4-For-4 - Part 1

 

I was at the University of Oklahoma from 1984-1988. During that time, the Sooners never lost to Texas or Nebraska. Equally cool, is the fact that in each of the 4-wins over the Cornhuskers, there was a play so memorable that it has a name. So, in honor of the renewed Oklahoma - Nebraska rivalry this weekend, I thought I’d go back 38-years and 50-lbs ago … to relive 4-for-4.

4-For-4 - Part 1

THE STAND - 1984

#6 Oklahoma (7-1-1) @ #1 Nebraska (9-1)

November 17^th, 1984

 It was my freshman year at OU and I watched the game with my Delt pledge brothers at Jeff Posey’s apartment in Norman.

Barry Switzer’s 6^th ranked Sooners, who went into Lincoln having lost three in a row to the Cornhuskers, were a blend of young and old. The Sooners wishbone attack was driven by senior QB Danny Bradley. Freshman Lydell Carr, who lined-up at fullback, was flanked by junior Spencer Tillman and senior Jerome Leadbetter at the halfback positions. The OU defense was spearheaded by precocious freshman linebacker Brian Bosworth and junior tackle Tony Casillas.

Nebraska, ranked #1 and the owners of a 27-game conference win streak, were led by QB Travis Turner, fullback Tom Rathman, halfbacks Doug DuBose and Jeff Smith, and the top ranked defense in all of college football.

With nine-minutes to go in the game and trailing 10-7, Nebraska took over at their own 11-yard line and methodically marched down inside the OU 10-yard line. On third and goal from the Oklahoma 2, senior fullback Scott Porter was stopped just inches short of the goal line by linebacker Dante Jones and tackle Richard Reed, setting up a crucial 4^th down, season defining decision by Husker head coach Tom Osborne. Having watched his kicker miss 3-field goal attempts on the day, Osborne never hesitated.

The play, as we now know, was called "49 pitch," which was a quick pitchout to tailback Jeff Smith. As Smith ran toward the edge, OU senior cornerback Brian Hall came up strong, shed a block and dropped Smith for a small loss, giving Oklahoma the ball back with just 5:32 to play. It was the second time that the defense had stuffed the Huskers in the shadows of their own goal posts – and it is now forever known as … The Stand.

 

THE REVERSE

#2 Nebraska (9-1) @ #5 Oklahoma (7-1)

November 23^rd, 1985

 

It was a gray, late November day, picture-perfect for football.  I was sitting halfway up section 28, which was the student section … and don't tell my mom, but I was hammered. It’s hard to fathom now, but in 1985, you could actually bring a backpack into the game. Needless to say, if you were to take a peek inside mine, you weren’t going to find Einstein’s The Meaning of Relativity, not unless somebody stuffed it inside a Coors Light 12-pack carton. While there was about a 10-15% chance that someone might check for contraband, it dropped to 0% if you handed the guy $10.00. Man, those were the days.  

 

On the Sooners second possession of the game, they broke the huddle looking at second and 7 from their own 12-yard line. What happened next is now known simply as … The Reverse.

 

The Sooners would go on to win 27-7, a final score that doesn’t do justice to the way Oklahoma dominated the game. A stat from that game that always jumps out at me is the fact that the Sooners only threw the ball 4-times that day, completing 1, for 38-yards. Can you imagine in today’s college football, completing 1-pass all day – and still beating the #2-ranked team in the country by 20?

 

I also remember the tradition of bringing oranges to the game – which we would launch onto the field after OU scores – symbolic in that the winning team was most likely going to the Orange Bowl. That tradition backfired on me one time, however. After the game, as we were storming the field to go tear down the goal posts in the south endzone, I got nailed by an orange thrown from the stands. It hit me so hard it knocked me down (my lack of motor skills and sobriety may have also played a part in me going all Humpty-Dumpty at the 42-yard line). The funniest part was the next day you could literally read part of the word Sunkist on my forehead. Backpacks, oranges, and The Reverse - Good Times!

 

Part 2 Next

Just the Opinion of One Mildly Interested Guy

 

Buddy Putty

The Overweight Armchair Sooner

*Gary McKnight - this font size is for you!

