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Home / News / Boomer Sooner to Baylor head football coach Matt Rhule, who despite losing his only two games at the hands of Oklahoma, thinks the Sooners will have a great game against No. 1 LSU, and even gives them a chance to score the upset behind a great offense master mined by their head coach Lincoln Riley and a very improved defense

Boomer Sooner to Baylor head football coach Matt Rhule, who despite losing his only two games at the hands of Oklahoma, thinks the Sooners will have a great game against No. 1 LSU, and even gives them a chance to score the upset behind a great offense master mined by their head coach Lincoln Riley and a very improved defense

By Arnie Leshin
Arnie Leshin

At least Matt Rhule is not a sore loser. His record-breaking Baylor football team lost only twice this season, both times to Oklahoma, the first time after blowing a 21-0 lead, the second time in overtime for the Big 12 championship.

But rather than making excuses, the Bears’ head coach has nothing but good to say about the Sooners in advance of their playoff game on Dec. 28 against top-ranked Louisiana State in the semifinal at the Peach Bowl in Atlanta. He isn’t shaking pompoms for Oklahoma, but he isn’t underestimating Boomer Sooner either.
In an appearance on ESPN’s Golic and Wingo, Rhule, who coached Baylor to its best-ever campaign and an unprecedented
national ranking after stellar seasons coaching Temple University, asserted that the Sooners have a chance at beating the current 10-point favored Bayou Tigers in the Peach Bowl playoff semifinal in Atlanta. He further tipped them to play a great game against the No. 1 team in the country.
“With Jalen Hurts, CeeDee Lamb, they have a great offense and (head coach) Lincoln Riley will find a way to move the ball, I truly believe that,” Rhule said. “He will run the ball and have Hurts put the ball in the air, mostly to Lamb and the (Charleston) Rambo kid. Defensively, they are way improved from last year, and defensive coordinator Alex Grinchhas done a great job. They have a great linebacker in Kenneth Murray, and he’s a sideline to sideline threat. And I think anytime you have a great quarterback in Hurts, you put him on the national stage and always have a chance. I do think Oklahoma will play a great game.”
 
Oklahoma, which lost by 8 at Kansas State, is the only one of the four playoff teams with a loss. Should it pull off the upset over LSU, it would still be underdogs in the national title game. Presently, the purple and gold Tigers are a 67.4 choice to win this game, the Sooners at 32.6. 
 
Added Rhule: “Don’t sleep on the superstars that Oklahoma has.” 
 
This is the third time that the Soonershave made the playoffs, losing both times to Clemson and Georgia behind the quarterbacking of Baker Mayfield and Tyree Murray, back-to-back Heisman Trophy winners and No. 1 picks in the college draft. This time it appears to be heading to LSU sophomore quarterback Joe Burrow at Saturday night‘s awards in New York. LSU last played for the national championship eight years ago. 
 
Burrow will run the ball, and he’s very good at it. He has a strong arm and his pet target is Jamarr Chase. The top Tiger ballcarrier is Clyde Edwards, and top defender in the secondary is cornerback Derek Singley. Oklahoma has been depending on Kennedy Brooks and Rhamonde Stevenson to run the ball, with Trey Sermon still on crutches with a knee injury.  

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