OSU 34, Iowa State 8: Thoughts and Observations
by Brandon Chatmon
bchatmon@opubco.com
The Cowboys rebounded like a good team with senior leadership should after a tough loss. Zac Robinson was very efficient and the running game and offensive line dominated throughout the game.
Finally a Kendall Hunter sighting. It was good to see the All-American junior get back out there but it’s clear he doesn’t quite trust his body yet. He can’t cut like he normally can but he still had a successful return.
The Cowboys lost offensive tackle Brady Bond but you could barely even notice. The Pokes rushed for over 300 yards including Keith Toston’s 206 rushing yards.
The reason OSU’s defense was so strong against Iowa State’s running game was their aggressiveness. The Pokes clearly decided that Austin Arnaud could not beat them and went about proving it and that’s exactly what they did. They forced the Iowa State QB into several mistakes including three interceptions.
I’m still a big beleiver in getting Tracy Moore involved in the offense a bit more. The freshman from Tulsa Union just seems to make key plays when the Cowboys need it. He has a knack for getting open and catches the ball when he does.
What can you say about Keith Toston. 206 rushing yards, three touchdowns. And it is nothing new, the senior running back has done that all season, he’s been extremely consistent for the Cowboys. OSU is going to miss him next year, I think people take him for granted and some people won’t realize what OSU had in Toston until he’s gone.
One aspect the Cowboys can improve on is their kick returns. They just could seem to get in sync against the Cyclones and haven’t seemed as explosive in recent weeks.
Stat games:
Iowa State ran just 54 plays and OSU had the ball for 39:38 of the game.
OSU had 29 first downs and ran 78 plays.
Ugo Chinasa was solid with 2 tackles for loss, two quarterback hurries, one sack and one pass break up.
Once again, Pat Lavine was making plays. The senior had eight tackles, one interception, one sack. BY FAR the most overlooked playmaker on the entire team.
Every Cowboy who carried the football on Saturday had a run of at least 12 yards or more. That speaks to the dominance of the OSU offensive line.
Bottom Line: Now that the Cowboys have moved past the loss to Texas, it’s clear OSU is only focusing on what it can control. And if they play well in their final three games, a Cotton Bowl or maybe even Fiesta Bowl berth is within reason. So while they didn’t accomplish their goal of a Big 12 south title, there’s plenty to play for, plenty to look forward to.
Reader reaction: Backcountry self defense
A little follow-up on last week’s post about self-defense in the backcountry…
First of all, thanks to everyone who participated in the poll. I asked the question, “What do you do for self-defense in the backcountry?” Four possible answers were listed.
Of the 85 votes cast, 41 (48 percent) said they carry a firearm. Twenty people (24 percent) said they don’t worry about self-defense in the backcountry. Sixteen said they would use a knife, axe or hiking poles to defend themselves (19 percent) and another eight (9 percent) bring pepper spray.
The topic is diverse, as you have to think about defense against animals as well as people.
Most people agree that people are the bigger threat, but when it comes to backcountry risks, attacks – human or animal – are extremely rare.
In addition to the comments I received here, I got more via Facebook and still more on the 14ers.com forum. A sampling:
Ian from Tecumseh writes that he would take a shotgun. After living in Alaska for some time, he opts for something with power, albeit something bulky. “If there was a bear it would be very light then. I carried one in Alaska, came across a bear. I did not shoot, it ran off. It (the gun) was very light from that point on.”
Point taken.
Steven from Shawnee had one word of advice: “Prevention!”
Augie from Denver goes for a handgun, something light enough not to be a bother. “I have a small .380 that I take. It’s just enough for me to be comfortable with.”
Jim from Colorado Springs gives this perspective: “In my mind, it’s a matter of probabilities and cost/benefit. You’re far more likely to be injured or killed in a fall than in an attack (human or animal) in the … backcountry. Also, in the unlikely event of an attack, it’s possible to defend yourself to some extent with materials on hand (sticks and rocks), so it’s not as helpful to carry a weapon around. An ice axe (or whippet) is a good compromise, since it’s a general safety tool as well as a sharp pointy thing, so you’re not just wasting pack weight on something that will be used once every 100 years.”
