4th QTR

[landrun]

I hope we realize we need to FINISH games from now on.

In the last two games we have been outscored 31-7 in the 4th QTR. :( :O

Think about that. Its hard to win a game when you quit like that. But we've pulled them out somehow. If we just play respectable, not great, but just show up, we win both those games comfortably.

We have a chance to run the table this year. But we have to play FOUR qtrs from here on out.

[ouwasp]

Truth. You have to believe the coaches are raising **** about this.

[Crucifax Autumn]

At least we've been in the position that we could afford to give up 4th quarter points.

[SoonerBacker]

At least no one will accuse us of running up the score this year.

[cccasooner2]

I hope we realize we need to FINISH games from now on.

DOOMED. You mentioned one of the two jinx words. I will not contribute the other.

[OK2LA]

This would be good on a T-shirt.

Maybe a wristband.

[Leroy Lizard]

I hope we realize we need to FINISH games from now on.

In the last two games we have been outscored 31-7 in the 4th QTR. :( :O

That is allowing only one TD on defense per game. (FSU scored 10, leaving 21 points in the three remaining games.)

Our lack of offensive production is the problem.

BTW, we have scored 10 points, not 7.

[PhiDeltBeers]

I believe the score is 41-10 in 4th quarter play this year. Not good. But, we're still undefeated. I'll take what I can get.

[ouleaf]

I think we get to "Playing not to lose" mentality and lose some of our edge on both sides of the ball.

Cincy and Air Force had no business being in the game after we stretched the lead to 27-10 on AF and 24-9 on Cincy. We start playing conservative an predictable and it drives me nuts. It results in way too many 3 and outs and/or our defense being on the field way to long and are gassed late in the game.

We really need someone, coach, player, or otherwise that can keep the fire lit under these guys the whole 60 minutes. I mean really get after them, get in the face, and demand that we stomp them in mud. It's times likes these that I really miss Mike Stoops. It was like they showed on TV on saturday. Mike goes nuts on the sidelines for 60 minutes and he gets his guys to play like their hair is on fire. We need that type of motivator.

Landry is going to give me a nervous breakdown before the end of the season, this much i am sure. From the sporadic bits where he can't hit the broad side of a barn, to instantly going to check down when his 1st read isn't there, to thowing the ball on 3rd down to a covered receiver 5 yards short of the 1st down marker.

I realize Kevin likes to get his QB's settled by opening with a lot of simple throws to help get them in rhythm, but you'd think we have the talent to stretch the field a bit more and look for some down field shots to keep them honest.

[Leroy Lizard]

I think we get to "Playing not to lose" mentality and lose some of our edge on both sides of the ball.

Cincy and Air Force had no business being in the game after we stretched the lead to 27-10 on AF and 24-9 on Cincy. We start playing conservative an predictable and it drives me nuts. It results in way too many 3 and outs and/or our defense being on the field way to long and are gassed late in the game.

We really need someone, coach, player, or otherwise that can keep the fire lit under these guys the whole 60 minutes. I mean really get after them, get in the face, and demand that we stomp them in mud. It's times likes these that I really miss Mike Stoops. It was like they showed on TV on saturday. Mike goes nuts on the sidelines for 60 minutes and he gets his guys to play like their hair is on fire. We need that type of motivator.

Landry is going to give me a nervous breakdown before the end of the season, this much i am sure. From the sporadic bits where he can't hit the broad side of a barn, to instantly going to check down when his 1st read isn't there, to thowing the ball on 3rd down to a covered receiver 5 yards short of the 1st down marker.

I realize Kevin likes to get his QB's settled by opening with a lot of simple throws to help get them in rhythm, but you'd think we have the talent to stretch the field a bit more and look for some down field shots to keep them honest.

Sorry, ouleaf, but your post is a cliche of every disgruntled football fan on every forum in the country.

"light a fire under their asses"

"throw it downfield"

"playing not to lose"

"going into a shell"

"conservative and predictable"

When you are in the fourth quarter and up by (say) 10, most fans say "Keep it on the ground! Grind out the clock! Ball control! Don't do anything to give the game away!"

But if you do, then after the game the same fans say "Too predictable! Too conservative! We went into a shell!"

You just can't win.

[jumperstop]

It seems our play late in games, letting teams back into it has been a recurring theme for the past few seasons.

