Let's Get Real-Reason OSU Game Got Out of Reach was OFFENSE's Fault Not Defense

[htownsooner7]

With 5 minutes left in the second quarter, we have the ball on the OSU 19. At this point, OU has more first downs than OSU, has held OSU to a respectable 10 points, and has forced multiple punts. Inexplicably, the offense and quarterback in particular turn into our worst enemy. On 3rd and 6 from OSU's 19, Landry sees a blitz up the middle, tries to avoid but can't, and fumbles backwards resulting in a 70 yard fumble return to the OU 1. The defense has no chance from the 1, Touchdown OSU. Instead of it being 10-3 in a very close game where we have outgained the opponent and forcing OSU to start with the ball in their own territory, we are now down three scores. What do we do next?

We get a holding call on the kickoff return and start from our own 10. The defense did nothing to deserve being forced to defend from our own 1 just seconds prior, and now must be given a reprieve. What does our offense do? 3 plays, negative 1 yard, 2 incomplete passes, 63 second drive. OSU gets the ball at the OU 43. Not saying they had no chance to hold OSU to 3, but what a terrible possession by the offense. Terrible beyond the stats, terrible because of the time in the game that it occurred, and the absolute onslaught it sets up.

Fast forward to the 3q (and you all know where this goes). OU Defense does not have a great stand but does hold OSU to 3 points and a 3 minute drive. How does our offense respond? First play, mishandled shotgun snap, compounded by having the ball slip out of the QB's hand backwards towards our own endzone, touchdown OSU. Score is OSU 34-3 with 11:50 to go in the game. The route has taken place.

So you tell me? How did the game get from being a likely 7 point game with 4:30 to go in the first half (and us outgaining and having more first downs than OSU), to us being down 31? All in 7 minutes of game time.

You can hate on Venables and the defense all you want, but this getting out of reach clearly lies at the feet of the offense, and quarterback.

Don't believe me, here's a link to the play-by-play. http://www.soonersports.com/sports/m-footbl/stats/2011-2012/12_osu.html#GAME.PLY

[Breadburner]

Excelent post....

[PDXsooner]

What game are you referring to? Iowa State was our last game. There was no other game.

[rainiersooner]

Couldn't agree more. All year long people said we could beat OSU in a shoot out...that would require having bullets to shoot, so to speak.

[BoulderSooner79]

Yes, our team was built to play with a lead. Our offense could get a quick start and our defense was pretty salty when the other guy had pressure to score most the time. But with our best WR and best RB out, the offense can no longer hold up it's end of the bargain. The defense did not play great either, but no team in the big12 is going to hold OSU to much less than 30 and the offense we currently field had no chance of approaching 30 points against OSU on their home field. In addition to losing the talent, they have also lost their confidence because things that used to work don't work anymore. I don't use the word "fault" because it is just facts. Yes, the coaching staff could have handled the situation better, for example we could have won the Baylor game. But I don't see any magic coaching changes that would have us beating the pokes this year.

[MamaMia]

Look at the whole season. Its the Offense. Its the Defense. Its ongoing injuries, and its not having adequate backups ready. Its Special Teams, Its the coaches screwing up. Its the play calling. Its the players screwing up. How anyone thought we could win the National Championship, including myself, with all these ongoing problems is a fool. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.

Unless some big changes are made in just about how we do everything, it ain't gonna happen.

[sooneron]

I agree wholeheartedly with the OP.
Offense screwed the pooch much more than the D.

Boulder- I disagree with the play with a lead part. Our offense is good, because it keeps us in games. We haven't really started fast out of the gates since Sam was here.

1Q stats for points and the first drive's result -
tu - 10, first drive - punt
fsu - 7 , 1st drive - td
miz - 10, first drive, punt
BALL ST! - 10, first drive, td
ut - 6, 1st drive, fg
ku, 10, 1st drive, punt- 3&out
tech - 7, 1st drive, td
ksu - 14, 1st drive, td
atm - 7, 1st drive, fumble
baylor - 3, 1st drive, fg
isu - 3, 1st drive, fg - we got the ball via fumble on their 38
osu- 0, 1st drive, 5 plays punt

[BoulderSooner79]

Depends on what you define as fast. Games are won in the 2nd half, so look at the half-time scores.

[sooneron]

In 2008, we scored a td on the first drive in all but 4 games including the bcs game.

[goingoneight]

The wheels came off starting with Whaley being out against Taco Tech. That led to Tech gaining and sustaining momentum on a bad night by the OU defense. The next few weeks it just fell apart with injuries to big time players and leaders.

[badger]

What does Mike Leach have to say on the matter?

Leach: Like everybody, you go out there and it’s first down. And you say, 'get 10. Get 10. Yes!' If you get two, you say, 'get eight, get eight, get eight.' Then you get another first down and then you score some points. Defensively, you try to stop them.

[sooneron]

I said "Started fast". My definition is beholden to started, which imo, is the first drive or (to a greater extent) first quarter- seeing as how that is the start. And as the season went along, the scores at halftime began to dwindle due to better comp.

[sooneron]

The wheels came off starting with Whaley being out against Taco Tech. That led to Tech gaining and sustaining momentum on a bad night by the OU defense. The next few weeks it just fell apart with injuries to big time players and leaders.

I look at this and agree, but I shake my head that we didn't have dependable running backs other than a walk on... It was supposedly our strongpoint coming into the season and most of us didn't know a lot about DW.

[BoulderSooner79]

What I meant was "designed to play with a lead". We didn't always accomplish it this year, but we generally lead by half time in all our wins and were down in all the losses. My point is that our team was effective when the offense controlled the game -- i.e. we were never designed to have our defense control the game ala Bama. That's just a general observation and we did win against FSU with a strong defensive effort. But we were obviously very thin and loosing either Whaley or Brolyes, let alone both, prevented us from controlling the game against most defenses (even big12 defenses). Our defense could still control KSU and ISU because they lacked big time skill players, but BU and OSU do not.

I see everyone calling out coaches/offense/defense/special teams, etc. But the bottom line is it was all working pretty well up to the TT game regardless of all the flaws. And it was not smoke and mirrors - we were a legit top 5 team. But TT was first game without Whaley and Broyles was not 100% and we didn't have Flemming or Wort on D and our lack of depth showed through.

[cvsooner]

We started out 6-0 and then played .500 ball after that, with two losses on the road to high-powered offenses and one loss at home with a high-powered offense. We almost came back in two of those losses...I mean, until last Saturday, we were nine points away from being unbeaten. The OSewe game, much like the Tech game, is really more on the O than the D. Even Tress Way wasn't having a great night, which has been huge.

We showed up with the Untouchables problem: brought a knife to a gun fight. Defense did its part against OSewe (unlike Tech or Baylor, and more like the Nebraska game in '09), but fell apart after the O basically gave up 21 points.