Oklahoma 33 Kent St. 3

 

The Sooners improved to 2-0 on the season with their 33-3 victory over Kent State. Hey, don’t take being 2-0 for granted … there are more than a few preseason top 15 teams – like Texas, Notre Dame, Baylor, LSU, Texas A&M, Florida and Oregon - who would love to say the same. Then there is Nebraska …wow. The Sooners go to Lincoln next and face a Cornhuskers team that just lost to Georgia State and had their head coach fired. Talk about messing with a wounded animal.

Dillon Gabriel

I’m not gonna bull-shit you – before he transferred to OU, I wouldn’t have known Dillon Gabriel from Roman Gabriel, Peter Gabriel, Matt Dillon or Marshall Dillon.

-       Positives – He’s been accurate, seems to possess above average arm strength, appears to be comfortable in Lebby’s offense – and by all-accounts  - has stepped up as one of the team leaders. 

-       Concerns: He seems to have a proclivity to stare down his intended target too often. Which, to be honest, is something I’m also guilty of doing. The difference is –when I’m staring at a bottle of bourbon, I’ve yet to have the bartender read my eyes and jump the route for a pick-6

Shades of Gray

·       No one has asked, but if they did, I would not use Eric Gray as the starter or feature back. I would go with Major or Barnes, with Gray being more of a 3^rd down back.  Hey, my ability to second guess people who have risen to great heights within their given profession –well, it’s a gift that needs to be shared. You’re welcome.

Light Show – Eventually

Saturday nights 6:00 PM kickoff meant the unveiling of the new LED stadium lights at Owen Field. It took longer than expected, but eventually we all learned that the lights can be used in a celebratory fashion.

After a Marvin Mims touchdown finally gave the Sooners the lead, the banks of bright lights around the stadium went dark like there was a power failure, then seconds later flashed back on in strobe like fashion.  The cool moment caught many Sooner fans by surprise … and by cool moment I meant the touchdown. Oh, the light show was pretty neat-0 too.

Another note on the LED lights – every time the lights were mentioned, all I could think about was the exorbitant cost. I steal them from my parents’ house, otherwise I’m not sure I’d be able to afford them without taking an early distribution from my retirement account. I’m surprised that the cost didn’t force them to consider doing one section of the stadium at I time – like I’m doing in my master bathroom. Btw – LED lights don’t make you look thinner, just so you know.

(Did You Know)

The Sooners are now 2-0 against teams that display their local area code on their helmets. The (915) played a prominent role on the UTEP helmet design, while Kent St went with the more subtle (301) in front center facemask area. For more information on this ridiculous trend, please hang up and dial 411

Is it Golden Flash, or Gold Flashes, or Golden Flashes or …

Regardless of moniker, if not for the ultimate prevent defense employed by Kent State at the end of the first half, the Sooners were in grave danger of going to the locker room losing 3-0 to some form of yellowish flicker.

Defense

The Sooners defense will face a significant step up in competition soon, but don’t sleep on the Kent St. skill position players. Their QB is a gamer. They also have an NFL ready receiver and a running back that punished would be tacklers.

Love the effort of the entire defense.  There are some kinks to work out – but that is to be expected. Early standouts are Downs, Grimes, Stutsman and Bowman.

Oklahoma held Kent State to less than 300 yards of total offense, 3.2 yards per carry, and just 6.23 yards per attempt through the air. They collected 14 tackles for loss and three sacks as a unit, led by Danny Stutsman's 12 tackles (9 solo), four tackles for loss, and a sack by Grimes.  Last year through two games the Sooners had 17 tackles for a loss, this season they have 23-sacks through 2-games.

 So, you’re telling me …

… that there is nobody else on the entire roster that is capable of returning punts besides starting wide-receiver Marvin Mims? Other than driving the Schooner, there isn’t a more dangerous job on the field than punt returner. Lose Mims = Lose Games.

Just The Opinion of One Mildly Interested Guy

Buddy Putty

The Overweight Armchair Sooner

The 2022 Oklahoma Sooners - It's a Math Thing

Frankly, I hate math. Always have, always will. In my opinion, math is arrogant, a little too full of itself. “You couldn’t survive without math,” Mrs. Ashmead told me in fifth grade. “Maybe, maybe not,” I countered. “But I’m pretty sure that if I make another C, math could very well be the reason my dad kills me.” 

