SOONERGUYS Blog

When I was in elementary school my after-school time was spent tossing a football around with neighborhood kids, thinking of Saturday afternoons at a place called Owen Field and fantasizing about one day being a Sooner.

Reality for me struck sometime around sixth grade. But, for a young man named Sam Bradford, those dreams became reality.

The past two seasons we have seen Bradford guide the Oklahoma Sooners to championship games and himself to the Heisman trophy. And, without fail, Bradford has proven that good guys don’t always finish last. He’s demonstrated that success can come fairly and squarely to those whose commitment to good character is ever bit as important as commitment to winning.

I don’t know if Bradford is the best quarterback to ever have played at OU. That’s sort of like saying Mom’s chicken and dumplings were better than her German chocolate cake. Please don’t make me make that choice. I wouldn’t know how to go about it, anyway.

But, there has been no player who has done more to exemplify character, especially when faced with the adversity that the Sooners have faced this year (principally as a result of their star quarterback’s season-ending shoulder injury). He has remained positive, but at the same time, human. At his press conference Monday, he announced he will have surgery this week and go to the NFL next spring. As he began making his remarks a host of fellow teammates filed in behind him to show their support for their leader.

“To make this decision and realize I’ve probably played the last game at Oklahoma….it’s really tough,” Bradford said.

But then, he said he looked forward to the challenge presented by rehabilitation. And the opportunity to prove to all that he will be as good a quarterback as he was before his injury.

There is no melodramatic Tebow here. Sam is just a good guy. Without fail, every Sooner fan knows it and appreciates it.

So, while his injury may have cut Sam short of proving he is the best Sooner quarterback of all time, let’s not ignore the fact that he is the most liked, most popular and most worthy. And he has earned it.

— Mike

Saturday may have been the first time since Oklahoma began playing Texas 109 years ago that the Sooners football team did not look ahead to playing next week’s opponent.

All Oklahoma was concerned about was getting back a healthy Sam Bradford at quarterback, shirking last week’s Miami loss, and yes, defeating a more athletic Baylor Bears than we usually expect.

The Sooners did all that in their 33-7 win.

But, now there is indeed No. 2 Texas coming up in Dallas.

We will be heading down I-35 on Friday. But most of us Sooner fans have already made the trip in our head. We are wondering where these 3-2 Sooners stack up against Colt McCoy’s seemingly unstoppable passing pipeline to Jordan Shipley. And then there is that stout Texas defense.

The pessimists say there is no chance Oklahoma will win this game. The optimists are expecting a Sooner victory because, well, it’s the Sooners.

But as we know, sometimes the favorite doesn’t win the Red River Rivalry (or Shootout, or whatever you want to call the border war in the Cotton Bowl). There have been 15 upsets in this game since World War II. That’s almost one out of every 4 games. The last one was last year, when No. 8 Texas defeated No. 1 Oklahoma 45-35.

The key to stop Longhorn fan chest beating will be the ability of OU’s linebackers to slow down that middle-of-the-field passing game that McCoy found so successful last year. MLB Ryan Reynolds is back to fill that gap, but he’s a step slower than before his injury in last year’s game. Also key will be the ability of Oklahoma’s offensive line to protect Bradford. Give Sam the time and he will throw enough passes (48 against Baylor) to almost force the butter-handed receivers to catch enough to score.

Oklahoma’s defense is No. 3 in the country, giving up just six touchdowns in five games. Individually, DE Jeremy Beal is No. 3 in sacks in the country, with six. Oklahoma’s rushing defense is No. 3, giving up only 49 yards per game. But, Texas has the No. 1 rushing defense in the country, allowing only 46 yards per game.

Like last year this game may be decided on a kicking game error (or great play, depending for whom you cheer). OU’s Dominick Frank has had an outstanding year returning punts. But, Texas has too – with three punt returns for touchdowns, including against Colorado on Saturday.

This was thought to be a challenging but promising year for Oklahoma. Instead it’s turned into a rough season, with the potential for disaster. The Sooners can begin salvaging the season with a win in Dallas and a promise of a Big 12 Championship in December. On Saturday night we will know whether this team has the fortitude to do just that.

— Mike

Coach Stoops’ press conference could have been conducted at Norman Regional today, given that much focus was on the injury situation for QB Sam Bradford and TE Jermaine Gresham.

He said Bradford’s AC sprain can heal enough to put him back on the field in two to four weeks.  Good news, under the circumstances.

Stoops also announced that TE Jermaine Gresham’s career at OU hinges on the results of this afternoon’s arthroscopic surgery, to determine whether the cause of his knee locking up is a chipped meniscus, or cartilage damage that will require stitching.  If the former, he will be back on the field in a couple of weeks.  If it is the latter, then surgery will lead to a five-month recovery and Gresham’s next play will be in an NFL uniform (hopefully, for him).

“It’s pure speculation now because none of that shows through three different MRIs. Until they (orthopedic surgeons) get in there you won’t be able to tell.”

Stoops’ report indicates that KOCO’s report this morning that Gresham is definitely out for the season was premature.  Imagine that — a sports reporter jumping the gun (in true Sooner land run fashion).

Meanwhile, all those penalties against offensive linemen during the BYU game will apparently lead to some personnel changes.  Stoops would not identify who might that be, but every Sooner fan knows that Senior OL Brian Simmons and Junior OL Cory Brandon got flagged for more procedure and holding penalties than most teams get in a season.

“It’s still college ball, I’m not going to call anyone out. But there will be changes,” Stoops said.

Also, full back turned tight end turned center Brody Eldridge will get moved back to tight end, in light of Gresham’s standing.  He’s valuable at the edge of the line because of his blocking ability to create creases for Oklahoma’s running backs, whose play becomes increasingly more important during Bradford’s absence. 

Still, juggling around players at different positions won’t solve some of the problems suffered by Oklahoma last Saturday in Arlington.  The Sooners must re-assess their focus and understand that just wearing the jersey doesn’t make for a championship team.

“Our team can’t overlook anybody if we can’t play correctly and play smart,” Stoops said. 

“We have to play more responsible and disciplined if we are to beat anyone.”