Iowa has a pretty good QB, RB and WR combo. I admit I'm more than a little concerned with that team, and our team's apparent lack of pride in performing to the very best of their ability every single game. For whatever reasons, Stoops and Co. cannot get that message across to the point that the players actually take action. (Some do...Roy Finch was still trying his dangdest even late in the 4th qtr.)

I'll say this: if this team is going to win a championship next season, Landry has to become an actual leader, and not just a QB who has thrown for a lot of yards and won most of his games. The apparent leader (Broyles) went down and nobody ever took over that role.

[BoulderSooner79]

I don't know much about the Iowa team, but I do worry about the psyche of our players. They are people too, just like the fans on this board and how many of us really care about the Insight bowl? We'll care when the game starts, but right now we are digesting disappointment. The coaches must inspire the players to leave it behind now and prepare like it's a critical game. From what I've read, Iowa is happy to land a big name opponent that is 9-3, so I suspect they will be ready.

[htownsooner7]

I still shake my head thinking about this stretch. Among other things, I can't help but circle back to our qb as to why this collapse occurred. I've been very critical of him over the years and have taken a lot of heat about it, but you can call him unlucky, you can call him untimely, or you can call him untrustworthy. Whatever description you want to use, but he has had a knack for making the wrong turnover in the dead wrong time. I know he is by far the best qb we have in the program and that there is no way that he won't be the guy if comes back, but there is a part of me that would just rather start fresh with someone new and say whether the offense can take on a different persona. As far as skillset and ability to make great throws, I know our qb has tremendous upside. I just can't help but think, looking at the complete body of work for 3 years, that him running this offense is not going to get us to the next level.

[sooneron]

I ran into an Iowa player's mom at my local bagel shop. They seem giddy at this opportunity.

[SoonerLaw09]

I ran into an Iowa player's mom at my local bagel shop. They seem giddy at this opportunity.

You mean the opportunity to mudhole stomp us? Yeah.

[SoonerLaw09]

With 5 minutes left in the second quarter, we have the ball on the OSU 19. At this point, OU has more first downs than OSU, has held OSU to a respectable 10 points, and has forced multiple punts. Inexplicably, the offense and quarterback in particular turn into our worst enemy. On 3rd and 6 from OSU's 19, Landry sees a blitz up the middle, tries to avoid but can't, and fumbles backwards resulting in a 70 yard fumble return to the OU 1. The defense has no chance from the 1, Touchdown OSU. Instead of it being 10-3 in a very close game where we have outgained the opponent and forcing OSU to start with the ball in their own territory, we are now down three scores. What do we do next?

We get a holding call on the kickoff return and start from our own 10. The defense did nothing to deserve being forced to defend from our own 1 just seconds prior, and now must be given a reprieve. What does our offense do? 3 plays, negative 1 yard, 2 incomplete passes, 63 second drive. OSU gets the ball at the OU 43. Not saying they had no chance to hold OSU to 3, but what a terrible possession by the offense. Terrible beyond the stats, terrible because of the time in the game that it occurred, and the absolute onslaught it sets up.

Fast forward to the 3q (and you all know where this goes). OU Defense does not have a great stand but does hold OSU to 3 points and a 3 minute drive. How does our offense respond? First play, mishandled shotgun snap, compounded by having the ball slip out of the QB's hand backwards towards our own endzone, touchdown OSU. Score is OSU 34-3 with 11:50 to go in the game. The route has taken place.

So you tell me? How did the game get from being a likely 7 point game with 4:30 to go in the first half (and us outgaining and having more first downs than OSU), to us being down 31? All in 7 minutes of game time.

You can hate on Venables and the defense all you want, but this getting out of reach clearly lies at the feet of the offense, and quarterback.

Don't believe me, here's a link to the play-by-play. http://www.soonersports.com/sports/m-footbl/stats/2011-2012/12_osu.html#GAME.PLY

http://image.spreadshirt.com/image-server/image/product/17397237/view/1/type/png/width/378/height/378/stop-making-sense.png

[Pricetag]

What team wouldn't be licking their chops to play OU right now? We're a paper tiger with a big name--a very satisfying end to the season for just about any team.

Personally, I can't wait for the Insight Bowl. I want to see what this team is really made of with a month to dwell on what has happened this year.

[cvsooner]

I still shake my head thinking about this stretch. Among other things, I can't help but circle back to our qb as to why this collapse occurred. I've been very critical of him over the years and have taken a lot of heat about it, but you can call him unlucky, you can call him untimely, or you can call him untrustworthy. Whatever description you want to use, but he has had a knack for making the wrong turnover in the dead wrong time. I know he is by far the best qb we have in the program and that there is no way that he won't be the guy if comes back, but there is a part of me that would just rather start fresh with someone new and say whether the offense can take on a different persona. As far as skillset and ability to make great throws, I know our qb has tremendous upside. I just can't help but think, looking at the complete body of work for 3 years, that him running this offense is not going to get us to the next level.I keep thinking of the late fumble against Texas last year that he at least had the moxie/wisdom/luck to knock out of bounds. Been way too many plays like that for my taste. And I even like the guy!

[East Coast Bias]

I believe the wheels fell off the offense when Broyles and Whaley went down. I think Jones is a good QB, but even he says the receivers make him look good and I believe that is true. He is not good enought to overcome pedestrian WR's play or an off day by Stills or Reynolds. I believe we will get our groove back with new receivers coming in and will have a serviceable QB to keep a strong offense but the defense is a deeper settled problem. Sure you can make the case that the offense lost this game but the defense lost the season. And they had a strong part in this defeat as well. I hope some real change comes to the defense or this will be an ongoing struggle. Lets put as much focus into recruiting and developing defensive talent as we are in the more glamorous positions?

[Phil]

What game are you referring to? Iowa State was our last game. There was no other game.

TGOWWDNS has no peers. This can't be TGOWWDNS II, because we live with these people all year long. In my case, I share a bed with one. Can't just refuse to acknowledge it.

[One4OU]

Agreed, the offense has sputtered and is a fraction of what it was.

How about a play by play against Texas Tech... First half especially.

And Baylor... In the second half we had 5 possessions when we were up by a td and did nothing.

While our defense is nit what we expect the offense has made it worse especially when that is what we are.

[stoops the eternal pimp]

TGOWWDNS has no peers. This can't be TGOWWDNS II, because we live with these people all year long. In my case, I share a bed with one. Can't just refuse to acknowledge it.

Agreed..