 Another reason I don’t like math is because of all the rules associated with performing it. You have to carry the one, you have to find a common denominator, you can’t cheat off of Julie Fodge. Well, this may come as a shock to some of you, but turns out, I’m not much of a rule follower. To me, rules are more like strongly advised suggestions. Look, I realize that wearing a seat belt is in my best interest and that not doing so is against the law. But that said, there are times that I refused to buckle up until that f-ing bell stops chiming (takes about 5-min btw and other people in the car love it). So, if I’m willing to chance being thrown through my windshield because I won’t be told what to do by an annoying noise, then it should come as no surprise that I struggle with following ‘the order of operations’ necessary to solve a math equation. Hell, even when by some miracle I did come up with the correct answer, I would get penalized for not ‘showing my work.’ Guess I should’ve written, “See Julie’s Paper” under my answer to each question. F-you math. 

Math also likes to taunt me. Like when I hear someone say, “Last Saturday, I ran in the annual “I Exercise While You Eat Donuts 5K.” Okay, let’s pretend for a second that I actually care … Am I supposed to know what or how far a K is? If I was bragging about how many donuts I ate, I wouldn’t say, “Yep, while you were out acquiring shin-splints on your way to finishing 377th in your age group, I was on the couch knockin’ down 800 kg’s of jelly filled and 138 picograms of apple fritter.” For the record, I’m more easily impressed with an accomplishment when I don’t have to use a conversion chart to understand it. Just sayin’. 

 Speaking of letters … Why are there letters and symbols involved in math? Who thought this was a good idea, U2? When I learned to count to ten, I didn’t use my fingers and toes to recite 1, 2, R=3, 4, (5-X), -6, X7, 8, (9), /10. 

 But as much as I hate math, there is no getting around the fact that the 2022 Oklahoma Sooners team will be judged by all the additions and subtractions the program has experienced since last November. With change comes the unknown, and that unknown has leant an air of excitement and interest to the upcoming season that is unmatched by any in recent memory. But the unknown can also be tricky, fickle, and hard to embrace – especially if it doesn’t produce immediate results. On Saturday, the Sooners will take the field against UTEP. It will mark the end of one of the most emotional 9-month periods in program history, while simultaneously signaling the beginning of a new era. With a new head coach on the sideline and a new QB taking the snap – ‘the order of operations’ necessary to solve the looming equation will begin. Every Saturday, the Sooners will get a little closer to finding the answer. There will be rules to follow, and of course they’ll be required to show their work – usually to about 80,000 +. 

Oh, one last thing – don't expect any help from Julie Fodge … turns out she is an Oklahoma State fan.

FINALLY ... It's Football Time in Oklahoma

Just the Opinion of One Mildly Interested Fan

Buddy Putty

The Overweight Armchair Sooner

Oklahoma vs. Texas 2021 - Part I - The Pre-Game

#6 OKLAHOMA 55  #21 TEXAS 48

   Saturday, October 9^th, 2021
The Cotton Bowl @ Fair Park - Dallas, TX

It was excruciating and it was exciting. It was frustrating and it was fascinating. It was miserable and it was awesome. It was a 4-hour pigskin rollercoaster ride of ups and downs and twists and turns that had the 92,100 people in attendance alternating between begging to be let off and lobbying to go again.  

It was Oklahoma and it was Texas … It was Red River … And it was the worst/best one ever.

PART 1 – THE PRE-GAME

8:00 AM: Departure. Kate and Terry were in the car with seat belts buckled right on time for the predetermined 8:00 AM departure. I have always found that it’s a better start to the day when I’m not forced to leave someone who isn’t ready to go. Don’t laugh, it’s happened.

The lovely Kate Core and me 
b4 game

8:20 AM: Parking. The large, talkative lady with an orange flag who waved me into my preferred parking lot also offered me some advice. “The man inside who is directing the parking will take you’re $30, but be patient, he doesn’t speak much English.” Turns out that if you have the ability to hold cash and utter the word “closer” over and over – you too can park cars on game day.

8:30 AM. Security. I hate to brag, but history shows that when it comes to smuggling my flask of Crown into Fair Park, I’m undefeated. But that said, I also know that there is always a chance that one year I’m going to run into State Fair Sipowicz.  He’s the guy who flunked the TSA Airport Security Test, so instead of living his dream of requiring people to place their shoes in the plastic bin, he’s trying to make a name for himself by being a hard-ass at Gate 3. This was not that year.