Leigh from Chicago says this: “I just hope for safety in numbers — I have yet to backpack solo, but I would likely prefer to be armed if I choose to do so. When dayhiking alone, I usually carry mace and a small knife.”
Lots of food for thought. In my experience, I’ve found that my grade school playground was more threatening than the backcountry. I even went to a church volleyball game where I faced a greater threat (from a person) than anything I’ve run up against on the trail.
Preparation, however, is not something to be undervalued. Whatever length you go to accomplish that, the end result should be constant: to be safe.
Bob Doucette
bdoucette@opubco.com
SMQ: Mustang vs. Southmoore…
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@opubco.com
Well, this outsider had a heck of a fun time watching two of the best teams in the state duke it out. And duke it out is appropriate as it was a hard-fought, much more physical game than I envisioned.
Think everyone would have said over/under on points in this would be around 70. We barely hit the 40-point mark as both defenses came up huge time and time again.
In the end, it was Southmoore earning its first district title in school history with a clutch outing by Austin Haywood.
Southmoore 22, Mustang 19
I have a new “my boy,” and that’s Mustang’s Daniel Farrow. I was extremely impressed with how hard he ran. His runs weren’t flashy. They were the tough, gritty ones.
After Farrow’s third touchdown gave Mustang a 19-14 lead, I was amazed Mustang threw for the two-point conversion instead of letting Farrow try to take it home again.
Mustang had Southmoore and QB Kendal Thompson completely flustered in the second half. But all it takes is one big play, and that’s what it was when Thompson found Haywood wide open for the game-winning touchdown.
And Southmoore isn’t just stacked for this year with sophomore running back Andrew Long. There is another special talent who will find Division I offers sooner than later.
I knew it was a big game, but I had to be relaxed. I play a lot better when I’m relaxed, and Mustang was every bit tough they thought they would be.” – Long
And how about that first touchdown for Southmoore? Haywood took the snap and handed it to Long, who pitched it back to Thompson (who started out lined up wide) and found Nyko Symonds for a beautiful touchdown.
Mustang quarterback Brandon Taylor likes to go for the big one. There were several times he could have possibly dumped it off. That’s not his game. He looks for David Glidden and Braden Wiseley and tries to get the home run.
Both defenses played much better than I thought. Not too many missed tackles out in open space.
Either way, Southmoore puts itself in great position while Mustang is going to have one tough road, starting with a battle Friday at Edmond Memorial.
The regular season is done. Now the real fun starts.
Will Brooks change rotation?
Shaun Livingston and D.J. White made their 2009-10 debuts Friday night at Houston but that doesn’t mean coach Scott Brooks is ready to make changes in his rotation.
Asked if White or Livingston might play Sunday night against Orlando, Brooks indicated he’ll probably stick with the nine-man rotation he’s used the first two weeks.
“I can’t predict that,” Brooks said. “It’s game to game. But I like going with (only) nine guys right now.
“Sometimes the game will tell you differently. Some guy gets into foul trouble. Some guy is playing extremely bad, not given great effort, you have to change it up. But I like nine guys (in my rotation). But it’s not like that it’s (permanent).”
Kevin Ollie, a seasoned veteran, opened the season as the backup point guard. Livingston has more upside but still has much to prove after being sideined more than two years following a major knee injury.
White didn’t crack the four-man interior rotation, all the minutes going to Nenad Krstic, Jeff Green, Nick Collison and Etan Thomas.
“We have 12 guys that can play,” Brooks said. “Any of the 12 have to be ready. They all know that. I’ve talked to all of them. I always tell them to be ready. You don’t know what’s going to happen.
“All it takes is foul trouble, an injury or bad effort. Then you get an opportunity and have to make the most of it. I thought D.J. and Shaun did a good job, not having played in four games. They gave us good minutes.”
Rankings preview: Nov. 8
Sorry for the delay from my usual late Friday night posting. Combination of a long drive back from Glenpool and trying to piece together the playoff brackets left me too tired to think straight last night by the time I would’ve been able to work on them So here they are in all their glory with a little different format this week (and I hope to do Class A-C in a similar format a bit later):
Class 6A
1. Jenks (1)#10-0
Why they’re not lower: Because the Trojans are the only team to go 10-0 in Class 6A.
2. Tulsa Union (2)#9-1
Why they’re not higher: Because the Redskins lost head-to-head to Jenks.