[GDC]

With 5 minutes left in the second quarter, we have the ball on the OSU 19. At this point, OU has more first downs than OSU, has held OSU to a respectable 10 points, and has forced multiple punts. Inexplicably, the offense and quarterback in particular turn into our worst enemy. On 3rd and 6 from OSU's 19, Landry sees a blitz up the middle, tries to avoid but can't, and fumbles backwards resulting in a 70 yard fumble return to the OU 1. The defense has no chance from the 1, Touchdown OSU. Instead of it being 10-3 in a very close game where we have outgained the opponent and forcing OSU to start with the ball in their own territory, we are now down three scores. What do we do next?

We get a holding call on the kickoff return and start from our own 10. The defense did nothing to deserve being forced to defend from our own 1 just seconds prior, and now must be given a reprieve. What does our offense do? 3 plays, negative 1 yard, 2 incomplete passes, 63 second drive. OSU gets the ball at the OU 43. Not saying they had no chance to hold OSU to 3, but what a terrible possession by the offense. Terrible beyond the stats, terrible because of the time in the game that it occurred, and the absolute onslaught it sets up.

Fast forward to the 3q (and you all know where this goes). OU Defense does not have a great stand but does hold OSU to 3 points and a 3 minute drive. How does our offense respond? First play, mishandled shotgun snap, compounded by having the ball slip out of the QB's hand backwards towards our own endzone, touchdown OSU. Score is OSU 34-3 with 11:50 to go in the game. The route has taken place.

So you tell me? How did the game get from being a likely 7 point game with 4:30 to go in the first half (and us outgaining and having more first downs than OSU), to us being down 31? All in 7 minutes of game time.

You can hate on Venables and the defense all you want, but this getting out of reach clearly lies at the feet of the offense, and quarterback.

Don't believe me, here's a link to the play-by-play. http://www.soonersports.com/sports/m-footbl/stats/2011-2012/12_osu.html#GAME.PLY

This is basically plagiarizing how Stoops opened the playback show, but is spot on for sure. Landry's fumble was one of the "wheels come off" moments, not unlike Bradley's fumbled punt against SUC.

[Jacie]

I must have some deep-seated desire to feel pain because I just keep reading this stuff and going "Yup, yup, yup." I can't stop.

[NormanPride]

But OSU had a 44 next to it. And Vulnerables.

[htownsooner7]

This is basically plagiarizing how Stoops opened the playback show, but is spot on for sure. Landry's fumble was one of the "wheels come off" moments, not unlike Bradley's fumbled punt against SUC.

Not plagiarizing, I don't even know where to find the Stoops show.

[soonercastor]

Well I doubt any logical person blamed the loss on the D considering the offense only produced 10 points while turning it over on every possession and gifting 14 points to OSU.

[NormanPride]

Well I doubt any logical person blamed the loss on the D considering the offense only produced 10 points while turning it over on every possession and gifting 14 points to OSU.

BUT 44! AND VULNERABLES!!!

[GDC]

Basically decided by seven minutes. Wow.

[PDXsooner]

TGOWWDNS has no peers. This can't be TGOWWDNS II, because we live with these people all year long. In my case, I share a bed with one. Can't just refuse to acknowledge it.

Damn it! You can't blame me for trying!

[EnragedOUfan]

I disagree with this thread

Its obvious on those fumbles, but the reason we lost to OSU, and Texas Tech in my opinion was due to the horrendous play calling of Josh Heupel in the first half.

I can't even count the number of drives against Texas Tech nor OSU on how many 3 and outs OU had that included not one running play. Heck, on short yardage situations like say 3rd & 2, Heupel comes out passing (Texas Tech 1st half).

When we have a running back as elusive as Finch, why isn't he used more? That guy has speed and he's always juking someone out or breaking tackles for another yard or two before going down, Quentin Griffin type. I can't even remember seeing the I-formation used for short yardage situations. I've seen OU run more RB draws this year than I can remember.

Against OSU, OU coming out in Texas Tech spread mode would give us a 3 & out, OSU would score, and thus we're going back into Texas Tech spread mode again and again in attempt to match their score, which made the run game non existent. I know I'm CPT Obvious, but I really believe this is why we lost both games. Baylor and RG3 on the other hand just torched us.

[cvsooner]

What you're overlooking is OSewe came out lined up in packages designed to stop the run, thus inviting throwing plays. If we had been on target and/or caught some passes that we should have/usually do, we might be talking about a completely different game. After a certain point, though, it was clear we should have come up with something else, because though some of the pass plays were well designed, just not carried out well (high balls from LJ or out and out drops by several folks).

[cvsooner]

First half against Tech:

O 1-10 O31 OKLAHOMA drive start at 13:46.
O 1-10 O31 22-Finch,Roy rush over left tackle for 55 yards to the TTU14, 1ST
DOWN OU (12-Johnson, D.J.).
O 1-10 T14 22-Finch,Roy rush up middle for loss of 1 yard to the TTU15 (96-Wesley,
Dennell).
O 2-11 T15 12-Jones,Landry middle pass complete to 4-Stills,Kenny for 15 yards to
the TTU0, 1ST DOWN OU, TOUCHDOWN, clock 12:52.
1C-Hunnicutt,Mike kick attempt good.
--------------- 3 plays, 69 yards, TOP 00:59 ---------------

So, 55 yard run, followed by 15-yard pass for TD, less than one minute and we tie it up.

O 1-10 O31 OKLAHOMA drive start at 11:25.
O 1-10 O31 22-Finch,Roy rush up middle for 4 yards to the OU35 (94-Smith, Scott).
O 2-6 O35 22-Finch,Roy rush over right tackle for 4 yards to the OU39 (1-Bullitt,
Terr.).
O 3-2 O39 12-Jones,Landry RF pass incomplete to 16-Reynolds,Jaz, dropped pass.
O 4-2 O39 36-Way,Tress punt 56 yards to the TTU5, downed.

Two runs for eight yards and a dropped pass. Three and out.
--------------- 3 plays, 8 yards, TOP 01:09 ---------------

O 1-10 O12 OKLAHOMA drive start at 06:51.
O 1-10 O12 12-Jones,Landry sideline pass complete to 85-Broyles,Ryan for 12 yards
to the OU24, 1ST DOWN OU.
O 1-10 O24 12-Jones,Landry ORL pass complete to 4-Stills,Kenny for 8 yards to the
OU32.
O 2-2 O32 3-Clay,Brennan rush over right tackle for loss of 6 yards to the OU26
(1-Bullitt, Terr.).
O 3-8 O26 12-Jones,Landry middle pass incomplete to 4-Stills,Kenny, dropped pass.
O 4-8 O26 36-Way,Tress punt 44 yards to the TTU30, 6-Zouzalik, Aust. return 22
yards to the OU48 (9-Lynn,Gabe).

