Srsly, back off the ledge and think for a sec...

[TMcGee86]

Quit listening to ESPN and the hype machine, and realize that we were a decent team going into this season.

We had some playmakers, but overall we were young, underexperienced, and we had a freshman QB who had never played much less started.

That freshman gave us the greatest season in NCAA history and far more than we could have ever imagined.

Unfortunately it got us thinking we invincible and we ignored it when our best run stopper on the line, our best run stopper in teh secondary, our best offensive receiving threat, our best offensive running threat, and our nickel corner all sat this one out.

And we ignored the fact that WVU was the number 1 team in teh country had White not gone out vs. Pitt and they won that game.


I know I am guilty. I sat and listened to Herbie and Corso and the rest tell me how awexome we are and how we are the real number one.

Sitting here tonight, I am forcing myself to go back to August and remember that I wasn't thinking MNC, I was thinking two loses and probably no B12C.

Stoops is a great coach. So great in fact that we ignore the fact that he takes a WR and a freshman no one has ever heard of (outside of OKC) in consecutive years and he wins Big12 titles with them. And instead we wonder why we aren't as good as ESPN says we should be.

Despite what ESPN says, we got beat two years in a row by two better teams.

WVU is a good team.

If we lay an egg next year, I will start to worry. But with 5 key players out and a freshman QB playing in his first bowl game, I fail to see how this should be so damning or unfathomable.

Here's to #8 in 08.

[soonerhubs]

Good post. I'm thinking Granger and I will have a long visit about consequences this spring if he stays on the team. I'll personally make the drive and buy him a Dr. Pepper. We will visit about his potential, I'll give him his Joel Olsteen book and all will be better next year. ;)

[SoonerinSouthlake]

well thats all really great perspective...in about a month. Right now I am so bitter that I dont give a crap about any of the perspective.

[OKC-SLC]

Good post. I'm thinking Granger and I will have a long visit about consequences this spring if he stays on the team. I'll personally make the drive and buy him a Dr. Pepper. We will visit about his potential, I'll give him his Joel Olsteen book and all will be better next year. ;)
Joel Olsteen hates Mormons.

Just sayin'.


;)

[tulsaoilerfan]

You can rationalize it all you want, but there is no excuse to look so dull and uninspired and get bent over again on National TV; i feel sorry for all the fans that spent good $ to go watch that fiasco

[soonerhubs]

Joel Olsteen hates Mormons.

Just sayin'.


;)
That's why it's Granger's book. Now wait a minute! Maybe Granger needs the Missionary Lessons...


Yep. Scrap Joel Olsteen. ;)

[TUSooner]

You can rationalize it all you want, but there is no excuse to look so dull and uninspired and get bent over again on National TV; i feel sorry for all the fans that spent good $ to go watch that fiasco
HEAR HIM !!! HEAR HIM !!!

Pump your sunshine in September, January is polluted beyond redemption by this latest BCS stinkout.

[soonerhubs]

You can rationalize it all you want, but there is no excuse to look so dull and uninspired and get bent over again on National TV; i feel sorry for all the fans that spent good $ to go watch that fiasco
I even kept my DVR for an extra day for this game.

:O

[SoonerHawk]

Here is my take on the game:

First: All those who say the coaches are to blame can stop reading because you are way off base and I don't want to hear your whining!

The game plan was fine for this game. The offense came to play and was ready. Yes, Bradford was a bit shaky to begin with but he quickly overcame it, the defensive scheme was good it was a lot of missed tackles that killed us in the end.

I truly believe the difference is the type of player OU has on the field now. We have so many 5 and 4 star recruits on the field it is amazing. However, these type of recruits typically play for something else rather than the team and the school...the NFL. I believe the best balance is a collection of 5 and 4 star recruits meshed with some not so highly recruited players who have more heart than talent. A prime example of what a team like this is capable of is the 2000 OU championship team. The 2000 team had more players with heart for the game who played above their talent level than players who had all the talent in the world and shoplifted.