Why they’re not lower: Because their only loss is to Jenks (a two-point win) and they beat Broken Arrow — and everyone else — on their schedule.
3. Broken Arrow (3)#8-2
Why they’re not higher: Because the Tigers only two losses came to Jenks and Tulsa Union.
Why they’re not lower: They beat everyone else, including Bartlesville last night. They also own wins over Owasso, Claremore and Tulsa Washington.
4. Southmoore (4)#9-1
Why they’re not higher: Because they’re the only team of these top four to lose to a lower-ranked team. The SaberCats have also found themselves in more close games than any of the top four.
Why they’re not lower: An impressive list of wins in non-district and 6A-1: Edmond Memorial and Midwest City in non-district and Del City, Lawton and Mustang in district play. Other than Jenks, Southmoore has the best list of wins.
5. Midwest City (5)#8-2
Why they’re not higher: The only thing keeping the Bombers this low is non-district losses to Del City and Southmoore and its hard to vault them over the SaberCats with their previously discussed credentials.
Why they’re not lower: They’ve gone through a relatively weak district and done exactly what a really good team should — destroy everyone. The Bombers closest district game was a 22-7 win over 6A-2 runner-up Edmond Memorial. None of the others were decided by less than 29 points.
BAM’s college football favorites for Nov. 7, 2009
OSU quarterback Zac Robinson (Photo by Bryan Terry/The Oklahoman)
After a disappointing loss to Texas last week, my Oklahoma State Cowboys will take on Iowa State Cyclones at 2:30 p.m. today in Ames, Iowa. The game will air on ABC.
It’s been a tough week for the No. 19 Cowboys and their fans. After getting blown out last week by the Longhorns, the Cowboy Nation learned this week that All-American wide receive Dez Bryant’s final appeal for reinstatement this season has been denied. That means he most likely will enter the NFL draft. Who can blame him? He could come back and play for OSU next year, but why would he put himself under the fickle authority of the NCAA ever again?
The No. 24 University of Oklahoma Sooners will travel to Nebraska to play longtime rivals the Nebraska Cornhuskers. The game will kick off at 7 tonight and air on ABC.
The No. 1 University of Florida Gators, the McDonnell family’s traditional favorite team, will try to stay undefeated today as they take on Vanderbilt at home in the Swamp. The game will kick off at 6:15 p.m. and air on ESPN2.
Good luck to all my favorite teams.
Emails in on OU-Nebraska series
The new emails are in, and lots of talk about OU-Nebraska and my desire for them to play every year.
Michael: “The crossover rival is an interesting idea. Here are two proposals which take that concept one step further by also realigning the two Big 12 divisions, hopefully providing more balance overall for the conference. Proposal one: trade Mizzou and Colorado for A&M and Tech). Then the crossover games would be Oklahoma-Nebraska, A&M-Texas, Mizzou-Kansas, Baylor-Tech, OSU-Kansas State, Colorado-Iowa State. Proposal two: trade Mizzou and Colorado for OU and OSU). Then you would have Texas-OU, Tech-OSU, Colorado-Nebraska, Mizzou-Kansas, A&M-KSU, Baylor-Iowa State. Personally, I prefer the second proposal. It keeps the Texas schools together in one division and reunites OU-Nebraska, while putting OU and OSU on the other side of the line helps to balance the overall strength of each division. The only downside is the potential for an OU-UT rematch every season in the Big 12 Championship game, which is not necessarily a bad thing (for the networks).”
This is certainly a thinker. The whole concept is this: Does the Big 12 have to be split along geographic lines? I think the answer is probably yes. The ACC is divided haphazardly, with no regard to geography, and it’s a mess, from an outsider’s perspective. But it’s fun to discuss. I don’t like being trapped by conventionalism.
