SOONERGUYS Blog

Oklahoma became bowl eligible Saturday with its sixth win. Before you mutter “so what?” let me just say this qualification obtained against Texas A&M was the most important the program has had in several years.

It allows this football team – wrecked by injuries and inconsistent play from young talent – to get another mini-season of practices in before returning in the spring to begin the 2010 campaign. And, boy, do they need it. (Practice must help – Travis Williams had no illegal procedure penalties against him Saturday).

So don’t get any idea that the Sooners will turn down an Independence Bowl invitation – the equivalent of the former Poulan Weedeater Bowl. Extra practices in Shreveport are a lot more beneficial to these Sooners than sitting around with mom and pop watching the 34 post-season bowl games on the living room TV set.

Besides, a Holiday Bowl bid seemed more likely after Saturday night.The Sooners became bowl eligible with a bang. QB Landry Jones moved closer to rebuilding his reputation that was gutted by five thrown interceptions a week before in Lincoln. He threw for a career high 392 yards. Meanwhile, RB Demarco Murray looked like a Heisman Trophy candidate with 224 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns.

The Sooners finished the game with 51 unanswered points. The nation’s longest home winning streak was extended to 29. And in so doing, some of the funk in which Sooner fans have engulfed themselves has eased. Sure, a 6-4 mark at this point in the season is a huge disappointment. But, after the crash that the Nebraska loss represented we wondered if the plane was going to burn.

It didn’t burn on Saturday – although there was a little flicker in the first quarter – and the Sooners are a little more optimistic about traveling to Lubbock next week to face a stubborn but equally disappointing Texas Tech Red Raiders. In the meantime, who is this O’Hara guy kicking extra points?    — Mike

Needless to say, that thing called “Sooner Magic” is something that OU had in your grandfather’s day.

On the field where Sooner Magic first materialized, the Sooners lost 10-3 on Saturday to Nebraska in what may be the most pathetic performance since some guy named Blake was coach. Only difference is, Oklahoma didn’t play four different quarterbacks like then.

One was enough. I don’t want to beat up on the young Landry Jones, who is still a redshirt freshman thrust into the job because the Heisman winner has a bum shoulder, but he stunk up Memorial stadium in Lincoln – throwing five interceptions.

We can start calling him record-making Landry. He owns the school record for most touchdowns in a game AND the most interceptions thrown.

Oklahoma went without scoring a touchdown for the first time since 1998.

With this loss the Sooners season is officially crashed. Whether it burns depends on whether Stoops and the gang can figure out how to turn an inept offense into one that can score in the red zone. Moving the football wasn’t the problem. OU out-gained NU 325 to 180 yars. And, the Sooners had plenty of opportunities, thanks to an outstanding Oklahoma defense and a pedestrian Nebraska offense. They just threw them away. Literally.

Texas A&M comes to town on Saturday. I suspect the home crowd will support the offense to four or five touchdowns and the Sooners will win easily.

But then comes another road trip to Lubbock (play the doom and gloom music every time the Sooners have to get on a bus). Despite the Red Raiders’ woes this season you know their villagers are lighting the torches already to set fire to the rest of the Sooner season.

An early interception and a drive-stopping holding penalty had us wondering during the opening minutes of the game whether the Sooners season was truly snake bit.

Then, as if to tell the crowd, “don’t worry about a thing”, backup QB Landry Jones went on a 25 of 37, 336-yard, record setting six touchdown pass performance, the Sooner defense shut down a decent Golden Hurricane offense, and Oklahoma came away with a 45-0 win over Tulsa on Saturday.

Jones is definitely the quarterback of the future. And, Ryan Broyles is definitely one of the top 5 receivers in the country this year. On Saturday he grabbed 11 catches for 128 yards – the second 100-plus game in a row (he had 155 yards last week). He competed with RB Demarco Murray for the best Sportscenter highlight. Murray’s TD reception was a spin, a tight-rope and a one and full gainer gymnastics-style into the end zone. One of Broyles’ Tds was a Superman-like leap for a score.

Now, if only Adron Tennell would catch one pass. (Which I think he will – don’t give up on him just yet).

But despite the 529 total yards by Oklahoma’s offense, perhaps it was the defense that shined against Tulsa. TU managed some decent yards, but were blanked for the first time since 2004. That says a lot. This isn’t the TU team of a couple of years ago, but this is a team that may compete for the Conference USA championship. TU got in the Red Zone a few times, but OU forced stops and turnovers. The Sooner secondary played very well.

Oklahoma has now only given up 14 points (all against BYU) in three games.

— MD