Get one first down, gain eight yards on a pass, then lose six yards on a run, then...a dropped pass.
--------------- 4 plays, 14 yards, TOP 01:31 ---------------

O 1-10 O04 OKLAHOMA drive start at 04:32.
O 1-10 O04 PENALTY TTU offside (99-Perry, Chris) 5 yards to the OU9.
O 1-5 O09 3-Clay,Brennan rush over left tackle for no gain to the OU9 (94-Smith,
Scott).
O 2-5 O09 12-Jones,Landry ORR pass complete to 85-Broyles,Ryan for 10 yards to the
OU19, 1ST DOWN OU.
O 1-10 O19 3-Clay,Brennan rush up middle for 8 yards to the OU27 (1-Bullitt,
Terr.).
O 2-2 O27 22-Finch,Roy rush over left tackle for loss of 4 yards to the OU23
(42-Cobb, Daniel).
O 3-6 O23 12-Jones,Landry middle pass complete to 16-Reynolds,Jaz for 17 yards to
the OU40, 1ST DOWN OU.
O 1-10 O40 12-Jones,Landry ORR pass complete to 4-Stills,Kenny for 10 yards to the
50 yardline, 1ST DOWN OU.
O 1-10 O50 12-Jones,Landry sideline pass incomplete to 16-Reynolds,Jaz.
O 2-10 O50 12-Jones,Landry middle pass complete to 22-Finch,Roy for 12 yards to the
TTU38, 1ST DOWN OU (5-Porter, Tre').
O 1-10 T38 22-Finch,Roy rush up middle for 1 yard to the TTU37 (42-Cobb, Daniel).
O 2-9 T37 12-Jones,Landry deep pass incomplete to 4-Stills,Kenny.
O 3-9 T37 12-Jones,Landry crossing pass complete to 16-Reynolds,Jaz for 10 yards
to the TTU27, 1ST DOWN OU (13-Eguavoen, Sam;5-Porter, Tre'),
PENALTY TTU offside declined.
O 1-10 T27 12-Jones,Landry LF pass complete to 3-Clay,Brennan for 2 yards to the
TTU25 (13-Eguavoen, Sam).
O 2-8 T25 12-Jones,Landry rush up middle for no gain to the TTU25 (96-Wesley,
Dennell), PENALTY OU holding (69-Johnson,Lane) 10 yards to the TTU35,
NO PLAY.
O 2-18 T35 12-Jones,Landry middle pass incomplete to 16-Reynolds,Jaz, dropped pass.
O 3-18 T35 PENALTY TTU offside 5 yards to the TTU30.
O 3-13 T30 12-Jones,Landry middle pass complete to 4-Stills,Kenny for 8 yards to
the TTU22 (1-Bullitt, Terr.).

===END OF 1st QUARTER===
TEXAS TECH 7, OKLAHOMA 7
========================

Play-by-Play Summary (2nd quarter)
O 4-5 T22 Start of 2nd quarter, clock 15:00.
O 4-5 T22 1C-Hunnicutt,Mike field goal attempt from 39 MISSED - wide left, spot at
TTU22, clock 14:55.

Mix of passes and runs, with some passes to Finch, essentially same as a running play...long, sustained drive, miss FG.

--------------- 15 plays, 74 yards, TOP 04:37 ---------------

O 1-10 O42 OKLAHOMA drive start at 11:08.
O 1-10 O42 12-Jones,Landry middle pass complete to 85-Broyles,Ryan for 27 yards to
the TTU31, fumble forced by 12-Johnson, D.J., fumble by 85-Broyles,Ryan
recovered by TTU 30-Dewhurst, Brett at TTU29, 30-Dewhurst, Brett for 2 yards
to the TTU31 (85-Broyles,Ryan).
--------------- 1 plays, 29 yards, TOP 00:11 ---------------

Turnover by Broyles after 27-yard gain. That almost NEVER happens. Very uncharacteristic of Broyles, as you'll see elsewhere.

O 1-10 O31 OKLAHOMA drive start at 08:49.
O 1-10 O31 22-Finch,Roy rush up middle for 2 yards to the OU33 (30-Dewhurst,
Brett).
O 2-8 O33 12-Jones,Landry middle pass complete to 85-Broyles,Ryan for 4 yards to
the OU37 (1-Bullitt, Terr.;27-Winbush, Zach).
O 3-4 O37 12-Jones,Landry middle pass incomplete to 22-Finch,Roy.
O 4-4 O37 36-Way,Tress punt 35 yards to the TTU28, fair catch by 6-Zouzalik,
Aust..
--------------- 3 plays, 6 yards, TOP 01:07 ---------------
Run, pass, incomplete pass. Three and out.

O 1-10 O13 OKLAHOMA drive start at 05:50.
O 1-10 O13 3-Clay,Brennan rush over left tackle for no gain to the OU13 (91-Hyder,
Kerry).
O 2-10 O13 12-Jones,Landry rush up middle for 5 yards to the OU18 (13-Eguavoen,
Sam).
O 3-5 O18 12-Jones,Landry middle pass incomplete to 3-Clay,Brennan, dropped pass.
O 4-5 O18 36-Way,Tress punt 29 yards to the OU47, fair catch by 86-Torres, Alex.
--------------- 3 plays, 5 yards, TOP 01:17 ---------------

No gain run, run, dropped pass by running back. Then short punt.

O 1-10 O35 OKLAHOMA drive start at 01:18.
O 1-10 O35 12-Jones,Landry middle pass incomplete to 16-Reynolds,Jaz.
O 2-10 O35 12-Jones,Landry middle pass incomplete (11-Swindall, Tram.).
O 3-10 O35 12-Jones,Landry middle pass incomplete to 16-Reynolds,Jaz, dropped pass.
O 4-10 O35 36-Way,Tress punt 49 yards to the TTU16, fair catch by 86-Torres, Alex.
--------------- 3 plays, 0 yards, TOP 00:23 ---------------

Three straight incompletions, with one a dropped pass. Also note this is right before end of half, so understandable.

FIRST DRIVE second half

O 1-10 O20 OKLAHOMA drive start at 15:00.
O 1-10 O20 12-Jones,Landry middle pass incomplete to 85-Broyles,Ryan (91-Hyder,
Kerry).
O 2-10 O20 12-Jones,Landry RFS pass complete to 85-Broyles,Ryan for no gain to the
OU20 (42-Cobb, Daniel).
O 3-10 O20 12-Jones,Landry middle pass incomplete to 85-Broyles,Ryan, dropped pass.
O 4-10 O20 36-Way,Tress punt 52 yards to the TTU28, downed.

Incompletion on Jones. No gain to Broyles. Broyles drops pass. Three drops in four years, mind you. This was number three.
--------------- 3 plays, 0 yards, TOP 00:44 ---------------

Following that we were down 31-7....

I can't say that's horrendous playcalling, unless you think 'dropped pass' is part of the play as drawn up. Also several good runs, as well as no gains and losses on runs. I think this is what Coach Stoops means when he talks about not executing. Meanwhile, Tech is marching up and down the field and is up by 24 points. We got into a shootout but never matched 'em, until it was too late. If that game had been five minutes longer...we just might've pulled it off.