Not only did security not check people for alcohol or weapons –  hell, they didn’t even check to see if you had a ticket.  

8:35 AM: Inside the Gates. I’ve been going to this game since 1982 and usually when I arrive at Fair Park the only people already there are Blake and Sally Moffett, 3-dentally challenged carny’s, a fat lady with a bad attitude selling coupons inside a hut, and Big Tex.  This year when I arrived at 8:35, I felt like I was late. Fans of both teams came early and stayed late – and were loud at all times in between.  Impressive.

Annual Photo with Sally Moffett

8:50 AM: The Picnic Tables. I was a little miffed when I walked up and saw that the GameDay set had been placed in close proximity to where our group meets. To start with, I was not consulted on this decision … and as the self-appointed Pre-Game Poohbah of the Picnic Tables I found that to be disrespectful at best. In addition to me having to talk louder in order to share my wisdom, the extra people congregating in the area also required all of us to stand a little closer to the beer stand than we have in the past … hey, we are an adaptable bunch if nothing else.

10:25: The Fan Version of the Tunnel. Slowly making my way through the multitude of fans and then shuffling up the main gate steps one at a time to enter the stadium is just one of the numerous experiences provided by this neutral site game that I always enjoy. (Sorry, I tried to make that last sentence longer, but my fingers cramped).

As is usually the norm, once near the top I like to impose on someone I don’t know to stop what they’re doing in order to take my picture. The task I’ve assigned this stranger also comes with an insult in the form of specific directions, “Hey, even though I’m never going to look at this picture again … would you mind taking one photo vertical and then another one horizontal … oh, and also … would you please make sure to include the sea of crimson and burnt orange masses of other people I don’t know in the background.” Thank you Captain Obvious.   

10:45 AM: Best. Seats. Ever. My seats this year were on the

Thank you Bill Medley (right)
for the seats

50-yard line and in the shade. The only way the seats could've been any better would be if they substituted the metal bench with a recliner and someone brought me a Fletcher’s Corny Dog every 30 minutes. 

11:01 AM: Texas 7 – Oklahoma 0. I can’t be positive, but I think the Longhorns might have scored so fast that Maverick and Goose were still doing the post National Anthem fly-over.  The first play from scrimmage also brought with it the first F-bomb of the day. From the look on the face of the mom sitting 3-kids down to my left … she wasn’t thinking Best. Seats. Ever.

The versatile four letter word, which in this instance I used as a transitive verb, was uttered a mere 8-seconds into the game, which is a new OU-TX game record for me. The early expletive shattered my previous mark of 3-minutes and 42 seconds which occurred back in 2014 when I fumbled a stadium cup full of crown and ice down the back of the blue-hair sitting in the row in front of me. She couldn't have agree more with my assessment.

 11:05 AM: Speaking of Crown …. Next Up: PART II

What a 'Croc

 "The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits”– Albert Einstein

 Croc’ of Shit

The only thing more embarrassing than the way Mullen’s team played in the 2020 Goodyear Cotton Bowl game, was the way Mullen ran his mouth after it.  Like all of us, Dan has the right to remain silent … he just evidently doesn’t have the ability.

“The last game this 2020 team played was 11 days ago.” – Dan Mullen

 Well, Dan, if that’s the case … I’d hate to be a Gator fan, because your 2021 team sucks.

Someone should explain to this moron that every time his team takes the field, they represent both him and the University of Florida. Spewing that kind of garbage is what losers and quitters do – then again, what else would you expect from someone who shows up at a press-conference wearing a Darth Vader costume.

Oh, and by-the way, if your last game was 11-days prior to this one then I’m sure you won’t mind giving back the $2.43 million that the fine people at Goodyear paid to the University of Florida for your team to ‘not play’ in this game. 

The irony of Mullen’s pathetic quote is that the last game he wants us to remember his 2020 team by was one in which his Gators gave up 52 points and 600 yards to Alabama … which is only slightly less embarrassing than when his team shit the bed as a 22-point favorite at home against LSU the week before.

