OU appears Sun Bowl bound
Win or lose at Bedlam this weekend, Oklahoma’s most likely bowl destination appears to be the Sun Bowl.
If Oklahoma State wins Bedlam: The Cowboys would go to the Fiesta. That would leave the Cotton to choose from Nebraska, Texas Tech and Missouri. Except that Tech went there last year, and Nebraska will have just played in the Big 12 title game in Cowboys Stadium. So the Cotton could take Missouri. That would send Nebraska to the Holiday and Tech to the Alamo.
The Sun is next in the pecking order, and would be left to decide between a 6-6 OU or 6-6 Texas A&M. While it’s possible the Sun could take A&M because of its proximity to El Paso, the Sooners hammered A&M 65-10 this year, which probably gives them the nod.
But, if the Sun did take A&M, OU would be snatched up by the Insight Bowl, and ironically play in the same city as the Fiesta, which would be hosting OSU.
If OU wins Bedlam: The Sooners would knock OSU out of the BCS. But because OSU would then go to the Cotton, OU would still be looking at the Sun. Nebraska would head to the Holiday and Tech, the Alamo.
The Sun would then probably take a 7-5 OU coming off a huge victory, instead of Missouri or A&M.
The opponent: At this point, it’s unclear who OU would play in the Sun, which gets the third-place team in the Pac-10. But some possibilities include USC, Oregon State, Stanford, California and Arizona, coached by Mike Stoops.
The date: 11 a.m. Dec. 31.
-JT
Texas Tech 41, OU 13: Thoughts and observations
The biggest surprise from OU’s 41-13 head-kicking courtesy of Texas Tech was not the offense struggling. The offense struggles on the road. It’s what they do.
The surprise was Tech basically moving the ball at will against OU’s previously vaunted defense. And how did Tech move the ball? Yeah, Taylor Potts threw for 388 yards, which is actually fairly pedestrian for a Mike Leach team.
Tech actually moved the ball by running it. Running wide. Running up the middle. Big runs, short runs. In all, Tech ran for 161 yards and averaged 4.1 yards per carry. And that includes the 21 yards Potts lost on being sacked.
The scary part for OU, if there’s anything left to be scared about, is that the Sooners’ next opponent is Oklahoma State.
OU just got done facing THE WORST rush offense in the Big 12 in Tech.
The Sooners are now getting ready to play THE BEST rush offense in the league in OSU.
Even after the OU win, Tech is still averaging less than 80 yards rushing a game.
OSU is averaging 204.
If the Pokes are able to run the ball as well as Tech did against OU, expect the Sooners to fall to 6-6.
Quick hits
* Ryan Broyles’ showboating into the end zone down 34-6 was downright embarrassing. I think you can sum up the lack of focus and discipline with this team on that play alone.
* There really wasn’t one person to blame defensively. Everyone took turns getting beat. Keenan Clayton, Brian Jackson, Dom Franks, Travis Lewis all had their moments. I can’t fault the defense too much. After being lights out the whole year, they were due for a poor game. Not surprisingly, the offense couldn’t bail them out.
* The great thing about Sam Bradford was that he could find the open guy every time. Landry Jones had guys open at times. He just missed them and threw the other direction, often into traffic.
* Center Ben Habern’s injury is unfortunate. Ben seems to be a really good kid, and a potential leader for this team down the road. Very similar to Jon Cooper that way. But with a broken fibula, we may not see him for another 5 months. The last thing this line needs is guys missing spring drills. OU will be without Jarvis Jones, at this point the 2010 starting LT, as well. Walk-on Brian Lepak will start at center the rest of the way.
* RBs DeMarco Murray and Chris Brown were total non-factors in this game, combining for 51 yards rushing on less than 3.0 yards per carry. Murray and Brown, each 1,000 yard rushers last year, will probably each finish with 700 yards apiece this season.
* OU really needs Brandon Caleb to get healthy. For whatever reason, he played special teams, but not WR. Adron Tennell really struggled. Tennell has been good against the bad teams. But they’ve needed him to shine in big spots, and he has disappeared.
* Freshman Jaz Reynolds had a nice 57-yard grab. Is it not time to get him more PT to get ready for 2010?
* At least penalties and FG kicker were not the reasons for this loss. OU only committed six penalties for 66 yards. And Pat O’Hara nailed both of his FG attempts, including a 47-yarder.
