No surprise ending for Heisman
Ohio State sat around and did nothing last week, and could receive a spot in this year’s BCS national title game while sitting around and doing nothing this week.
This year’s Heisman Trophy race could be decided in much the same fashion.
Florida quarterback Tim Tebow and Arkansas ruinning back Darren McFadden won’t play again before all the ballots are counted.
Missouri quarterback Chase Daniel gets one final crack at gaining some votes Saturday night in the Big 12 championship game against Oklahoma in San Antronio.
West Virginia quarterback Patrick White, another challenger for the Heisman, also plays Saturday and figures to post some impressive numbers at home against an outmanned Pittsburgh team.
Unfortunately, one of the most wide open Heisman races ever could be decided with games still on the plate.
A monster game by White against an inferior foe probably won’t sway voters much. A monster game from Daniel against a big-name opponent could very well give Daniel a boost on some ballots.
Alas, no matter what transpires Saturday, I believe the final Heisman standings already have been set and this will be the order of finish: 1. Tebow; 2. McFadden; 3. Daniel; 4. White.
Too bad. It shouldn’t have been so predictable in such an unpredictable season.
Working double-time for the double-nickel
As a team, Oklahoma probably won’t rush the ball 55 times Saturday when it plays Oklahoma State on Owen Field.
Much has been written and re-written about Steve Owens carrying the ball 55 times all by himself against the Cowboys in 1969, just days after learning he won the 1969 Heisman Trophy. Owens gained 261 yards and the Sooners stopped a two-point conversion to hang on for a 28-27.
A Friday story in The Oklahoman quoted former OU assistant Larry Lacewell as saying Owens’ heroics that day probably saved jobs for the Sooners’ entire coaching staff. Barry Switzer has often said the same. But some credit also should go to Owens’ former teammate Steve Zabel.
One of the best athletes in OU history, Zabel played tight end and defensive end for the Sooners. Countless times, Zabel has heard people ask Owens about his 55-carry day in Stillwater. This is when Zabel can’t resist taking a playful jab at Owens, his close friend of more than 40 years.
“People always tell Steve, ‘I can’t believe you carried the ball 55 times against Oklahoma State,’ ” Zabel said. ”Well, I couldn’t believe it either. Because every down I played, I had either (All-American offensive tackle) John Ward or (future four-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle) Jerry Sherk on my nose that entire game.
“So you tell me, who did the work?”
Don’t dare to compare
Don’t dare do it. Don’t dare compare Joey Halzle to Sam Bradford. There’s a reason Bradford is Oklahoma’s starting quarterback and a reason Halzle is not. This painfully became evident Saturday night during the Sooners’ debilitating 34-27 loss at Texas Tech.
On paper, Halzle’s numbers looked acceptable enough. But on the field, the performance lacked what the Sooners need to keep up with the explosive Red Raiders. Halzle completed 21 of 41 for 291 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. But such a line qualifies as mediocre when you’ve grown accustomed to watching Bradford complete 70 percent of his passing while leading the nation in passing efficiency (which he still does).
Bradford suffered a concussion on OU’s first offensive play of the game after making a tackle. If the Oklahoma playbook is 50 pages thick for Bradford, it might be roughly five pages for Halzle. It is still unclear why the Sooners didn’t attempt to run the ball more than they did after Bradford’s departure — which would have taken pressure off Halzle while burning more clock time.
The longer Halzle played, the more he seemed to relax. What transpired Saturday night in Lubbock will only make Halzle better the next time he is needed. But more than any other player, a healthy Bradford is what OU needs most.
We all knew that already. Saturday night simply proved it.
Hornets boom; Sonics bust
As I type this, our former Hornets are 4-1 and our future SuperSonics are 0-5. Hey, when it comes to inheriting an NBA franchise, timing is everything.
The Hornets will be a playoff contender this season. They’ve got a young foundation in point guard Chris Paul (who leads the league in assists at 12.4), center Tyson Chandler and forward David West. Guard Peja Stojakovic’s back seems strong, Bobby Jackson still gives a lift off the bench, and they’ve added new blood in guard Morris Peterson.
The Sonics, meanwhile, have rookie sensation Kevin Durant, fellow rookie Jeff Green, freshly signed forward Chris Wilcox, swingman Damien Wilkens and, um, let’s just say they’re a work in progress — unlike Clay Bennett’s new arena proposal.
The Sonics almost certainly will miss the playoffs for the fifth time in the last six years, and could end up with more ping-pong ball lottery combinations than any other franchise.
I love that the Hornets are doing well, albeit in front of small crowds. The Hornets rank last in the league in attendance (12,502) and the Sonics are third from the bottom (13,916).
I say we host a best-of-seven series between the Hornets and Sonics next June in the Ford Center to see which team relocates to Oklahoma City.
Quick, get David Stern on the line.
Looking for Parcells of truth
More than a few current Dallas Cowboys — heck, perhaps every one of them — have commented on how much more relaxed they’ve been this season under new coach Wade Phillips than they previously were under coach Bill Parcells. Then again, life usually is good when you’re 6-1, atop your division and arguably the best team in your entire conference.
If the players are happier this year, how much happier is Cowboys owner Jerry Jones?
Jones was in Oklahoma City on Thursday to promote the marriage between Cox Communications and the NFL Network. Is he more relaxed for Jones with the coaching change?
“Not really,” Jones said. “Bill Parcells has a style. He came to the Dallas Cowboys. By the way, he solicited coming to the Cowboys at the time. I’ll never forget, I said, ‘Why does this mean so much to you, to coach the Cowboys?’ He said, ‘Picture going to Las Vegas. You walk in and there’s the lounge. That’s where the up-and-comers are, people who have been there and are on their way out. Then there’s the big room, the big showroom. That’s where Elvis played. That’s where Frank Sinatra played. That’s the Dallas Cowboys, the big showroom.’ He said, ‘We’ve got to win. Because my stuff grows old if we don’t win. My stuff will grow old. The way I do it and the way I push, wears. If there’s not success, it won’t work.’ That is and was the case. Wade Phillips is a terrific change of personality. Not that both don’t work, we know that. There have been a lot of different personalities that have coached championship football teams. But working with Bill directly on a day-to-day basis was a joy. He has a fantastic sense of humor and he respects the deal.
“Now he’ll use every human ploy known to get his way. He’ll pout, get mad, smile, charm, do anything to get his way. But when you finally make that decision, he buys into that and you get on down the road, and that’s what you want. It’s all up front. There’s nothing going on underneath or behind with Bill Parcells. I really respected that. He’s really helped our team.”