[cvsooner]

Similar problems at Baylor....turnovers and penalties killed us, we just never got as far behind and in fact had the lead, which we never did with Tech:

O 1-10 O16 OKLAHOMA drive start at 10:01.
O 1-10 O16 12-Jones,Landry pass complete to 16-Reynolds,Jaz for 7 yards to the OU23,
out-of-bounds.
O 2-3 O23 22-Finch,Roy rush for 3 yards to the OU26, 1ST DOWN OU (11-Lloyd,
Terrance).
O 1-10 O26 12-Jones,Landry pass incomplete to 4-Stills,Kenny (4-Coffey, Elliot).
O 2-10 O26 12-Jones,Landry pass complete to 16-Reynolds,Jaz for 30 yards to the BU44,
1ST DOWN OU (;25-Holl, Sam).
O 1-10 B44 12-Jones,Landry pass complete to 4-Stills,Kenny for 2 yards to the BU42
(17-Hicks, Mike).
O 2-8 B42 12-Jones,Landry pass complete to 16-Reynolds,Jaz for 16 yards to the BU26,
1ST DOWN OU, out-of-bounds (22-Williams, Joe).
O 1-10 B26 12-Jones,Landry pass complete to 4-Stills,Kenny for loss of 3 yards to the
BU29 (6-Dixon, Ahmad).
O 2-13 B29 12-Jones,Landry pass incomplete to 18-Jackson, Kameel, QB hurry by
26-Chadwick, R..
O 3-13 B29 12-Jones,Landry pass complete to 18-Jackson, Kameel for 29 yards to the BU0,
clock 07:37, PENALTY OU illegal block (82-Hanna,James) 15 yards to the
BU44, NO PLAY.
O 3-28 B44 12-Jones,Landry pass incomplete to 24-Miller,Dejuan (17-Hicks, Mike).
O 4-28 B44 36-Way,Tress punt 44 yards to the BU0, touchback.
--------------- 9 plays, 40 yards, TOP 02:40 ---------------

Mix of runs and passes, mostly passes. Loss on first down, incomplete pass, then make the first down, EXCEPT penalty killed the drive. Now it's third and 28. Good luck with that.

O 1-10 O47 OKLAHOMA drive start at 06:17.
O 1-10 O47 12-Jones,Landry pass complete to 82-Hanna,James for 21 yards to the BU32,
1ST DOWN OU, out-of-bounds (25-Holl, Sam).
O 1-10 B32 22-Finch,Roy rush for loss of 2 yards to the BU34 (8-Morton, K.J.;11-Lloyd,
Terrance).
O 2-12 B34 12-Jones,Landry pass complete to 22-Finch,Roy for 4 yards to the BU30
(6-Dixon, Ahmad).
O 3-8 B30 12-Jones,Landry pass incomplete to 16-Reynolds,Jaz.
O 4-8 B30 1C-Hunnicutt,Mike field goal attempt from 47 GOOD, clock 05:34.

======================
OKLAHOMA 3, BAYLOR 0
======================

--------------- 5 plays, 23 yards, TOP 00:43 ---------------

Had the lead at least twice in the game.

O 1-10 O26 OKLAHOMA drive start at 01:09.
O 1-10 O26 12-Jones,Landry pass incomplete to 4-Stills,Kenny (17-Hicks, Mike).
O 2-10 O26 12-Jones,Landry pass incomplete to 82-Hanna,James (25-Holl, Sam).
O 3-10 O26 12-Jones,Landry pass complete to 4-Stills,Kenny for 26 yards to the BU48,
1ST DOWN OU (25-Holl, Sam).
O 1-10 B48 12-Jones,Landry pass complete to 2-Franks,Trey for 16 yards to the BU32,
fumble forced by 22-Williams, Joe, fumble by 2-Franks,Trey recovered by BU
6-Dixon, Ahmad at BU31.
--------------- 4 plays, 43 yards, TOP 00:50 ---------------

Have a good drive going, and on first down Franks makes good run after catch, but fumbles.

O 1-10 O26 OKLAHOMA drive start at 13:15.
O 1-10 O26 22-Finch,Roy rush for 1 yard to the OU27 (6-Dixon, Ahmad).
O 2-9 O27 12-Jones,Landry pass complete to 22-Finch,Roy for 3 yards to the OU30,
out-of-bounds (26-Chadwick, R.).
O 3-6 O30 12-Jones,Landry pass complete to 18-Jackson, Kameel for 13 yards to the
OU43, 1ST DOWN OU (25-Holl, Sam).
O 1-10 O43 PENALTY OU false start (59-Stephenson,Don) 5 yards to the OU38.
O 1-15 O38 22-Finch,Roy rush for 5 yards to the OU43 (11-Lloyd, Terrance).
O 2-10 O43 22-Finch,Roy rush for 7 yards to the 50 yardline (8-Morton, K.J.).
O 3-3 O50 12-Jones,Landry pass complete to 47-Ratterree,T. for 17 yards to the BU33,
1ST DOWN OU (25-Holl, Sam).
O 1-10 B33 3-Clay,Brennan rush for 2 yards to the BU31 (6-Dixon, Ahmad).
O 2-8 B31 3-Clay,Brennan rush for 2 yards to the BU29 (25-Holl, Sam;18-Elliott,
Tevin).
O 3-6 B29 12-Jones,Landry sacked for loss of 6 yards to the BU35 (90-Jean-Baptiste,N).
O 4-12 B35 36-Way,Tress punt 27 yards to the BU8, 42-Norwood, Levi return 9 yards to
the BU17 (16-Reynolds,Jaz;86-Winchester,Jam).
--------------- 9 plays, 39 yards, TOP 05:25 ---------------

Penalty kills the first down, but we make it anyway. Then two short runs and O-line gives up its third sack of the season. Third. Against Baylor.

