Emails in on Sooner loss to BYU
The new emails are in, and as always when the Sooners lose a football game, the forest is on fire. Let’s get right to it.
Joe: “To a life-long Sooner fan living in Illinois my whole life (my deceased father, also from Illinois, graduated from OU in ’57, and my mom was Sooner born and Sooner bred in Hennessee), this game was going to be special. My 20-year-old son and I, along with my brother from St Louis and another brother from Houston, counted our pennies and made the trek to Dallas to the Jerry Dome to see our beloved Sooners in person, something that very rarely happens. It was supposed to be a weekend that would supply memories that would last a lifetime. It did, that’s for sure. Obviously, we were disappointed in the outcome of the game. What was more disappointing was the fact that, like so many other non-conference games against solid opponents (LSU, USC, West Virginia, Boise State…), the Sooners simply looked like they weren’t ready to play; out of synch and uninspired (except for you, Gerald McCoy). Your description of the locker room at halftime revealed an OU team that is soft and gutless at gut check time. Nobody willing to step up. Watching ESPN Game Day in our hotel room Saturday morning, we all wanted to puke as they showed a never-before-seen tape of Tebow’s halftime speech in Florida’s BCS Championship win against OU (’30 minutes for the rest of our lives,’ he screamed, red-faced, as his teammates looked on). We were disgusted, of course, and all pledged our hatred for Tebow, and with much restraint left the television intact. But I agree with you. Give me a Tebow, someone with passion and somebody who is willing to keep fighting despite the fact that the offense didn’t score 38 points in the first half. I read this week’s Sports Illustrated’s blurb about Boise State. Boise State defensive coordinator Justin Wilcox said that they recruit kids that cannot only play, but continue to fight and never give up. OU could take a lesson (and got a lesson) from that bunch from Idaho.”
I saw that clip of Tebow, too, and I’m president of the Let’s-Get-Over-Tim Tebow Club, but I had to admit, it was pretty inspiring. Much more inspiring than his promise from the Ole Miss post-game.
Roger: “I was thinking about what you wrote a few days back – that the Sooners lack leadership from key players. How right you are! As the offensive team left the field at half-time, they seemed defeated. Almost to a man, their heads were sagging and they didn’t want to talk to anyone. They were still ahead by a field goal, but they were led to expect much better than that, they needed someone to boost their confidence. Normally that would come from the senior leaders or team captains. I think Gerald McCoy did fine with the defensive players, but who was willing and able to lead the offense? Not one of the offensive linemen. They were all thinking of themselves, hanging their heads in shame. Not a wide receiver; they had done almost nothing in the first half. Then I thought: ‘What would Tebow do?’ Even if Tim Tebow were on the sidelines with an injury, he would have stepped in at halftime with a blistering pep talk for his offensive teammates. He had already earned his credentials on the field, so his teammates would listen to him. Except for the unfortunate timing, I think Bradford was prepared to do the same. The one offensive player who might have taken the reins is Jermaine Gresham. He has already proven himself on the field to be accepted as a legitimate leader, even though he is unable to take the field on this particular day, Next time the Sooners lose momentum, I hope either Bradford or Gresham take charge – even though injuries keep them off the playing field for now. Become a Tebow!”
That’s how desperate this situation is. The Sooners want their heroes to become what they so passionately despise.
Charles: “I think you blamed the foot soldiers for losing the battle last Saturday, when in reality it was the generals who lost the battle. Here’s one of life’s truth’s you can take to the bank: It’s management’s fault, it’s always management’s fault. Management either knew or should have known. It’s what they get the big bucks for. Blaming the people in the trenches is like saying it’s the guy who is building the cars for GM caused their downfall. GM’s management caused the problems. If labor was too high who agreed to those wages? Who was looking at the books; couldn’t see it coming? Who was watching the players in practice? Why were they not ready to play? Saving their playbook for Texas? Sometimes they just go STOOPID and make average teams look good. One last thought and I will leave you alone. I remind you that two years ago in our emails I told you OU will never win another national championship under Bob Stoops. If he couldn’t do it last year, it’s not going to happen. We just need to enjoy the 9-10-11 games a year we win. At least this year the suspense has been eliminated.”
You know, nothing tires me more than these goofy predictions that Bob Stoops will never win another national championship. Let’s say it’s correct. I think that’s a stupid thing to say, but let’s give you that. What does that prove? Bo Schembechler never won one. Mark Richt still hasn’t won one. Does that mean they aren’t elite coaches? National championships are hard to win. And when you win one, the response seems to be, win another. For the record, it’s not 9-10-11 wins a year. Here are Bob Stoops’ win totals from 2000 on: 13, 11, 12, 12, 12, 8, 11, 11, 12. It’s 11-12-13. OU fans believe it is their divine right to win every game and more than titles than their share.
Charles: “Bob Stoops won with the same players John Blake lost with. Point being Stoops put them where they needed to be. I’m not saying to fire Stoops, just enjoy what they do win and quit worrying about a national title. Not going to happen. Program hasn’t been the same since Mike Stoops left. Name one big game they’ve won, that they shouldn’t have, since he left.”
OK, I was wrong. That goofy prediction about Stoops never winning another national title is NOT my pet peeve. My pet peeve is the Mike Stoops deal. Name a big game the Sooners won but shouldn’t have? I thought OU was supposed to win every game? Before Mike Stoops left, OU played generally big-time defense, with occasional missteps. Since Brent Venables took over, OU has played generally big-time defense, with occasional missteps. The Sooner D the LAST TWO GAMES, both losses, has been excellent. Yet all it’s gotten Venables is more invites to guillotine.
Jeff: “Hello from Tampa. I have a question and I turn to you. Nobody is complaining about Kevin Wilson publicly. I have a lot of Gator friends and they are all saying the same thing. Stoops had better can Wilson before he takes Stoops down with him. They see the horrible second-quarter play calling against Florida and the lack of play-action last Saturday and wonder how long Stoops will put up with it. My Gator friends have all said they should have been down to us 21-7 or 28 -7 in the second quarter but for the calls at the goal. I am a fan of Stoops and hope we have him another 20 years. With Mangino after the OSU loss in 2001 he was off to Kansas. I heard he turned it down on Friday and after the game Stoops told him to take it. Chuck Long’s calling of plays on the final drive against LSU were horrible and now the last two with Wilson. We don’t seem to have the attitude we had under Coach Switzer. He said this is what we do, if you stop it, you win. We seem to second guess ourselves and abandon what got us there in the trenches. Just some thoughts and comments I have been cogitating on.”
Nobody is complaining about Wilson publicly? They are building gallows on every street corner in town. You asked, so I’ll tell you. Has everyone gone mad? OU led the nation in scoring last season. In fact, OU set an NCAA record for points scored last season. Its schedule included teams that played in the BCS title game, the Orange Bowl, the Fiesta Bowl, the Cotton Bowl, the Holiday Bowl, the Alamo Bowl and the Gator Bowl. The plays at the goal line were bad plays for one reason. They didn’t work. There is nothing wrong with running Chris Brown off tackle on 4th-and-1. That’s solid football, done by every successful coach on every level. You’re right. OU doesn’t seem to have the attitude it did under Switzer. Its attitude is much better. There is a lot more confidence these days than then, even though most of the time the Stoops teams play a tougher schedule. Stoops and his coaches have won six of the last nine Big 12s. None were co-champs. They were won outright. The truth is, play-calling is so overrated, it’s not even funny. The idea that play-calling had a factor in the BYU game is silly. Not much of anything worked, primarily because of penalties. Was OU prepared for BYU? I would say no. It was a bad-coached game. But that doesn’t mean you fire coaches who have been proven and battle-tested. That’s madness. What your Gator friends are suggesting is not representative of the Stoops era. It’s representative of the Blake era. Oh, let’s try this this week. Let’s get rid of this coach this week. Stoops’ staff is flexible. It has won doing a lot of different things. But fans believe in a divine right to win every game. And any defeat is cause for rebellion. It’s third-world thinking.
Jo: “There are no words left to describe that pathetic performance that Stoops, Venables and Wilson put on the field last night. This train wreck has been in the making for the last 4-5 years and it finally got to the station. Whether it was before Bradford went out or after. Judging from a few crucial offensive calls, it was just a carryover from the Florida game on his part. The shot of Switzer at halftime summed it all up. He knew, even with Bradford, it would be a struggle to win. Stoops failed to prepare his team and his staff’ AGAIN! No where to go but up or out.”
You know the truth? If the football gods are dishing out wins and losses, dishing out a separated shoulder here, a busted fourth-and-goal play there, and OU is getting more than its share, the reason is obvious. The fans. Fans that talk like this don’t deserve to win. Think about it. Three straight Big 12 titles. Six Big 12 titles in nine years. Four national-title appearances in nine seasons. One national title. And they bitch like this. I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again. Children of Israel. Sometimes they have to be taught a lesson, like they were in the 1990s.
