SOONERS SURVIVE POTENTIAL KNIGHT-MARE

#7 OKLAHOMA 30 #18 TCU 29

November 21^st, 2015

Memorial Stadium – 85,821

“There’s not anybody on our sideline that wanted to go for one. We didn’t come here to hang around. We came here to win.” – Gary Patterson

One play.

The whole thing happened faster than you can mispronounce Bram Kohlhausen. There was no pause while the “previous play was under review.”  No timeout was called to discuss strategy.  There were no commercials for erectile dysfunction remedies that had to be endured, nor was there an opposing kicker that needed to be iced.  In fact, before I could even figure out which Sooner defensive back I should dog-cuss for giving up the touchdown…the TCU Horned Frogs were lined up in a 5 wide formation with every intention in the world of wreaking havoc on both the Sooners season and my sunny disposition. 

One play. 

As I watched Gary Patterson waddle from the sidelines with two fingers held up, my first reaction was to throw up.  That’s because Patterson never blinked, never hesitated, never even gave the decision a second thought…which could only mean one thing…He had a play ready for this exact situation, one that they’d practiced over and over, and one that they felt extremely confident would work. Yes, my initial reaction was…oh shit, its Boise State all over again.

One play. 

In my opinion, Patterson saw an opportunity to take advantage of three things: (1) That the decision would surprise OU (which it did) (2) which would cause OU chaos as to personnel and scheme (which it momentarily did) (3) but with no timeouts left, any adjustments would have to be made in the time TCU could line up and snap the ball.

One play 

Reasons that support Patterson’s decision to go for two: His offense is now being led by a third team QB, which can’t be overly comforting for the TCU coaching staff.  His defense is so decimated by injuries that he’s been playing a safety at one of the linebacker positions.  His team has all the momentum and as he said, he simply wanted to win the game right then and there.

One play.

Reasons that don’t support Patterson’s decision to go for two: Having the momentum can also be an argument as to why kicking the extra point and going to overtime made more sense for TCU.  But let’s be honest, the biggest reason you play for overtime is Trevor Knight.  With Knight at the helm, the Sooners offense had pretty much ground to a halt. It’d be a stretch to think that OU was going to suddenly start moving the ball when their last 6 offensive possessions had resulted in 5 punts and a devastating interception.  Furthermore, with all the 3 and outs by the OU offense, the OU defense, which had played well for most of the game, was now completely gassed.

One play.

The Sooners aspirations of winning the Big 12 Conference title, their hopes of being one of the 4 teams to make the college football playoffs, and whether or not I spent the night in jail, came down to one play. Fortunately for the Sooners and myself, sophomore safety Steven Parker was up for the challenge…

SCATTERSHOOTING:

Trying to get into the stadium Saturday night was an ass-whipping.  Every gate was stacked up 200 to 300 people deep due to heightened security measures.  For all the time it took, I figured they had to be strip-searching people, but when I get up there, they didn’t even bother asking me to open my coat, which I tried not to take personal.

OU’s defensive issues in the second half illustrated the effect that one side of the ball can have on the other. In this case, the offense really hamstrung the D.  Of OU’s 10 drives in the second half, only one produced points, and that was because Samaje busted one. Six Sooner drives lasted four plays or fewer. Additionally, six went for under 10 yards. Lord, I hope Baker can play Saturday or Bedlam might become embarrassing.

The largest concession on the stadiums west-side, ran out of hot dogs before half-time.  How the hell does that happen? Is there some sort of pig pieces parts shortage or a 2015 Oklahoma hot-dog famine I’m unaware of?

Sooner Offensive Tackle Orlando Brown

I’m all for Orlando Brown having a nasty streak, but judging by the plethora of personal foul penalties he’s racked up the last three weeks…he might want to tone it down to something like…I don’t know, maybe an unpleasant yet rule abiding type temperament.

Lane Wheeler not serving bar at the tailgate, is like watching the Bob Newhart Show, without, well, without, you know…without Bob Newhart.  His absence forced Kent Coleman to play bartender and two red-shirted ladies I’d never met handling the grille and John Cox handling the covered dish table. Great job by all, but Lane you were missed.  To Coleman, Cox, Wheeler and Co…thank you for another great year of tailgates.  Your time and effort is as always, very much appreciated.

Against the Frogs last Saturday night, the Sooners were able to force 4 turnovers, rush for 333 yards, run 31 more plays than TCU, and dominate time of possession by over 13 minutes (36:37 to 23:23) …so why the hell did the game come down to the final play? Well, here’s why:

1.     Sooners offensive

-        Converting on only 4 of 20 third down opportunities

-        Three offensive trips to red-zone results in 0 touchdowns & 3 field goals

-        Last 6 offensive possessions of game result in 5 punts and an interception

-        37% pass completion ratio (14 of 37 passing)

-        Gave up 4 sacks

-        Sterling Shepard is the only receiver able to get open against press coverage

-        Trevor Knight

2.    The Sooners defense

-        Gave up a 97-yard scoring drive

-        Gave up too many big plays, including 86-yard touchdown

-        Let TCU RB Green rush for 127 yards

-        Safety Ahmad Thomas’ inability to get in position to offer help on deep passes

-        Ran out of gas as a result of being on field most of the last 8 min of the game

3.     Mistakes on Special Teams:

-        bad snap/punter puts knee down flipping field position

-        missed 39-yard field goal

-        averaging only 14.5 yards per kickoff return

4.     Penalties: 8 for 90-yards.

5.     Oklahoma Hot-Dog famine of 2015

Okay, I made the last one up, but seriously, who runs out of hot dogs in the first half?

Bottom line, the Sooners won the game, their sixth in a row, and second straight over a ranked opponent.

Next up:  

One game…For the Big 12 Title. For a playoff berth.  

It’s time to go all in.  It’s time for Bedlam.

Orange makes me puke

 

Brian Bosworth presents Sterling Shepard with a magazine autographed by Bosworth's former teammate and Sterling Shepard's late father - Derrick Shepard

Just the opinion of one mildly interested guy

Buddy Putty – The Overweight Armchair Sooner