* OU is going to finish 4th in the South. In 2005, a down year, OU finished 3rd.
* Bowl game options now appear to now be Alamo, Sun and Insight. Beat OSU, and it’s either Alamo or Sun, though probably Sun at this point. Lose, and it’s Sun or Insight.
* The all-white uniforms were terrible. Looked like a more boring version of Stanford. Good thing is, after that loss, we’ll never see them again.
They said it
DT Gerald McCoy: “As good as we’ve been playing on defense all year and we allow something like that?” McCoy said. “That’s just no heart, no pride at the end of the game. That’s just not good enough. That’s not Oklahoma.”
Coach Bob Stoops: “They executed it and blocked it better than we were able to get off blocks and tackle. They didn’t come up with any new run plays. It’s what we worked on the whole week and again, they executed better than we were able to defend it.”
Stoops, on QB Landry Jones: “Again, I think you’re isolating one guy and I don’t know think that’s fair either. It’s fair to offensively say that that’s the case and your quarterback is a part of that but receivers dropping balls doesn’t help. Their supporting cast has to be there as well and we haven’t been good away from home.”
DE Jeremy Beal: “When the defense has been playing so well throughout the whole year, it’s disappointing to come in here and have a performance like this. It’s always disappointing.”
LB Travis Lewis: “It’s disappointing as a defense, especially as a linebacker and them being able to run the ball on us at will. Converting all those third down-and-ones, us not being able to get off the field, that’s huge.”
Landry Jones, on struggling on the road: “I think it’s something that has to do with intensity. Going on the road, you just can’t expect something to happen; you’ve got to make it happen. You have to create your own energy and stuff like that we’ve been kind of talking about in practice, and that’s what we were hoping to do today. We just didn’t get it done. We didn’t execute the plays we needed to. I didn’t play very good, and obviously I need to play better for us to win.”
WR Ryan Broyles: “We just came out and couldn’t make the big downs when we needed them. We didn’t make big catches. We didn’t make big blocks when we needed them.”
By the numbers
5: Number of TDs Sooners have scored combined in games against BYU, Miami, Texas, Nebraska and Tech.
5: Number of season-ending injuries the Sooners have suffered on the offensive side of the ball. Center Ben Habern, who broke his fibula, made it No. 5 Saturday.
1: Number of bowl teams OU has beaten this year (Texas A&M).
-JT
Private schools: Playoff Week 2 recap…
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@opubco.com
I must admit I didn’t think I would be down to one team at this juncture. But alas, the Chargers are the last team standing.
Heritage Hall (8-4)
Sophomore Sterling Shepard got his clearance to play, and boy, did he ever make it count. Shepard caught one touchdown and threw for two more as the Chargers made a statement in a 48-8 win.
Fellow sophomore Barry Sanders continued his stellar season, running for three touchdowns and taking back an interception for a score.
Sanders won’t hit ya that much on defense, but he has great instincts as a corner and makes teams pay.
If Heritage is able to rush for 333 yards like it did Friday, it’s going to be a long night for the other team.
Up next: The Chargers head to Pawhuska (10-2) in a 2A quarterfinal Friday.
Bishop McGuinness (9-3)
Not too much to add than what I already said in the Saturday Morning Quarterback. On one hand, I felt the Irish just ran out of time in a 20-14 loss to Sallisaw.
But on the other, give a load of credit to the Black Diamond defense. After McGuinness scored on its first drive, didn’t score again until its final drive.
The Irish simply couldn’t get anything else going besides LaRone Richardson. Kyle Ahmad and Jamaal Whitney were stymied, and Sallisaw’s big start put ‘em in a hole early.
I’m still thoroughly impressed with Jameel Whitney and Jay Lester. And when Little All-City Defensive Player of the Year comes around, I’ll be banging the drum for Jameel. I’ll probably be out-voted, but Whitney is impressive.
Quarterback Camden Tharp will only grow from this. It’s possible we have a 3-man battle again next year with Quinn Shanbour, Tharp and David Krahl.
Like I said, with the lack of big-name talent, this is easily one of the better coaching jobs by Kenny Young and his staff.
Edmond: Playoff Week 2 recap…
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@opubco.com
Well, as we enter the semifinals for the larger schools, we’re closing the books on the football season for Edmond teams.
Memorial (8-4)
I must admit a wry smile came across my face when I heard it was Memorial 14, Jenks 14 heading into the fourth quarter. Could it really happen?