[jumperstop]

We're good at jumping on teams early though, that's always a plus. For some reason we don't do a good job a playing the entire 60 min.

[ouleaf]

Cliche, yes. But that doesn't make them inaccurate necessarily.

Grind it out strategy if fine....i'm all for it. It's just when you are trying to grind it out and it consistently results in 3 and outs are what i have a problem with.

[ouwasp]

If the D would simply make some stops most of wouldn't mind an anemic 4th Q offense...

[Leroy Lizard]

Cliche, yes. But that doesn't make them inaccurate necessarily.

Okay, so we can have our coaches act like Mike Stoops on the sidelines. The trouble is that Mike's teams have not been known for putting teams away. In fact, they lost their bid last year to go to the Rose Bowl because Oregon outplayed them down the stretch: Arizona was up by 10 in the fourth quarter.


Grind it out strategy if fine....i'm all for it. It's just when you are trying to grind it out and it consistently results in 3 and outs are what i have a problem with.

So you're all for it if it works; but will criticize it if it doesn't. Sounds like hindsight.

I'm all for maintaining intensity, but coaches are very limited in their ability to do that. Get the defense all hyped up, and the next thing you know the CB is biting on the play action.

As far as predictable goes: I doubt that is a problem. The playcalling, from my view, doesn't change much in the fourth quarter. If you disagree we can look at the stats. I did this last year and shut a number of posters up who were claiming we always did yadda-yadda on first down, and so on.

There is no easy answer.

[East Coast Bias]

It does seem like our team lacks motivation and that points to coaching. They come out in earnest at the start and then try to coast in with the win. When the game was a 2 point margin the team fired it up again and took control, especially on defense!! The offense needs to take some responsibility for creating momentum and not go back into it's shell. The offense definetely takes series off. Remember when the Sooners expected to score every possession?

[goingoneight]

I'm reminded so much of the 2006 season... we apparently has SOOOOOO many awesome players on defense and after four games we had no way to tell if they were good or not. In fact, their inconsistency cost us as much as the refs did at Oregon. Turns out all of our good defenders from the preseason needed to learn how to play defense.

If we continue to keep winning, they'll get better. They always do. I won't be surprised to see us lose, though... not the way we're playing right now.

[jkjsooner]

Okay, so we can have our coaches act like Mike Stoops on the sidelines. The trouble is that Mike's teams have not been known for putting teams away. In fact, they lost their bid last year to go to the Rose Bowl because Oregon outplayed them down the stretch: Arizona was up by 10 in the fourth quarter.

So you're all for it if it works; but will criticize it if it doesn't. Sounds like hindsight.

I agree with a lot of what you said in an earlier post but I think you're wrong about saying it's only hindsight. At some point you have to recognize that a run only philosophy isn't working. You can't effectively use the clock if you're not making first downs.

We had a 3rd and 7 late in the game and our running game had been completely ineffective. We ran one more time and had to punt. I'm not blaming Stoops for that call but I will say it showed that the coaches had no confidence in Jones at that point in the game.

[OUstud]

That is allowing only one TD on defense per game. (FSU scored 10, leaving 21 points in the three remaining games.)

Our lack of offensive production is the problem.

BTW, we have scored 10 points, not 7.

He said just in the last 2 games. But yeah, it's been a problem.

[kevpks]

It has been a strange year. How long have we been behind this year? By my count, it is the time it took us to answer Cincy's first field goal. I hope this is the week we finally drop the hammer once we build a lead.

[kc sooner]

I agree with a lot of what you said in an earlier post but I think you're wrong about saying it's only hindsight. At some point you have to recognize that a run only philosophy isn't working. You can't effectively use the clock if you're not making first downs.

We had a 3rd and 7 late in the game and our running game had been completely ineffective. We ran one more time and had to punt. I'm not blaming Stoops for that call but I will say it showed that the coaches had no confidence in Jones at that point in the game.

That is the one question I would love an answer to. 3rd and 7, Demarco is averaging about 2.5 yards a carry, you're up by 2 points and you run the same handoff that averages 2 yards? I would llike to know if they thought he could get a first down, or if they trusted the defense to hold them after all the big plays they were giving up. I don't know if it's no trust in Jones or if they thought that play would work, but I never though they would run that play there. Luckily for us, they muffed the punt and we recovered.
I also wanted to say that we went to the game, and all the Cincy fans around us - I wouldn't say they were real friendly, but they weren't jerks either.