History repeats itself

Before our trip to Boulder last week our buddy TC down Dallas way reminded us of the following facts:

Oklahoma was sailing along at 4-0. All blowouts.

One of the blowout victims was Utah State. Another a formidable ACC opponent.

Everyone was talking about the Sooners’ first-year starter at quarterback. And the Sooners had a smothering defense. Talented freshmen dotted the roster.

And the next game was in Boulder, Colorado. The Sooners were a double digit favorite.

And the Buffaloes smacked down the Sooners 20-14.

No, not on Saturday. Rather, on a Saturday in 1972.

The Buffs ran through the vaunted OU defenders who had only gave up 74 points the entire season. CU hit two back-breaking field goals.

History repeated itself this week.

Well, while we're all in a dumps this Sunday afternoon, remember this:

After that loss in Boulder in 1972, Oklahoma would not lose again for three years, when the Jayhawks came to town in 1975.

Here's hoping history does in fact repeat itself.

-- Mike

Dear Coach Gundy

I have a child. Two of them. One in college. And I understand OSU Coach Mike Gundy's opinion that Daily Oklahoman columnist Jenni Carlson (who is no doubt auditioning for a role on "The View") got her facts wrong and unfairly criticized benched OSU QB Bobby Reid. Carlson wrote a column that insinuated Reid was a "baby" and the coach replaced him at quarterback because of his attitude, instead of his play.

But, come on, Coach Gundy. Was that display of uncontrolled anger after your win over Texas Tech on Saturday really necessary? Or a good idea?

I don't care too much for the Cowboy football program. I don't care if T. Boone Pickens and OSU AD Mike Holder have their scheme to bank on the deaths of alums to fund their investment of life insurance proceeds to overbuild their stadium. So, really Gundy's outburst is kind of funny to Sooner fans like me, who kind of expect a high school approach to anything in Stillwater.

It just puts Gundy in the same out-of-control category as that Muskogee High School football coach who didn't want to be bothered when involved in an auto accident with a little boy on bicycle. Only this time the only things that got hurt were some feelings.

Well Gundy says he's a man. He's 40, he says.

Do 40-year-old men have carte blance to pout? If so, I've got some catching up to do.

It would have been better had Gundy simply said the column was fiction. He could have said reporters should have done a better job investigating the claim. Or, better yet, he could have said nothing. I certainly would not have seen the column if Gundy had not made a big deal about it.

Here's a novel idea. He could have talked about the great and exciting game his Cowboys won -- a valliant effort by his players, despite everyone counting them out for the year following their dismal beginning -- but, no, he chose to beat up on a newspaper columnist and storm out of his post-game press conference.

In the aftermath of this mess Gundy could always ask for T. Boone to buy out the owners of the Daily Oklahoman and quiet critcism. No, wait...their name is on the stadium here in Norman, isn't it?

-- Mike

Easy road is over

The easy road for the Sooners comes to an end this week when Oklahoma gets on a bus for the trek up the turnpike to take on the Tulsa Golden Hurricane on Friday night. That's the team with supposedly the best quarterback in Oklahoma, Paul Smith, who lit up BYU late Saturday for a 55-47 victory.

Smith threw for 454 yards and five touchdowns against a team which admittedly plays in a conference that thinks defense is only a department in Washington, D.C. But Smith's ability to orchestrate such an offensive performance is impressive. With Oklahoma's cornerback play always an Achilles heal of sorts, it will be interesting to see how they stack up against what will likely be the most challenging passing game they will face this year, Texas Tech included.

Of course Tulsa's secondary gave up 537 yards passing to BYU too. That means Sam Bradford will likely have his season high at Skelly Stadium (we refuse to call it Chapman stadium, or some of such name TU's regents have decided to call it now). If the game is close, which we expect it will be (within one or two scores difference the entire game), then Coach Stoops will not rest Bradford at all, and receivers Malcolm Kelly and Joaquin Iglasias will be called upon frenquently.

But...

Will OC Kevin Wilson opt to run the ball against TU, grind out the clock and keep the ball away from the opponent? That would mean Allen Patrick and Demarco Murray will make Sportscenter highlights Friday night.

---

Photo credit: The Oklahoma Daily

Redemption

51-13 win over Hurricanes feels good

If walloping Miami for transgressions in the 1980s was not incentive enough for the Sooners on Saturday, think about this: Paul Dee, Miami's athletic director, served as chairman on the NCAA Committee on Infractions that handed out sanctions against Oklahoma during the off-season.