Holland: “I’m at work on a slow day and thinking about realignments in the Big 12. The realignment would be to balance the divisions, while also preserving some traditional rivalry games. Each division would have four Big Eight teams and two SWC teams. So, here goes. Division I: Nebraska, Kansas State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas Tech and Baylor. Division II:
Colorado, Iowa State, Missouri, Kansas and Texas A&M. In addition, like the SEC and ACC, each team would play a yearly cross-divisional rivalry game while playing five divisional games and three out-of-division games, so in a given year each conference team would play nine conference games, which would eliminate some of the horrible out-of-conference scheduling. This would balance out the divisions because OU and Texas are separated. If Snyder gets KSU rolling like they once were, which will be a tall task, one could argue Division I is a little tougher, but the same can be said for Division II if Sherman gets A&M going again. For the most part, the divisions would be more balanced than now. The cross-divisional games would be OU-Texas, Kansas-KSU, Nebraska-Missouri, Tech-A&M, OSU-Colorado, ISU-Baylor. This would preserve the following rivalries: OU-Nebraska, Texas-A&M, Kansas-Missouri, OU-Texas, KU-KSU, Tech-A&M, OU-OSU, Nebraska-Missouri, Nebraska-KSU. And this would mean OU-Texas could meet again for the Big 12 title, whereas now that isn’t possible. Think about how much better the championship games would have been in recent years had these two met again.”
I love this. I love it when people start thinking in new and different ways. Now, I think this realignment is mostly silly; no way can you split up the four Texas schools, just so OU and Nebraska can satisfy a mutual admiration society. But it’s thinking outside the box, and we need more of that.
Bob: “I have little interest in playing them every year. I like the way it is now with them. We don’t need it, in my opinion.”
Need it? No. OU-Nebraska isn’t needed. College football and the Sooners can live without it. But this series isn’t about need. It’s about enjoyment. It’s about something special. It’s about something extraordinary.
David: “Love the OU-Nebraska stuff. When the Big 12 killed the regular OU-Nebraska series, I remember talking with a friend who said that it was OK because we still had OU-Texas as a rivalry game. I responded that I felt like a kid being told that Christmas would now come only two years out of four, and that I shouldn’t worry about it because I would still get presents on my birthday every year. You know of the kid who would be won over by that argument? It seems to me that the big drawback to the conference schedule-makers of creating a permanent crossover game is how to set up a systematic way of scheduling the other two crossover games amongst five other inter-division schools. There’s no good way to do it. The thing is, the SEC has already answered that with something you didn’t mention — in the SEC each school was, in fact, set up to have TWO non-rotating opponents from the other division. Each school then had four non-permanent rivals, whom they would each play twice over an 8-year rotation. Problem solved! The great thing about this is that you can use the second ‘permanent’ or non-rotating rivalry to even out the other. OU could have Nebraska as a permanent rival and even things out by having Iowa State as its other non-rotating rival, for example. This would also even out for Iowa State having Baylor as its other ‘permanent’ rival under the scenario you suggested. Over the years, the second non-rotating rival could be changed to maintain balance, if necessary. There can be flexibility. Cheers to your suggestion to have Oklahoma-Nebraska restored to the annual rite that OU-Texas has remained. Cheers to having both Christmas AND a birthday every year!”
That original SEC model has its drawbacks, too. For instance, if OU played NU and ISU every year, that means it would play Colorado, Kansas, Missouri and Kansas State twice every eight years, which is a whole new can of worms.
Larry, our resident Tech fan: “I’m not much for special accommodations for self-anointed quality. There’s quite enough kowtowing going on in college football already. But I do understand the nostalgia surrounding this rivalry. Let’s face it: unlike the SWC, which was represented in the Cotton Bowl by seven of its nine members during the last 20 years of its existence, the Big Eight was less of a conference than it was simply a game played in November to see who went to the Orange Bowl, with a potential national championship on the line. But couldn’t you accomplish your objective by simply swapping the state of Oklahoma for the state of Kansas? It wouldn’t make much geographic sense, but it would preserve both in-state rivalries while at the same time helping to correct the imbalance of power between the north and the south. Why drastically impact every team in the league just so Oklahoma and Nebraska can resume their annual mutual hiney-rubbing society meetings? If OSU, KSU and KU were to object, just throw them out of the conference. That would solve the problem too. Nine remaining members would then all play one another every year. Most every Sooner I talk football with seem to operate under the impression that throwing schools out of conferences is done all the time, and great fun at that. I don’t know about the done-all-the-time part, but they might just be onto something. If vassals put up a squawk, well off with their heads. What’s the point of being aristocratic if you can’t at least threaten from time to time to cut off a vassal’s head if he don’t do right?”