Isaiah: “With all the negatives surrounding the Sooners’ first week of the season, is if fair to say that the team psyche appears to be fragile? In watching Kevin Wilson describe the offensive meeting at halftime of the BYU game as a morgue, it appears there is a lack of strong leadership without Bradford and/or Gresham in the lineup. Were you surprised to hear that not even Brian Simmons or Trent Williams took the reigns and rally the offensive team? Do you sense any shock or disappointment from the coaches in the fact that the offense didn’t come out with more fight in the second half and continued to make mental mistakes? From this fan’s perspective, it appears that Bob Stoops and Kevin Wilson were more upset at the fact their players didn’t play with more emotion, discipline and heart than actually losing the BYU game. I think that’s because it might reflect the fragile nature of this year’s team’s psyche, which doesn’t bode well for a long, tough season.”
Not every OU fan is a kook. This is a legit question. And yes, I would say the Sooner psyche is fragile. Losing your studs can do that. Doesn’t have to, but it can. Idaho State is a scrimmage, but after this, the games resume to real. OU can go two ways. It make a spirited run at a championship, or it can wither and go 7-5 and find out how the Phoenix experience is for teams in the Insight Bowl.
Jason: “Your blog about the defensive coordinators (Bill Young and Brent Venables) reminded me of an interesting quote in one of my favorite movies, Friday Night Lights. The head coach says something along the lines of, ‘It took me a long time to realize that there isn’t much difference between winning and losing, except for how the outside world treats you. But inside you, it’s about all the same.’ Not sure if that’s how I felt when I won or lost back in the day, but I bet Venables knows what that coach meant. I’ve been a diehard OSU fan my whole life. And I can’t stand it when my OU friends and family call for a coach’s head after an OU loss. Really, OU is lucky to still have Venables. (and Wilson for that matter).”
Hey, when did sanity move to Stillwater?
Danny wrote about the morgue-like locker room: “I’ve been wondering the same for a few years. I enjoyed Stoops when he showed passion. That’s definitely been missing lately.”
This is just a hunch, but I’ll bet there was some visor-throwing Monday. Probably not Saturday night in the locker room, but Monday on the practice field.
Mike: “In the press conference, Bob said if they would have been five yards closer, he would have sent in Jimmy Stevens to attempt the field goal. If that is the case, why didn’t the media ask him about the third-down call? He chose to throw the ball and ended up with an incompletion. Was he not thinking ahead? He could have easily called for a shovel pass or a draw play and maybe pick up an extra seven or eight yards. He had a better chance of making a 47-yard field goal with Stevens than he did with Tress Way making his first college attempt from 54 yards out. I’m surprised nobody asked him about that. Also, what about J.R. Bryant? Why did he not play? He tested out better than any other linebacker when he came back from the summer. Is he in Schmitty’s doghouse because he chose to workout on his own rather than stay in Norman over the summer? I realize the media is afraid of getting blackballed, but you guys need to start asking Bob more probing questions and follow up when he tries to dodge the tough questions. Bob is making $4 million a year and the BYU game comes down to his gut feeling. The local media would have roasted John Blake for that comment. Keep up the good work.”
What good work? You just called us wusses. And you want probing questions like, why didn’t J.R. Bryant play? You’ve got to be kidding. Anyway, as for why Stoops didn’t try to set up a 47-yard field goal? Go back and read that question. Hey, Bob, why didn’t you try to set up a 47-yard field goal from a guy who last year couldn’t kick a can on the sidewalk? The truth of the matter is, there were 20 strategic questions that could be asked of Stoops regarding that game. Not that he did 20 stupid things, but that the game was so goofy and so tight, seemed like every play was Armageddon. You can’t ask about every play.
Craig: “I would like to mention that in my opinion it is of no use having someone become a fired up leader if the emotion is not real. No point in trying to fake it. My youngest son said it best. He told me before the game he was concerned about it because it had the feel of a big bowl game. Let’s get real. This whole thing boils down to the bravado the coaches were spewing about the O-line before the season while secretly knowing they may not be up to par. I think Kevin Wilson’s play-calling displayed a general lack of confidence in his line. Last night, Colin Cowherd called us Chokelahoma and says Stoops is overrated, etc.”
All right! I wrote a week ago that this OU-BYU game was like a bowl game, and now it’s been confirmed. OK, uh, Craig, what else were you saying? Oh yeah. The more I get away from that game, the more I think the offensive line wasn’t the biggest problem. Yes, the penalties were ridiculous, but the Sooners tried to win this game with mediocre receivers and, for half a game, a rookie quarterback. Bad combination. But you’re right, I think Wilson’s play-calling reflected a lack of confidence in his line. As for Colin Cowherd, I wouldn’t take directions from him even if he owned the world’s last map.
William: “Hi, and how is the best sportswriter without bias in Oklahoma? I hate to see OU have injuries. I want Tech, Texas and OSU to beat them with all their over-rated players healthy. If OSU continues to win, and they are sitting at No. 5, it’s going to be tough on the arrogant OU fans. Sooner or later, with OSU’s coaching staff and facilities, the worm will turn. I think it’s already started. Hallelujah.”
You think I’m going to disagree with anything this guy says? Well, you’re wrong. I am. William, I love the support, and I know that OU fans can make a guy crazy, but be careful on the worm-turning thing. Worms do turn in college football, but not very often. I think OSU’s ascension is solid, but the Cowboys face a tough rebuilding year in 2010 (the Sooners too, for that matter).
Bill: “Tom Landry used to say it’s harder to stay there than to get there. OU had a great season in 2000. They had been down for a few years and I found myself pulling for them against Florida State. They were innovative in offense and Blake had left them a load of great defensive players. Since then, the OU program has gone gradually downhill. You wrote correctly that they should never have been in the big game after they lost 35-7 to Kansas State in the Big 12 title game. Their embarrassing loss to USC (by that time the arrogance of the OU fans had gotten to me and I was pulling for USC) was delicious. They at least competed against LSU. Then there was last year when Texas was clearly the better team and should have played Florida for the title. I just hated to hear the talk just a few weeks and months ago about being in the national championship game again. Are these fans entitled to that game? I’ll say this now, and I told you this last year, under Stoops, OU will never win another national championship and it is doubtful if they will ever get to the game. The Big 12 North is on the rise. Look out for Tech, Miami, Nebraska and Kansas, not to mention Texas for the rest of the year. Poor OU.”
Yes, poor OU. Poor sliding-ever-since-2000 OU. It has only won six of the last nine Big 12 titles. Here are the all-time Big 12 title standings. John Mackovic: 1. Tom Osborne: 1. R.C. Slocum: 1. Frank Solich: 1. Gary Barnett: 1. Bill Snyder: 1. Mack Brown: 1. The man people want to fire: 6. If Stoops wins in 2009, he will match every coach in Big 12 history COMBINED in league titles.
Mike: “I am a retired Army LTC combat arms having taught leadership to Army officers and a pastor, so I know a few things about leadership. Leadership is a huge ingredient in success in any area of life. Obviously it is the missing ingredient in why some companies, some teams do better than others with the same talent pool. Stress or the big stage is the winnower between the teams with and without true leadership. I have read Donald Phillips’ book on Vince Lombardi, Run to Win. With Lombardi, a passion for excellence does not have to be self serving as it can be in our culture, but a genuine passion for excellence has as its goal the good of the team and the individual player. In the area of the church, it is the glory of God, not the reputation of the pastor or the church. Your example of Tebow is a good one. You cannot separate the talent of the leader from his desire and willingness to lead as well as his position on the team. What counts with Tebow is that his passion matched his walk and play; there was a coherence between who he is and what he said and what he did. Passion does not have to be yelling and screaming, but it must come from the internal fire of the leader. OU’s recent failure on the big stage is both a reflection of player and coaching leadership. Why do inspired underdogs with slightly less talent but who believe they can win cause OU the problems they do? Leadership is a reflection of character. They may not be soft physically but they obviously are soft in the grit category. I do not know enough to say where the problem is, but we have a saying, the team very quickly reflects the character of its leaders. I continue to be amazed at the surprise of the team’s coaches at the reaction of their players. One of your responsibilities as a leader is to stress your troops so you know how they are going to respond. You can take that to the bank. Just listening to the interviews of the BYU coach, I knew that we were in for a real fight and real trouble.”
Now, my friends, that is a dispatch. Go back and read that email. You will learn a lot from life. And here’s what I learned. OU’s great coaching pitfalls in recent years were not Florida or USC or even West Virginia, which had a heck of a team and the quicker we admit it the better off we’ll all be. The pitfalls were Boise State and Brigham Young. OU had better talent, but those teams handled adversity better.
