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