Thoughts on the 101st RRS...

[Octavian]

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.

[Octavian]

sorry...no cliffsnotes ;)

[okcusooner]

My afterthoughts centered on who truly deserves the blame for the debacle that happened yesterday.

Stoops? He's handsomely paid and responsibility goes along with that paycheck. However, is it fair to assume that he can have total control over
the team's performance?

The assistant coaches? Again, do they have total control over whether the players ultimatley learn the lessons and skills intended to be developed in practice?

The players?

While reasonable people can disagree about the above, the following appear to be indisputable facts. Fundamental mistakes were abundant in the 101st RRS.

1. The fifth game into the season, the offensive line was flagged 5 times for
illegal procedure.

2. The defense was flagged twice for offsides.

3. OU defensive backs continue to not execute the fundamental of looking back for the ball. (see Nick Harris on McCoy's 2nd touchdown pass)

4. Wide Reciever J. Iglesias failed to transfer the ball to his outside arm while running down the sideline after a catch. Luckily, when he was stripped the ball went out of bounds before Texas could recover.

5. Adrian Peterson stretched the ball out toward the endzone on his touchdown run. Luckily, (and I'm beginning to think it's luck when replay officials get it right) officials said he crossed the plane of the goal line before he lost the ball. Peterson should have learned his lesson against Oregon in the Holiday bowl. There is no reason to risk a goaline stretch unless it's fourth down, or the last play of the half/game.

6. Peterson doesn't immediately cover his drop on the 4th quarter swing pass that was, of course, ruled a lateral. We've all seen the replays. Without the luxury of replay, a person on the field would have been hard pressed to say with complete certainty whether the ball went forward. Either Cale Gundy has not emphasized the importance of assuming that an incomplete swing pass is a fumble or Peterson didn't learn this lesson in practice.

7. Composure. Rufus (a senior) is nailed for unsportsmanlike conduct which takes 15 yards and some momentum of Peteson's good kickoff return.



I love the Big Red (screw Nebraska). However, my devotion does not blind me to fundamental errors that continue to plague this team.

I can't argue with the pollsters who now think that 22 other teams would beat OU.

[GottaHavePride]

7. Composure. Rufus (a senior) is nailed for unsportsmanlike conduct which takes 15 yards and some momentum of Peteson's good kickoff return.

That was an "unnecessary roughness" call, right? I didn't even see what Rufus did. Although hoestly, I'd rather have our guys playing hard enough to risk drawing that call than arm-tackling.

[OKC-SLC]

Stoops? He's handsomely paid and responsibility goes along with that paycheck. However, is it fair to assume that he can have total control over the team's performance?
Well, Bob's paid enough to figure this out, too.

[Octavian]

Stoops?However, is it fair to assume that he can have total control over
the team's performance?

no, it's not.

he didn't deserve total credit for the national championship or the 3 BigXII titles either.

coaches don't make and bust plays...the game plan was solid.

our players fought hard, but made too many mistakes and didn't make enough big plays in crucial moments.

their players did.

yesterday was not a "debacle"

[okcusooner]

Clearly, we disagree on what constitutes a debacle.

Can we agree on the list of fundamental mistakes? If so, how could this littany of basic mistakes during the fifth game of the season against OU's biggest rival not constitute a debacle?

[birddog]

the whole second half reeked of john blake. it was just so friggin sloppy. i've seen us play with a lack of discipline but never THAT much.

but we're still young in a lot of key positions and that's what you get sometimes.

[Octavian]

Leading a higher ranked team at halftime who's coming off a national championship and shooting yourself in the foot to lose 28-10 isn't a debacle or a shameful outing.

We got beat. It wasn't 63-14. It wasn't 65-13 or 55-19.

The '03 BigXII CCG was a debacle. Being the #2 team in the country and losing at home to an unranked opponent is a debacle.

As for the fundamental mistakes...sure, we can agree. It cost us the game.

But this isn't some sort of historical scar...they were favored. We made more mistakes, and they won.

[Octavian]

the whole second half reeked of john blake.

A John Blake squad against a top10 team would've surrendered 60 points and would've had hard time getting 11 men on the field.

We weren't that far away...we simply made too many mistakes. It happens.

Any comparison between Stoops and any Sooner coach that isn't Wilkinson or Switzer is invariably false at it's outset.

[birddog]

i understand that. just the number of penalties drove me crazy. i have never seen a stoops coached team do that. last time i saw it was the blake days.

[westcoast_sooner]

Penalties and turnovers. If you turn the ball over 5 times and have 11 penalties, it's hard to beat Middle Tennessee State, much less a top 10 team in a rivalry game.

Some of this can be chalked up to youth and inexperience.

I think we'll get better and this loss will teach these guys how to focus better, take care of the ball better, work harder.