Dee: “I have been thinking since our loss to Florida about the lack of emotion, for lack of better words, about my beloved Sooners. Seems like when they get behind or hit a low spot, instead of getting fired up and rallying, they slump. The Sooners are going to have to step it up and get some vocal leaders, or it’s going to be an even longer season. I will say, the defense held its own. I know they gave up that long drive at the end, but I would think they were getting a little tired of being on the field. Hats off to BYU, although they outscored a beat-up, emotionally-flat OU, they still only won by one points. I don’t think the Sooners are going to let themselves get the program any worse. They’ve got to talk it up and rally. The Sooners have plenty of talent, they’ve just got to get them in the right place. The injury bug is eating us up, but they’re still guys that can replace them.”
Now wait a minute on BYU. You want to talk about beat-up. BYU was beat up. All kinds of guys injured. Cornerbacks. Its best tailback. Its leading tackler. You can’t play the injury card in that game, even with Bradford.
Mark: “That was indeed an ugly loss to BYU. I have seen cleaner football on the southern California high school fields. OU appears mediocre this season, even with an improved defense.”
You said the magic word. Clean. The Sooners have to play cleaner.
Kerry: “Everyone’s still saying OU should have thrown the ball more. Especially since they had the returning Heisman winner at QB, and during the game I was one of those people. But after Bradford got hurt, I started wondering. Maybe the coaches knew the O-line couldn’t protect him and were afraid he might get hurt. Just a thought.”
Just a thought, and a good one. Fans always want teams to throw more, but I think this team is going to have to run the ball to victory. There are few solid players to throw to.
Chris: “You were right to point out the biggest flaw in OU’s loss Saturday night. Of course, it was pretty obvious to anybody who watched the game. The offensive line is the biggest culprit for many reasons. The breakdown analysis reveals multiple penalties from start to finish, on key drives and at critical moments. Lack of coverage led to Bradford’s injury and prevented plays from developing. Todd Blackledge gave similar analysis about OU’s offensive line Saturday night. His perspective was linemen, especially inexperienced ones, don’t like being down in the stance that long. It affects their psyche. They want to go to the line, snap the ball and execute. Both you and Blackledge are correct that huddles need to be incorporated in the game plan as well as quicker snap counts. I understand the desire to try to read the defense once in formation, but it appears the personnel lacks the experience to do this effectively, at least on every play.”
Well, OU coaches say the no-huddle will stay. But we’ll see. Just because it worked in 2008 doesn’t mean it will work in 2009.
Mark: “While the game turned out to be a dud from a Sooner perspective, the stadium was incredible. The proximity to incredible view, comfortable seats and proximity to concession and johns made the game much more bearable. I’ve never gotten over the firing of Tom Landry by Jerry Jones but do think he has done something so significant with the stadium that it sets apart Dallas from the rest of the pack in the NFL. I think the last time I had this sick feeling during an OU game was the West Virginia blowout. I would much rather see OU lose a game where they put up a fight and get whipped than just self-destruct, appearing to not know what just hit them.”
This wasn’t as bad as West Virginia, was it? I know I just said the Mountaineers were really good, but the Sooners were totally destroyed in that game. They had a chance to win this one.
Greg: “Wasn’t the experience in Lubbock two years ago enough to tell these gold-plated coaches you have to least prepare each week the star might get hurt and what you are going to do and allow the second string guy to do? The one thing Bob does not do as well as Bud or Barry is to have someone waiting in the wings who is PREPARED, the coaches have faith in, and he knows and the coaches know what is going to happen should the unthinkable occur. Dare we contrast Troy going down to Sam going down, now twice? Is there a jammin’ Jamelle waiting now? Do the other players know and have confidence in the plan should the star go down? What happened Saturday evening in the second half was a total complete joke. Wilson fumblin’ around, changing plays after changing plays, delays, confusing Landry, a total goat rope. The kid has talent, and for that matter, so does Drew Allen, or they would not have been recruited. Prepare to have them play each week, they each have a set of plays everyone feels comfortable with calling, and dammit, let the kid play.”
Well, now that you brought it up, when Jamelle Holieway replaced Troy Aikman, in the second quarter of a tight game, OU went on to lose easily. Miami led 14-7 in 1985 and won 27-14. And in 1984, when Danny Bradley went down, OU had to use a totally-outclassed Aikman at Kansas and got rolled. So let’s not paint the Switzer era as Camelot and Disneyland, all rolled into one.
Gerry: “With the game on the line in the fourth quarter, the defensive backs were helpless/hapless/hopeless. No kidding, check the replay on the TD.”
No replay needed. I watched the game. BYU converted three third downs and one fourth down on the final drive. It has a big-time quarterback and a great offense. BYU has been producing great offenses for 30 years. And it scored 14 points against the Sooners, whose offense provided little relief. If your standard is OU’s defense has to play perfect, then yes. Fire the coaches and pull the scholarships. But this defeat was absolutely offense-based, and to blame the defense is to display frustration run amok.
Wann: “I take exception with your ‘don’t blame Kevin Wilson’ comment. Everyone with the ability to read a newspaper or watch a television sports program knows the Sooner O-line was inexperienced, but for their play to come as a surprise to Wilson makes little sense. Coach Wilson touted the play of the line in late August, but the uncoordinated, undisciplined effort displayed on the field Saturday night belies the suspicion that Wilson should have been caught off guard. Additionally, Wilson is responsible for bringing James Patton, his buddy from Northwestern, on board. And if Patton doesn’t deserve a large dollop of responsibility for Saturday night’s disaster, who does? And Wilson’s mea culpa pertaining to losing track of the clock in the single most critical play of the game boggles the mind. I’ve been in touch with a number of past players since late Saturday night and I can tell you, even those who are loyal to a fault, who love the program, are furious at the display they witnessed that evening. Perhaps it’s time for the media to take the gloves off. Five consecutive BCS losses, three of them in embarrassing fashion, signal one thing: the honeymoon with Bob Stoops is over; he should be held accountable in heated fashion by sports writers, not handled with kid-gloves.”
For the record, my don’t-blame-Wilson comment was not an overview, but only on the point of whether OU should have run more on the final drive. Don’t blame Wilson for not having confidence in his line on that final drive. But as for ex-players who are furious, you’ve got to be kidding. Here’s a deal. We’ll give 1975 seniors and 1956 seniors a pass. They can be angry all they want. Everyone else who is furious is just an angry old man. And fans who aren’t mature enough to handle defeat, who believe it is their divine right to win every game, should take up gardening.
Chris wrote about my Sam Bradford column, concerning how to gauge whether he made a mistake in coming back: “Hindsight is always 20/20 as they say, but your acknowledgement of Sam’s more ‘noble’ reasons of wanting to win a championship and finish his degree are in my opinion, right on. Wish I had Mike Celizic’s email so I could ream him about his dumb article today on msnbc in which he says several times that Sam came back for frat parties. Although he writes many good articles, it makes me mad when a national reporter makes an assumption like that. Sam is not like Leinart just because he came back after winning a Heisman.”
Here’s what I don’t get. Why is anyone interested in OU football reading msnbc? It makes no sense. I’ve never heard of this guy, he can’t have been in Norman more than once or twice in his life, and yet people care what he thinks about the Sooners? Why? I don’t get it. Why would anyone in Washington care what I think about the health-care issue? Save yourself some aggravation.
Dee: “SHAME ON YOU! The entire Sooner nation is hurting for Sam and you write an article displaying your brilliant hindsight. We would all be millionaires if we could go back in time. Everyone has second guessed the decisions that they have made in life. You don’t look back, you look forward. Something your article should have emphasized instead of what you would do if you could do it over. I am sure the coaches would have made different play calls. I am sure the penalties would not have happened if the players could do it again. SHAME – SHAME – SHAME ON YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”
Are you sure you want to stand by that penalties theory? Anyway, this is a good lesson for us all. If my job was to make Sam Bradford feel better, then I would write all kinds of things differently. But that’s not my job, and you don’t want it to be my job, and the truth is the status of Bradford is a good lesson for everyone. Not that you have to go pro, but Bradford’s situation explains the costs and benefits, and to not talk about them is just plain goofy.
McGuire: “Gresham/Bradford injuries are bad news for college football. Just when more players were staying in college dispelling the idea that the NCAA is more than just a farm league, now agents/media will no doubt leverage Gresham and Bradford as exhibit A and B. Bad news for all of us that love college football.”
Probably bad news for college football, but good news for college football players. They all need to be reminded that no one is looking out for their interests, except them.
Bob: “Even with OU again embarrassing themselves on national TV and showing their coaches cannot adjust (when does practice start this year?), BYU’s only chance to win was to knock Sam out, and they deliberately did it.”
Please. BYU did not deliberately knock out Bradford. They blitzed him. They tackled him. They hit him hard. If that’s offensive to you, there are plenty of flag football leagues that will let you watch from the sidelines.
Gene: “The Sooners lost the game through key penalties. Regardless of the loss of their starting quarterback, it is questionable if it made any difference. OU can still win the conference and perhaps get another shot at No. 1. However, both lines must have a total re-make and get back to basics. Perhaps OU was looking ahead and thought BYU was only a major bump in the road on their quest for national champions. As a Mountain West school graduate (San Diego State), I must give BYU much credit for the win where they never gave up.”
