move the ball here and there but really didn't find their rhythm offensively until half 2 and even then were sporadic at best. Both teams were choppy with penalties and other issues. OSU won handily but left lots of points on the field. Arizona is ranked over 100th in defense this year and their ability to clamp down after the first 3 drives put them in a 21-0 hole shows it is at least possible to slow this machine down as they only allowed 16 the rest of the way which was practically 3 quarters.
OU fan Nick Zepp uploaded this video of the entire game:
[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c17DpXIooX8[/video]
GAME 3: Tulsa "Midnight Madness"- In a game that was delayed to where it was still playing as bars were closing OSU's offense rolled and Tulsa could not keep up. Tulsa faced even longer odds once starting QB GJ Kinne went down. That said Tulsa was able to use the QB read run game effectively at times to move the ball and get some points on the board. It wasn't ever going to change the outcome but it certainly (along with MU's success) adds to the thought that they can be run on. Tulsa ran for over 300 on them.
NickZepp's Youtube that had the Arizona video has each quarter of this game.
GAME 4: A&M- They really shot themselves in the foot in the first half on offense and let A&M get 2 long drives for scores and left a QB read wide open for Tannehill to get a 65 yard TD. In the second half that changed dramatically. They moved up and down the field and forced 3 aggy turnovers to win the game and the stats bear it out.
Half 1- 38 plays for 170 yards and 4.47 per play
Half 2*- 60 plays for 355 and 5.92 each
(*before the last drive when they ran backwards for a 39 yard losing safety to kill the clock)
GAME 5: KU
70 points and no real fight put up by the Jayhawks. KU scored 28 points but almost all the damage was after the game is out of reach.
GAME 6: Texas
Texas did the best job of defending these guys by far. Initially the stats look typical with 6.2 yards per play but lost in that is UT had 2 runs where guys were out of alignment and surrendered over 100 on the 2 plays. The other 66 plays surrendered an average of 4.79 each. UT brought different zone blitzes (overload one side of the line and drop other defenders) and focused more on defending the pass than the run and it almost worked for them.
Great breakdown of UT's defense vs OSU: http://barkingcarnival.fantake.com/2011/10/20/manny-diaz-versus-the-spread-offense/
Shows how the attacked OSU differently than most.
On the other side of the ball UT was able to use mobile QB David Ash and his RBs to churn out over 6 per carry and run 89 plays which kept Weeden's boys on the sideline. Both teams had kick return TDs and it was not the expected rout by OSU the pundits predicted after OSU dropped a bomb on UT in Dallas.
Every snap of UT D vs OSU O: (Credit Alphahydro on Shaggybevo)
[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=8uzMZ2vVW5w[/video]
Every Snap of UT O vs OSU D:
[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=CW3uopnO0ao[/video]
Thread on Shaggybevo talking about the x's and o's of key plays. Some good info here amongst the post-loss bickering- http://www.shaggybevo.com/board/showthread.php/99110-let-s-talk-Defense-vs-the-Pokes-shall-we-(pics-included)
(Fair Warning: Those who worry about profanity be advised that Shaggybevo prides itself on not watching their collective toungue)
GAME 7 MIZZOU:
Mizzou was the 3rd team to run for 200 yards on the Cowboys this season. They forced a pick to stop a cowboy scoring drive but were done in by their own 4 turnovers.
The turnovers they gave up:
INT 1- Tip drill INT of a pass batted at the line. Set up a short OSU TD drive of 27 yards.
Fumble 1- Gave it away on 2nd and goal at the OSU 4. OSU then made them pay for it with a long TD drive.
INT 2- Gave the ball away at their own 37.
INT 3- Broderick Brown picks it off to set up a TD on a 43 yard drive.
End result of this is a 45-24 final score that easily could have ended up with both teams in the mid 30's without the slanted turnover ratio. Much like UT and Tulsa the Missouri offense was able to use the QB run game to march on the OSU D. This game is a testament to how big their turnover margin factors into their success.
LAST TIME VS BAYLOR:
We went to Stillwater last year after beating UT in Austin. We didn't come close to stopping their offense and turned it over 2 times on promising drives. At half it was 24-0 and it easily could have been 17-7 had we held onto the ball. They turned both into touchdowns and it was over early.
[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42esY-MLR4g&feature=related[/video]
HOW DO THEY COMPARE TO OUR OTHER FOES OFFENSIVELY?
Probably the best group we have faced. Best WR and OL for sure. QB and RB are up there too. I would be shocked to hold them under 30.
WHAT ABOUT THEIR D?
Average in terms of yards given up and run d, probably the best at turnovers forced. They make you march down the field and try to get takeaways. This D won't force top offenses to regular 3 and outs but gets stops when they must as the Aggies & Horns can attest to.
What should we expect?
I expect OSU to win and beat our D pretty well. What we should hope for is continued improvement and a much cleaner game assignment-wise than we saw last time out.
What are the main concerns?
Finding stops against their offense and keeping their outstanding kick return team in check. Both should worry us a lot as the only comparable talent offenses we have seen are TCU and A&M who both had strong performances.
What must the Bears do to win other than the concerns above?
We need to have a big day on offense and PROTECT THE BALL. OSU will kill you if you turn it over and took us out early with our turnovers last year.
I also think getting RG3 and our backs going with our QB read game is essential. They have shown vulnerability there. I don't think they have seen a strong passer run that QB read game much. Tannehill got the long run but only ran it 4 other times for 12 yards. Franklin, Ash, and Tulsa's backup were all inexperienced guys who left some things to be desired in the pass game. If we get them worried about RG3 on the read game we could open up some big plays.
If our defense gets owned is it evidence that Bennett isn't the guy?
Not really. UT and Mizzou have decent defenses and so did 2010 Nebraska and 2010 OU, all of which were beaten soundly by this offense. Sometimes the other offense is just that good and you need players you don't have.
Prediction?
OSU breaks 40 and we can't keep up. Hope I am wrong and happily eating crow.
Baylor vs OSUOffensively Baylor was able to move the ball at will, until we got into the red zone. 447 yards against the OSU defensive starters, 65% completions, and the only first half drives that did not travel 40 yards were a drive where we turned it over and one just before the half.
Problem is we turned it over 5 times and were predictable in 3rd & 4th and short situations and failed to convert.
5 turnovers-
KR fumbled it.
WR fumbled it on a bubble screen
RB fumbled it on short yardage on their doorstep but should have been ruled down
CB Gilbert breaks nicely on an RG3 pass
Pass tipped up after our WR misses the catch is picked off by Lowe.
This is the only game I have ever seen where at the end of 3 quarters a team (that isn't being shut out) has fewer points than 1/100th of their total offensive yards (over 400 yds vs 3 points)
Our defensive breakdown can be summed up in this post-
http://www.baylorfans.com/forums/showthread.php?t=223646On special teams we covered kickoffs well but missed a fg that would have helped us early on.
Good luck to you guys this week. Its probably a game that will see OSU win but we will see what Snyder has in store for Ok State.
