Bowl eligibility big mark for this Sooner team
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