The D-line needs a makeover? The defensive line? I don’t think Max Hall thinks OU’s D-line needs a makeover.
Bob: “The guy who took out Sam came from the outside. Perhaps if the tight end was playing tight end instead of center, Sam would not have been blindsided. My point, if the O-line hadn’t earned Wilson’s trust, why didn’t Wilson insure his quarterback was protected by keeping a fullback or two in the backfield with him? I don’t know what all of (Chuck) Long’s perceived problems were, but I don’t recall him being unable to protect his QBs in the first game of the season. Are the problems with the O-line due to poor recruiting, injuries, or could it be a coaching problem?”
I think the problem with the O-line is all of the above. Penalties have to land at coaches’ feet. But the idea that a quarterback never can be touched or the O-line is a disaster, well, that’s just not football.
Terry: “Here’s my take on the game. 1. You have to punch the ball into the end zone. Look at OU’s last two games. What is their per play average gain inside the opponent’s 5-yard line? 2. OU’s fans are spoiled. I was sitting in the corner of the end zone 21 rows up. On the third play of the opening series of the first game in the most expensive stadium since the slaves built the Roman Coliseum, the guy behind me is yelling at me to sit down. 3. The video screen at Jerry’s world is better than any TV I have ever owned. I grew up in western Oklahoma, about half way between OKC and Amarillo. We received four channels. Depending on the weather, sometimes we got good (never great) reception from OKC, sometimes from Amarillo. My job was to take a pipe wrench and turn the antenna to whichever direction that Dad yelled out through the screen door (sometimes it was hard to hear him because the fan motor on the swamp box made noise). Life ain’t so bad. People need to get over it.”
Hey, who invited Mister Perspective to our little party? In all seriousness, this is one of the 20 best emails I’ve ever received.
Daryl: “I believe it is time to rethink our offensive coordinator. A field goal on fourth down and less than a yard with inexperienced offensive linemen trying to move 1200 pounds of experienced beef with a backup quarterback on a sneak would have given us the victory, albeit an ugly one. What were we thinking? Deja vu (just before half in the BCS championship when we ran Chris Brown over left tackle four times and lost a half yard). I love Stoops, but he possibly is the most stubborn coach we have ever had.”
I believe it is time to rethink college football pay scales. Head coaches: overpaid. Coordinators: underpaid.
Albert: “1. The offensive calling inside the 10 reminded me of the play calling against Florida last year. The difference is that we passed this game instead of running. We should just have run and run and run the ball. Call a play get set and run the play without looking back at the sideline. The offensive coordinator is not going anywhere soon because he is not prepared to guide an offense inside the 10 on crucial possessions. 2. Without Gresham and Eldridge at tight end, we were playing without a release option. Why not start Good (I suppose he means Habern) at center and have an experienced tight end to help the offense? 3. Our receivers are young in experience and Tennell did not seem like a first-string receiver. 4. Our defense can’t stop the pass when it needs to. With less than three minutes to play, third down and goal from the 7, a receiver is open in the back of the end zone with four Sooners in front of him. Just plain terrible defensive play and play calling. 5. OU desperately needs a true middle linebacker ”
Let’s see. The O-line stinks, so move your best lineman (Eldridge) back to tight end and throw it to him, even though he can’t catch? Eldridge is back at tight end to open holes, not to catch any passes.
Bill: “Kevin Wilson has not proved to me that he can run an offense. Was last night what all the closed practices were about? This is the GREAT team that is going to push for a title? Play calling was terrible as well.”
Let me get this straight. The coordinator of the highest-scoring offense in NCAA history has not proven that he can run an offense? Is that your testimony?
Chat Recap: Friday, Sept. 11
Ex-Poke coach Beckman on display tonight
Tim Beckman, who spent two memorable seasons as OSU’s defensive coordinator, is on ESPN tonight. His Toledo Rockets host Colorado with an 8 p.m. kickoff.
Beckman was mostly hailed as a difference-making coach at OSU. But that’s what happens with most coordinators. Offense or defense. OU or OSU. Doesn’t matter. Change is good. Change is lauded. Fans love change.
OU fans are calling for the heads of Kevin Wilson (for the offense’s lackluster game against BYU and Brent Venables (for a lifetime-achievement firing, I guess). Meanwhile, OSU fans were glad to Vance Bedford come and glad to see him go. Glad to see Beckman replace Bedford and glad to see him go. Glad to see Bill Young come, and eventually Young will fall far from favor, too. That’s the nature of the beast.
Beckman did some good things at OSU. The Cowboy defense had its moments, though it also was routinely lit up in this era of explosive Big 12 offenses. But Beckman brought passion and fire to the defense. Now Young brings a more relaxed attitude which allows defenders to play with a little more comfort.
It’s an old baseball ploy. Replace a manager with his opposite. Replace the fiery Billy Martin with the grandfatherly Bob Lemon. We see that in football, too. Replace a taskmaster like Howard Schnellenberger with John Blake.
I suppose it works as often as it doesn’t. The key thing on defensive coordinators is hiring guys who know fundamental defense and can communicate. Doesn’t matter if you like to blitz or prefer a more basic package. Doesn’t matter if you like a 4-3 or a 3-4 front. Doesn’t matter if you like nickle or not. The key is playing something you believe in and play it well.
Beckman’s first OSU defense, 2007, was mostly awful, but it improved in 2008, and the Missouri game, a 28-23 Cowboy victory, was its shining moment. Which is no small thing.
The talent level appears to be rising in Stillwater, so Young should have a little better defense. The Cowboys’ D against Georgia was a lot better, and the Houston game Saturday will provide another, though different, test.
Beckman is back in his roots, Ohio, and the Mid-American Conference is a good launching pad for coaches. Urban Meyer and Don Nehlen at Bowling Green, Gary Pinkel and Nick Saban at Toledo, Brian Kelly at Central Michigan, Glen Mason and Don James at Kent State, Jim Grobe at Ohio. And of course Miami-Ohio is the cradle of coaches. Woody Hayes, Bo Schembechler, Ara Parseghian, John Pont, Randy Walker, Bill Mallory, Dick Crum, Sid Gillman. All were head coaches at Miami-Ohio.
So Beckman is in a good spot. If he beats Colorado tonight, he’ll be in an even better spot.
Houston & the Big 12: What might have been
The University of Houston’s football visit to Stillwater for a game Saturday is a good time to consider what might have been 15 years ago. What if Houston, not Baylor, had been selected to join the Big 12?
We all know why Baylor is in: politics.
The other candidates from the Southwest Conference? Rice and SMU, no way. Which leaves TCU or Houston. TCU has since become a force, a regular top-20 team that can play with the big boys. The Horned Frogs knocked off OU in 2005 and have been BCS bowl contenders from time to time. Houston has not fared as well, becoming a solid Conference USA team but nothing like Bill Yeoman’s Cougar teams of the 1970s, which went to three Cotton Bowls in the first four years after UH joined the Southwest Conference.
Meanwhile, Baylor has been a Big 12 doormat in both football and men’s basketball but very competitive in many other sports. And lately, Baylor has shown signs of coming to life; the Bears made the 2008 NCAA Tournament and its football team, after a win at Wake Forest, seems poised to make a bowl run for the first time in the Big 12 era.
How would TCU and Houston have done instead of Baylor? I say the same.
TCU’s football stock grew when its opponents changed. From the Grant Teaff renaissance at Baylor in 1974 until the formation of the Big 12, 21 seasons, TCU finished with a better record than Baylor exactly once. In 1995, TCU was getting better, but Baylor was still Baylor, even though Teaff had retired. Baylor’s records under Chuck Reedy in the final three SWC years were 5-6, 7-5, 7-4.
And yet Baylor immediately became the worst program in the Big 12 and really hasn’t deviated. There’s no great reason to believe TCU would have fared better. TCU would have started from even further down than where Baylor started, with no great hope of rising up. TCU has flourished by competing well in the WAC and Conference USA and now the Mountain West. That’s four leagues for the Horned Frogs in less than 15 years. Put TCU in the Big 12 now, and the Horned Frogs would be competitive. Put TCU in the Big 12 in 1996, and the Frogs would have been soaked. The private schools’ rarely have the alumni bases or financial support to compete with the major public institutions.
So what about Houston, a public school that took the SWC by storm when it joined in the ’70s? UH was the victim of bad timing. If the Big 12 had been formed in 1980 instead of 1995, Houston would have been one of the first schools in. If the Big 12 had been formed in 1990, same thing, although some NCAA questions plagued Houston. Houston’s three-year record from 1988 through 1990 was 28-6, and that’s in a SWC that also included Arkansas.
