SOONERGUYS Blog

No, I haven’t lost my mind. But, we better start hoping Oklahoma State wins, and wins, and wins….until November 28.

The ‘boys in Stillwater are ranked No. 5 in the AP poll and No. 6 in the USA Today poll.  Texas is No. 2 in both.

And, I couldn’t be happier.

Now, before you think I have a Skoal ring showing from my hip pocket, or that I’ve now taken up pig farming, consider this:   The Sooners play two of the Top 10 teams in the country before the season is out.  The only way for Oklahoma, which stands at No. 13 in AP, to move up and have any chance at a BCS bowl (we won’t address a shot at BCS Championship just yet) is to knock off those two teams, Oklahoma State and Texas.

The Sooners need to win all their remaining games. 

But the Cowboys need to keep winning in order for Oklahoma to significantly gain by defeating them late in the season.

Oklahoma State needs to defeat Texas, which should elevate the Cowboys to No. 3 or 4.

Alabama must lose to Mississippi, but beat LSU.  Mississippi must lose to LSU.  Florida must defeat LSU.

USC must whip up on Ohio State, who will then have to beat Penn State.  USC then has to lose to Oregon State or California.  But UCLA has to defeat California.  Since Boise State and BYU play no top 15 teams for the rest of the season, it doesn’t matter what happens to them.

While the boost to Oklahoma would be slight, it would be good if Nebraska and Kansas can be in the top 15 by the time November rolls around. 

But it all depends on OSU running the table — until they come to Norman on November 28. 

Got it?  Ride ’em Cowboys. 

Thirty minutes after leaving Cowboys Stadium and the sting of this game is a long way from fading.

I’m not one to blame coaches for most losses.  Certainly they aren’t out there holding BYU defenders, or jumping before the snap. 

And, replacing Heisman winner Sam Bradford after he went out with injury in the second quarter tonight is a problem few coaches can solve.

But, with your offense poised to score from the one-foot line, and your red shirt freshman quarterback (Landry Jones) seeing his first college football action ever, you (the coaches) let the play clock wind down without calling a time out?

To his credit, Offensive Coordinator Kevin Wilson took complete responsibility for that error.

“I didn’t watch the clock,” Wilson said in the post-game locker room.  He said he was concentrating on getting the right play into Jones on the fourth and goal from the one.

“That cost us four points (the Sooners settled for a FG) and that one is on me,” Wilson said.  “That’s totally my fault. It is my fault.”

The Sooners beat themselves tonight, 14-13, in an offensive debacle that overshadowed a reasonably good defensive effort against a potent Cougar offense.

Let’s face it, holding BYU to two touchdowns should mean Oklahoma wins this game 31-14.  Instead, more holding and procedure penalties in this game than the Sooner committed last year in a half dozen games (forgive me for some hyperbole as I throw the hotel TV remote control across the room as ESPN shows Tim Tebow highlights), meant the high octane Oklahoma offense of last year ran out of gas in Arlington, Texas.

I will avoid reminding all who heard me this summer saying I didn’t want OU to play this game in Jerry’s monster stadium against BYU.  OK, I will shut up now.

The National Football Coach’s Association has most teams shaking the hands of their opponents before the opening kickoff in college games this weekend, including the Oklahoma vs. BYU game in Arlington.

They don’t even require this in Little League.

The coaches group is well intentioned. Some ugly incidents involving Florida teams last year made sportsmanship an area of emphasis among college programs this year.  Association Executive Director Grant Teaff (former Baylor coach) came up with the idea of the pre-game handshake.

But, football is a game of violence.  Players jack up their emotions leading up to the kickoff.  A little trash talking in warm ups isn’t good or bad — it’s just a reality.  Making all the players — not just captains for the coin toss — shake hands is like mixing acid and water (for those who don’t remember their high school chemistry, it’s not a good thing to do, but it will clean out clogged up plumbing).

The pregame handshake, in my opinion, is a mistake. It’s inviting some ugliness. But, Coach Stoops’ comments tonight on a local sports talk radio station, showed what kind of team player he is, and his respect for the coaching profession.

“I have great faith in Grant Teaff and people at the NCAA and who head our National Coaches Association. Our leadership is excellent. If they feel that’s what is needed, I’m all for it…. I’m a trooper when it comes to following directions from the powers that be.”

Stoops reminds us that while football is a game of aggression and violence, it is also a game of rules and discipline, and as importantly, a game of faith in the team.

But, it’s still not a good idea.  Shake the hands when the game is over.  Congratulate the opponent for fighting hard — win or lose. 

Coach Stoops has gotten some first hand scouting of BYU from brothers Mike and Mark Stoops, whose Arizona Wildcats were the last team to play the Cougars in the 2008 Las Vegas Bowl. 

“When you are playing a team you don’t have a lot of familiarity with, where you don’t play the year in and year out, you talk to other people who do,” Stoops said.

Well, it’s not just “other” people here.  We’re sure UA defensive coordinator Mark Stoops has given big bro’ some particular ideas on how to handle BYU offense.  Arizona won their game 31-21.