In the end, I'm still proud of this team (big 12 champs yet again!) but I really think the staff needs to look harder at who they recruit.

Take it for what it is. Boomer Sooner!

[landrun]

You can rationalize it all you want, but there is no excuse to look so dull and uninspired and get bent over again on National TV; i feel sorry for all the fans that spent good $ to go watch that fiasco

Dang straight! I witnessed the USC Orange Bowl disaster in person.

I noticed a lot of empty seats at the game too. Seems like a lot of fans are tired of spending a ton of $$$ to watch our high paid coaches get out coached year after year in Bowl games. :mad:

[TUSooner]

Let me just say that it's not that we lost. It's that we were so plainly unprepared and played so poorly, and without focus or intensity for most of the last 2 Fiasco Bowls.

[jagwelborn]

If we lay an egg next year, I will start to worry. But with 5 key players out and a freshman QB playing in his first bowl game, I fail to see how this should be so damning or unfathomable.

Here's to #8 in 08.

4 eggs in 5 years...I've already started to worry...I'm getting tired of watching OU play in Bowl games.

2007 - 11-2 regular season, loses to WV 48-28 in the Fiesta Bowl.
2006 - 11-2 regular season, loses to BS 43-42 in the Fiesta Bowl.
2005 - 8-3 regular season, beats Oregon 17-14 in the Holiday Bowl.
2004 - 12-0 regular season, loses to USC 55-19 in the Orange Bowl.
2003 - 12-1 regular season, loses to LSU 21-14 in the Sugar Bowl.

Everyone is going to want to play Oklahoma in bowl games soon...LOL!

Anyways...congrats to the Mountaineers!

[The Red Jerk]

Joel Olsteen hates Mormons.

Just sayin'.


;)


Rocky Mountain Taliban

[A Sooner in Texas]

Meh...I survived the 87 Orange Bowl watchin' the Hurricanes ram it up our ***es in their home stadium, getting spit on and drinks thrown on me by crazed cane fans and having same cane fans try to run us down anytime we had to cross the street. Our fans in AZ will survive tonight. And we'll be back in another BCS bowl soon and win it.

[soonerhubs]

Rocky Mountain Taliban
:mad:

[goingoneight]

Yeah, you know what... we've been on the winning end of many more games than OUr opponents who have traveled far and wide to watch their teams get their asses handed to them by the Sooners. Look no further than Miami this year.

It's a game, folks. WVU was the better team, and has been very good for a long time now.

I loved the Miami reference above, though. It sucked to continue to see someone get in the way of OUr glory, but again we eventually rise to the top where we belong. I guess this off-season is more of a "if you're not No. 1, who are you?" kind of thing.

[tulsaoilerfan]

Here is my take on the game:

First: All those who say the coaches are to blame can stop reading because you are way off base and I don't want to hear your whining!

The game plan was fine for this game. The offense came to play and was ready. Yes, Bradford was a bit shaky to begin with but he quickly overcame it, the defensive scheme was good it was a lot of missed tackles that killed us in the end.

I truly believe the difference is the type of player OU has on the field now. We have so many 5 and 4 star recruits on the field it is amazing. However, these type of recruits typically play for something else rather than the team and the school...the NFL. I believe the best balance is a collection of 5 and 4 star recruits meshed with some not so highly recruited players who have more heart than talent. A prime example of what a team like this is capable of is the 2000 OU championship team. The 2000 team had more players with heart for the game who played above their talent level than players who had all the talent in the world and shoplifted.

In the end, I'm still proud of this team (big 12 champs yet again!) but I really think the staff needs to look harder at who they recruit.

Take it for what it is. Boomer Sooner!

The offense came to play? You have got to be kidding, right? Bradford damn near got killed in the first quarter, and the offensive line got eaten alive by WVU's constant blitzing until Wilson finally adjusted in the second half; how many penalties did Loadholt have?

[Whet]

Still, I think a trip to Arizona in January would be good trip. Losing the game shouldn't ruin the trip. Winning may have made the added to the trip, but losing wouldn't ruin it.