But by 1995, Houston had fallen on hard times. The John Jenkins scandal sent UH into a spiral, and the Cougars from 1991 through 1995 went 4-7, 4-7, 1-9-1, 1-10 and 2-9. Attendance was minimal at the Astrodome, and though Houston had seen glory days, they seemed far removed.
Houston likely would have fared no better than Baylor in the Big 12, and the reason we can say that is to compare UH to TCU. While the Horned Frogs took their new mid-major status and ran with it, navigating conference shifts and building a solid program, Houston never took advantage of dropping down and becoming the new bully on the block.
In the 13-plus seasons since the SWC ended, Houston’s overall record is 70-85. In 1996, its first year in Conference USA, Houston tied for the title and went to the Liberty Bowl. It has won Conference USA just once since, 2006.
So Houston didn’t take advantage of its superiority over new rivals, and while Art Briles and now Kevin Sumlin have the Cougars playing competitively, there is no grandeur in the program. Houston has moved to on-campus Robertson Stadium, which seats 32,000, not enough to be considered by a major conference.
College football Week 1: Bill Young & Brigham Young
Funny how football works. Small is the difference between champ and chump.
Take the fate of two defensive coordinators of note. OSU’s Bill Young and OU’s Brent Venables.
Let’s analyze. Who has the better offense, Georgia or Brigham Young. I think most would agree it’s BYU. Better quarterback, better scheme, better offense.
So what happened Saturday. Young’s defense gave up 10 points. Venables’ defense gave up 14 points.
Young is a hero, with the Cowboy crowd willing to parade their new defensive chief through the streets of Stillwater.
Venables, while not a bum, at least not this week, to the Sooner faithful, is answering questions about the late touchdown drive that allowed BYU to pull out a 14-13 upset.
Some of that is grading on the curve. OSU has been looking for years for a defensive game like it produced against Georgia. OU was sort of expected to play shutdown defense.
But still. All kinds of grades are passed solely on victory and defeat. And maybe that’s the way it should be. Young would have been happier with a 31-30 victory than a 10-7 loss. Same with Venables.
Still, victory sometimes masks problems. Defeat rarely does.
THANKS, DENTON
I’ve been driving to Dallas for 30 years. Getting through Denton always has been the biggest headache.
I generally love driving in Dallas. Freeways everywhere. Easy to get around. Everyone gripes about the LBJ, but Interstate 635 is easy to avoid. Just take a different route.
You can’t do that with Denton. You’ve got to go through the belly of the beast. For some reason, just south of the University of North Texas’ Fouts Field, traffic always slows.
Slows. Doesn’t stop. Until last Friday. It was bumper-to-bumper through Denton. Total traffic jam. I still don’t know why. Probably took us 30 minutes to get through five miles of Denton.
We already were late because of the Oklahoma construction on I-35. We hit the Pauls Valley backup just south of Paoli, so we illegally cut through the media on a gravel path, went back to the Paoli exit and took U.S. 77 all the way to Turner Falls. Probably 30 miles.
I’ve been going to Dallas on Wednesday the last several OU-Texas weekends. That plan never has looked better.
THANKS, BYU
Besides the Sooners, who was the biggest loser of Brigham Young’s upset of Oklahoma? How about Boise State?
The Broncos were the mid-major darlings for about 48 hours after their 19-8 thumping of Oregon. Then BYU took the mantle.
A year ago, Boise State went 12-0 in the regular season and was ninth in the BCS but didn’t make a BCS bowl. The reason? Utah also went 12-0, and the Utes were ranked sixth. A team from outside the six automatic-qualifying leagues is guaranteed a BCS berth if it is ranked in the top 12, but only one per year is guaranteed a spot, no matter how high it is ranked.
I know that’s confusing, but the result is simple. No. 6 Utah in, No. 9 Boise State out. This year, same could happen with Boise State and BYU.
After one week, Boise State is ranked 11th by the coaches, 12th by AP. BYU is 12th in the coaches poll but ninth in AP. If BYU keeps winning, it will jump Boise State and a whole bunch of other teams, since the Cougars play such teams as Florida State, Utah and TCU.
Hopefully, if Boise State is ranked somewhere like fifth or sixth, it would get a BCS invitation regardless of where BYU stands. But don’t count on it.
THANKS, PAPPA
Dallas is a funny town. I like Dallas. Like it a lot. But I’ve never eaten anywhere in Dallas that makes me declare I have to go back every time I’m in town. Well, other than Fuddrucker’s.
Anyway, take me to Kansas City or San Francisco or Chicago, and I know exactly where I have to go or it’s a calamity. Gorozzo’s (KC), Sabella & LaTorre (San Fran) and Giordona’s (Chicago).
But Dallas, wherever.
So often as not, I end up on Northwest Highway between I-35 and Loop 12, at one of the Pappa franchises. Pappedeaux or Pappasitos. They also have a Pappas Brothers Steakhouse and a Pappas Brothers Barbeque, though I’ve never eaten at the steak joint and tried the BBQ only once.
Pappadeux is my favorite. They’re in Houston, too. Wish they’d come to Bricktown.
Anyway, Pappadeaux is a seafood/Cajun place. I had some red beans and rice last week in Norman that were pretty bland, so I ordered some at Pappadeaux on Friday night that reminded why it’s such a good combination. Also had a grilled seafood platter that was superb. Always is at Pappadeaux.
OU fans were everywhere in Dallas, including Pappadeaux. Some goobers started the “Boomer!” chant. In a bar, OK. In a nice restaurant, how about letting your colors let people know where you’re from?
TEN BIGGEST LOSERS OF THE WEEK
10. Arrelious Benn: The Illinois receiving star suffered a sprained ankle early against Missouri in a marquee ESPN game. He’s expected to return this week, but Benn left the stage for Mizzou’s offense to dazzle, and the Tigers won 37-9.
9. Washington State: The Cougars went 1-11 a year ago, and 2009 doesn’t look to be any better. One of WSU’s best chances for victory, a home game against Stanford, ended in a 39-13 thrashing.
8. Northern Iowa: Rare is the chance for a I-AA team to upset a ranked, in-state foe. But 22nd-ranked Iowa blocked two Panther field-goal attempts in the final seconds to preserve a 17-16 victory.
7. Fans: Week 1 included 78 games involving at least one Division I-A squad. Forty of those 78 were I-A vs. I-A; 38 were I-A vs. I-AA. This sport will be destroyed from within.
6. Al Groh: The Virginia coach, who left the New York Jets to return to his alma mater, lost to William & Mary 26-14. Groh’s nine-year record is respectable, 56-45, but losing to an in-state I-AA foe might spell his doom.
5. Dan Hawkins: Gary Barnett won four Big 12 North titles in his final five seasons at Colorado, 2001-05. Rick Neuheisel went 33-14 in four years, a winning percentage of .702 that is the best in the last 104 years of Colorado football. Bill McCartney won a national championship and turned the Buffs into a power. But after a 23-17 home loss to arch-rival Colorado State, Hawkins is 13-25 in three-plus seasons in Boulder.
4. Rutgers: Let’s see. Celebrating the opening of a stadium expansion, similar to what we’ve seen in Stillwater. A big home game in a season in which you’re touted by some as a conference favorite. A school once synonymous with losing but has turned the tide. And Rutgers laid a clunker, a 47-15 loss to Cincinnati that stamped the defending champ Bearcats as a Big East power and Rutgers as a struggling squad.
3. ACC: The league went 4-6 in its opening week, losing two games to I-AA foes (William & Mary beat Virginia; Richmond over Duke). Three of its victories came against I-AA opponents. The ACC’s most notable win – Clemson over Middle Tennessee.
2. Sam Bradford: The Oklahoma quarterback’s Heisman Trophy campaign probably has ended with the separated shoulder. His championship hopes hang by a thread with a team in tatters.
1. Chip Kelly: Hard to imagine a worse debut for the Oregon coach. His offense manages just six first downs and 152 total yards in a 19-8 loss at Boise State, then his tailback, LeGarrette Blount, punches Boise State’s Byron Hout in a post-game fracas. Kelly suspended Blount for the rest of the season.
BEST KIND OF LOSS
Here’s what’s strange about OU-BYU. The loss wasn’t the biggest problem for the Sooners. Even Sam Bradford’s injury has to share the spotlight with how bad the Sooners played even before Bradford went out.
In many ways, an 0-1 record is the least of OU’s problems.
Look at this way. If you’re going to lose, this is the best possible loss.
* Season opener, giving a team plenty of time to recover. OU is ranked 13th now. Last season, when November arrived, OU was sixth in the BCS. Florida was fifth. There’s plenty of time to rally.
* Lost to a quality team. BYU on a quasi-neutral field is not a bad loss. Brigham Young is ranked ninth now and will rise high if it beats Florida State next week.
* Lost without your quarterback. The Sooners will get brownie points for falling without Bradford.
Make no mistake. The loss is not OU’s biggest problem. Playing poorly, and now playing for who knows how long without Bradford, is the Sooners’ albatross.