Can’t swap the Oklahoma and Kansas schools. Then OU-Texas and KU-Missouri aren’t annual series.
Paul: “Your article on the NU-OU rivalry was right on. I grew up in Nebraska and have been a Cornhuskers fan my whole life. Right now, I’m an Air Force master sergeant serving at Camp Victory near Baghdad International Airport, so I’ll be watching the game early Sunday morning on the Armed Forces Television Network. I’m old enough to remember (barely) the Game of the Century, Thanksgiving Day in 1971. I was in the NU student section (though I wasn’t a student there) in 1982. Great times! I was also there two years later when the Sooners broke our hearts, 17-7. I get your take on the lovefest and I think that’s really what makes this rivalry unique and special. Both programs are secure enough in their collective manhood to not belittle their opponents. The schools have staged some of the greatest games in college football history. The hitting was fierce, the blood flowed, the games were incredible, but there was always great respect between the players, coaches and fans. We liked each other. Nebraskans rooted for OU in its bowl and other non-conference games and I’m sure OU fans did the same for NU. Certainly, OU-Texas has a great history, but so has OU-NU. As you mentioned, that was a time (the mid ’90s) when Nebraska was very good and Oklahoma wasn’t, so I’m sure a lot of OU fans shared that writer’s opinion. On a related note, it’s kind of sad; with the exception of the 2000 and ‘01 seasons, the two programs haven’t been great at the same time since 1987. But I think (I hope) that’s about to change. That’s why now would be a great time to change scheduling format and adopt the SEC model you proposed. NU-OU should be played every year. I’d even be in favor of dropping the Big 12 championship game (it’s become a farce) and follow the Pac-10’s lead and schedule nine conference games a year for each school.”
I don’t think the Big 12 title game is going anywhere. Too much money. But Paul’s best phrase was this: Great times! Here’s a guy stationed in Iraq, and memories of OU-Nebraska is helping him get through some of the down time. That’s priceless.
Rob: “I’ve been blaming Donnie Duncan for years for allowing the discontinuation of this historic series. I was fortunate enough to attend the 1976 game in Lincoln and recall the respect and courtesy extended to us before and after the game was unlike anything I have experienced except at College Station (much different than the attitude at the annual Red River rivalry) . The crossover solution you offer seems plausible to me. In addition to the points you raised, it also cost each team an annual Thanksgiving Day game and the accompanying national exposure, which is invaluable to recruiting efforts.”
For the record, the Thanksgiving element of OU-Nebraska is a little bit of a wives tale. In the ’70s and ’80s, OU and Nebraska played on Thanksgiving weekend just nine times. But people remember it as a Thanksgiving tradition, primarily because of 1971.
Don: “You’re right on about the OU-Nebraska game. As you point out, it always seems to bring something that’s sadly missing in our society today. When my daughter was at OU (too many years ago now), we had seats in the north end zone. After one game and while having dinner, we met some folks who had actually been wearing cornheads not far from us at the game. As I recall, we lost by 13 points, that was in the Gibbs era. Anyway, we visited with them and talked about how visitors were probably treated, especially after their team had won. They related how they always loved to come to Norman because everyone treated them so well, win or lose. They said their worst experience was always Colorado.”
My dad talked about Nebraska fans when I was a little kid, how much he enjoyed doing business with them when the Huskers came to town. This is at least a 40-year love affair.
Jeff: “I couldn’t agree more! Thank you, and I assure you the VAST majority of Nebraska fans concur. I am a die-hard Husker fan, but my second favorite football program is Oklahoma. I was able to get a sideline pass to the NU-OU game in Norman the last year Oklahoma won the national championship! It was a great experience. Oklahoma defeated Nebraska. Still a great time. I was also at a Nebraska-Oklahoma game in Norman when I was a college student and sat at the 45-yard line deep in the middle of OU fans. I was treated very well, and on that day Nebraska won in Norman. There is no rivalry that matches OU-NU. None. I hope this is something you and your fellow Oklahoma sports writers will continue to press and encourage the powers that be to get it done.”
I’ve always thought Nebraska fans loved the series more than Oklahoma fans, though I don’t really know why. Maybe because the Huskers don’t have a natural rival, while OU has Texas and Bedlam.
