Mike: Resignation in Sooner Nation
John Mateer’s tipped pass fluttered endlessly in the air and the inevitability of an interception became a microcosm of the deflating Sooners season.
It was but one of the Oklahoma quarterback’s three interceptions in a 21-13 loss to Kentucky, which, ironically, was his best performance this season.
The statistics will show this as a game Mateer threw away. The reality is, his sharp passing and glimpses of a good rush offense (at least in the first half), kept the Sooners in the game, leading 10-7 at halftime and 13-7 after three quarters.
In fact, Oklahoma outgained Kentucky 346 to 230 in total yards and 270 to 158 in passing yards.
But in the second half things were different. And injury to Ryan Fodje caused another game of musical chairs among position shifting offensive linemen. Pass protection broke down. The run game was not as effective. And more importantly, the Sooners were not able to turn yardage into points. The turnovers let the No. 15 Wildcats to score 14 points in the fourth quarter.
The Sooners still had a chance in the waning minutes of the game, down only 14-10. But another one of Mateer’s interceptions with 1:24 left — returned for a touchdown by Kentucky DB Jordan Castell — and Oklahoma’s hopes of building on a surprising win over Texas the week before and moving to the top of SEC standings died.
Dave: A Sooner win for the ages
One quarterback made two crucial mistakes in the fourth quarter to lose the game. The other quarterback made two crucial throws in the fourth quarter to win the game.
Before kickoff, which quarterback would you have guessed was which? I would venture to say most, if not all fans would tell you Mateer made the mistakes and Manning made the throws.
Welcome to the Red River Rivalry. At this point it sounds cliché to say throw out the records and point spreads, anything can happen. But sometimes that is truly the case.
No one I saw in the media or elsewhere picked the Sooners to win this game.
But Oklahoma came in with a plan. Very conservative on offense and let the defense roll.
It paid off. Oklahoma played error free and let texas make the mistakes. Two turnovers for the longhorns and zero for the Sooners, along with a blocked punt recovered for an Oklahoma touchdown and there’s your ballgame.
It was one for the ages that OU fans will remember for years to come.