UPSIDE DOWN
Something strange is going on. From 2003 through 2006, here were the scores of the Miami-Florida State games: 22-14, 16-14, 16-10 and 10-7. The last three years, here are the scores: 37-29, 41-39 and 38-34.
What’s strangest is that defense seemed to rule the first week of college football.
Three marquee games that you thought might get pretty heavy in points instead were defensive struggles.
BYU 14, OU 13; OSU 24, Georgia 10; Boise State 19, Oregon 8.
Meanwhile, the Alabama-Virginia Tech game, which figured to be first one to 20 wins, was a 34-24 Bama victory.
TEN BIGGEST WINNERS OF THE WEEK
10. Turner Gill: The Buffalo coach just keeps winning. After an International Bowl appearance in 2008, Buffalo opened 2009 with a 23-17 victory at Texas-El Paso. Some school soon will hire away the ex-Nebraska quarterback. It just won’t be Nebraska.
9. Rahim Moore: The UCLA safety was one of three players with three interceptions in the opening week. But he’s the only defender to do it against a Division I-A opponent. The NCAA record (I-A) for interceptions is 14. Take aim, Rahim Moore.
8. Greg Paulus: The Syracuse quarterback gave hope to dreamers everywhere. Having finished his Duke basketball career, Paulus decided to give football try. After all, he had been pretty good in high school. The scoffers laughed. No one is laughing now. Paulus completed 19 of 31 passes for 167 yards against Minnesota and proved he could play major-college QB. Alas, sport is not a fairy tale. Paulus threw an overtime interception, and Minnesota won 23-20.
7. Steve Sarkisian: Not all winners have more points. The Washington coach made his UW debut with a 31-23 home loss to LSU, but the competitive game was a far cry from the dismal 2008 season under Tyrone Willingham, when the Huskies went 0-12, a far fall for a proud program. Sarkisian, a former BYU quarterback and USC assistant coach, seems to have Washington on the right track.
6. Texas transfers: Colt McCoy ran off a lot of good quarterbacks from Texas, for good reason as we now know. Two of those transfers were on national television in Week 1. Ole Miss’ Jevan Snead, a fellow Heisman candidate, shook off a slow start and directed a 45-14 rout of Memphis, throwing for two touchdowns. And G.J. Kinne made his Tulsa debut by leading a 37-13 rout of Tulane. Kinne completed 15 of 20 passes for 211 yards and a touchdown and also ran 13 times for 77 yards and a TD.
5. Unmandated sportsmanship: The coaches association’s request for teams to shake hands before games drew skepticism from some corners, and the Boise State-Oregon fiasco showed sportsmanship is not blooming in all ports. But in Columbus, Ohio, sportsmanship was in good hands. Ohio State decided to honor Navy and its fans joined the bandwagon. Navy ran onto the field with the Buckeyes, to thunderous applause. Then those fans were treated to a royally-entertaining game, won 31-27 by Ohio State.
4. Blaine Gabbert: Blaine Who? Chase Who is more like it. Missouri’s new quarterback was sensational in his first game replacing the iconic Chase Daniel. Gabbert completed 25 of 33 passes for 319 yards and three TDs (he also ran for a touchdown) as Mizzou routed Illinois 37-9 in St. Louis. Let’s see, Brad Smith, Daniel and now Gabbert. Isn’t it about time we admit Gary Pinkel knows how to recruit and coach quarterbacks?
3. Bill Young: Seems like every new Oklahoma State defensive coordinator for the last 25 years is ballyhooed as the difference-maker. But few have produced. Young did in Game 1 of his return to his alma mater. The Cowboys allowed an opening-drive TD, then shut down Georgia for a 24-10 victory.
2. Brigham Young: The Cougars have been felling giants for a quarter century. OU is the latest victim, 14-13 in Arlington. Time to quit labeling BYU a giant-killer. The Cougars are giants themselves.
1. Jacory Harris: Could Miami become Quarterback U. again? The Hurricane sophomore was sensational in a 38-34 victory over Florida State, throwing for 386 yards and two touchdowns. Miami might rise again.
Holder: Expect more Bedlam
OSU athletic director Mike Holder likes my idea of an All-College Bedlam, an OSU-OU basketball doubleheader in the Ford Center in December, with no conference ramifications. Said he thought of it himself last March during the wild Bedlam game in the Big 12 Tournament.
Holder also said the schools ought to play more often in most sports and he expects that to happen.
Holder said an extra baseball game is planned, on campus, with one year in Norman and the next year in Stillwater, etc. He said he would like to see a softball game played at Hall of Fame Stadium.
I suggested a Ryder Cup-style Bedlam golf match, and Holder said that’s likely to happen, in the autumn, although my scenario of a three-day event — Karsten Creek in Stillwater, Jimmie Austin in Norman and Oak Tree in Edmond — isn’t feasible, because of NCAA limits on playing dates. A one-day event is more likely.
Anyway, Holder’s on board for more Bedlam. He likes the notion of giving fans more events they care about. Here-here.
OSU-Georgia: The $6-million decision
OSU athletic director Mike Holder walked out of Boone Pickens Stadium on Saturday night and thought about opportunity gained.
Last autumn, when Jerry Jones decided to pilfer as many college football games as he could cram into his new Dallas Cowboy football palace, one of his calls went to Oklahoma State. Would the Cowboys switch their game against Georgia to Arlington?
The money was enticing. Since OSU already had played at Georgia, there would be no split gate. The Cowboys would reap all the financial benefits and just pay Georgia the $300,000 owed under the contract. Georgia certainly would jump at the chance to avoid a road game and play instead on quasi-neutral turf.
Holder did some math. He figured OSU could reap $8.5 million. The Cowboys typically make about $2.5 million off a home game. I know Pickens has pumped the OSU coffers full, but who can easily turn down $6 million? “Tempting,” Holder said.
But Holder said no. He turned down Jerry Jones. Brought the Bulldogs to Stillwater. And you know the rest. OSU beat Georgia 24-10 Saturday and now is primed to spend the next two months in the top 10, with visions of a Big 12 title and national championship contention dancing in Cowboy heads.
“I try to make a decision based on what gives us the best chance to win,” Holder said.
That was Stillwater, of course. Here’s a sobering thought for OSU fans: the Georgia series almost didn’t take place. OSU initially turned it down and Georgia moved on, Holder said. But Georgia re-contacted OSU later, and this time Mike Gundy signed off on the deal that sent OSU to Georgia in 2007, with a return game in 2009.
“When Mike agreed to play in Athens, it was an expectation of getting them to come here,” Holder said.
Holder thought of the decision to keep the series home-and-home. Repaying a fan base that long has dreamed of such a day and now enjoys such a season of promise. “That was worth a lot more than $6 million,” Holder said. “Boone Pickens said in the locker room it was worth more than $300 million.”
The Cowboys might eventually move a game to Jerry Jones World. Holder said OSU was approached about a game there in 2010, against a fellow BCS-league school, but the Cowboys said no. 2010 figures to be a rebuilding season, with as many as 16 seniors starting. OSU will stick with its non-conference schedule of home games against Washington State, Troy and Tulsa, plus a road game at Louisiana-Lafayette.
Holder said OSU by all means would consider such a game in the future.
How did Landry Jones perform?
OU offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson defended the play of freshman quarterback Landry Jones against BYU and took offense at the term “mediocre” to describe Jones’ debut.
I didn’t call Jones mediocre, but I did give Jones a C grade. And I would have to say Jones performance was mediocre. Either that, or OU has really let its standards slide for backup quarterbacks.
I know it was Jones’ debut, but Sooner history — including in recent years — is full of quarterback debuts in which the yearling showed flashes of promise.
When Nate Hybl went down against Texas in 2001, another tight defensive struggle, Jason White came on and played solid. He looked much more comfortable than did Jones. Perhaps that’s a result of the no-huddle offense, which maybe should tell us something. If huddles are necessary to put Jones in the best position to succeed, then huddle.
Hybl was a senior when White went down against Alabama in 2002, so that’s not a fair comparison. Hybl went on to quarterback the Sooners to the Big 12 title and was Rose Bowl MVP.
But in 1987, when Jamelle Holieway fell with a torn ACL against Oklahoma State, redshirt freshman Charles Thompson came on the next week and quarterbacked a so-so victory over Missouri, then the next week beat Nebraska in Game of the Century II. If Jones can improve the way Thompson did, the Sooners will be just fine.
In 1985, when Jerome Brown’s tackle of Troy Aikman resulted in a broken leg, a seismic shift in football history occurred. Holieway came on and was superb from the start, even leading a change in offense and taking the Sooners to the national title that very season.
Comparing Landry Jones to Jamelle Holieway is like comparing the beach to the mountains. Chicken fried steak to blueberry pie. They are so totally different, there’s no real starting place.