Some general Sooner football stuff. Shlomo: “Which D is going to show up against Nebraska? I suppose Bill Snyder had something to do with last week’s meltdown, but still there needs to be more consistency. To be fair, Texas and Kansas, back to back, creates the inevitable letdown. But OU has had triple back to backs, more than once during championship years, and the letdown never came. Also, our return game/kickoff coverage needs a tuneup.”
Those triple back to backs didn’t come in the 21st century. I wouldn’t be too down on the defense. They played well most of the game, and like you said, Snyder knows what he’s doing. K-State scored 24 and 31 on OU’s 2000 defense, 37 on OU’s 2001 defense and 35 on OU’s 2003 defense.
Greg: “Saturday in Norman, we saw the coming out of Landry Jones, to the point he is where Bradford was the last week of the 2007 season at home game with OSU. Miller and Tennell finally arrived under pressure to complement Broyles. For once, our defense was pressed, the offense kept being pressured to the max by a good team breathing down our necks and our offense delivered. Yes, I would like to see us play Texas NOW. As for Nebraska, short of the weather being below 40 degrees, they will get smoked, likely in the first quarter 14 or 21 points. Their offense is pure, unadulterated crap. They could hold teams to no more than 19 points a game and be a .500 team. I saw the ISU game on ESPN game plan. If there was a team worse in the red zone than OU, it was Nebraska, and their problems are not fixed by experience. They lack talent. KSU will smoke them.”
Maybe so. But let’s not get too carried away with Landry Jones is Sam Bradford II. Bradford in 2007 was a heck of a rookie quarterback. Jones isn’t there yet.
Terry: “I thought I saw a glimpse of Sooner Magic following the 1st-and-45. Was it just me, or did you see it too? If any current player has some of the magic in him, it would be Ryan Broyles. I hate to think where OU would be without him.”
I think our standards have lowered if we’ve started putting that situation into the realm of Sooner Magic. It was a nice recovery. A remarkable recovery. But Sooner Magic pulled victory from certain defeat. Nebraska 1976, 1980, 1986. OSU 1983. TCU 1998. Texas 1996. This wasn’t that.
Jerry: “It looked like Snyder outcoached our entire coaching staff the second half! How about all those empty seats? People were trying to sell all kind of tickets outside and nobody wanted them. Why can’t the coaches make up their minds on their play calling; we had to call timeout each time this happens.”
Snyder is a pretty good coach. He’s outcoached Stoops before and will do it again. Stoops and most everyone else he comes across. Of course, if he outcoached the Sooners in the first half, you’d have to say they outcoached him in the first half. The market for seats is soft.
Now, on to the Thunder. Kelly: “I enjoy reading your articles about the Thunder, but can you please resist the urge to call them the Boomers and leave that nickname to the little league players? I am a huge Thunder fan and love watching the guys play, but the Boomer name is just getting annoying, not only to me, but to other readers as well.”
I sort of like it. When you go and give yourself a singular nickname, you’re inviting an occasional alternative. Just like Yankees and Bombers, Pirates and Bucs, etc.
Herb: “From what you can see, is Kevin Durant in a shooting slump or do you see something in his shot, shot selection or set up that is causing his problems? Thus far, just an average Kevin Durant shooting night has this team at 4-0 right now.
Against the Lakers, I didn’t think shooting was Durant’s problem. I think it was more drive and emotion. He seemed sort of despondent at times on the court. Like he wasn’t part of the offense. That’s a lot more alarming than just missing shots, like he did against Portland.
Sandi: “Ward, you were a little hard on the Beaver. Berry, you were a little hard on our Thunder. I was so pumped at the end of the third quarter, I didn’t care if we lost by 15 points. We are one of the youngest teams in the league and they put on an awesome performance against the Lakers. Our team played like a pro team . I believe we are going to the playoffs. We got game!”
Settle down, June. The Thunder played an interesting game against the Lakers, but they’re not going to the playoffs. That Laker game was the kind of game the Thunder has to start winning to make the playoffs, not just play tough.
Mildred: “Kevin Durant was seen on TV Saturday night supporting Texas. He needs to realize his fan base is Oklahoma. Texas could care less about his basketball career. He probably went out after the game, stayed up all night and played like it last night. We need him to play to
his talent.”
