The Tailgate Blog: 900 Elm
Note: Sorry for delay on this, got caught watching that Utah State-Auburn finish. Wow.
CAMPUS CORNER — A few OU alums, friends, had been tailgating for years a mile or so from Owen Field. They had a house for a time. They were then in an RV near Lloyd Noble. It was fine. But there was a desire to get closer.
So, they did. A house, with a white-picket fence, at the corner of Elm and Lindsey became available for rent. Two blocks from the southwest corner of Memorial Stadium, they jumped on it. That was the birth, in a sense, of 900 Elm.
Now it’s one of the leading indoor-outdoor tailgates on or near campus. If you like BBQ, live music – and games on literally a dozen TVs (there’s even one in the bathroom) – this is your place. It’s clean enough fun for teenagers to run around. But rowdy enough to satisfy your weekend warrior desires.
These guys (and gals) know their football, too. Here’s what’s on their minds in the hours leading up to the No.1 Sooners’ kickoff against Tulsa:
Jay from Edmond: How much offense will OU show, with Florida State on deck, and how will Josh Heupel’s stamp on things be evident?
Trav’s take: Well, no team throws the kitchen sink into the opener. And, as a coach, I don’t think you want to show more than you have to. So, if Tulsa somehow hung around for two or three quarters, Bob Stoops is obviously going to do what he has to do to win the game. I don’t know that coaches intentionally “save” plays and ideas more than they like to keep things simple in the opener for the players.
I’ll say this: I think there are things Stoops wants to learn about some specific players and schemes, on both sides of the ball. He’ll find ways to learn those things tonight, even if the entire playbook isn’t laid out for TU.
As far as Heupel, Stoops tells us the offense is tailored to the strengths of players, such as Landry Jones and Ryan Broyles, and I’m inclined to believe him. I think the tight end could be more a part of this offense, but that’s more because of James Hanna as an asset. Stoops has mentioned him a lot during the preseason.
Tommy from Fort Worth: Why is OU tied to Oklahoma State when it could possibly limit our realignment opportunities? Why is OU not exploring more the possibility of going to the best football conference in the country, the SEC?
(I allowed for one realignment question, although I guess that’s technically two. Additionally, the guys and gals expressed a disappointment in the idea of the Pac-#, because of the quality of road trips. They figure, if you’re going to be geographically challenged in a league, why not have great road games in the SEC?)