We travel to a few NASCAR races across the country to watch the race AND enjoy the time we spend in the area. If our driver doesn't win the race, it doesn't ruin our trip.... Gee, our trip to Las Vegas, Grand Canyon, Zion NP, and Bryce Canyon NP was a complete waste of time and money because Tony didn't win the race in Vegas - NOT!

Just sayin'....

[Jello Biafra]

well thats all really great perspective...in about a month. Right now I am so bitter that I dont give a crap about any of the perspective.


agreed.....right now, that fuggin hillbilly with the mohawk and the cheerleader from last year can both go suck the same di!K........

im fuggin ****ed our team is so undisciplined that we can't seem to keep from seriously looking like a john blake team......seriously!!!!! 13 penalties?

im really ****ed we have the former number 1 dline prospect in the nation stealing coats when he should have been studying his play book...........

im ****ed at the starting db who is taking the place of the number 1 db in the big XII because of injury for not passing his class.......

im ****ed the (arguably) the best wr in the big XII has a case of pussalosis and can't seem to go because of a bruise??? really? we've had linebackers play with broken bones.....we had one tonight do it. i know he's not 100% yet. i have personally played with 3 broken fingers and a sprained ankle so bad that without a serious tape job, i could barely put weight on it.......i dunno just don't get someone who is testing nfl waters not at least showing the teams in the nfl that he can take it......it was a national stage. no other teams playing tonight and he flat out didn't play. on the bright side, chaney stepped up big time!

im ****ed because oour vaunted defense gives up 350+ yards to a (tiny bit) faster version of missouri...........

im ****ed off (again) at walker for (again) letting a wr score a td while hes laying on his back......

im ****ed off that the referees "overlooked" a holding penalty on one and a BLATANT blocking below the waist (nevermind the fact that he didn't complete the block. he did make a serious attempt at it)on 2 of WVs final three tds not to mention the numerous non holding calls on the slow fat white dudes occupying wv oline.....


im ****ed that english and beal both had to spend most of the night taking inside pass rush routes to white because the middle of our dline was not able to get a decent amount of pressure. see stolen coat.......

Im ****ed because we have once again been put in the position of goliath playing david, leader of the sisters of the poor.......this is fuggin ridiculous.....crying? on national television? the fullback? the dude who has like destroyed 11teen facemasks? eats cardboard? screws goats and beats up probation officers? outside of that dump they call a state.....who cares besides them??? really?!?!?omy god!!!! you could time that fat bastard in the 40 on a sun dial..and we still didn't catch him. thats how wide open that play was......have we NEVER seen a fullback counter?


the team is young but they have GOT to get tougher than they have played three times this year and the last game last year..........if you are going to be stupid, you'd better be tough and right now, they are neither...

that fuggin sand flea infested state can suck my azz too. if we see the fiesta bowl next year..........someones gonna get hurt.

[BoulderSooner79]

I'm not on the ledge because after all, it's just a game, Focker. But I hope Bob and his staff reflect on bowl game preparation as it is hard to deny a trend has emerged. The initial offensive scheme just wasn't working. There was no room to run. That should mean the pass is open, but Sam didn't have enough time. I thought the defense came out okay giving up 6 points on 3 FG attempts for most the 1st half given no support from the offense. But if the offense doesn't at least move the ball and eat clock, something is going to give on defense - especially with several starters out. The slow start on offense putting too much pressure on the defense has been there in all the bowl loses and that points to preparation problems, IMHO.

[Dio]

Here is my take on the game:

First: All those who say the coaches are to blame can stop reading because you are way off base and I don't want to hear your whining!

The game plan was fine for this game. The offense came to play and was ready. Yes, Bradford was a bit shaky to begin with but he quickly overcame it, the defensive scheme was good it was a lot of missed tackles that killed us in the end.

