MyT Oklahoma
10/4/2009, 08:34 AM
This sums it up well in my opinion but to each his/her own.
OU kicks away its BCS title dreams.
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Well, the critics won't have coach Bob Stoops and his Oklahoma football team to kick around anymore when it comes to the BCS championship game.
No. 17 Miami (Fla.) took care of that for them Saturday night when the Hurricanes hung a 21-20 loss on the No. 8 Sooners at Land Shark Stadium.
The loss almost certainly eliminated OU from any hope of appearing in the BCS title game a second straight season and the fifth time this decade.
The defeat was already the second of the young season for the Sooners, and only one team (LSU in 2007) has advanced to the national championship contest with two losses.
But putting OU and the BCS title game in the same sentence seems ludicrous after this loss.
OU won't need any outside help from the critics. They should spend the rest of this season kicking themselves for a poor performance in a contest they easily could have won and should have won even though they were handicapped by key injuries.
One of the first swift kicks should be aimed at OU offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson's playbook. It was Wilson's conservative play calling that killed what had been an inspired OU rally late in the game that almost saved the bumbling Sooners from another bitter defeat in south Florida.
Stoops added to the offensive woes with his questionable decision to not go for a two-point conversion when OU scored late in the third quarter. A successful two-point attempt would have made it 21-18 and meant Jimmy Stevens' 39-yard field goal in the fourth quarter would have tied the game.
OU's defense gave the Sooners one more chance when the offense took over on Miami's 8-yard line with 8:01 left in the game. Wilson opted to call seven consecutive running plays into the heart of a Miami defense that had pounded the Sooners all night. His only pass attempt came on the last play of the drive, which DeMarco Murray caught for no gain on third-and-12, forcing OU to settle for a field goal.
We get it that Wilson thought he had to be somewhat conservative because backup quarterback Landry Jones was starting his first road game since replacing All-American Sam Bradford, who was injured in the season-opening loss to BYU.
But the maddening thing about OU's offensive strategy is that Jones looked totally in his element on OU's first drive of the game. He drove the Sooners 80 yards in eight plays for a 7-0 lead by mixing the run with some passes that stretched the field.
Jones had a 37-yard completion to Ryan Broyles and put the Sooners on the board with a 16-yard thing of beauty to wideout Cameron Kenney. Kenney's first touchdown as a Sooner seemed to indicate OU was in for a good night against a Miami defensive secondary that was missing two starters because of injuries.
Instead, after that fast start, OU's offense went into a mysterious shell. Jones, who was 3-of-4 passing for 62 yards, including the touchdown strike, was limited to short-pass attempts as Wilson opted to keep it on the ground with 42 rushing attempts.
We also get it that OU's offense was handcuffed even more when Broyles was lost in the second quarter with a shoulder injury. With Bradford (shoulder) and All-America tight end Jermaine Gresham (knee) already missing from the lineup, Broyles was one of the few big-time playmakers available for the Miami contest.
But if OU expects to have any success the rest of this troubled season, Stoops and Wilson have to place their trust in some other receivers. As Kenney showed on that first drive, he has something to offer if given the chance. And wideout Brandon Caleb, who was coming on strong in wins over Idaho State and Tulsa, seemed to be a forgotten man for most of this game.
Every one of the 61,790 spectators and a national television audience knew that OU needed its defense to play a major role against the Hurricanes. And it almost pulled it off. While it officially shows that Miami scored its three touchdowns on passes, one of those was set up when Jones fumbled on his own 11-yard line as OU's offensive line continued its season-long struggles, this time against a blitzing Miami defense.
So where does this loss that didn't need to happen leave OU? Well, the Sooners still have their annual showdown with Texas in two weeks and are still in contention to win a fourth consecutive Big 12 Conference championship. And there's also the expected return of Bradford either this week against Baylor or for the Texas game.
But considering Wilson's uninspired play-calling and the lack of weapons like Gresham and Broyles, it's doubtful if OU's Heisman Trophy winner will be able to do much better than Jones.
Big 12 championship? There's no way the Sooners will contend for that last remaining goal unless they find a way to kick themselves in the pants to jump start a season that's starting to look like it could be one of the most difficult of Stoops' 11 seasons at OU.
http://www.tulsaworld.com/sportsextra/OU/article.aspx?subjectid=92&articleid=20091004_202_B9_MIAMIG381784
OU kicks away its BCS title dreams.
