SOONERS ARE TIGER BAIT

This blog is dedicated to my friend and fellow Sooner fan Ken Haigler, who passed away on Monday, October 25th. Boomer Sooner my friend…your contagious smile and laugh will be missed. Section 5 @ Memorial Stadium won’t be the same without you.


The referee blew his whistle and pointed at the guy we call our kicker. The reason we call him kicker is because calling him “since the rules prohibit us from faking a kickoff…we are forced to choose someone to kick the ball…and from the choices we have available to us…this guy sucks the least” would be awkward for TV announcers and even harder to print in the game program.

Our “kicker” nods back at the ref like they share some sort of secret…and then starts his half jog, half hop scotch approach to the football. Kicking with the wind at his back…the ball flutters into the air end over end ‘all the way’ to the 14 yard line, where it comes to rest in the arms of somebody named Gahn McGaffie.

Here is what the entire Mizzou Nation could tell you about Gahn McGaffie prior to this moment: who?

Gahn…is pronounced like John…and rhymes with gone…which turns out to be very appropriate…because that is exactly what he and the Sooners #1 ranking were seconds after he touched the ball.
(**If the name you choose for your son is going to be pronounced John, then why not just name the kid John for God’s sake and save him from having to explain it his entire life? Buddy Putty might sound stupid, but at least it is pronounced like its spelled. If I was Buhdee Putty, then in edition to explaining why on earth my parents must have hated me…I would also have to explain how it was pronounced and why the hell it was spelled that way. **The opinion of The OAS is not necessarily the view shared by others, most especially Mr. & Mrs. McGaffie)

Normally, if an opponent tries to return one of our ‘kickers’ high and short kickoffs landing on that side of the field…they find themselves waking up in the same spot a few minutes later. But with Ronnell “The Hammer” Lewis out with an injury, Gahn McGaffie drove a nail through the heart of the Sooner Nation, going 86 yards for a touchdown. It was an omen…and certainly set the tone for what would be a night of big plays by the Tigers and missed opportunities for the Sooners.

PLEASE DON’T FEED THE ANIMALS
In addition to the kickoff return, I thought these were the key factors Saturday night:

The Un-Cover 2 Defense
The Missouri offense was suppose to be pretty good, but the OU defense made them look great. There was no pass rush, poor tackling…and horrid coverage in the secondary which resulted in Missouri racking up 486 yards of total offense. Blaine Gabbert picked apart the Sooners cover 2 defense in exactly the spot you are suppose to attack a cover 2 defense…over the middle. Once the Sooners were back on their heels the Tigers were able to run the ball effectively for 178 yards…most of them coming up the middle…where the Sooners were vulnerable. Defensive tackle is a problem spot that has been made worse by injury…the DL problem got exposed Saturday night.

Red-Zone
The Landry Jones pass that was tipped, intercepted and then returned 58 yards was a HUGE momentum swing in the game. Along with the Madu fumble, the Sooners left points in the Mizzou red zone…those are points that you have to have to win on the road. Sooners are now just 22-18 on the road or at a neutral site since 2005

F-ing Kicker
Shockingly, there was another situation involving an OU kicker that helped contribute to the loss. After recovering a fumble, the Sooners were unable to convert for a TD. The drive stalled at the 11 yard line after a penalty. Place Kicker Jimmy Stevens then duck hooked a 28 yard field goal. The ball went so far left, he would have been out of bounds had he been playing golf. Missouri subsequently went down the field and added three points to their lead when their kicker made his field goal (for those of you who are confused…your team is awarded three points when they kick the ball and it actually goes thru the goal posts)

BRIGHT SPOT
As noted here last week…Roy Finch is on the verge of greatness…look for him to get more and more carries…because he deserves them and because Madu keeps fumbling.

INSULT TO INTELLIGENCE
I know it is easy for the media and fans to second guess head coaching decisions, especially when they don’t work out. There is also little doubt that head coaches get tired of being asked about every single decision that they make. Bob Stoops is paid and paid well to make big decisions…but that does not always mean he is right every single time….and Saturday night was one of those times.

I don’t care what Bob Stoops says in defense of his decision to go for two with three minutes to go in the game…the decision was just flat wrong. Even if the play works and the Sooners convert, it would have still been the wrong decision…he just would have got away with it. Any explanation other than “I made a mistake” is an insult to the intelligence of anyone who knows anything about football. The risk vs. reward of going for two in that situation was so out of whack that it should have been a no brainer.

“Why not go for two there,” said Coach Stoops.
Here is why: because if your attempt for two fails…then you have to score twice and you have NO CHANCE to win…that’s why

Stoops: “You have to go for two at some point right, and if you go for two then you know what you have to do with your kickoff. If we made the two-points we could have kicked it deep, used our timeouts and still had a chance. So to me it was the right time to go for it.”
Answer just doesn’t make sense. Kick the extra point, then you know exactly what to do…kick deep, play defense and use your timeouts…and still have a chance. Failure to make two at that point gave OU no chance.

“I don’t understand why that is a question,” said Coach Stoops.
Well, that is just arrogant. It is a question because the decision you made was wrong

Stoops: “To me it is the absolute thing to do because if we get the two we have the option of kicking it deep and using timeouts and getting the ball back. If you don’t get it you know what you have to do, you have to on-side it. To me it was the only thing to do. My point is if I am going to go for two now or if I have to make it at the end of the game why does it matter when I go for it?
Why does it matter when you try it? Seriously? Because as already pointed out…failure to convert at that point, makes every thing going forward irrelevant…that’s why! If you kick the extra point don’t have to worry about recovering an on-side kick because you don’t have to try one.

But Bob decided to go for two…and when it failed...the only “worry” Bob had left was how to get his team off the field without being hit by the goal posts the Missouri Tiger fans were going to be tearing down.

I LOVE Bob Stoops…wouldn’t trade him for anybody. I love Big Game Bob, and Riverboat Gambler Bob, and Side Show Bob, and Bob Barker, and even Bob Newhart…but I don’t like Dumb Bob. There is a difference in being a gambler and being stupid. I am not going to ‘stoop’ to calling Bob stupid…but the decision was not smart coaching. I truly hope that his usual defiant, ‘you don’t know football like I know football answer’ was just that…a defiant answer…because if he truly believes that going for 2 points was the right thing to do…then this whole thing will be just like it was…pointless.

Just the Opinion of One Mildly Interested Guy
The Overweight Armchair Sooner

Buddy Putty