O 1-10 O28 OKLAHOMA drive start at 07:14.
O 1-10 O28 22-Finch,Roy rush for 14 yards to the OU42, 1ST DOWN OU (25-Holl,
Sam).
O 1-10 O42 12-Jones,Landry pass complete to 16-Reynolds,Jaz for 8 yards to the 50
yardline, out-of-bounds (22-Williams, Joe).
O 2-2 O50 22-Finch,Roy rush for 7 yards to the BU43, 1ST DOWN OU (17-Hicks,
Mike;6-Dixon, Ahmad).
O 1-10 B43 33-Millard,Trey rush for 3 yards to the BU40 (8-Morton, K.J.).
O 2-7 B40 12-Jones,Landry pass complete to 4-Stills,Kenny for 19 yards to the BU21,
1ST DOWN OU, out-of-bounds (6-Dixon, Ahmad).
O 1-10 B21 12-Jones,Landry rush for no gain to the BU21 (8-Morton, K.J.).
O 2-10 B21 12-Jones,Landry pass incomplete to 2-Franks,Trey (6-Dixon, Ahmad).
O 3-10 B21 12-Jones,Landry pass complete to 82-Hanna,James for 9 yards to the BU12,
out-of-bounds (8-Morton, K.J.).
O 4-1 B12 Timeout Baylor, clock 03:48.
O 4-1 B12 1A-Bell,Blake rush for 2 yards to the BU10, 1ST DOWN OU (49-Johnson,
Kaeron).
O 1-G B10 22-Finch,Roy rush for 7 yards to the BU3 (25-Holl, Sam;4-Coffey, Elliot).
O 2-G B03 Timeout Oklahoma, clock 02:43.
O 2-G B03 1A-Bell,Blake rush for 3 yards to the BU0, TOUCHDOWN, clock 02:38.
1C-Hunnicutt,Mike kick attempt good.

======================
OKLAHOMA 10, BAYLOR 10
======================

--------------- 11 plays, 72 yards, TOP 04:36 ---------------

Good mix of runs and pass and the Belldozer on 4th and 1. We tie it up, 10-10. Then after the kickoff, Baylor scores on 69 yard pass play. Argh. Down 17-10.

40-Parks, Ben kickoff 66 yards to the OU4, 2-Franks,Trey return 41 yards
to the OU45 (40-Parks, Ben).
O 1-10 O45 OKLAHOMA drive start at 02:23.
O 1-10 O45 PENALTY OU false start (69-Johnson,Lane) 5 yards to the OU40.
O 1-15 O40 22-Finch,Roy rush for no gain to the OU40, out-of-bounds.
O 2-15 O40 12-Jones,Landry pass complete to 18-Jackson, Kameel for 11 yards to the BU49
(25-Holl, Sam).
O 3-4 B49 Timeout Oklahoma, clock 01:05.
O 3-4 B49 12-Jones,Landry rush for 1 yard to the BU48 (25-Holl, Sam;4-Coffey, Elliot).
O 4-3 B48 Timeout Oklahoma, clock 00:20.
O 4-3 B48 36-Way,Tress punt 47 yards to the BU1, downed.
--------------- 3 plays, 7 yards, TOP 02:17 ---------------

Great return by Franks puts us near midfield. Immediately get penalty. (I think this was a season high penalty night for us.) No gain, pass gets close, but we don't make first down. Baylor has one possession and does nothing, half ends. 17-10 Bears.

Second half:

O 1-10 O31 OKLAHOMA drive start at 15:00.
O 1-10 O31 3-Clay,Brennan rush for 2 yards to the OU33 (6-Dixon, Ahmad).
O 2-8 O33 12-Jones,Landry pass complete to 82-Hanna,James for 54 yards to the BU13,
1ST DOWN OU (17-Hicks, Mike).
O 1-10 B13 3-Clay,Brennan rush for 8 yards to the BU5 (25-Holl, Sam;4-Coffey, Elliot).
O 2-2 B05 33-Millard,Trey rush for 5 yards to the BU0, 1ST DOWN OU, TOUCHDOWN,
clock 13:13.
1C-Hunnicutt,Mike kick attempt good.

======================
OKLAHOMA 17, BAYLOR 17
======================

--------------- 4 plays, 69 yards, TOP 01:47 ---------------

Big play to Hanna and good use of short yardage game ties it up.

Baylor gets stopped on QB sneak on 4th and 1 for first possession of half and we've got great field position.

Then...

O 1-10 B32 OKLAHOMA drive start at 11:52.
O 1-10 B32 12-Jones,Landry pass complete to 4-Stills,Kenny for 31 yards to the BU1,
1ST DOWN OU (17-Hicks, Mike).
O 1-G B01 1A-Bell,Blake rush for 1 yard to the BU0, TOUCHDOWN, clock 11:11.
1C-Hunnicutt,Mike kick attempt good.

======================
OKLAHOMA 24, BAYLOR 17
======================

--------------- 2 plays, 32 yards, TOP 00:41 ---------------

We've got the lead. We give up a couple of first downs, but Baylor has to punt.

O 1-10 O14 OKLAHOMA drive start at 09:41.
O 1-10 O14 12-Jones,Landry pass complete to 33-Millard,Trey for 11 yards to the OU25,
1ST DOWN OU, out-of-bounds (17-Hicks, Mike;26-Chadwick, R.).
O 1-10 O25 12-Jones,Landry pass complete to 22-Finch,Roy for 9 yards to the OU34,
out-of-bounds (8-Morton, K.J.).
O 2-1 O34 22-Finch,Roy rush for 13 yards to the OU47, 1ST DOWN OU,
out-of-bounds.
O 1-10 O47 12-Jones,Landry pass incomplete to 4-Stills,Kenny.
O 2-10 O47 12-Jones,Landry pass complete to 3-Clay,Brennan for 2 yards to the OU49,
out-of-bounds.
O 3-8 O49 12-Jones,Landry pass complete to 3-Clay,Brennan for 5 yards to the BU46
(15-Trahan, Brody), PENALTY OU holding declined.
O 4-3 B46 36-Way,Tress punt 34 yards to the BU12, 42-Norwood, Levi return 4 yards to
the BU16 (16-Reynolds,Jaz;86-Winchester,Jam).
--------------- 6 plays, 40 yards, TOP 02:13 ---------------

Okay, we drive a little, Way makes excellent punt, we've got them at the 12. On the third play, Griffin throws an 87 yard TD pass to Wright. Double argh. Score is tied again.

O 1-10 O29 OKLAHOMA drive start at 06:39.
O 1-10 O29 22-Finch,Roy rush for no gain to the OU29 (90-Jean-Baptiste,N).
O 2-10 O29 12-Jones,Landry rush for 11 yards to the OU40, 1ST DOWN OU
(31-McAllister, C.).
O 1-10 O40 22-Finch,Roy rush for 1 yard to the OU41 (17-Hicks, Mike;31-McAllister, C.).
O 2-9 O41 12-Jones,Landry sacked for loss of 7 yards to the OU34 (90-Jean-Baptiste,N).
O 3-16 O34 12-Jones,Landry pass incomplete to 4-Stills,Kenny, dropped pass.
O 4-16 O34 36-Way,Tress punt 51 yards to the BU15, downed.
--------------- 5 plays, 5 yards, TOP 02:44 ---------------

Jones gets sacked again. He's now been sacked as many times in this game as in the whole season. Dropped pass by Stills. Great punt by Way.

Baylor has excellent drive of runs and passes and marches down the field in style, taking nearly three minutes, converting a number of third and longs, unfortunately. Takes lead, 31-24.

Our possession starts at the 40 due to kickoff out of bounds.