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Well, the critics won't have coach Bob Stoops and his Oklahoma football team to kick around anymore when it comes to the BCS championship game.
No. 17 Miami (Fla.) took care of that for them Saturday night when the Hurricanes hung a 21-20 loss on the No. 8 Sooners at Land Shark Stadium.
The loss almost certainly eliminated OU from any hope of appearing in the BCS title game a second straight season and the fifth time this decade.
The defeat was already the second of the young season for the Sooners, and only one team (LSU in 2007) has advanced to the national championship contest with two losses.
But putting OU and the BCS title game in the same sentence seems ludicrous after this loss.
OU won't need any outside help from the critics. They should spend the rest of this season kicking themselves for a poor performance in a contest they easily could have won and should have won even though they were handicapped by key injuries.
One of the first swift kicks should be aimed at OU offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson's playbook. It was Wilson's conservative play calling that killed what had been an inspired OU rally late in the game that almost saved the bumbling Sooners from another bitter defeat in south Florida.
Stoops added to the offensive woes with his questionable decision to not go for a two-point conversion when OU scored late in the third quarter. A successful two-point attempt would have made it 21-18 and meant Jimmy Stevens' 39-yard field goal in the fourth quarter would have tied the game.
OU's defense gave the Sooners one more chance when the offense took over on Miami's 8-yard line with 8:01 left in the game. Wilson opted to call seven consecutive running plays into the heart of a Miami defense that had pounded the Sooners all night. His only pass attempt came on the last play of the drive, which DeMarco Murray caught for no gain on third-and-12, forcing OU to settle for a field goal.
We get it that Wilson thought he had to be somewhat conservative because backup quarterback Landry Jones was starting his first road game since replacing All-American Sam Bradford, who was injured in the season-opening loss to BYU.
But the maddening thing about OU's offensive strategy is that Jones looked totally in his element on OU's first drive of the game. He drove the Sooners 80 yards in eight plays for a 7-0 lead by mixing the run with some passes that stretched the field.
Jones had a 37-yard completion to Ryan Broyles and put the Sooners on the board with a 16-yard thing of beauty to wideout Cameron Kenney. Kenney's first touchdown as a Sooner seemed to indicate OU was in for a good night against a Miami defensive secondary that was missing two starters because of injuries.
Instead, after that fast start, OU's offense went into a mysterious shell. Jones, who was 3-of-4 passing for 62 yards, including the touchdown strike, was limited to short-pass attempts as Wilson opted to keep it on the ground with 42 rushing attempts.
We also get it that OU's offense was handcuffed even more when Broyles was lost in the second quarter with a shoulder injury. With Bradford (shoulder) and All-America tight end Jermaine Gresham (knee) already missing from the lineup, Broyles was one of the few big-time playmakers available for the Miami contest.
But if OU expects to have any success the rest of this troubled season, Stoops and Wilson have to place their trust in some other receivers. As Kenney showed on that first drive, he has something to offer if given the chance. And wideout Brandon Caleb, who was coming on strong in wins over Idaho State and Tulsa, seemed to be a forgotten man for most of this game.
Every one of the 61,790 spectators and a national television audience knew that OU needed its defense to play a major role against the Hurricanes. And it almost pulled it off. While it officially shows that Miami scored its three touchdowns on passes, one of those was set up when Jones fumbled on his own 11-yard line as OU's offensive line continued its season-long struggles, this time against a blitzing Miami defense.
So where does this loss that didn't need to happen leave OU? Well, the Sooners still have their annual showdown with Texas in two weeks and are still in contention to win a fourth consecutive Big 12 Conference championship. And there's also the expected return of Bradford either this week against Baylor or for the Texas game.
But considering Wilson's uninspired play-calling and the lack of weapons like Gresham and Broyles, it's doubtful if OU's Heisman Trophy winner will be able to do much better than Jones.
Big 12 championship? There's no way the Sooners will contend for that last remaining goal unless they find a way to kick themselves in the pants to jump start a season that's starting to look like it could be one of the most difficult of Stoops' 11 seasons at OU.
http://www.tulsaworld.com/sportsextra/OU/article.aspx?subjectid=92&articleid=20091004_202_B9_MIAMIG381784