On Saturday, Oklahoma delivered its sanctions against Miami, 51-13, before a jury of 85,357 mostly Sooner fans who saw the “U” take a further step toward irrelevance in the college football world. The beating the Hurricane took was worse than losing a dozen scholarships. To any Sooner older than 35, it felt oh so good.

For the second straight week Sam Bradford looked like a seasoned Jason White (who coincidentally was honored Saturday with his own statue in Heisman park), tying a school record with five touchdown passes. The offensive line looked like the guys who protect Peyton Manning. The defense looked like Tony Casillas, Brian Bosworth, Roy Williams and a couple of Selmons. Oklahoma held Miami to 139 total yards. D.J. Wolfe had six solo tackles. In other words, it was a great performance by the Sooners.

LB Ryan Reynolds set the tone on defense mid-way through the first quarter when he lost a shoe during a play. He tried to get it on before the next play, but the shoelaces didn’t cooperate. As if to say “screw this” he ripped off the untied shoe and threw it half-way across the field toward the sideline and played the next play (a key third down) with one shoe on and the other in just his socks. The defense held, sending Miami to one of their 10 punts.

Reynolds had a terrific day on defense, in on six tackles, and will be forever called “Shoeless Ryan Reynolds.”

Best season trivia: Sam Bradford now has eight touchdown passes. He also has thrown eight incompletions for the season. Nice ratio.

Worst stereotype: You get that south Florida feel when you see Miami Hurricane fans. Many guys with first names like Vito or last names like Cohen, all wearing number 47 jerseys (Michael Irwin’s number).

Worst guest: The University of Miami official, riding in a big limo, flipping off the very well known resident’s spouse on Chataquah Avenue after the game.

Best Superman impression: The guy with the rocket pack. Almost as good as Roy Williams flying through the air.

-- Mike

Photo Credit: The Oklahoma Daily

The night before

It remains to be seen if the Hurricane and Sooner players who take the field tomorrow here in Norman are taking this game as seriously as the fans. Oh, I'm sure they are all pumped up to play, have focused on game plans and such; but do they understand this is a grudge match whereby OU fans hope to kick sand in the face of bullies Jerome Brown, Vinnie Testaverde and Michael Irvin.

Oh, they're not playing tomorrow? Too bad.

Maybe Miami can do us all a favor by stepping off the bus at Memorial Stadium wearing camoflauge fatigues.

We want that because we (fans) want to get even. And if Miami's coach is a gentlemen and the Hurricane players don't throw punches or insult our women, then it's going to feel a bit uncouth to be screaming for their executions.

As for the game, my prediction is that Oklahoma will win big. I hesitate to say this -- I've kept my mouth shut all week for fear I might jinx it -- but something tells me we're going to win big. Nevermind the fact I thought that once in a Big 12 Championship game against K-State. Just remember I thought the same thing down in Dallas in 2000 and 2003.

What to do with Nichol?

I wandered to midfield early in the fourth quarter last night just in time to see quarterbacks coach Josh Heupel come up to freshman QB Keith Nichol and tell him "warm up -- you're going in." (see pic). At that time the game had been virtually over for two hours -- the score was already well into AARP status -- but the look on young master Nichol was, well...kinda cute.

Yeah, cute. As in Bambi eyes deer in the headlights cute.

Nichol pitched some warm up balls to Jermaine Gresham while North Texas was floundering on the field. Then after another UNT punt to change the possession, Nichol sauntered onto the field like John Elway. He looked as smooth as Joey Halzle did moments before, and as smooth as starter Sam Bradford did what seemed like a few days before (the game seemed really long -- it's hard to maintain concentration when Oklahoma teams are scoring half a hundred, ala Barry-esqe, by halftime.)

I give great credit to Coach Heupel for preparing all three quarterbacks.

But, was it a good idea to break this barely-out-of-high school player's redshirt (you know the one the fans placed on him, but apparently the coaches never donned him with)?

Well, I don't think so. I don't get the point. Some might say if Bradford succeeds, Nichol won't get much playing time anyway, especially with recruits-to-be waiting in the wings at some high school locker room in New Mexico or who knows where else. Others say Nichol is the best back-up, so why not get him playing time in case Bradford gets hurt. While I admit there is some merit to the last suggestion, that is oh so not Bob Stoops if we've paid any attention to his coaching style lo these last eight years.

It just seems to me you want to save the kid's eligibility. We did that last year with Bradford. Has something changed? Note, you'll see our poll here on the blog over to the right. Vote and tell us what you think.

--Mike D.