O 1-10 O40 OKLAHOMA drive start at 01:15.
O 1-10 O40 23-Williams, B. rush for 1 yard to the OU41 (26-Chadwick, R.;4-Coffey,
Elliot).
O 2-9 O41 12-Jones,Landry pass complete to 82-Hanna,James for 6 yards to the OU47
(4-Coffey, Elliot).

==END OF 3rd QUARTER==
OKLAHOMA 24, BAYLOR 31
======================

Play-by-Play Summary (4th quarter)
O 3-3 O47 Start of 4th quarter, clock 15:00.
O 3-3 O47 12-Jones,Landry pass complete to 33-Millard,Trey for 7 yards to the BU46,
1ST DOWN OU.
O 1-10 B46 12-Jones,Landry pass complete to 4-Stills,Kenny for no gain to the BU46
(4-Coffey, Elliot).
O 2-10 B46 12-Jones,Landry pass intercepted by 8-Morton, K.J. at the BU26, 8-Morton,
K.J. return 0 yards to the BU26.
--------------- 5 plays, 14 yards, TOP 02:05 ---------------

Oskie kills that drive.

Baylor scores again. Key play is 50 yard completion and a couple of penalties make it worse.

Now 38-24.

O 1-10 O31 OKLAHOMA drive start at 12:49.
O 1-10 O31 22-Finch,Roy rush for 4 yards to the OU35 (25-Holl, Sam;4-Coffey, Elliot).
O 2-6 O35 12-Jones,Landry pass complete to 16-Reynolds,Jaz for 21 yards to the BU44,
1ST DOWN OU (25-Holl, Sam).
O 1-10 B44 12-Jones,Landry pass complete to 47-Ratterree,T. for 2 yards to the BU42
(4-Coffey, Elliot).
O 2-8 B42 22-Finch,Roy rush for 21 yards to the BU21, 1ST DOWN OU (26-Chadwick,
R.).
O 1-10 B21 12-Jones,Landry pass incomplete to 24-Miller,Dejuan, QB hurry by 6-Dixon,
Ahmad.
O 2-10 B21 22-Finch,Roy rush for loss of 4 yards to the BU25 (4-Coffey, Elliot).
O 3-14 B25 12-Jones,Landry pass incomplete to 47-Ratterree,T..
O 4-14 B25 12-Jones,Landry pass incomplete to 16-Reynolds,Jaz.
--------------- 8 plays, 44 yards, TOP 03:04 ---------------

Pretty good drive but get nothing. Three incompletions, including 4th and 14. Turn ball over on downs at Baylor 25. Still think we should've tried the field goal.

Hey! We get a stop on Baylor!

[cvsooner]

Continuing on:

O 1-10 O25 OKLAHOMA drive start at 08:27.
O 1-10 O25 23-Williams, B. rush for 13 yards to the OU38, 1ST DOWN OU
(26-Chadwick, R.;13-Robertson, T.).
O 1-10 O38 12-Jones,Landry pass complete to 24-Miller,Dejuan for 10 yards to the OU48,
1ST DOWN OU (4-Coffey, Elliot;25-Holl, Sam).
O 1-10 O48 23-Williams, B. rush for 12 yards to the BU40, 1ST DOWN OU (25-Holl,
Sam).
O 1-10 B40 12-Jones,Landry pass complete to 24-Miller,Dejuan for 12 yards to the BU28,
1ST DOWN OU (17-Hicks, Mike).
O 1-10 B28 12-Jones,Landry pass incomplete to 24-Miller,Dejuan, dropped pass.
O 2-10 B28 12-Jones,Landry pass complete to 2-Franks,Trey for 24 yards to the BU4,
1ST DOWN OU, out-of-bounds (17-Hicks, Mike).
O 1-G B04 1A-Bell,Blake rush for 4 yards to the BU0, TOUCHDOWN, clock 05:55.
1C-Hunnicutt,Mike kick attempt good.

======================
OKLAHOMA 31, BAYLOR 38
======================

--------------- 7 plays, 75 yards, TOP 02:32 ---------------

Good mix of runs and pass and we score. Another @$#$#%$^% dropped pass by Miller.

We get another stop on Baylor.

O 1-10 O23 OKLAHOMA drive start at 03:29.
O 1-10 O23 22-Finch,Roy rush for 18 yards to the OU41, 1ST DOWN OU,
out-of-bounds (17-Hicks, Mike).
O 1-10 O41 22-Finch,Roy rush for no gain to the OU41 (49-Johnson, Kaeron).
O 2-10 O41 12-Jones,Landry pass complete to 3-Clay,Brennan for 6 yards to the OU47.
O 3-4 O47 12-Jones,Landry pass complete to 16-Reynolds,Jaz for 24 yards to the BU29,
1ST DOWN OU (25-Holl, Sam).
O 1-10 B29 12-Jones,Landry pass complete to 16-Reynolds,Jaz for 8 yards to the BU21,
out-of-bounds.
O 2-2 B21 12-Jones,Landry pass complete to 2-Franks,Trey for 3 yards to the BU18,
1ST DOWN OU (17-Hicks, Mike;6-Dixon, Ahmad).
O 1-10 B18 12-Jones,Landry pass incomplete to 4-Stills,Kenny.
O 2-10 B18 12-Jones,Landry pass complete to 47-Ratterree,T. for 7 yards to the BU11
(26-Chadwick, R.;4-Coffey, Elliot).
O 3-3 B11 12-Jones,Landry pass complete to 3-Clay,Brennan for 5 yards to the BU6,
1ST DOWN OU, out-of-bounds.
O 1-G B06 Timeout Baylor, clock 00:55.
O 1-G B06 1A-Bell,Blake rush for 6 yards to the BU0, TOUCHDOWN, clock 00:51.
The previous play is under review.
The ruling on the field is confirmed. Touchdown.
O 1-G B03 Timeout Baylor, clock 00:51.
O 1-G B03 PENALTY OU false start (74-Shead,Adam) 5 yards to the BU8.
1C-Hunnicutt,Mike kick attempt good.

======================
OKLAHOMA 38, BAYLOR 38
======================

--------------- 10 plays, 77 yards, TOP 02:38 ---------------

Knotted at 38-38 because we're going for two. False start penalty kills that idea. Too much time on clock, as it turned out.

We kickoff.

43-O'Hara,Patrick kickoff 70 yards to the BU0, touchback.
B 1-10 B20 BAYLOR drive start at 00:51.
B 1-10 B20 24-Ganaway, T. rush for 4 yards to the BU24
(84-Alexander,Fran;21-Wort,Tom).
B 2-6 B24 Timeout Oklahoma, clock 00:46.