I truly believe the difference is the type of player OU has on the field now. We have so many 5 and 4 star recruits on the field it is amazing. However, these type of recruits typically play for something else rather than the team and the school...the NFL. I believe the best balance is a collection of 5 and 4 star recruits meshed with some not so highly recruited players who have more heart than talent. A prime example of what a team like this is capable of is the 2000 OU championship team. The 2000 team had more players with heart for the game who played above their talent level than players who had all the talent in the world and shoplifted.

In the end, I'm still proud of this team (big 12 champs yet again!) but I really think the staff needs to look harder at who they recruit.

Take it for what it is. Boomer Sooner!

Which brings me to my next point:

DON'T SMOKE CRACK!

[Crucifax Autumn]

It's a game, folks. WVU was the better team, and has been very good for a long time now.

No, we have the better team...but they are the ones who came to play tonight. I have to hand it to 'em, they played great. *CA throws up a little*

[Jello Biafra]

The offense came to play? You have got to be kidding, right? Bradford damn near got killed in the first quarter, and the offensive line got eaten alive by WVU's constant blitzing until Wilson finally adjusted in the second half; how many penalties did Loadholt have?


which reminds me......


im also fuggin pizzed that we have an oline that AVERAGES 310+ across the front and we get our peckers slammed in the door on 4th and 1 twice........

craziness i tell you! absolutely no way in hell we shouldn't be able to get 5 yards by falling forward behind the left side of our line and maybe 7 if we have a blocking tight end on that side.......it doesn't register........two lineman who wegh in at 350+ and you can't get them to take up enough space to push MUUUUUCH smaller lineman backwards a few yards? even if the dlineman submarine fall on them or step in the middle of their backs with those size 17 cleats and they'll stop all that bullshiite!

[kingsby]

Let's look at this realistically. The last 3 out of the last 4 bowl games the defense has been horrible. We could not stop USC, Boise State, or WVU. You cannot expect to win any game where you give up 40+ points And the only reason we stopped Oregon was because they had Leif at QB.

Time we really look at why we lose .... it is the Defense, always has been the defense.

[illinisooner]

I got a chance to talk to legendary USC baseball coach Rod Dedeaux one time, and he said the most important thing in a player is desire...no matter how talented he is. West Virginia played with more passion, desire, and intensity tonight; they simply wanted it more. You gotta give credit to those kids from WVU, it wasn't a coaching issue or an injury/suspension issue. Sure Granger or Reggie would have helped, but would they have prevented the blowout? I doubt it. I'm proud of the season we had, yeah there were 3 disappointing losses, but the 2007 season was crazy and that's what it will always be remembered for. We didn't get the springboard to 2008 we were hoping for, but as long as we take care of business come August, this will be forgotten. Let's get that national title next year so we never have to come back to Glendale!

[Jello Biafra]

Time we really look at why we lose .... it is the Defense, always has been the defense.


there were several factors. the biggest being the defense but.....name it. botched onside kick...... two failed two point attempts.......lack of play action passes..........lack of blocking..........lack of sense of urgency......penalties.......lack of turnovers......lack of attempted strips/attempted punched balls

seriously, there is a whole bunch of adjustments that are being made after you come off the field. if you go three and out several times in a row, not only are you gassing your defense, but they are not getting enough time to adjust to what is happening on the field. there simply is not enough time for the defensive coaches to get together and then meet with the players to settle them down and get them some confidence. all in all, three defensive series = wv 6 points = good series for the defense.

it's not like white was johnny unitas. when he was off, he was WAAAAAY off but when he was on, he hit his receivers in the numbers. the only thing that KILLED our defense was the lack of outside contain.

[dominationStation]

I don't think you guys get just how hard it is to win a national championship. I mean it would be nice if we would win one every year but it's just not reasonable. We've gone eight years now w/out a NC but you got to put it in perspective their are some teams that in a 100 years still haven't won one yet. So you need to lay off the boys alright. It's real cool of you thirty year old men talkin noise to some 18 year old kids just playin a game they love. honestly when it all comes down to it I think having the approval of the fan is the least thing on their minds.

