Two weekends ago the Sooner fans booed in Norman.
It wasn’t because Oklahoma had been shellacked by Baylor. In fact the expressed displeasure occurred when the Sooners were only down 10 points in the third quarter.
It came when fans discovered the coaching staff was making a decision doomed to fail.
Oklahoma fans are a sophisticated bunch. Sure, they don’t take into account all that a coach does.
How will the fans react … if (they) perceive Heupel has gone into his stubborn psycho self and decides (again) that he wants his option quarterback to be a pocket-passing Sam Bradford?
How will the fans react … if (they) perceive Heupel has gone into his stubborn psycho self and decides (again) that he wants his option quarterback to be a pocket-passing Sam Bradford?
But when Defensive Coordinator Mike Stoops stuck to his soft prevent defense and allowed Baylor to march down the field at will – enough was enough. That defensive scheme gave the game away and everyone who saw it on television (commentators included) and everyone who saw in in person in Norman knew it.
Booing isn’t good. But at that last home game it was exactly what the fans needed to do. After all, to vent can be cathartic.
Had last week’s game against Texas Tech been in Norman you would probably have heard some moans and groans (and boos) when offensive coordinator Josh Heupel called 17 first-half passing plays for freshman stand-in quarterback Cody Thomas to execute.
So now that the politeness barrier has been broken, how will the fans react against lowly Kansas if things don’t go well on Saturday back in Norman? Or, if the fans perceive Heupel has gone into his stubborn psycho self and decides (again) that he wants his option quarterback to be a pocket-passing Sam Bradford?
Fans won’t wait for the halftime lecture from Bob to Josh: run the football. The fans will be yelling that from every seat in the house before the band lines up for halftime.
Oklahoma fans are a spoiled lot. Their expectations are high. Sometimes unreasonably high. But, as Coach Bob Stoops said recently, he wouldn’t have it any other way.
Well, coach how do you like it now?
No doubt Stoops is not happy being questioned about Heupel’s play calling by pesky sports writers on press conference day.
(Still, no press conference has been as heated as my section during the Baylor game when arguments broke out and police had to come settle it down).
But, expect more of that if these coaches don’t take steps to right the ship. Was the switch to Oklahoma’s strong run game at halftime in Lubbock really a course change that will be positive? Or was it situational?
Will this coaching staff draw up more game plans that fans see as doomed?
If so, and if the Sooners trip up and lose one of the last games of the season (including a bowl game), then there will be more than a few angry Twitter posters putting “For Sale” signs on Stoops’ mansion on 36th Street.
It is unfortunate. Oklahoma was indeed over-rated going into this season. Although optimism is always good, the media hype for OU this year was based upon a small sampling – last year’s Sugar Bowl destruction of Alabama – not this year’s team.
In fact there are many freshmen and sophomores getting playing time on this Oklahoma team, meaning this is not a seasoned bunch.
The future of this team may look good. It is just the present that stinks.
So what is there to be done?
– Adapt an offensive philosophy that is suited to the personnel. If you ask Trevor Knight to throw 27 passes a game (which is what he did before being carted off the field on a stretcher against Baylor), or Cody Thomas to throw 17 pass attempts in the first half (which is what he did against Texas Tech), then that’s not capitalizing on their running abilities and takes carries away from the Ross-Ford-Perrine trio that may be the best set of running backs in Norman since the 1970s.
- Run the football. Against Baylor the Sooners’ three running backs averaged 7 yards per carry. But, combined, they only carried the ball 19 times. Against Texas Tech, the running backs only carried the ball 16 times in the first half. In the second half they had 35 carries and averaged 7.5 yards per carry for the game.
– Ditch the prevent zone defense in the secondary. Sure, man coverage can result in a corner getting beat on big throws. The rules favor the offense and all. But, a ball control passing attack can be demoralizing. Much more demoralizing than if a safety gave up a big play. Indeed if it is a pick-your-poison choice, then let’s choose one that doesn’t zap the momentum from the team before the 4th quarter even begins.
– Win. That soothes all ailments. Even the ones from us crotchety spoiled fans.
— Mike
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