A Sooner in Texas
12/7/2008, 02:54 PM
...that OU is the best. Here's one of the Houston Chron's sportswriters:
A sports blog with Richard Justice
December 07, 2008
Congratulations to Sooners: America's best team
I concede. They're better. Better than Texas and Texas Tech. Better than Alabama and USC and Florida, too.
OU has scored at least 60 points in five straight games. Never mind that the Sooners ran it up on Missouri.
That run-up-the-score doesn't count in a game like this. It counts against teams like Baylor and Texas A&M. It doesn't count against Texas, Ohio State, USC, etc. The Sooners wanted to make a statement. They made it. They're headed for their eighth national championship. That'll be two for Bob Stoops.
OU has won three straight Big 12 championships and six in 10 years under Stoops.
OU is the only team to beat five ranked teams: TCU, Kansas, Texas Tech, Oklahoma State and Missouri.
OU had 627 yards of offense against Missouri. The Sooners had at least 500 yards 10 times.
OU is the first FBS team to have two 1,000-yard rushers (DeMarco Murray and Chris Brown) and a 4,000-yard passer (Heisman Trophy winner Sam Bradford) in the same season.
OU had four turnovers and 21 takeaways in its last five games.
Bradford sewed up the Heisman Trophy with his 11th 300-yard passing game of the season. In his last three games--against Texas Tech, Oklahoma State and Missouri--he had 1,058 passing yards and 10 TD passes.
Posted by Richard at December 7, 2008 10:47 AM
Comments
Posted by: dm at December 7, 2008 11:48 AM
i still think your analysis is more subjective than objective, but i doubt you have the time to get into a full-blown debate. i believe that OU ran up the score in the last 5 games to help voters forget about that loss to UT. why else would you leave your starters in so late into the game vs. much lesser teams (OSU being the exception)?
[By definition, analysis and opinion are more more subjective than objective. OU certainly didn't run up the score against Oklahoma State. Before that, OU had scored 48 fourth-quarter points the entire season.--Richard]
Posted by: Brian at December 7, 2008 12:43 PM
So, running up the score does not count against Mizzou. Sooners "...had a statement to make". Some statement. Says "we gotta cream these guys to keep our reputation and 'hot streak going'". No apology necessary. It's just "the way the world is". It's all about perception. The perception in the minds of all those who have to have a number one and that "statements" need to be made at the expense of the dignity (yes, dignity) of the loser, that being the crushing of same. Someone mentioned the loss of sportsmanship awhile back...maybe on another blog. This is another example of what could be pretty much the inscription on sportsmanship's tombstone. It does make UT's victory over these losers all the sweeter. There is a thread of justice still out there. Sadly, probably close to half the OU squad was born/raised in Texas. Not that that makes a difference. All these kids are being brought up with a value system that rewards "power and might" as among the only "real virtues". Do have to wonder if Brown would have done the same as Stoops in this situation.
[I don't think there's anything wrong with running up the score if you're playing a comparable school. To me, you're just playing the game. If a strong team is playing a patsy like A&M or SMU, that's different. I know most people disagree with me on this. I covered an NFL game in which a team took a knee late in the game, and the other team used it as a rallying cry for the playoffs. They considered not playing full the whole way to be the insult.--Richard]
A sports blog with Richard Justice
December 07, 2008
Congratulations to Sooners: America's best team
I concede. They're better. Better than Texas and Texas Tech. Better than Alabama and USC and Florida, too.
OU has scored at least 60 points in five straight games. Never mind that the Sooners ran it up on Missouri.
That run-up-the-score doesn't count in a game like this. It counts against teams like Baylor and Texas A&M. It doesn't count against Texas, Ohio State, USC, etc. The Sooners wanted to make a statement. They made it. They're headed for their eighth national championship. That'll be two for Bob Stoops.
OU has won three straight Big 12 championships and six in 10 years under Stoops.
OU is the only team to beat five ranked teams: TCU, Kansas, Texas Tech, Oklahoma State and Missouri.
OU had 627 yards of offense against Missouri. The Sooners had at least 500 yards 10 times.
OU is the first FBS team to have two 1,000-yard rushers (DeMarco Murray and Chris Brown) and a 4,000-yard passer (Heisman Trophy winner Sam Bradford) in the same season.
OU had four turnovers and 21 takeaways in its last five games.
Bradford sewed up the Heisman Trophy with his 11th 300-yard passing game of the season. In his last three games--against Texas Tech, Oklahoma State and Missouri--he had 1,058 passing yards and 10 TD passes.
Posted by Richard at December 7, 2008 10:47 AM
Comments
Posted by: dm at December 7, 2008 11:48 AM
i still think your analysis is more subjective than objective, but i doubt you have the time to get into a full-blown debate. i believe that OU ran up the score in the last 5 games to help voters forget about that loss to UT. why else would you leave your starters in so late into the game vs. much lesser teams (OSU being the exception)?
[By definition, analysis and opinion are more more subjective than objective. OU certainly didn't run up the score against Oklahoma State. Before that, OU had scored 48 fourth-quarter points the entire season.--Richard]
Posted by: Brian at December 7, 2008 12:43 PM
So, running up the score does not count against Mizzou. Sooners "...had a statement to make". Some statement. Says "we gotta cream these guys to keep our reputation and 'hot streak going'". No apology necessary. It's just "the way the world is". It's all about perception. The perception in the minds of all those who have to have a number one and that "statements" need to be made at the expense of the dignity (yes, dignity) of the loser, that being the crushing of same. Someone mentioned the loss of sportsmanship awhile back...maybe on another blog. This is another example of what could be pretty much the inscription on sportsmanship's tombstone. It does make UT's victory over these losers all the sweeter. There is a thread of justice still out there. Sadly, probably close to half the OU squad was born/raised in Texas. Not that that makes a difference. All these kids are being brought up with a value system that rewards "power and might" as among the only "real virtues". Do have to wonder if Brown would have done the same as Stoops in this situation.
[I don't think there's anything wrong with running up the score if you're playing a comparable school. To me, you're just playing the game. If a strong team is playing a patsy like A&M or SMU, that's different. I know most people disagree with me on this. I covered an NFL game in which a team took a knee late in the game, and the other team used it as a rallying cry for the playoffs. They considered not playing full the whole way to be the insult.--Richard]