The infamous timeout. In retrospect, it's not a bad call. We have three, they have none, we've stopped them last two drives. I can see playing for overtime but I can also see thinking we've got a really good chance of getting the ball back at midfield. Then next play Tony Jefferson abandons his post and Griffin runs to midfield. I don't think he takes off like that if TJeff had stayed home.

B 2-6 B24 10-Griffin III, R. rush for 22 yards to the BU46, 1ST DOWN BU,
out-of-bounds (14-Colvin,Aaron).

And he goes out of bounds stopping the clock.
B 1-10 B46 10-Griffin III, R. rush for 8 yards to the OU46, out-of-bounds
(21-Wort,Tom).
B 2-2 O46 10-Griffin III, R. pass complete to 1-Wright, Kendall for 12 yards to
the OU34, 1ST DOWN BU (6-Hurst,Demontre).
B 1-10 O34 10-Griffin III, R. pass complete to 2-Williams, T. for 34 yards to the
OU0, 1ST DOWN BU, TOUCHDOWN, clock 00:08.
43-Jones, Aaron kick attempt good.

======================
OKLAHOMA 38, BAYLOR 45
======================

--------------- 5 plays, 80 yards, TOP 00:43 ---------------

43-Jones, Aaron kickoff 51 yards to the OU19, 2-Franks,Trey return 0
yards to the OU19, fumble by 2-Franks,Trey recovered by BU 23-Fuller, Clay
at OU19.

We don't even get another possession, as we mishandle the kickoff. Bad mix of defense and offense mistakes and special teams...like our other losses. But the offense responded against Tech and Baylor. Never got the act together against OSewe.

[jkjsooner]

I disagree with this thread

Its obvious on those fumbles, but the reason we lost to OSU, and Texas Tech in my opinion was due to the horrendous play calling of Josh Heupel in the first half.

I can't even count the number of drives against Texas Tech nor OSU on how many 3 and outs OU had that included not one running play.

That's not uncommon at all. If you pass on first down (afterall you don't want the offense to be predictable of first down) and have an incompletion you're almost guaranteeing a pass on second and third down.

[EatLeadCommie]

The O absolutely sucked, but the D still sucked. The D is the more consistent issue. The wheels just came off our offense for the first game in ages. The wheels came off our defense yet again. They had 500 yards against our D, but people somehow think that our offense is the only thing to be concerned with? Gimme a break. They took their foot off the gas at some point in the 3rd quarter or else they would've had even more yards and points against us.

[the_edge]

Regardless of how few sacks we've given up this year, the offensive line has played pretty awful for stretches.

A case could be made that the Baylor loss was on the defense, but the offensive line's inability to block anybody is what lost us the Tech and OSU games.

[EatLeadCommie]

I still shake my head thinking about this stretch. Among other things, I can't help but circle back to our qb as to why this collapse occurred. I've been very critical of him over the years and have taken a lot of heat about it, but you can call him unlucky, you can call him untimely, or you can call him untrustworthy. Whatever description you want to use, but he has had a knack for making the wrong turnover in the dead wrong time. I know he is by far the best qb we have in the program and that there is no way that he won't be the guy if comes back, but there is a part of me that would just rather start fresh with someone new and say whether the offense can take on a different persona. As far as skillset and ability to make great throws, I know our qb has tremendous upside. I just can't help but think, looking at the complete body of work for 3 years, that him running this offense is not going to get us to the next level.
I've been critical about him too, but he has played great this year until the last few games. Yet I don't know who would've played well at QB in that last game considering the abuse he was taking. The one fumble he had where it slipped out of his hand was just one of those flukey things that happens once every five years. The other one was a solid play by the OSU defense when he found himself running for his life yet again.

Drew Allen is nowhere near ready to take over the reigns from what little we've seen of him. Bell looks nice running on 3rd and 4th and short, but we haven't seen anything else out of him either.

Given the strides that LJ has made from year to year, him coming back would be a big plus for the program. He is the least of our problems right now.

[5noubus]

Let me say I haven't watch the entire game- couldn't stand it.
But when I watch the highlights / it appears to me that Landry must have a large sum of money riding on that game for osu to win big.
I haven't had that feeling since we looked so bad against west virginia in the fiesta.
It was terrible. I can't believe We played so bad- there has to be a reason.

[PrideMom]

Just more salt in the wound!! I am trying to get healed over this disappointing year, and here it is again! I hope the players are as disappointed as the fans, I would hope so with all of the hard training they put in to play just 12-13 games.

[Curly Bill]

Just more salt in the wound!! I am trying to get healed over this disappointing year, and here it is again! I hope the players are as disappointed as the fans, I would hope so with all of the hard training they put in to play just 12-13 games.

I hope the coaches are as disappointed as the fans, and that the necessary steps will be taken to "fix things."

[htownsooner7]

I've been critical about him too, but he has played great this year until the last few games. Yet I don't know who would've played well at QB in that last game considering the abuse he was taking. The one fumble he had where it slipped out of his hand was just one of those flukey things that happens once every five years. The other one was a solid play by the OSU defense when he found himself running for his life yet again.

Drew Allen is nowhere near ready to take over the reigns from what little we've seen of him. Bell looks nice running on 3rd and 4th and short, but we haven't seen anything else out of him either.

Given the strides that LJ has made from year to year, him coming back would be a big plus for the program. He is the least of our problems right now.

I guess I just don't buy the whole "fluke" thing, and I'm not going to just give credit to the OSU defense for the 70 yard fumble return. I can't tell you how few 'big time' quarterbacks I've seen throw a ball behind them before they are hit ending up in a touchdown in a conference championship game. Feel free to point it out for me, if it has happened before. As far as the fumble return, that is a blitz right up the middle, he was not blindsided. He absolutely should not take that sack and under no circumstances can take a hit with a ball in his outstretched hand (as opposed as to just taking the sack, protecting the ball, and going down) and allow it to be returned.

[aero]

Yes, the offense and particularly LJ absolutely stunk. Was actually hard to watch. Looked like sandlot football with players who'd never played or practiced with each other. Don't really care for bagging on the players but LJ has never really impressed me. A lot of qb's can look decent with good protection, good receivers, and against inferior talent. Go back and look at his passes. The majority are behind the receiver, high, low. He's been quite fortunate to have Broyles and others making great catches. But its just not LJ. Why don't we have a running game? Why don't we have run blocking? How about a new play once in a while? But as dismal as the O has been, the crimson glasses are the only way someone could think the D has been stellar or anywhere close to championship quality. Does anyone seriously think OSU scores 44 on LSU or Bama? Oregon and Arky had a lot of high scoring games but not against those 2.

[BoulderSooner79]

The real reason is simple. At this point of the season, OSU was just better than OU. Had our guys played an excellent game, we might have kept it competitive into the 2nd half and that's about the best I can envision (even with my most crimson glasses on). OSU was healthy, at home and hitting on all cyclinders. We were none of the above.