By Michael Kinney
The end of the college football regular season is fast approaching. Oklahoma has just two games left on its schedule before the postseason arrives.
The Sooners final home game of the year is set for 6:30 p.m. Saturday when they take on the struggling Kansas Jayhawks, who have already fired their head coach but are having him coach out the string.
Several OU seniors will be playing their final games at Memorial Stadium Saturday. One of those is fullback Carson Meier, who knows the Senior Night proceedings will be an emotional time for him.
“It’s going to be emotional. I’ll try and hide it the best I can,” Meier said. “But at some point, in that game, whether it’s before it starts or when it’s over, it’s going to hit me that it’s my last time playing on Owen Field in front of all those incredible fans out there. It’s going to be tough. I’m looking forward to it, but it’s going to be tough for me.”
Meier had to wait until his senior season before he was able to get on the field and produce after playing behind tight ends and fullbacks who went onto play in the NFL. But the Tulsa native said it was worth the wait.
“As a kid that’s something you dream about every being from Oklahoma,” Meier said. “Getting to play out there in front of 85,000. The time has finally come for me. It’s my last one. I’m going to, make the most of it and savor every minute. It’s been a fun year for me. I’m glad that it has played out for me like it has so far.”
Meier said he was able to wait for his moment to come because of his dad had his back.
“He’s helped me out a lot. He went through the process a little bit differently, playing basketball at Tulsa. So he’s really been there for me all along the way. It’s been hard not playing as much as I wanted to in the past. Being behind a guy that’s as good as Demitri (Flowers) was, just kind of sat back and patiently waited for my turn, my chance. My dad has been there with me the whole time saying just keep putting in the extra hours, put your head down, don’t complain, just go to work, your time will come.”
With just two games left in the regular season, the Sooners offense high rolling. They are currently ranked No. 9 in the FBS in passing yards per game (319.7), ninth in rushing (257.4) and second in scoring (49.0).
However, wide receiver CeeDee Lamb is not satisfied.
“I feel like we haven’t hit our peak yet. We still have room to grow,” Lamb said. “To be honest, offense and defense, we have mental breakdowns. We have to tighten that up and have to get going We just have to just focus on the controllables, as coach Ruff says. He emphasizes that so much. Just depend on one another and get going. That’s all we can do. We only have each other at this point.”
The Sooners use of the fullback is one of the reasons they are ranked as high as they are in both rushing and passing.
“It’s weird hearing my name as a fullback. I consider myself more of a tight end. But that’s what I am, a fullback,” Meier said. “We use it a little differently around here. It’s not like a true fullback like it was back in the day. Playing fullback you have to know every position on the field. You have to know receiver, fullback, runningback, really everything. It’s different.”
The 11 semifinalists for the 2018 Biletnikoff Award were announced Monday, but Lamb’s name was not on the list. However, teammate Marquise Brown was one of them with his 53 receptions and 956 yards.
“I’m happy. He deserves it. He’s been grinding all season, all summer. Every time we had off, we’re grinding, he’s grinding,” Lamb said. “Everything that he’s done so far up to this point is paying off. I’m so happy for him. He’s a very calm person. He’s going to be himself on or off the field. He’s goofy, he’s always laughing, He’s a great person to be around.”
Michael Kinney is a Freelance Content Provider