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