We’ve accepted the gracious invite of SBNation’s Crimson and Cream Machine to exchange some inside info on our respective teams during the Holiday lull. C&C’s interview with us can be found here.

Orange and Blue Hue: Let’s start with injuries. For some reason, guys whose name starts with “Demarc” are getting injured left and right on your team. Talk about the loss of Murray and Granger and how it will impact this game.

Crimson and Cream Machine: The loss of DeMarco Murray will hurt the team a lot worse than DeMarcus Granger. Oklahoma is fairly deep along the defensive line and rotates all of their linemen. Grander was in the second wave of defensive tackles to come into the game. He’s good but not one of the best two on the team and the Sooners will just break into their depth to replace him. His loss will be significant but not nearly as significant as DeMarco Murray.

Murray is the team leader in all-purpose yards. He is a lightning fast runner, a dangerous kick returner and an excellent safety valve for Sam Bradford on passing downs. He is irreplaceable but Mossis Madu will do his best. He had an excellent Big 12 Championship Game but still has me worried just based on experience or lack of.

We’ve been watching Sam Bradford from afar for two years now and we’re tremendously impressed with your quarterback. Has he had a bad game — ever? If you’re the Florida DC, how do you slow him down? Gameplan it for us, please.

Yes, he’s had some bad games but just not this year. Florida defensive coordinator, Charlie Strong already has an advantage that others haven’t from the perspective that Bradford has one less bullet in the gun with the absence of Murray.

However, even with being a man down Bradford still has enough weapons to make the Gators pay if they don’t get to him. Stopping the run is a possibility but teams have done that and still given up 35 points. In my opinion the only way shut down this offensive attack is to put constant pressure on Bradford with no relief.

How would you describe Oklahoma’s offensive scheme? It exhibits elements of the spread (lots of shotgun formations), features a power running game and plenty of play-action. We’re looking for some first, second and third down tendencies here.

It is a spread attack but like with most of the creative spread offenses Oklahoma has added their own flavor. There really are no tendencies other than the fact that they are a fast paced offense. They rarely allow opposing defenses time to make substitutions and can often get the ball snapped before the defense can get lined up properly which also leaves defenses exposed.

Offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson has been extremely efficient at play calling this year and there really aren’t any game in/game out tendencies. When they find a play that works well against a particular defense they may use it at opportune times in the same game but that’s about it.

We’re familiar with your head coach, Bob Stoops; he helped us win a national championship in 1996. Recently Stoops said he “still has some Gator” in him. Any resentment over this?

No, not really. As you said already, Coach Stoops helped lead the Gators to a national championship and I’m sure that he still has fond memories of his time in Gainesville.

This will be the first-ever meeting between the Sooners and the Gators. Tell us about some of your gameday traditions, cheers, chants, and so on.

You’re going to hear, “Boomer Sooner” a whole lot! If you thought Billy Simms was bad at the Heisman Trophy presentation wait until you walk into Dolphin Stadium. Not only will it get old hearing the OU fans chant it if things are going well on the field you’ll hear the band play it often as well. Sooner fans love it and opponents hate it. Then again you guys have the whole, “Gator Bait!” thing going.

You’ll also hear the band lead the fans through the chant OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO U! at different points of the game.

Is there a feeling of nervousness about this game, given the massive implications and the fact that Stoops has led the Sooners to only one post-season win in the last five years? Corollary: Explain how the hell the Sooners lost to West Virginia last year in stunning blowout fashion. No way that should have happened, right?

Have you watched Oklahoma play a bowl game recently? Of course we are nervous!

Oklahoma just seems to have bad bowl karma and I’m not even a guy who believes in karma. Bad things just seem to happen when the Sooners go bowling. Before the Fiesta Bowl last year Oklahoma’s leading receiver was injured in a practice and couldn’t get healthy for the game. DeMarco Murray had suffered a fractured kneecap in the final regular season game. That’s bad on its own but when you look at what happened on the defensive side of the ball it gets much worse. All Conference defensive end Auston English was suffering from an injured knee. All Conference corner Reggie Smith broke his big toe in the Big 12 Championship game. Defensive back Lendy Holmes (played both safety and corner) was academically ineligible and then starting defensive tackle DeMarcus Granger was sent home for shoplifting. Tie all that in with an extremely fast West Virginia team that was playing with a massive chip on their shoulders and it was a recipe for disaster.

I had hoped that things would be different this year but so far Murray and Granger are out again and there’s no way you’ll convince me that the Gators don’t have a chip on their shoulder after Tim Tebow lost the Heisman race to Bradford. I don’t know, do you think I should be nervous?

Hmm… yeah. Next question: Oklahoma’s offense is, in a word, terrifying. Is the national perception of Oklahoma’s defense — which is to say, not that great — justified? Or is this a case of stats getting in the way of reality?

Oklahoma’s defense isn’t as bad as what their stats show. They are very opportunistic and one of the top teams in the country in forcing turnovers. They also do an exceptional job at putting pressure on the quarterback and stopping the run.

What is misleading about the stats is that OU played 7 of the nation’s top 25 scoring offenses and 3 of the top 6. That’s over half of their games which results in defensive stats being a bit skewed.

So far, our observation has been that both fanbases have been extremely respectful of their opponent. The last time our boys played in a BCS title game, we endured a month of taunting and trash-talking from Ohio State fans before nuking them off the football field. This time around, there is nary a nasty word to be heard by anyone about Florida, and none of the Florida fans I know have anything but respectful comments to make about the Sooners. Is this an example of sportsmanship at its highest level, or are we both just scared silly of our opponent?

I think it is some of both. All schools have good and bad fans. There are OU fans out there that make me sick to be affiliated with them as a fellow member of the Sooner Nation. Then there are those who are class acts and fun to be around.

I think for the most part there is a lot of mutual respect between the two fan bases because of the Bob Stoops connection and the fact that there is no history between the two schools.

Thank you, C&C Machine, for this frank exchange of views. Let’s maybe do this again before the game. Stay healthy, y’hear?