It’s a credit to the coaching staff and to those players that they went as far as they did before bowing out in a 28-14 defeat.
You don’t need me to say it, here’s senior leader, captain Nelson Medeiros:
This season meant a whole lot to us. It’s something we won’t forget. With the change in coaches, we didn’t know how it would go, but it was great. We were city champs, and we achieved most of our goals. We never quit. Even when we were down 14-0, we kept fighting for each other. We tip our hats to Jenks. But yeah, this was a great season for us.” – Medeiros
There ya go.
Every time I went to a Memorial practice or anything like that, you could feel the good vibes. The kids loved being around each other, and the coaching staff is basically just kids who happen to be a little older. The chemistry was apparent throughout the season.
Coach Justin Merideth did a fantastic job in his first season, and the offense should be loaded with Cale Olbert and Kameron Doolittle coming back as well as Connor Myers on defense.
The defense will take a hit with all those senior leaders departing. But much like Edmond North, it’s going to be this year’s Memorial team that opened people’s eyes to Bulldog football.
Welcome to the big time, Andre Ward…
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@opubco.com
Wasn’t sure if he was ready. Nothing I had seen in his previous 20 fights led me to believe it was possible.
But once again, what do I know? An outstanding display of ‘power boxing’ by Andre Ward has given him the first world title of his career.
Ward battered super middleweight Mikkel Kessler with lefts, rights (and a few heads) en route to an 11th-round technical decision Saturday night in the final fight of the first stage of the Super Six World Boxing Classic.
For the record, I had Ward up 9 rounds to 2 at the time of the stoppage.
Ward won this fight early with his determination. In the first round, he was boxing from the outside, and it looked like it would be another fight where the European champion was going to stalk the American challenger.
But something changed as Ward decided he needed to earn Kessler’s respect. He fought on the inside and Kessler just wasn’t expecting it.
Ward held a little and led with the head a little, but Kessler had every opportunity to stop that from happening had he decided he wanted to fight on the inside.
On this night, he decided not to.
Ward was electric in his first title fight. Great rhythm, going in and out. I was diggin’ the jab to the body the most. It really stopped Kessler’s rhythm.
I was waiting for Kessler to get going, but he never really did. He was in slow motion for the first six, seven rounds. It wasn’t until he got cut up did it really feel like he realized he was in a fight.
On an accidental butt in the eighth round, Ward busted up Kessler. On a bull rush in the 10th, he cut the other eye. The writing was on the wall.
Kessler blamed the butts and the holding. I’ll give him that for the heat of the moment. But I’m not backing down on the fact that had he decided Ward couldn’t just bull rush him and hold, it would have been a different fight.
If Kessler would have stood his ground, Ward would have had to change up his plan of attack. But Kessler was more than cooperative in deciding he didn’t want to fight inside.
As is, give Ward a huge amount of credit for the way he fought. It was dang near close to being a perfect fight. The cuts were really bad for Kessler, so he may need a little more time before moving on.
So after the first stage, Arthur Abraham, Carl Froch and Ward are your leaders. The second stage features Carl Froch vs. Mikkel Kessler, Abraham vs. Andre Dirrell and Ward vs. Jermain Taylor. All fights will happen sometime in 2010.
More from the NFL Q&A: Jacob Lacey
Jacob Lacey is making quite a splash in the NFL. Undrafted last spring, the former Oklahoma State cornerback has started the last two games for the Indianapolis Colts. He even had seven tackles a week ago against New England.
He still keeps a close eye, though, on his alma mater.
Jenni Carlson: Bedlam’s coming up, so who you got?
Jacob Lacey: That ain’t even a question. I’m rolling with the ‘Boys all the way.
JC: I figured as much. What do you think about your alma mater and how its playing this season?
JL: I think they’re doing good. I feel like Dez (Bryant) got screwed, but I talked to him about that. He said he wasn’t going to let it bother him, try to move forward. But I think they’re doing well.
JC: Several weeks into the season, you got your first career start in the NFL. What was that like?
JL: It was a little nerve wracking. You get kind of nervous. But after the first couple plays, like any game, you get settled down, you get comfortable, and I was just playing from then on out.
JC: Do you feel like you’ve settled in as an NFL rookie?