“With the number of people that were out for the game, we were under numbers actually. I mean, to be honest with you, we had the numbers to not play the game.”– Dan Mullen

But you did play Dan, so what’s your point?  Besides, Darth … you had 60-scholarship players available for the game, which turns out to be 3-more than the 57 that Oklahoma had available. (Thank you Styx for that little nugget)

Bottom line … if you didn’t have enough players then you had the option to opt-out like a half-dozen of your now former Gators did … but you didn’t. You decided to play the game – and the fact is, you didn’t have your team prepared. 

        “I thought our scout team guys played well.” – Dan Mullen

Dan … if this coaching thing doesn’t work out, there is a future for you in motivational speaking as I’m sure that all the players who were actually committed enough to play in the game loved hearing their head coach refer to them as scout team players.

Wow … Four days earlier you told us that that Heisman finalist Kyle Trask was one of the best Gator quarterbacks ever – now he’s a scout teamer.

 If the 57-scholarship players you had available were nothing more than scout team fodder, then that doesn’t say a whole hell of a lot about your ability to recruit.

And Finally … A Lesson in Karma 

“Oklahoma is a good matchup, but they’re not on our level.  They’re not SEC, they’re not the Florida Gators.” – Florida LB James Houston

Ironically, neither is James Houston.  That’s because the mouthy, red-shirt senior with an extra year of NCAA granted eligibility, entered the transfer portal yesterday. Guess he’s not up to Florida’s level either.

                         

Sooners Beat Down Pokes 41-13

Barry Switzer was once asked about his thoughts on the upcoming game against instate ‘rival’ Oklahoma State.  His answer is still my favorite Switzer quote of all-time. “Just because it doesn’t take us long to get home after we kick their ass, doesn’t make them our rival.” 

In case you don’t speak Switzer, what he was trying to say was, to be someone’s rival, you have to win the game more often than the Washington Generals beat the Globetrotters.

Bedlam: (a) A place, scene, or state of uproar and confusion

                  (b) an asylum for the mentally ill

With Switzer’s quote and the definition above in mind - to this day I’m still confused as to why the Oklahoma-Oklahoma State game is called Bedlam.  Frankly, there is nothing confusing about this game.  It’s the most lopsided in-state series in college football. 115-times they’ve kicked off, 90-times Oklahoma has won. Maybe it’s called Bedlam because you’d have to be mentally ill to call 90-18-7 a rivalry.

In the first 8-games played between these two teams, OSU didn’t even score. The Sooners have had win streaks of 19, 17, 11, 9, and 8 (just to name a few) over their instate little step-brother. You have to go all the way back to the Coolidge administration to find the only 10-year span of the series that OSU won more games than they lost, as the Cowboys went 5-2-3 from 1924-1933. OSU’s longest win streak against the Sooners you didn’t ask? That would be two. Hell, even my broken clock is right twice a day.

I’ve also heard it said that you can “throw out the records when these two teams get together.” LOL, how convenient for the Cowboys. But okay, I’ll play along. I’m willing to concede the fact that some of the recent OU-OSU games have been thrilling affairs with some jaw-dropping moments … some of the games, like the one this past Saturday night, have even had conference and/or national implications. But history also shows that OSU has handled almost all of those moments like Brent Parker would a game winning touchdown pass (okay – admittedly, that was a little harsh and maybe even a little uncalled for).

Look, here’s the deal.  I try to root for OSU, I really do.  I want to pull for them because a vast majority of their players are Oklahoma kids – and I love that fact. I also have some really close friends who either went to school there or who are big fans – or both - and I try to respect that fact … but that courtesy is generally not reciprocated.  The vast majority of OSU fans do not root for OU – ever.  If OU played Satan, Poke fans would cheer like the ‘Devil’ against us.  Worse is the fact that I still have to hear about Terry Miller in 1976 or how Les Miles had our number in 2001 & 2002 … I can’t imagine what it would be like to live in OKC or Tulsa on the rare occasion that OSU wins. Thankfully, that happens about as often as a lunar eclipse.

Oklahoma’s dominant 41-13 victory Saturday night was the Sooners 6^th straight put-down of the Pokes – and the 16^th time in the last 18 tries that OU has conquered the Cowboys. Bedlam? Nope. Beatdown? Abso-f-ing-lutely.