But this much is true. Jones is going to have to play better in Bradford’s absence for the Sooners to hold the fort while Sammy B. is gone.
Is this OU line capable of no-huddle?
Someone asked OU offensive coordinator a simple question last week. Will you scale back on the no-huddle because of the new offensive line? The answer was no, and Wilson certainly was truthful. The Sooners didn’t huddle to any extent in their 14-13 loss to Brigham Young on Saturday night.
But should they? Even before Sam Bradford went down with basically a separated shoulder, the offense sputtered: 10 points in the first half, with the lone touchdown coming on a 35-yard drive following a BYU fumble.
The offensive line’s foibles were partially to blame — penalty after penalty put possessions in a hole. Much talk was made last year about Bradford’s ability to handle the no-huddle. But no one discussed whether the new line — four starters are gone from 2008 — could handle the no-huddle.
Huddling is many things. It is a retreat from the rigors of the line of scrimmage. A chance to breathe. A chance to regroup. A chance to get settled, encourage or cajole one another before returning to the trenches.
Maybe this line needs to huddle. It certainly is worth talking about, after the way it played vs. BYU.
Emails in from Southerners on my Civil War theory
The new emails are in, and I heard from our friends in the Deep South, some of whom took offense at my suggestion that the chant of “SEC! SEC! SEC!” is a symbol that they’re still fighting the Civil War.
Michael, an LSU fan: “Interesting take on the envy article. More interesting is that when I pulled up your article on the web, a video was shown regarding how Oklahoma State didn’t even sell out the UGA game and how they expected a large contingency for the game from the Bulldog crowd. While there is always mention of the Civil War in relation so the southern schools’ athletic superiority, I believe that the reason for the chant is because of claims by writers that the SEC is overrated. There may be occasional down years, but anyone who follows football knows that the Southeastern Conference is the best. It’s more like an in-your-face to those who dare say the SEC is overrated.”
Always mention of the Civil War? Man, I thought I was breaking ground, at least in the football realm. So if the Civil War is always mentioned, why am I the bad guy. Ripping on OSU’s crowd shows a lack of college football knowledge. In fact, OSU’s crowd in many proves the superiority of Oklahoma football over Louisiana. OU and LSU fan bases are relatively the same. Meanwhile, OSU sells 42,000 season tickets, and Tulane sells 164,
Will: “For the record, the SEC chant comes out of respect for each other and the mere fact that it is the best, and it is as good as advertised. It would be awesome to be in a conference like the Big 12, Pac 10 or Big 10 where there are 1-2 elite teams and a couple of up and comers every year. Those leagues are predictable because the football is watered down. Don’t get me wrong, these elite teams can compete with anyone but could not weather undefeated seasons in the SEC. The chant started years ago, and was usually done in bowl games. Over the years it has become commonplace to do it every time a BCS school from another conference goes down. It has nothing to do with the Civil War.”
You know, the great myth about SEC football is not how good the top teams are. It’s how good the middle teams are. The South Carolinas and Arkansaws and Mississippis. The idea that they are somehow better than the Arizona States and Missouris and Iowas. It’s marketing at its finest.
Richard, a Georgia fan: “I have lived in the Deep South 75 years, took many history courses at my undergraduate school, Emory University, and have read many books on the South . Professor Savage’s assertions that Southerners suffer from “Southern exceptionalism” and have a deep-seated inferiority which drives their support of their football teams is pure drivel. Inferiority? Why is regional pride a symptom of inferiority or exceptionalism (whatever that means to the professor)? All over the world rabid followers of what Americans call soccer yell and scream , riot and even kill for their national teams. Would the professor say this reveals the same maladies that he says infects Southerners about their college football teams. No, he wouldn’t. For them he would say it is national pride which sometimes goes too far.”
Yes, he would. No one thinks English soccer crazies are just suffering from a little national pride. They think the English soccer crazies are nuts. And Savage – and a thousand other sociologists/historians – have long talked about Oklahoma’s own inferiority complex over the Dust Bowl, which led to the evolution of great Sooner football. And which I wrote about, and which escaped the mention of most Deep South fans. Imagine that.
Not every fan called me a kook. Robert: “Your article was an interesting take on the rationale for the SEC chant. It was a nice lunchtime read and I am always eager to see someone else’s perspective on the SEC. However, I was a bit disappointed that you didn’t go much beneath the surface of why. You picked an easy mark and took the low road. Your generalization gives the perception that we are all still living in the Jim Crowe era and can’t let go of the ’cause.’ You hone in on one theory that only represents a minutiae of the population in the southeastern U.S. Honestly, the average southerner is actually disaffected by the events of 1861-1865. Amazingly, many of us have moved forward from 1966, let alone 1866. In fact, if you chose a million random southern homes, I doubt you would find any hooded white sheets, stars and bars, or any other vestiges of us not being able to let it go. However, what you will find is community. You will find people who come together to watch a game and pass a good time. You see, college football galvanizes communities and regions down here. It is not about status, luxury suites or any of the other trappings you find in life or the professional game. It is about coming together to watch a group of young men play with pride for their university and community. Individualism and me-first attitudes are lost. This pride is based upon the notion that we consider ourselves the hot-bed of college football. Each one of us thinks that our experience is the best that college football has to offer. No tailgate is better, no co-ed prettier, no campus nicer, no stadium more intimidating. We all realize that we are the pinnacle of the college football experience (at least we are told that year in and year out by all the people who cover college football on a national level.) Yes, it might be a bit irrational, but we embrace it. It is fun and a welcome escape from the troubles of the day.”
You know, maybe people misunderstand. When I said Southerners are still fighting the Civil War, I didn’t mean they still supported slavery. I meant they never really have gotten over losing. The loss of the war, not the loss of the culture, is the defining result. Heck, they hung on to the culture for decades and a century, but it’s mostly died out. Except for that Southern Exceptionalism, which exists because they lost the war.
Greg: “‘It’s not as great as it thinks it is, but it’s the best’?
When your conference wins three national championships in a row and four of the last six, it isn’t just what we think. The ACC is the best in hoops and the SEC is the best in football (no questions asked). We just like for everyone to know it, hence the SEC chant.”
Everyone does know it. They just don’t know it to the extent that Southerners want them to know it. Which goes back to my point. SEC fans aren’t talking about football when they chant. They are talking about the South, and the reason they talk about the South is a certain war that ended 144 years ago.
Ron: “As a Georgia grad married to a SC graduate (I think he means South Carolina), I recognized those peculiarities that you wrote about concerning the SEC. You explained well our allegiance to other teams within our conference.”
Careful, my man. You’re about to be escorted to the Mason-Dixon Line and invited not to cross it again.
Al: “I live in Houston, grew up in Jackson and graduated from Ole Miss. Having lived in the SEC and now living away from the SEC, it gives me a much different perspective on everything. However, having been to numerous SEC games against each other and against out of conference teams, I have yet to hear this chant you write about. And I am not just talking about games Ole Miss was involved in either. Have seen many other SEC games, mostly bowl games, and still did not hear this. Would like to know if this is something you heard yourself or something someone else told you.”
Uh, let me get this straight. Al is some big SEC fan yet never has heard this chant. Reminds me of the “huge” fan of some team who ends up not even knowing who is his quarterback.
Ray: “I forwarded your SEC column to some Georgia and Tennessee grads here at the office. One of them told me it’s actually been proven through sociological research that Southerners are more pugnacious because more of them have Scotch-Irish ancestors who for centuries were herdsmen, and herdsmen are notoriously violent of necessity – they’re always on the lookout for someone trying to steal their herd. So they fight a lot. In fact, they go looking for fights, if only to ward off potential threats. As do their descendants, though more often now in bars than on hillsides.”
So the chant actually does stem from warfare, just not the warfare I suggested.
Chris: “The reason we chant SEC is because football is everything in the South. Not because we’re being defensive or we’re still fighting the Civil War. Stop being an idiot and just let the guys play.”
OK. I submit. The chant is because football is everything in the South, and football is everything in the South because of the war.
Clay: “Fans of Southeastern Conference schools don’t chant SEC when they defeat non-SEC foes because they’re not over the Civil War. They chant it because they want to make sure the opposing fans know that the teams of the SEC are superior to them and their conference. Trust me, you’ll be hearing a lot more of the band playing ‘Glory, Glory’ than you’ll be hearing our fans chant SEC Saturday night.”
We’re going in circles here. I know that the chant is a football statement. But the need for a football statement is Civil War-related. For crying out loud, I don’t know why I have to keep explaining this.
Jon: “You don’t get it. In the South SEC football is 365 days a year. The SEC has more tradition than the Big Ten, Pac-10, Big 12, etc. For whatever reason, ESPN and the likes tend to focus more on the Northern schools, as do the Heisman voters. Anybody with any kind of intelligence knows the SEC is the best, not even close, football conference top to bottom in the country and we’ll let you know about it too. Tailgating is far surperior, fans are better, the football is much better, the traditions run much deeper … you get the point. We are the best, will continue to be the best and the rest of the country can continue to be jealous.”
