Octavian
10/8/2006, 10:37 PM
Another beautiful day at the Fair...
Every time I go, my oppinion is reinforced that anyone from either fanbase who wants to move the game to a home/home series surely has never been...
I came into the game thinking that we'd need some luck to win. We'd need to be plus-2 or 3 in the turnover collumn to win. We'd need to have fewer penalties than them.
As it turned out, we didn't need any of that at all. We just needed to break even on all that stuff....and we didn't.
Up 10-7 at halftime, I was full of mixed emotions.
I was surprised at how easily we'd bottled up their offense. It was obvious the D had made great strides since Oregon. Most of their drives were a collection of 3's-and-out we'd easily outgained them.
The offense looked good...we were mixing it up and had them on their heels. Paul was effective in the passing game. AD was effective in the running game. Our staff was outscheming their staff....again.
At the same time, I was disappointed...and knew full well we could pay for squandering opportunities.
A red zone opportunity that ended in a long sack and a punt. The worst pass interference call I've ever seen. A fumble that Bob should've challenged. Adrian falling down on a sure 1st down run - settling for a FG.
The first half, we went toe-to-toe w/ them and caught absolutely no breaks whatsoever, and they were still very lucky it wasn't 14/17-7, instead of 10-7.
In the 2nd half, Texas showed something I hadn't seen from them since 1999: guts. Give it up to 'em, they deserve credit. With a freshman quarterback, they didn't clam up and retreat. Greg Davis (who I've taken numerous shots at) called a great half of football.
But...we didn't help ourselves. The false start penalties crippled our offense for most of the 2nd half, changed our playcalling, and we watched as literally one potential scoring drive after another fizzled because of our own mistakes. At 21-10, I still felt we had a good shot to win it...driving inside UT territory, a long 3rd down conversion ended in a turnover (Iglesias fumble) and it was essentially over. The orange side could feel it and so could we. The late controversial TD was more of an afterthought....some icing on their cake.
Give credit where credit is due, Soonerfans. Colt McCoy, Chizik, Davis, their lines, and, most of all -Mack Brown. They made fewer mistakes and played w/in their gameplan.
But...don't get too down on OU and don't overestimate the loss too much. It wasn't as if we were outclassed all over the field. We outgained them and shot ourselves in the foot all day long.
The "Something needs to be done...Stoops is [insert absurdity]!!!!" crowd need to have a Coke and a smile and calm down.
There are about 110 programs that'd change places w/ us (coaching staffs, players, facilities, future potential...all of it included) in a hearbeat.
We've got a lot of football left....barring injury, AD will break the rushing record, 10-2 and a solid bowl game are very possible.
As for the larger picture....is it a landslide monumental shift? Maybe...but that's probably being overstated.
I'd be willing to bet in 12 months, OU and Texas will put two teams on the field who are very equal in talent and coaching and -like yesterday- the team who makes the fewest mistakes and catches the most breaks will win.
I'm proud of the guys...they could've quit after the Idiot fiasco, or the Oregon debacle, but they didn't...they played their guts out all day long and came up short. Nothing to be ashamed of...they made mistakes...no crime there.
I thought we'd need a lot breaks and luck to win...turns out, we just needed to break even...but we didn't. Turns out, the 101st edition of the RRS proved a football axiom...the team w/ the fewest mistakes wins.
Special thanks from Octavian go out to Paul Thompson and DJ Wolfe. Neither of them asked to be put into the positions they were in on Saturday and both of played extremely well for over 90% of their snaps.
Unfortunately, both of them will probably have to suffer through criticism from individuals they've never met about things they don't fully understand. But...that comes with the territory. In any event...thanks for giving it your best for all of us Soonerfans.
Win or lose...the RRS is a special event in American sports and I was thankful to be a part of it again. Congrats, you filthy horns. Enjoy it...laugh it up...we certainly would (and have).
But we're Oklahoma...you know we'll be back.
Every time I go, my oppinion is reinforced that anyone from either fanbase who wants to move the game to a home/home series surely has never been...
I came into the game thinking that we'd need some luck to win. We'd need to be plus-2 or 3 in the turnover collumn to win. We'd need to have fewer penalties than them.
As it turned out, we didn't need any of that at all. We just needed to break even on all that stuff....and we didn't.
Up 10-7 at halftime, I was full of mixed emotions.
I was surprised at how easily we'd bottled up their offense. It was obvious the D had made great strides since Oregon. Most of their drives were a collection of 3's-and-out we'd easily outgained them.
The offense looked good...we were mixing it up and had them on their heels. Paul was effective in the passing game. AD was effective in the running game. Our staff was outscheming their staff....again.
At the same time, I was disappointed...and knew full well we could pay for squandering opportunities.
A red zone opportunity that ended in a long sack and a punt. The worst pass interference call I've ever seen. A fumble that Bob should've challenged. Adrian falling down on a sure 1st down run - settling for a FG.
The first half, we went toe-to-toe w/ them and caught absolutely no breaks whatsoever, and they were still very lucky it wasn't 14/17-7, instead of 10-7.
In the 2nd half, Texas showed something I hadn't seen from them since 1999: guts. Give it up to 'em, they deserve credit. With a freshman quarterback, they didn't clam up and retreat. Greg Davis (who I've taken numerous shots at) called a great half of football.
But...we didn't help ourselves. The false start penalties crippled our offense for most of the 2nd half, changed our playcalling, and we watched as literally one potential scoring drive after another fizzled because of our own mistakes. At 21-10, I still felt we had a good shot to win it...driving inside UT territory, a long 3rd down conversion ended in a turnover (Iglesias fumble) and it was essentially over. The orange side could feel it and so could we. The late controversial TD was more of an afterthought....some icing on their cake.
Give credit where credit is due, Soonerfans. Colt McCoy, Chizik, Davis, their lines, and, most of all -Mack Brown. They made fewer mistakes and played w/in their gameplan.
But...don't get too down on OU and don't overestimate the loss too much. It wasn't as if we were outclassed all over the field. We outgained them and shot ourselves in the foot all day long.
The "Something needs to be done...Stoops is [insert absurdity]!!!!" crowd need to have a Coke and a smile and calm down.
There are about 110 programs that'd change places w/ us (coaching staffs, players, facilities, future potential...all of it included) in a hearbeat.
We've got a lot of football left....barring injury, AD will break the rushing record, 10-2 and a solid bowl game are very possible.
As for the larger picture....is it a landslide monumental shift? Maybe...but that's probably being overstated.
I'd be willing to bet in 12 months, OU and Texas will put two teams on the field who are very equal in talent and coaching and -like yesterday- the team who makes the fewest mistakes and catches the most breaks will win.
I'm proud of the guys...they could've quit after the Idiot fiasco, or the Oregon debacle, but they didn't...they played their guts out all day long and came up short. Nothing to be ashamed of...they made mistakes...no crime there.
I thought we'd need a lot breaks and luck to win...turns out, we just needed to break even...but we didn't. Turns out, the 101st edition of the RRS proved a football axiom...the team w/ the fewest mistakes wins.
Special thanks from Octavian go out to Paul Thompson and DJ Wolfe. Neither of them asked to be put into the positions they were in on Saturday and both of played extremely well for over 90% of their snaps.
Unfortunately, both of them will probably have to suffer through criticism from individuals they've never met about things they don't fully understand. But...that comes with the territory. In any event...thanks for giving it your best for all of us Soonerfans.
Win or lose...the RRS is a special event in American sports and I was thankful to be a part of it again. Congrats, you filthy horns. Enjoy it...laugh it up...we certainly would (and have).
But we're Oklahoma...you know we'll be back.