 

Sooner Freshman - Mikey Henderson

OKLAHOMA 41 OSU 13

 11 Things I Think

 1. Don’t look now, but the Sooners might have a defense.  Perkins was a monster. Defensive line was dominant. OSU has some injury issues but loved what I saw Saturday night.

2. OU held the Pokes to 3-14 on 3^rd down and dominated the time of possession 34.52 to 25.08.

 3. The Sooners D came up big in the second quarter.  With the OU offense suddenly struggling, holding OSU to 2-field goals instead of touchdowns was a major factor in the game. 

 4. Maybe I’m just skittish from watching similar leads evaporate in the recent past – but was I the only one who felt the Sooners 27-13 halftime lead was a little precarious? Especially with the Pokes getting the ball to start the second half? Again, the Sooners defense came up big on first drive of second half – hell, the whole half for that matter … squashing any chance of OSU making a game of it.

5. Marvin Mims = A young CD Lamb. He’s a stud that is starting to demand double teams.

6. Mikey Henderson.  I said earlier this season, it’s obvious that Riley really likes this kid as evidenced by the different ways he is coming up with to get the ball in the freshman’s hands.  I also said that no position is deeper than H-Back for the Sooners. With Austin Stogner, one of Rattlers favorite targets, unable to go Saturday night, up steps Willis, Hall and Henderson. This trio accounted for 5-catches for 106-yards and 2-touchdowns through the air and another 20-yards on three carries and a TD on the ground. H-Back position description in a word: LOADED.

7. RB Stevenson is a beast and a game changer. He has great balance, excellent vision, deceptive speed, a wicked stiff-arm and soft-hands. No word on whether he’s a good dancer or willing to rescue kittens from a tree … but it will be interesting to see if he comes back or opts for the draft.  If I were a betting man, I’d say he’s probably gone.  His stock should be high and running backs seem to have a shelf-life … and while I don’t know this, I wouldn’t guess school to be his thing – but let’s hope I’m wrong.

8. Rattler was very efficient, if not great, going 17 of 24 for 301 and 4 touchdowns.

9. It's an absolute mystery to me why someone on the OU coaching staff can't get Bookie to shut the f-up. I don't get it.

10. Loved the play the Sooners scored on at the start of the 4^th quarter.  With Rattler lined up behind the guard, the ball was snapped directly to Stevenson, who then handed off to Rattler sweeping to the right. Rattler faked a handoff to the WR on a reverse – then threw to a wide-open Jeramiah “Was A Bullfrog” Hall for a touchdown. The play got me thinking … When was the last time that OSU Head Coach Mike Gundy ran something unexpected against the Sooners.  I’m sure it’s happened, but as of now, which is Monday afternoon – I’ve yet to remember just what and when that was. Just sayin.

11. By virtue of OU’s win over OSU – combined with ISU’s dismantling of KSU on Saturday … the Sooners now control their own destiny to winning a 6-straight Big 12 title – hard to believe after two straight conference losses to start the season. OU still has to take care of business, but if they do, they’ll most likely get the winner of the ISU-Texas game played this Saturday.

Just the Opinion of One Mildly Interested Guy

Buddy Putty – The Overweight Armchair Sooner

Sooners Trip to Lubbock a Rare Treat

 OKLAHOMA 63 TEXAS TECH 28

A night game in Lubbock. On Halloween. At Jones Stadium, aka … The Haunted House on the Plains. A rare Blue Moon. The Masked Rider. Tortillas Tossed and Guns Up. What could possibly go wrong?  Well, if history is any indication – a lot.

I was in Lubbock for the game in 2005. To say it was an officiating disaster would be like calling the year 2020 ‘a little different.’ The refs botched two calls that allowed the Red Raiders to score on their final drive and win the game 23-21.  Botched wasn’t just my opinion btw – my opinion wasn’t fit for print.  But the calls were bad enough that the Big 12 issued an apology three days later. The Sooners hadn’t been robbed of a game like that since … let me think … oh that’s right … three weeks earlier in Eugene, Oregon.

I didn’t make the trip to Lubbock in 2007 – and for all he remembers, neither did Sam Bradford.  That’s because Sam got knocked out in the first quarter when he tried to tackle the truck who picked up an Allen Patrick fumble. Down big early, the #3-ranked Sooners tried to mount a late comeback, but ultimately came up short 34-27.  On a side note: The Red Raiders wide-receivers coach that night was a guy named Lincoln Riley. The QB who came in for Bradford that night you didn’t ask? “Alex, I’ll take Forgotten Sooner QB’s - for $500 please.” Who is Joey Halzle.