You know, one product of the Civil War is paranoia, the idea that everyone is out to get you. The idea that ESPN tends to focus on the Northern schools is perhaps the dumbest thing ever written in these dispatches. Which is saying something.
Edwin: “I assume you not only write but read too. If you are interested in adding some depth to your thesis that the SEC is still fighting the Civil War, I recommend Confederates in the Attic: Dispatches from the Unfinished Civil War by Tony Horwitz and An American Insurrection: James Meredith and The Battle of Oxford, MS, 1962 by William Doyle. The former asks the question of why people in the North (who history shows won) have forgotten the Civil War, while the South (who is alleged to have lost) relive and celebrate it. The author of the latter holds that the Battle of Oxford in September 1962 was actually the last battle of the Civil War. From reading these books you may be surprised to learn that there may well be some substance to your simplistic explanation. Another reasonably plausible alternative is that Southerners (perhaps for historical or perceived familial reasons) are like brothers, i.e., they fight each other like cats and dogs, but if an outsider picks on one, he has the whole bunch to contend with. Southern states have also grasped the principle of synergy and recognize (e.g, economically as the Sunbelt) that the whole is greater than the sum or the parts, and that a rising tide lifts all boats. Many of us realize that no matter how bitterly we fight among ourselves, we each prosper when one of our rivals succeeds. Oh, and that TV revenue we share seems to spend really well. We just talk slow.”
I knew I was onto something!
David: “Great article on the SEC and Southern thinking. Your Granny Clampett reference reminded me of my favorite Southern quote, stated by Granny herself when she once described the Civil War as ‘when the North invaded America!’”
If I made a list of my five favorite TV characters, Granny’s on the list. Frank Burns, Barney Fife, Little Joe Cartwright, Granny Clampett and just about anybody from Hill Street Blues.
Robert, another Ph.D.: “Excellent article. You really nailed that SEC Civil War inferiority complex shtick.”
The brainy guys are with me.
Paul: “Relax man. It’s just football. The SEC chant comes from all the perceived disrespect of the talking heads who used to pit the Big 10 against the SEC. Then it merely transferred by the talking heads to the Big 12 with the never-ending argument of whether the SEC is better than the Big 12. Since that question has been answered, the chant is now obsolete.”
OK. Then why do they still chant?
Michael: “I live in downtown Atlanta and attended Jenks High School, OU and OSU (graduate work). I wear orange or red when appropriate. Prefer a hint of orange. I have heard that chant with sheer anger in Knoxville years ago after getting destroyed 35-0. A grown man with his wife and teenage kids saluted me with the one finger wave for clapping for our first first down late in the first half. Ole Miss was a close second when they had Eli. Alabama and Florida take the cake. LSU fans are fun, but if you are wearing crimson and cream and your coach is being out-coached again by either Urban, Nick or Les (Stoops struggled with him with inferior talent at OSU) you wouldn’t like them either. I have had drunken neighbors stagger over on New Year’s Day with that ‘we are the best football conference in the WORLD’ stuff too many times. The UGA fans were the best fans I have run into, period.”
I sort liked the Alabama fans myself. Very solid.
Ed, who lived in Alabama for three decades: “Interesting column today and well said. Some of the Southerners I know refer to it as The War of Northern Aggression. Others call it the Uncivil War. It is a never-ending subject there. And they indeed do not think of it as being over yet.”
Here’s a problem. If you’re still fighting a war and don’t even know you’re fighting, I wonder if the same is true for nations? Are there wars we are fighting, causes we’re clinging to, and don’t even know it?
Gerald: “Yes, SEC fans still feel mistreated. The media refuses to acknowledge that they were extremely unfair to LSU and Auburn in 2004. What is worse, the media still continues to single out the SEC for allegedly easy nonconference scheduling, completely ignoring the scheduling practices of the Big East, ACC, Big 10 and yes, every Big 12 school but Oklahoma. And worst of all, the media types can’t even wait until the final seconds tick off an SEC national championship game victory before they proclaim ‘USC is still the best and most talented team, they would have won a playoff, man we have to get rid of this BCS!’ Even Barack Obama got in the act, including demanding a playoff during the Florida Gators’ White House Visit! So the same national media that created the reason for the chant in the first place now complains about it? Here’s some advice: stop trashing the SEC, and then you will see Florida, Georgia, LSU, Auburn, Alabama and Tennessee fans going back to hating each other. Now, SEC fans hate the media (and the Big 12 and Pac-10) more than they hate their historic rivals.”
Yep, that national media is really tough on the SEC. It’s a freakin’ lovefest every Saturday.
Jim: “Great piece! I downloaded and sent it to an old KC friend — old in the sense of our friendship and old in the sense that he and I are both old. He is a professional Southerner who still thinks the 1865 results might have been overturned if they had had instant replay and is totally uninterested in any sport, except tennis, and believes those who do have such an interest are beyond the pale.”
It’s my understanding that what you are describing is a physical impossibility, a Southerner with no interest in college football.
David: “Good article, but I’d have to disagree about the inferiority part. Southerners are also great patriots who think it an honor to serve their country. Some people in other parts of the country, including some in the media, have spared no uncomplimentary adjective in referring to the South. Therefore, a little in your face is not all that much for those people to take. I have great respect for the Big 12. Several years ago, Auburn (my alma mater) defeated Nebraska in a close Cotton Bowl game. That meant something to beat a program with such a rich tradition.”
It’s sort of complicated. An inferiority complex that leads to a superiority complex.
James: “I grew up in Georgia and attended UGA. Since those days, I have lived in New York, Ohio, Louisiana, South Carolina and now reside in Florida. The South is different. And not just because of the war. We understand that we lost. We may not like it, but there it is. The entire country looks down upon us. We are stereotyped as uneducated, hick, redneck, cousin-molesting morons. Just look at movies set in the South. None, with the exception of Steel Magnolias, is flattering. In New York and Ohio, all the people wanted to talk about was alligators and the Ku Klux Klan. One friend, when visiting me in Baton Rouge a few years ago, wanted to know why we hadn’t seen an alligator on the ride home from the airport. The media has made the South out to be some strange country where BigFoot runs wild and we breed family members. Also, the sports media constantly hypes the other conferences as being as good or superior each and every year, only to have the SEC shatter those illusions. Therefore, we chant. We are proud of our culture, where food is seasoned, women are beautiful, men still kill wild hogs with hunting knives, and we all cling to our guns and religion. If you guys would just say, ‘The SEC is king until some other conference kicks their tails,’ we may tone down. But your perpetual bating is always going to succeed with us. We love it. Disrespect us. We love a good fight. We are still men down here. We drink, cuss, fight and defend mother, God and country. The military is very overrepresented by the South. And not because we are dumb. We just have more passion for everything here. The people of New York and Ohio were so passive, it was pathetic. They didn’t care about anything except bowling. I made a bet that no one could name 20 college mascots, not one person in the paper plant could name five. In such a geographically and culturally diverse country we are all different. Here, we still have passion for life. Fifty-year-old men play golf from the tips and women wear dresses to ball games. That is who we are. Not inferior, just different.”
Man, that well-written. A little out there, but well-written. Here’s the problem with the South. There are misconceptions about every region. People still think everyone in Oklahoma is riding horses or living in teepees. That everyone in New York rides the subways fearing for their life. That everyone in Kansas lives on a farm. As for Northern apathy, you’ve got to be kidding. Ever been to a Yankee game? The difference between Yankee fans and LSU football fans is every Yankee fan knows everything about baseball, while some LSU fans can’t tell you anything past the Tigers’ colors. And here we go again but how the media disrespects the SEC. When you pick out a writer here, a broadcaster there, then sure, there are slights. And then GameDay arrives every Saturday and the SEC is paraded through the streets with palm branches waving.
Ben: “Just read your interesting article. Good stuff. Grant Teaff’s last coaching job at Baylor was in the Sun Bowl. In the banquet the night before the game, Terry Bradshaw ridiculed both Baylor and the Southwest Conference in his role as emcee. After the game itself, in which the Bears upset Arizona, the players from Baylor stood in the middle of the field and chanted, ‘Southwest Conference, Southwest Conference!’”
Somehow, doesn’t have the same ring.
Jim: “Good story with lots of laughs, but only partially correct. Everybody hates Bama, not LSU. That is a hangover from the Bear Bryant era. You probably picked up your love of LSU from your last meeting in partisan New Orleans with all of its young, drunken rowdies who didn’t attend or couldn’t spell LSU. You did not mention OU’s obsession with the TeaSips; that probably stems from the past few years.”
I think the Sooners’ obsession with Texas stems from more than a few years.
Josh: “Just so you know, I have already informed my friends and family that if we win there will be a ‘Big 12 South! Big 12 South!’ chant coming from Section 303.”
Go Pokes!
