PLaw
10/25/2008, 10:49 AM
A couple of things to think about as the season turns down the home stretch.
1) Must be sound in all three phases of the game. Simply cannot have any glaring weaknesses. OU's offense is off the charts, scary good; defense is good, not dominating; and special teams is suspect to down right poor. OU's strength on offense could not overcome the deficiencies of the two other phases against the t-sips.
2) Must stay healthy and have superior conditioning. Looking back at 2000, 98% of the two deep roster was the same in the OB as what started the season. Few, if any, injuries to the starting line up. This season, critical injuries have plagued the Sooners all over the field.
3) Must have chemistry, "swagger", and mental toughness. The "between the ears" stuff that intimidates and refuses to lose at gut check time. The Torrance Marshall "you took my boy's trophy and we're coming to get it" attitude.
4) Coaching that strikes fear and respect into the opponent. The feeling that Bobby Bowden expressed after his offense was shut out in the OB when he said "we couldn't figure out where they were coming from". The mb apology to all the texass fans for getting beat physically, mentally, and emotionally. The Solich feeling when OU refused to lose and came back from 2 TD's down. The coaching that instills confidence in the players to allow them to "play loose", but within the frame work of discipline - the RRW "superman" attack on chrissy.
5) Getting a little dose of Sooner Magic and overcoming obstacles when the ball doesn't bounce the right way.
Does this year's Sooner team measure up? We probably won't know until late in November - but take heart Brother SOONERS, there is enough of the season left to sprinkle a little Sooner Magic dust around and head to the hardware store to buy some scoreboard paint.
BOOMER
1) Must be sound in all three phases of the game. Simply cannot have any glaring weaknesses. OU's offense is off the charts, scary good; defense is good, not dominating; and special teams is suspect to down right poor. OU's strength on offense could not overcome the deficiencies of the two other phases against the t-sips.
2) Must stay healthy and have superior conditioning. Looking back at 2000, 98% of the two deep roster was the same in the OB as what started the season. Few, if any, injuries to the starting line up. This season, critical injuries have plagued the Sooners all over the field.
3) Must have chemistry, "swagger", and mental toughness. The "between the ears" stuff that intimidates and refuses to lose at gut check time. The Torrance Marshall "you took my boy's trophy and we're coming to get it" attitude.
4) Coaching that strikes fear and respect into the opponent. The feeling that Bobby Bowden expressed after his offense was shut out in the OB when he said "we couldn't figure out where they were coming from". The mb apology to all the texass fans for getting beat physically, mentally, and emotionally. The Solich feeling when OU refused to lose and came back from 2 TD's down. The coaching that instills confidence in the players to allow them to "play loose", but within the frame work of discipline - the RRW "superman" attack on chrissy.
5) Getting a little dose of Sooner Magic and overcoming obstacles when the ball doesn't bounce the right way.
Does this year's Sooner team measure up? We probably won't know until late in November - but take heart Brother SOONERS, there is enough of the season left to sprinkle a little Sooner Magic dust around and head to the hardware store to buy some scoreboard paint.
BOOMER