You know what? I think we all ought to get off Durant’s back on this Longhorn thing. He loves his school. Who doesn’t admire that? If Adrian Peterson was with the Dallas Cowboys, would we expect him to tone down his Sooner loyalties? That’s nonsense.
Justin: “Any chance Durant partied a bit hard Saturday with the Longhorn contingent?”
I doubt it. NBA players by nature are night owls. I don’t think the late night at Stillwater caused Durant to go 3-for-21.
Michael: “As fan of Kyle Weaver, why is he not getting any playing time? Is he hurt? As a fan here in Rockford, Ill., it seems he has more upside than Kevin Ollie.”
I think the Thunder has risen above Weaver’s talents. Weaver is no point guard, so it’s a Sefalosha/James Harden issue. Weaver is clearly No. 3 on that list.
Bill wrote about Dez Bryant’s appeal denied: “I agree with Dez’s high school coach that he was made an example of. Having taught in the Texas public schools for many years, I can recognize the spoiled jock so easily. All of his life, people fawned over him, I’m sure, and he got the big head. Meeting with Sanders and lying about it reflects an incredible ego. But it’s good to see the other guys get a chance to catch the ball. Once again a high school kid has used a college as a platform to a pro career. It looks like OSU is snakebit. I like it when they sign the blue chippers, but they seldom pan out. Screw Dez. Let’s just forget about him. It’s the worst possible punishment for a prima donna. They’ll finish with 8 or nine wins and a decent bowl win.”
I don’t like that. I don’t like that “screw Dez.” Dez was punished severely and has made some bad decisions, both before and after. He has no business going to Tampa and leaving school. Dez needs the structure Stillwater could provide, at least until January. I think he’s playing with fire these next two months. But screw Dez? I don’t think so.
More from The Q&A: Brooke Burleson
The Oklahoma Victory Dolls are doing a benefit roller derby bout tonight to help out Tahirah Johnson, who was injured during a bout a couple years ago.
It’s also a great opportunity to ask Brooke Burleson all sorts of crazy roller-derby-related questions. Known on the track as Sally Strych9, she is one of the original members of the Victory Dolls and helped to form the league in which they play. Even though she is now one of the league’s top players, she didn’t start out so well.
She needed a donut after her first practice, in fact.
Jenni Carlson: Tell me how you got involved in this.
Brooke Burleson: My husband. He went to Austin and saw a roller derby bout. I was on vacation with my girl friends, and he went on vacation with his guy friends. I was in Puerto Vallarta, and he went to Austin. And they got drunk and went to a roller derby bout. He came back and was like, “I saw these girls on roller skates, and they were awesome, and you have to do this.” I was like, “OK, I’ll check into it.” Then, I became obsessed with the idea of playing roller derby. I didn’t know how to roller skate. I haven’t roller skated since I was a kid, and then, I was awful. And I’m a klutz. But I was talking to my friends, “Let’s start a roller derby league.” And I was not athletic at all. Never had been to a gym. I was trying to find somebody to start a league with me. Then … I found the Green Country Girls in Tulsa and they told me about a league starting here. One thing led to another, and I started skating, and I was awful. I was the worst one at practice. Our coach found me and was like, “I’m going to teach you how to roller skate.”
JC: It’s like you’re back in elementary school learning how to skate for the first time.
BB: I was terrified. There’s all these big, mean, scary looking girls. I had these skates that I bought at Academy for like $30, these white, Roller Derby brand skates, and they were these fake artistic skates. I was so embarrassed, and I was terrified. They all looked so mean. And I came out here and I broke my tailbone first practice.
JC: You did?
BB: First practice. I was so embarrassed. I was so scared of every single one of them, but they wound up being the nicest girls ever. I was like, “I can’t believe I was scared of you guys. Why was I scared of you?” I realized size has nothing to do with it. Looks have nothing to do with it. It doesn’t matter. That’s the great thing about roller derby. Everybody’s accepted no matter your size, your race, your sexual preference. We’ll take anybody. Old. Young. It doesn’t matter.
JC: I hope you haven’t had any more broken tailbones.
BB: No, but that took awhile to heal. I had the donut for awhile. They don’t make those in a non-obvious color. It’s like bright blue, carrying it around with me.
JC: So, your skate name is Sally Strych9, but what’s your favorite name on your team?
