SicEmBaylor
11/28/2006, 04:21 PM
Here's another good editorial from the Baylor sports guy at the Waco Trib.
http://www.wacotrib.com/sports/content/sports/college/2006/11/28/11282006wachillcol.html
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
Like Job in the Bible, Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops just stood there and took it.
If they weren’t killing off his cattle and burning down his house, they were kicking out his quarterback, taking a victory away from him on a controversial call and striking down his star running back.
Never rattled, he quietly asked, “Is that all you got?”
When quarterback Rhett Bomar was ruled ineligible because of NCAA violations, Stoops just switched wide receiver Paul Thompson back to quarterback and moved on without missing a beat.
“I felt Paul Thompson would be every bit as good, if not better,” said Stoops, who beat the NCAA to the punch when he kicked Bomar off the team himself. “I told the team, ‘Now if you’re looking for an excuse or for our expectations to change or that we’re not going to have a chance to win the Big 12 South, it will not be because of Paul Thompson.’ ’’
Never takes the easy road
No matter what came up, he wouldn’t give his players, or even himself, an out.
“He’s a straightforward guy,” said senior linebacker Rufus Alexander. “He doesn’t take the easy way out and say, ‘Well, because this happened, we can’t have a great year.’ It’s not an excuse because you’re No. 2 that you can’t make plays. If you have to step in and be a starter, you have to make plays.”
Thompson has proved Stoops right by completing 62 percent of his passes, throwing for 2,169 yards and leading the Sooners to a 6-0 record since running back Adrian Peterson went down with a broken collarbone.
“He’s been the guy to direct the huddle,” Stoops said of the fifth-year senior from Leander. “He’s got maturity to him, and all these young players for us really look up to him and get a lot of assurance from Paul.”
No excuses.
When the officials blew a call that cost the Sooners a victory at Oregon, Stoops griped about it publicly. But his message to the team was let it go
“He told us that it was our choice,” Alexander said. “Everybody’s going to write you off. So it’s up to us. Either we’re going to let them be right, or we’re going to go out there and fight and continue to win.”
Their choice was obvious.
The eighth-ranked Sooners (10-2), not Texas, will play No. 19 Nebraska (9-3) in Saturday’s Big 12 championship game in Kansas City.
Just plug the next one in
When Peterson went down in the sixth game, Allen Patrick, Jacob Gutierez and Chris Brown just picked up the ball and ran with it.
“Because Adrian is such a great running back, you lose focus on the other guys you have behind him,” Alexander said. “Nobody got to see Allen Patrick, because Adrian Peterson is such a great player and he demands a lot of playing time. But we all knew.”
And Stoops never let them believe anything different. That might have been Thompson handing off to Patrick, but Stoops made the Sooners believe it was Matt Leinart handing off to Reggie Bush.
No excuses.
[email protected]
757-5715
JERRY HILL’S BIG 12 FOOTBALL RANKINGS
Team Record LW
1. Oklahoma (10-2) 2
From bust to BCS
2. Texas (9-3) 1
Wasn’t the real McCoy
3. Nebraska (9-3) 3
Callahan wins ’em over
4. Texas A&M (9-3) 4
Beating UT cures a lot
5. Texas Tech (7-5) 5
Tech bowling again
6. Okla. St. (6-6) 6
Falls just out of reach
7. Missouri (8-4) 8
Ended 3-game slide
8. Kansas (6-6) 7
Could be left out
9. Kansas St. (7-5) 9
Waiting for invitation
10. Baylor (4-8) 10
Needs immediate help
11. Colorado (2-10) 11
Should be better in ’07
12. Iowa St. (4-8) 12
UT’s Chizik gets shot
http://www.wacotrib.com/sports/content/sports/college/2006/11/28/11282006wachillcol.html
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
Like Job in the Bible, Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops just stood there and took it.
If they weren’t killing off his cattle and burning down his house, they were kicking out his quarterback, taking a victory away from him on a controversial call and striking down his star running back.
Never rattled, he quietly asked, “Is that all you got?”
When quarterback Rhett Bomar was ruled ineligible because of NCAA violations, Stoops just switched wide receiver Paul Thompson back to quarterback and moved on without missing a beat.
“I felt Paul Thompson would be every bit as good, if not better,” said Stoops, who beat the NCAA to the punch when he kicked Bomar off the team himself. “I told the team, ‘Now if you’re looking for an excuse or for our expectations to change or that we’re not going to have a chance to win the Big 12 South, it will not be because of Paul Thompson.’ ’’
Never takes the easy road
No matter what came up, he wouldn’t give his players, or even himself, an out.
“He’s a straightforward guy,” said senior linebacker Rufus Alexander. “He doesn’t take the easy way out and say, ‘Well, because this happened, we can’t have a great year.’ It’s not an excuse because you’re No. 2 that you can’t make plays. If you have to step in and be a starter, you have to make plays.”
Thompson has proved Stoops right by completing 62 percent of his passes, throwing for 2,169 yards and leading the Sooners to a 6-0 record since running back Adrian Peterson went down with a broken collarbone.
“He’s been the guy to direct the huddle,” Stoops said of the fifth-year senior from Leander. “He’s got maturity to him, and all these young players for us really look up to him and get a lot of assurance from Paul.”
No excuses.
When the officials blew a call that cost the Sooners a victory at Oregon, Stoops griped about it publicly. But his message to the team was let it go
“He told us that it was our choice,” Alexander said. “Everybody’s going to write you off. So it’s up to us. Either we’re going to let them be right, or we’re going to go out there and fight and continue to win.”
Their choice was obvious.
The eighth-ranked Sooners (10-2), not Texas, will play No. 19 Nebraska (9-3) in Saturday’s Big 12 championship game in Kansas City.
Just plug the next one in
When Peterson went down in the sixth game, Allen Patrick, Jacob Gutierez and Chris Brown just picked up the ball and ran with it.
“Because Adrian is such a great running back, you lose focus on the other guys you have behind him,” Alexander said. “Nobody got to see Allen Patrick, because Adrian Peterson is such a great player and he demands a lot of playing time. But we all knew.”
And Stoops never let them believe anything different. That might have been Thompson handing off to Patrick, but Stoops made the Sooners believe it was Matt Leinart handing off to Reggie Bush.
No excuses.
[email protected]
757-5715
JERRY HILL’S BIG 12 FOOTBALL RANKINGS
Team Record LW
1. Oklahoma (10-2) 2
From bust to BCS
2. Texas (9-3) 1
Wasn’t the real McCoy
3. Nebraska (9-3) 3
Callahan wins ’em over
4. Texas A&M (9-3) 4
Beating UT cures a lot
5. Texas Tech (7-5) 5
Tech bowling again
6. Okla. St. (6-6) 6
Falls just out of reach
7. Missouri (8-4) 8
Ended 3-game slide
8. Kansas (6-6) 7
Could be left out
9. Kansas St. (7-5) 9
Waiting for invitation
10. Baylor (4-8) 10
Needs immediate help
11. Colorado (2-10) 11
Should be better in ’07
12. Iowa St. (4-8) 12
UT’s Chizik gets shot