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Key to the OU-BYU game, at least from the Cougar’s perspective, is how well the BYU offensive line does against the strength of Oklahoma’s defense — the front four. 

BYU returns only one starter in their offensive line, and that’s Matt Reynolds, who broke his hand the first week of fall practice. He will play, with a plate and screws in his hand.  The BYU coaches are optimistic they will give QB Max Hall (nephew of former Dallas Cowboy great Danny White) enough time to “methodically” move the chains.

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Oklahoma is expecting a significant “homefield” advantage Saturday in Arlington, Texas.

“That’s what I would hope for with the proximity and those kinds of things,” Coach Stoops said Tuesday at his press conference. 

“It’s kind of like last year in the National Championship game, Florida had quite a few more than we did, even though it was a neutral site, so you kind of hope that that would be the case, and we hope that’s the way it works out.”

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The Cowboys Stadium is the largest domed stadium in the world.  The top of the dome stands 320 feet above the field (which is 50 feet below grade). That means the Statue of Liberty could stand inside the stadium.  Does anyone doubt Jerry Jones will try to buy it and move it to Dallas?

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Former OU backup QB Keith Nichol, who transferred a year ago to Michigan State, will play backup to Spartan starter Kirk Cousins.  Coaches says Nichol will get playing time this year, but Cousins narrowly edged him out of the top spot.

There is a good write up on collegefootballnews.com that puts into perspective Florida’s attempt to reach “dynasty” level.  Namely, they have to climb over at least three of the top 10 college football dynasties that wore Oklahoma jerseys.  You can see the article here.

At number 1 is, of course, Coach Bud Wilkinson’s 1953-58 teams that went a phenomenal 60-3-1 and achieved the college football record 47-game win streak.

This is a good list.  And, this doesn’t even take into account the Stoops era, which is well on its way to achieving what Switzer’s teams did during the 70s and 80s.

I’m sure we will hear from the ESPN simpletons that whatever team is staying at No. 1 during the season is the “greatest college football team of all-time” (we hear that every year about some team, including in the fairly recent past the Sooners).  Maybe some day these pundits can do their homework like this writer did.

BYU Coach Bronco (Nagurski) Mendenhall appeared on ESPN today and said even if Oklahoma scores more points in their September 5 game in Arlington, BYU will remain the winner because their players are playing for a “higher cause.” 

Whereas, apparently, we Sooner fans are rooting for heathens who merely want to win a football game.  Gee, I feel so cheap on my way to hell (the road to which not surprisingly passes through a gawdy stadium built by Jerry Jones).

Ninety seven percent of BYU students are members of the Church of Latter Day Saints. All students pledge to no extra-marital sex, no alcohol use and no hair over the ears.  (That sex pledge thing is kinda overblown, since more than 50 percent of all BYU students are married, compared to a national average of 11 percent among college students — wonder why, do ya?).  Most of the BYU team have served two years as missionaries, meaning they’re older than the average NFL player.

Just a reminder to us all:  the last time OU played a team whose fans were predominantly Mormon was in the Fiesta Bowl against Boise State.  As I recall, that game ended in a marriage proposal.  Oh, yeah, and there was that greatest upset in college football history thing too.

Before we get the idea that BYU is just a bunch of guys who drink milk and look like Opie, understand they have a habit of kicking ass on the football field (but in a polite and clean shaven way).  And remember, at the New Year’s block party (or whatever it was called) in Tempe the night before that Fiesta Bowl game there was one Boise State fan wearing a t-shirt that read:

“Polygamy: When one just isn’t enough!”

I thought that mildly humorous then.  Not so much the next day.

The idea coming from some sports media types that USC is falling from the college football god’s graces sounds more like east coast wishful thinking than reality. Just because their last QB bolted to the NFL before Pete Carroll wanted him to, and just because there is a real competition among a sophomore and freshman for the job, doesn’t mean that the No. 4 Trojans are going anywhere. Well, except to Columbus, Ohio on September 12 where they will obliterate a big but slow Buckeye team, and then back to the west coast to ravage the PAC10.

Sophomore Aaron Corp and freshman Matt Barkley are competing for the quarterback job. Out of the picture is ballyhooed Mitch Mustain, who left Arkansas because then Coach Houston Nutt hadn’t left.

If the Trojans start Barkley he will be the first true freshman to ever start for them.

That might give the Buckeyes a chance to knock the Trojans off their high horse.

But, what some forget is that USC has a greater supporting cast behind their inexperienced quarterbacks than most of the other teams in the PAC10 combined. There might be a tough road game at Oregon this year, but expect USC to get its eighth straight conference championship and try to convince enough BCS voters they belong in the championship game, which, where else, will be played in their backyard – Pasadena, California.

There seems to be a knack for some schools which are located near championship venues to wind up in that game: Florida….LSU…. USC.

In true boastful Texas “we are better than anyone else” fashion, Gov. Rick Perry on Friday suggested the liberal control of the White House was reason for Texas to consider seceding from the Union (I’m not making this up).

Gov. Perry reminded us that Texas used to be a separate Republic (true, in the biggest land grab in North American history the Texans stole it from another country – Mexico); and he thinks it can legally secede (this is what happens when the lawyer isn’t consulted before going public).