[Jello Biafra]

I don't think you guys get just how hard it is to win a national championship. I mean it would be nice if we would win one every year but it's just not reasonable. We've gone eight years now w/out a NC but you got to put it in perspective their are some teams that in a 100 years still haven't won one yet. So you need to lay off the boys alright. It's real cool of you thirty year old men talkin noise to some 18 year old kids just playin a game they love. honestly when it all comes down to it I think having the approval of the fan is the least thing on their minds.


yeh. i think some of us DO know.....we're not talking about winning a national championship. we're talking about actually showing up and competeing in a bowl that is more winnable than most people think.

[TMcGee86]

which reminds me......


im also fuggin pizzed that we have an oline that AVERAGES 310+ across the front and we get our peckers slammed in the door on 4th and 1 twice........

craziness i tell you! absolutely no way in hell we shouldn't be able to get 5 yards by falling forward behind the left side of our line and maybe 7 if we have a blocking tight end on that side.......it doesn't register........two lineman who wegh in at 350+ and you can't get them to take up enough space to push MUUUUUCH smaller lineman backwards a few yards? even if the dlineman submarine fall on them or step in the middle of their backs with those size 17 cleats and they'll stop all that bullshiite!

I totally agree, that is ridiculous.

I am in no way happy about this game, and all of you make great points.

[TMcGee86]

there were several factors. the biggest being the defense but.....name it. botched onside kick...... two failed two point attempts.......lack of play action passes..........lack of blocking..........lack of sense of urgency......penalties.......lack of turnovers......lack of attempted strips/attempted punched balls

All those are great points, especially that last one, I cant remember how many times I was waiting for us to knock one free like we had all year and for some reason it never happened.


But unlike last year I just didn't get the feeling that we took this team lightly. It seemed like we were pumped up to play, but then I think we just didn't realize how fast they were.

I suppose that is coaching. As I've said before, the one problem I have with Bob is that he is terrible as a big favorite. Especially in big games. He's outstanding as an underdog. But he seems intensely uncomfortable coaching up a big favorite.

But watching that game, I was just amazed at how fast WVU was at all positions. I know we had our problems and the onside was huge, but I just never got the feeling that we were the better team. This is probably the first time I have really felt that if we played the game again ten times we would lose 8-9 of them. And I can't explain it. I wish I could pinpoint one aspect of the game that I thought we could have changed that would have made a big difference but I didn't see it. There was just domination on all phases.

One thing I will say, and I love Bradford and think he had the greatest freshman season ever, but if I have learned anything from being a lifelong Cowboys fan, it's all about the QB. Bradford had no answer when he was rushed. Most of that is on being young, but some of it is on not being mobile enough. He just couldn't take the game over. He settled down and threw the ball well, but with a mobile QB I think we win that game. There were huge lanes all night.

But I am in no way putting this loss on him. Im just grasping at straws now.

[OKmanUbet]

Sooner Magic is dead...at least that's the way I feel. Too many players with no heart, who only care about themselves....this doesn't lie squarly on the coaches. These guys were making mistakes that are made by high school kids. How in the heck does Beal get hooked in a weak side 5 technique...pathetic! That's something kids learn in Jr High football...DEs don't get hooked. They don't stop teaching this at Oklahoma, we just have unmotivated players right now..its sad and it pizzes me off! That's why I believe that Sooner Magic is dead....NO HEART! Mybe its lack of veteran leadership...maybe its fixable, but get it fuggin fixed!

[Dio]

I don't think you guys get just how hard it is to win a national championship. I mean it would be nice if we would win one every year but it's just not reasonable. We've gone eight years now w/out a NC but you got to put it in perspective their are some teams that in a 100 years still haven't won one yet. So you need to lay off the boys alright. It's real cool of you thirty year old men talkin noise to some 18 year old kids just playin a game they love. honestly when it all comes down to it I think having the approval of the fan is the least thing on their minds.

Stoops is a man! He's 40!

And he gets paid plenty to get those hard wins, and to hear about it when he doesn't.