In 2009, it seemed as though the entire OU team didn’t bother to make the 342-mile trip to the south plains. With Landry Jones and his porn stash at QB, the Sooners got trampled 41-13.

And who can forget the Mayfield & Mahomes show in 2016 … certainly not the two defensive coordinators I’m guessing. In his return to Lubbock, Baker passed for seven touchdowns and 545 yards to help the Sooners beat Texas Tech 66-59 in a game that broke the NCAA record for combined offensive yards with 1,708. An easy win for the Sooners in the hometown of the late Buddy Holly? “That’ll be the Day.”

Then Saturday night, Tech takes the opening kickoff and promptly goes 75-yards in 7-plays. I guess abusing OU cornerback Tre Brown through the air for 3-straight plays got a bit boring, so they decided to hand it off to running back SaRodorick Thompson.  SaRodorick, promptly SaRan the ball down the Sooners throat for 30-yards on 3-carries ... and before you could say ‘pretty, pretty, pretty, Peggy Sue’ – it was 7-0 Red Raiders.

But there was no need to panic. Obviously, it was very early in the game … and besides, now the OU offense would get a turn.  Three-plays, a Robinson holding penalty, and a Mundschau punt later – that turn was over.  Okay, maybe time for a little panic. 

To describe the first 5:00 minutes of the game in Trick or Treat terms: Tech’s bounty featured Snickers and Reese’s, while the Sooners pillow case contained a box of raisins, dental floss, some loose change and a ball of lint.  Not good.

But on the ensuing Tech drive, the game changed faster than the west Texas weather. 2-plays that included a sack, a false start and a personal foul-penalty – left the Red Raiders facing 3^rd and 45 from their own 9 yard-line. Yes, you read that correctly - 45-yards. Hell, some people don’t go that far for vacation … and neither did the Tech punt that followed their unsuccessful third-down play.

What came next for the Sooners over the next 3-hours was … well, truly a treat. When the dust settled (as if that ever actually happens in Lubbock), the final score read 62-28 … but to be honest, it really wasn’t that close. 

Did the Sooners finally put an end to the Lubbock curse? Well … Maybe baby, we’ll have to wait and see.  But on this particular full moon, Halloween night in Lubbock – the Sooners – brought us joys to share with those who really care. And we know why, just you and I, know true love ways.

Tidbits, Snippets and Shit I Believe to Be True

Convicted? The Sooners were called for only 2-penalties for 15-yards Saturday night. If that’s not a record, then in addition to being too lazy to research that fact, I’d also be surprised.

Welcome back. Saturday night marked the return of Ronnie Perkins and Rhamondre Stevenson. The stats will show Perkins finishing with 4-tackles, 2-of which were for a loss, and a QB hurry, but those numbers don’t do justice to the way he continually disrupted things defensively.  As for Stevenson, he is simply a beast.  He looked like a man among boys running the football – and that stiff arm of his could stop a Buick in its tracks. Just sayin.

Front-Runners. The Sooners have now outscored their opponents 89-10 in the first quarter this season.  I’d point out the same stat for the 4^th quarter of games this season, but don’t want to ruin this positive run I'm on.

Just a Streakin’. The Sooners have now scored 28-points or more in 58-consecutive games. The second longest streak belongs to Alabama, who has 19-straight.

Dos for Tre. Safety Tre Norwood had both interceptions for Oklahoma, becoming the first Sooners player with two in a game since 2016. The last player to do so for the Sooners? That would be linebacker, Jordan Evans.

More Treat Than Trick. For whatever it’s worth, the Sooners have now won eight consecutive games played on Halloween and are 12-3-2 all-time on All Hallows’ Eve. The last time the Sooners lost a game on 10/31 you didn’t ask? Hint: It was so long ago the Great Pumpkin was just a small Gourd. The last time OU lost on Halloween, was 1959 when the Sooner were squashed by the Cornhuskers 23-21. (Nothing funnier than Cucurbita humor, right mom?)

Next up: The Jayhawks

Just the Opinion of One Mildly Interested Guy

Buddy Putty – The Overweight Armchair Sooner