He forgot that last time they tried that was from 1861-1865 and it did not turn out so well – 618,000 Americans died.

Here’s my suggestion to Gov. Perry: Just put an asterisk next to Texas’ name and say it is really a whole different country, but the stupid BCS rules don’t allow it. Yeah.

Still there would be bad news for the Longhorns: If Texas were a different country, then the Longhorns finished second last year to “National” Champion Texas Tech.  — Mike

The game and the audience last Saturday night can only be described as, well . . . overwhelming.

Going into the Sooners’ contest against the Red Raiders in Norman, OU had three objectives:

1) Flush Graham Harrell’s Heisman hopes.  Well, check on that one.

2) End Texas Tech’s national championship chances.  Yep. Check on that one too.

3) Score 65 points (yeah that was a goal).  Check.

All that happened. And in large part, it happened because this Sooner team was very inspired by a fan base that went nuts in Memorial Stadium on a cold November night, thanks to Coach Bob Stoops’ “call to arms” speech earlier in the week that the Sooner faithful really weren’t very loud.

Stoops certainly gets an A+ in motivation. And many fans didn’t even know they were being motivated at the time.

Now we’re in a three-way tie for the Big 12 South. Oklahoma must defeat Oklahoma State in hostile Stillwater on Saturday night (again on ABC-TV); but if that is accomplished then it will be up to the BCS gurus to figure out which of the three, Oklahoma, Texas and Texas Tech, will travel to ice-laden Kansas City and play Missouri for the Big 12 championship.

Should Oklahoma be ranked ahead of Texas, even though the Longhorns defeated the Sooners 45-35 just last October?  Well, yes. After all, those were the early primaries. Now we’re talking about the big one — the general election. And just like President-elect Barack Obama came on strong in the home stretch, the Sooners are the hottest team in college football. They destroyed No. 2 Texas Tech 65-21, for goodness sake. And Tech’s a pretty saucy team!

But before we count our chickens — it is Bedlam time. 

OKLAHOMA  vs. TENNESSEE CHATTANOOGA

There isn’t much to take from Oklahoma’s 57-2 win over Tennessee Chattanooga, except to say there are a lot of loyal Oklahoma fans who stayed around after a 90-minute storm delay to watch some fairly lackluster football in the second half.

The first half was pretty much a perfect game for the Sooners. No turnovers. One penalty. 50 points. No points allowed. A+ all the way around.  The second half didn’t matter.  Even the new Boomer and Sooner ponies went back to the farm at half.

Each time I watched Demarco Murray (15-124 yds, 2 TDs) the more the name Billy Sims kept coming to mind.  And when that name did not, the name Reggie Bush did.  Sam Bradford f (17 of 22, 183 yds, 2 TDs) looked sharp.  Juaquin Iglesias (4-73, 1 TD) looked top notch.  The Mocs provided no test for the defense, so there was really no way of judging the performance of the defense, except to say they did everything asked of them.

I’m not about to rail on about how OU should be castigated for scheduling this Division I-AA weakling like some sports writers did (after the fact, mind you), but this game was little more than the scrimmage which fans were barred from attending during two-a-days.  Just against a much weaker opponent (than our second string).

INTRO VIDEO – The special video effects on OU’s intro video looked cool.  But the fellas running the sound board for the video system need to tweak that up.  The crowd noise drowned out the audio.

HYPE FOR ‘SC – Virginia is the same weak team today as it was on Friday night, before their shellacking by Southern Cal.  So, why are so many TV and radio pundits anointing the Trojans with any greater status today than they did last week because of their win over the Cavaliers?  They were supposed to win – and win big. They did, 52-7.

The Trojans are one of the top 5 teams in the country, no doubt. But their stock did not go up by defeating Virginia.  Could it be because ESPN/ABC has already begun hyping the September 13 showdown USC has against Ohio State? Nah, they wouldn’t be THAT callous, would they?  If so, it’s doubly ridiculous, because that game needs no hyping.

MISSOURI FRAUD — Chase Daniels is a heck of a QB, but the Missouri team does not deserve Top 10 status.  Allowing 42 points — even to No. 20 Illinois – disqualifies you for that.

A&M EMBARRASSMENT – How do the Aggies lose their first game of the season at home against Arkansas State?  Four turnovers certainly cost them a lot, but the talent difference between these two schools should be enough to assure some cushion. Instead, A&M lost to Arkansas  State 18-14. The Aggies gave up 415 total yards to Arkansas State.

Before Aggie fans fire bomb Mike Sherman’s house, they should remember Dennis Franchione left this program in shambles.  Sherman just inherited it.  Relax and expect a rough season – but the coaching staff Sherman has put together (ex-‘Bama assistant Joe Kines and Nolan Cromwell as coordinators) will bring this program around.  It will take some time, because A&M’s skilled players may not be suited for Sherman’s pro-style offense.

NEXT SATURDAY – Few good matchups in college football next week.  Average point spread is probably more than 20 among all games.  ESPN might as well show some Division II games, except all of them are playing Division I schools.   — Mike