SOONERS SURVIVE OPENER

WEEK ONE RECAP:
OKLAHOMA 31 UTAH ST. 24

THE OAS SOONER SPOT LIGHT: Patrick O’Hara, OU place kicker

Thought I would mention this kid now before he isn’t the kicker anymore. Has anyone said anything good about any of the Sooners place kickers this year? “Hey, they never forget to bring their kicking shoe…Anything?” I mean seriously, how confident can this kid O’Hara be? Two weeks ago, his head coach was so impressed with his performance in practice that he felt the need to publicly invite anyone with a pulse and a student ID to come out and audition for his kicking job.
When no one with the ability to be consistent inside of 40 yards magically emerged from the Department of Medieval and Renaissance Studies….Stoops reluctantly named O’Hara the starting kicker. When pressed as to why by inquiring minds…Stoops all but said: “of all the candidates, he sucked the least…and the people printing the program needed a name to put next to the K.” This kid needs his holder to be Dr. Phil.

I seriously think he needs to be featured in a Dos Equis type ad:
He is blamed for losing games the team has yet to even play…Tony Robbins advised him that his only option was to just give up...He was the punch line to jokes told before he was even born…his mother openly admits she wanted a girl…The questions on his recent Spanish class final exam were written in French…Homeless people feel the need to give him money…His twin, if he had one, would claim to be an only child…He is…the most beaten down Sooner in the world.

Need more evidence of the lack of confidence from his coach? Facing 4th and 6 from UTS 28 yard line…Stoops felt it a better gamble to go for it on 4th down then he did have O’Hara attempt a field goal from 45 yards out. Since I think a donut has a better chance to survive 5 minutes alone with Kirstie Alley then O’Hara does making a 45 yard field goal….I thought it was the right move. (The OAS has your back coach!)

I am proud for O’Hara and his success Saturday night. He converted all of his extra points and the one field goal opportunity he got. Good for him. But just for the record, O’Hara’s 32 yard field goal might very well have been the ugliest ever made in school history…but the key word in that sentence was “made” I guess. Ugly but effective can certainly work…just ask Steve Buscemi….

In the words of the Most Interesting Man in the World: “I don’t always try field goals, but when I do, I prefer to drink heavily….Score Touchdowns My Friends"

PRE-GAME
Clearly, the “in thing” in business advertising these days is to boast a mascot. To me, walking around campus corner was like being an extra in a Pixar Film. There was a walking steel belted radial tire, a hand shaking computer screen, an overly aggressive orange safety cone representing who knows what...and my personal favorite, a water drop named H2Ou. Evidently there must be some sort of Campus Corner mandate that if your product is edible, it must be represented by a mascot. What happened to the day when a business would just pay Billy Sims $20 to stand at the door and tell you it was his favorite place? Now it like a buffet on parade…everywhere you turn there is a walking, talking, smiling, kid kissing, 7” tall carbohydrate trying to hand you a flyer. Does this kind of marketing really work? Maybe it’s just me, but I just can’t envision a scenario in which my dietary decision would be influenced one way or another by a dancing Bean Burrito.

THE GAME

Positive first play √ Score inside the red zone √ Convert extra point √
QB not hurt before half √ Schooner Ponies don’t take pre-game poop on field √
Sooners roll over Aggies...X

“Holy ‘Big Love’…this can’t be happening again…can it?”

Yes, that thought crossed my mind more than once Saturday night. Well, OK…maybe not that exact thought. My disbelief at the possibility of losing a second consecutive season opener probably didn’t include a reference to the HBO series Big Love…but hey, how often does one get the opportunity to work a TV show about polygamous families in Utah into the conversation? I am nothing if not opportunistic.

The truth of the matter is…the Sooners got outplayed and maybe outcoached last Saturday night. In the end OU won the game because: (1) it was at Owen Field and (2) the disproportionate talent edge the Sooners possessed made just enough plays to avoid being upset by the 31 point underdog Aggies.

The victory was the 800th in Oklahoma school history, an accomplishment that only 7 other schools can make. 800 wins is an amazing accomplishment…it validates our sense of tradition and underscores the consistent, long term excellence that this program has achieved…Nice milestone…but if you are wondering why you didn’t get invited to the 800th win celebration after the game, don’t worry…it is because there wasn’t one. This team has major issues that need to be addressed and soon….cause if they don’t…you won’t be getting invited to the post game 801st victory celebration this weekend either.

Couple Positives -Thought Wort & R. Lewis were active and aggressive. Tom Wort, obviously a little to much so with the 2 personal foul penalties. It didn’t bother me as much as coaches, I was glad to see some passion out there.
-Freshman contributions. I noticed lots of redshirt and true freshman out on the field. The one that stood out the most was true freshman DB Tony Jefferson from California. He is the starting nickel back…played very well in my opinion.

“I thought we could get a foot, and I was almost wrong.” – Bob Stoops
Still 8 minutes to go in 3rd quarter, OU goes for 4th and inches at own 32
Panic move or Big Game Bob Move? Were coaches concerned that by punting they would be behind next time they had the ball? Interesting call.

Frankly, enough is being said about this game, so I won’t recap what you have already read...My attitude is one of hope…Hoping it was only one game, the first game…hoping that Utah St. was just better than expected (which I think is true)…and hoping that even though looking ahead is a bad habit too, maybe that was what happened here. We will know soon enough.

See you in Norman, get there early....we are.--“Stay thirsty my friends”

Just the Opinion of one mildly interested guy

The Overweight Armchair Sooner
Buddy Putty