JL: Things definitely start to smooth out once you get in and get a feel for the system, you get in and get a feel for the games. How we prepare each week. How you handle different situations. It’s a learning process, so once you go through that for a couple weeks and see how things go, you kind of fall into your own routine.
JC: I’ve got to ask about your interception return for a touchdown against St. Louis. You had some fun celebrating it. Was that planned or impromptu?
JL: I had it planned out, what I was doing. I knew I was going to fly in the air.
JC: You didn’t get to repeat that last weekend against New England, but you still had seven tackles. What was it like to be in the middle of that rivalry?
JL: It was similar to being in the OSU-OU game. There’s a lot of emotions. It’s a big-time rivalry, big stage. You’ve just got to make sure you go out there and prepare so you can perform well.
JC: Had to be pretty satisfying for your defense to get that big fourth-down stop at the end of the game.
JL: That was great. They took a chance, and we stepped up.
OSU looks like Cotton Bowl at worst; OU looks like Sun Bowl at best
The Big 12’s bowl lineup still is two weeks shy of being set, but we know a lot more now after Week 12. Best guess: Oklahoma State can do no worse than the Cotton Bowl, and Oklahoma can do no better than the Sun Bowl. Here’s why:
If OSU wins Bedlam, most agree the Fiesta Bowl will select the Cowboys, who figure to be ranked about 11th in the BCS come Sunday afternoon. It’s possible OSU could get bypassed for Boise State but not likely. Two other scenarios that could knock OSU, even at 10-2, out of the Fiesta. If Texas A&M upsets Texas on Thanksgiving night, the Longhorns probably would miss the national title game and instead would go to the Fiesta itself, provided it beats Nebraska in the Big 12 title game. Or if the Huskers upset Texas in that title game, Nebraska would go to the Fiesta Bowl.
Should the Cowboys get bypassed, or should they lose to OU, the Cotton Bowl almost surely will call. Nebraska is the other chief Cotton contender. The Huskers are 8-3 and Saturday night cinched a berth in the Big 12 title game. But if Nebraska loses to Texas in Arlington, the Huskers would be 9-4, a slightly worse record than OSU’s 9-3 or 10-2, plus the Huskers and their legions of fans will have just been to a Dallas trip (the Big 12 title game).
On top of that, Ole Miss’ victory over LSU on Saturday probably puts LSU in the Cotton Bowl. An OSU-LSU game, Mike Gundy vs. Les Miles, is too rich to pass up. So it looks like the Fiesta or the Cotton for OSU.
Meanwhile, OU’s 41-13 loss to Texas Tech means the Sooners likely will fall below the Alamo Bowl, even with a Bedlam victory. Tech can finish 8-4 with a victory over Baylor next weekend in Arlington, and the Alamo Bowl likely would take the Red Raiders over a 7-5 Oklahoma team.
If Nebraska wins the Big 12, that could lift the Sooners back into Alamo contention, but no other path seems to available for OU to make it to San Antonio.
That means the Sun Bowl or Insight Bowl is the likely spot for OU. If the Sooners win Bedlam, the Sun Bowl would have a pick between 7-5 Oklahoma or Missouri, which is 7-4 going into a game against Kansas this Saturday. If the Sooners lose Bedlam, the Sun probably would jump on Mizzou, leaving the Insight to take OU.
The Insight is doomed to get a mediocre Big Ten team, with little name recognition. Michigan State or Minnesota. The Insight will need a big name from the Big 12, even a 6-6 OU.
Recapturing the moment when the world was amazing
Let scenes like this spark your imagination.
Try to think of those things that fired up your imagination when you were young. What did it for you?
I asked my wife this question. Music always moved her, be it classical or otherwise. And she loved those old Kung Fu movies she watched with her dad.
For me, it was a little different. What kicked my mind into overdrive was the house where I grew up. Or more to the point, that home’s back yard.
This place was awesome. A line of poplars hedged in the back fenceline. On either side, thick hedges. Large trees dotted what was otherwise an average-sized suburban yard. Birds and squirrels partied down here. With so many years gone by, my memories of that yard built up an almost Rivendell-like image straight out of a Tolkien novel.
My parents later bought a simple, inexpensive A-frame cabin in the Front Range of the Rockies not far from Bailey, Colo. Again, natural beauty abounded. We went exploring one day, tromping around the woods, and I can remember walking up to a faintly sunlit grove of pine and aspen that contained nearly every hue of green imaginable. If I found that spot today, I’d half expect the entire animated cast of “Bambi” to emerge.