BB: I like Mount Crushmore. It’s all about her personality, too. She comes up with the best names. We’ve just decided that she should just name everybody coming in. She has come up with some of the best names. She named one girl Party Pants, which is pretty funny.
JC: Do you feel like certain names bring out certain personalities? Like with yours, did you feel like you had to play a certain way as Sally Strych9?
BB: Maybe in the beginning, but not really. I would be fine using my real name. Some people are going to that now. We’re trying to get taken seriously as a sport. In the beginning when roller derby was kind of coming back, it was kind of about the show of it, the fun and the campiness. But now the focus is really back on the sport. A lot of people are going back to their real names. I could go either way, so for me, I’m pretty much the same on the track as I am off the track. I could be Brooke Burleson. I would be fine. I would like to see it go that way eventually because I think we’d get taken a little more seriously.
JC: Do you think that respectability has gone up?
BB: For sure. A lot of leagues nationwide are finally starting to get coverage in the sport section. We’re finally starting to get coverage on ESPN. MavTV is starting to cover nationals. We’re a member of the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association, which is a national governing body. It took a lot of work for us to get accepted. There’s 400 leagues worldwide. There’s 78 leagues that are part of the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association. It’s a pretty elite group of women. We’re the only league in Oklahoma City that competes on a national level. We’re the only nationally ranked team in Oklahoma City. We traveled all over the country to play. So, yes, I do think we’re getting taken seriously as a sport, not just nationwide but worldwide.
JC: What does it take to play with you guys?
BB: A lot of work.
JC: I’m thinking practice, cardio, weights.
BB: It’s a time commitment. It’s more than fun to us. It’s a lifestyle. We practice in our offseason now two to three times a week. We have to do on our own the other days a week training on our own. During on season, we are constantly training. We have to travel. We have an all-star team and a recreational team with a little less time commitment. That’s just for people that wanna have fun.
Glenpool-Star Spencer game blog
Star Spencer’s defense holds, getting the ball back with 13 seconds left before half.
Big turn of events late in the first half. Star Spencer’s driving in the final two minutes when a Bobcats fumble is returned for more than 40 yards by Glenpool’s Mat Thomas. Warriors have the ball at the Star Spencer 25 with 1:23 remaining (more…)
Game capsule: Lawton Ike at Norman
Lawton Eisenhower (3-6, 2-4 6A-2) at Norman (4-5,3-3 6A-2)
When: 7:30 p.m. tonight
Where: Harve Collins Field
Lawton Eisenhower
Why the Eagles can win: The Eagles are sky-high after a game-winning field goal with six seconds left last week kept their postseason hopes alive. QB Adrian McDonald is dangerous on the ground. If he cam hit a few timely passes, Ike could take this one.
Norman
Why the Tigers could win: It’s do-or-die. Win and the Tigers are in the playoffs for the first time since 2006. Lose and it’s all over. But beyond the ramifications of the outcome, Norman has more tools to put up points than Ike. If running back Donovan Roberts — the Tigers most productive offensive player — can’t come back from last week’s hip injury, it will hinder the Tigers greatly. But electric kick returner Jaime Myers has the skill to fill in nicely.
Key matchup: For Lawton Eisenhower, it’s this: Putnam City vs.Edmond Memorial.
What?
Although the Tigers-Eagles game has been billed as being for the fourth and final playoff spot in 6A-2, that’s only the case for Norman. Ike has to have some help even with a win.
If PC upsets Edmond Memorial, the Pirates and Ike will be tied at 3-4, with PC holding the head-to-head tiebreaker. Now, the head-to-head component could be taken out of the equation. If PC wins, Ike wins and Westmoore upsets Edmond North, there will be a four-way tie at 3-4 (Norman would also be 3-4). But even then, PC would get the playoff spot on district points.
For Norman, it’s this: The Tigers vs. M*A*S*H. Top producers on offense (running back Donovan Roberts) and defense (linebacker Greg Offenburger) will have to play through injuries. Without those two, it will be tough. So Norman can’t afford any other players going down,
The pick: Norman 27, Lawton Ike 22.
Norman is at home and has more at stake. Both teams want the playoff berth. But for Norman, it’s bigger than just this season. The Tigers see this as a statement that the program is re-emerging as a continual playoff contender.