Memories like these still affect me today. It’s one of the reasons I head outdoors so much. When I’m lucky, I get to immerse myself in some pretty amazing natural environments. But even those quick hour-long lunchtime workouts outside rejuvenate me, even if the elements aren’t the best.
I’m not going to go all preachy now, but it seems like many of us have lost that childlike wonder of the world around us. Plenty of folks love nature shows, so why not go outside and really see nature?
I remember having a conversation with a co-worker about where our lives had gone and where we were going. I bemoaned the fact that I wasted so much of my 20s. My wake-up call occurred at age 27, hiking with a church youth group up Elk Mountain in the Wichitas. I’d become so conditioned to the couch and the office chair that my body just couldn’t handle the rigors of what should have been an easy hike to Elk’s summit and a leisurely scramble down the boulders on the other side.
Several years later, I went on a summer vacation with my lovely bride in Red River, N.M. One morning, I looked at the ski mountain and decided I needed to hike to its summit. It took me awhile, but I got there and decided next year, a bigger prize was needed. So I set my sights on Wheeler Peak — the first of (so far) 10 4,000-meter ascents in what has become a growing obsession of mine.
So many sights up Wheeler’s East Fork Trail harkened back to childhood memories of other natural settings. I’ve enjoyed every hike and climb I’ve done (except Mount Yale, but that’s another story), but I doubt any of them have moved me as much as that 2003 slog up Wheeler. It resonated in ways that are hard to describe. People glibly talk about “going to church in God’s creation,” but I can tell you that there were times on that trip when my thoughts and emotions were heavily spiritual.
There’s a lot of things that try to pull us down and make us lose touch with the natural world. Careers, family obligations, man-made entertainment, or whatever. I’ve been there. And to be loosed from that, even for brief interlude, is liberating. Healing. Wondrously fun. Like those times when you were young, and the whole world was amazing.
Bob Doucette
bdoucette@opubco.com
Rosholt taps out to Grove…
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@opubco.com
Coming off his best victory in his young career in the Ultimate Fighting Championship back in August, former Oklahoma State wrestler Jake Rosholt couldn’t follow up on it.
Rosholt tapped out to a triangle choke in round one against Kendall Grove at UFC 106 on Saturday night in Las Vegas.
Rosholt scored a takedown and was able to get into the mount position, but Grove maneuvered his way out of trouble. Not too long after, Grove was in control and forced the submission with 1:01 left in the first round.
With the loss, Rosholt is now 6-2 in his Mixed Martial Arts career and 1-2 in the UFC.
***
This loss hurts as Rosholt was really gaining some momentum after his win vs. Chris Leben. Now it’s back to the drawing board.
He should get another shot, but the road just became that much tougher for the former OSU star. Friend and Team Takdedown member Johny Hendricks fights at UFC 107 in Memphis.
***
Getting ready for a bevy of goodies right now. We have UFC 106 in 35 minutes with Tito Ortiz and Forrest Griffin as well as Andre Ward and Mikkel Kessler in the Super Six super middleweight boxing classic on Showtime. Fun time to be a fight fan. Back later tonight or early Sunday.
The Boneman Curse…
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@opubco.com
I thought it was a myth, an urban legend. No, it’s real, my friends. If you want to win, don’t have me cover your playoff game right now.
With the zone strategy, we’ve basically been picking teams from our zones to cover for the playoffs and that’s led to bad news for Edmond and private school clubs when they see me in the parking lot.
I’ve driven a long ways in back-to-back weeks to basically write “team wrapup” stories.
First was Edmond North and the 90-mile trek to Lawton where the Wolverines wore down the Huskies in the second half of a 34-16 win.
But Friday takes the cake. Making my first trip to Sallisaw and driving 180 miles (or six hours roundtrip) to see Bishop McGuinness get off to a bad start and Sallisaw earn a huge 20-14 victory.
Who’s next on my hit list: Heritage Hall. Yep, I’m making the 140-mile trip to Pawhuska on Friday for that one. Beware, Charger fans, the Boneman is coming.
Lawton winning wasn’t a shock. Sallisaw fought for that one and definitely deserved it even though I LOCKed the Irish last week. But I tell ya, starting to wonder if this curse thing is legit. And for those wondering, headed to Douglass and Weatherford on Saturday at Yukon.
