Crimson, Cream & ... Anthracite?

 OKLAHOMA 52 #19 KANSAS 42

While the Sooners broke their three-game losing streak last Saturday against #19-ranked Jayhawks, I'm gonna focus more on what they were wearing while they did it.

CRIMSON, CREAM AND …. ANTHRACITE?

The Sooners unveiled their new alternate uniforms this past Saturday. The ‘Unity’ uniforms featured anthracite-colored jerseys, pants and helmets with crimson trim and lettering. There was an outline of the state of Oklahoma amid a triple-stripe on both sleeves and the word “UNITY” was stitched on the back-of-the-jersey nameplate.

 

I’ll be honest, my first reaction upon seeing the alternate uniforms was that I hated them.

 

My first reaction was … To make a snap judgement. “The jersey’s shouldn’t say Unity on the back, they should say Ugly.”

 

My first reaction was … That just the description of the uniforms made me dizzy. “Anthracite, really? Is that even a color? Because it sounds more like something I need to have my pesticide provider spray for on their next visit.”

 

My first reaction was … To make fun of them. “It would be my contention that any color that can’t beat out the likes of tumbleweed, inchworm, or jazzberry jam for a slot in the Crayola Crayons Box of 120 – shouldn’t be featured on a football jersey.”

 

My first reaction was … To chalk it up to something I don’t understand. “The new generation could care less about tradition … and sad as it may be, things like ‘alternate’ uniforms matter to recruits. Call me an old man, but I want these hideous things off my yard”

 

My first reaction was … To find a way to tie it to something else I deemed negative. “How in the hell am I supposed to know who to scream at when the jersey doesn’t have the players name on it, and you can’t decipher their jersey number? It’s like a witness protection program for Oklahoma Sooners defensive backs.”

 

Thankfully, before I published the blog this week, I did what I should’ve done to begin with … I took some time to educate myself on the Unity Uniforms.

 

Turns out … my first reaction was … Judgmental, Insensitive, and Uninformed.  

 

There are two thing I want to be very clear about.

 

The jersey Prentice Gautt signed for me back in 2002.

First, I loved both the message and the great pioneer that the
Unity Uniforms represented from the start. Prentice Gautt, a man I had the privilege of meeting back in 2002, became the first black scholarship football player at the University of Oklahoma in 1956. His perseverance through racial prejudice, helped unite this teammates on their way to four consecutive conference championships. Gautt, who was a two-time All-Big Eight running back, an Academic All-American, and the MVP of the 1959 Orange Bowl, also play seven seasons in the NFL. IMO, there could not be a more appropriate and deserving man to be honored and recognized by this kind of tribute than Prentice Gautt.

I’m also not so egotistical as to think my opinion on the Unity Uniforms matters to anyone, nor should it. The only opinions on the subject that matters … is that of the Gautt Family, the people who designed them and the players who wear them.  With that said, after reading more about the uniforms I have a whole new appreciation for them.

 

THE IDEA

The ‘Unity Uniform’ idea was created and then designed by a group of student-athletes, including several former football players. I’m impressed with the idea, that it was done by committee, and that the powers that be at the University of Oklahoma were on board and supportive of the project. Once again, Joe Castiglione shows why he is the best Athletic Director in the nation.

 

THE PROCESS

The idea for the ‘Unity Uniforms’  started in 2020. Two-years is a lot of time and effort to put into a project. Plus, when a ‘committee’ is tasked to do a project, that is a lot of opinions, which can lead to things being tedious at times. I know this from experience. The two situations I was involved in where I wasn’t the only one to get a vote, both ended in divorce. So, kudos to the group for the time and effort it took to bring the ‘Unity Uniforms’ to fruition.

 

THE HONOR

I read where it was also the desire of the student-athlete group to use the new football uniform to honor Gautt. “We wanted to honor Prentice for being the first African American scholarship football player here,” said Kelly. “He stood for unity, he stood for doing things the right way. He stood for making sure that you handled academics and football. He was one of the founding fathers who made Oklahoma football what it is and gave all the African American players who have come through OU an opportunity. As I’ve already mentioned, there couldn’t be a better choice for that honor. Well done.

 

THE MESSAGE

‘Unity Uniforms’ were designed for all University of Oklahoma varsity sports, not just the football team. “We wanted to make a statement that was way broader, something that stood out more than just a practice jersey,” said Caleb Kelly, a former OU linebacker who is now a director for the football team's SOUL Mission program. “When we're all together wearing the word ‘Sooners,’ we’re all one. We wanted to make sure we exemplified unity in our uniform.”

 

I’m not sure how the swim team is going to feel about wearing those helmets, but I love the message. I’m just kidding, we don’t even have a swim team, do we?

 

MY THOUGHTS

My second reaction was … That the new alternate uniforms, while not being my cup of tea aesthetically, are special. Special because of who designed them. Special due to the time and effort it took to bring them to completion. And special for who and what they represent – which is Prentice Gautt and the importance of togetherness and building relationships to better society.

 

Maybe the uniforms also serve as a reminder that the path to achieving the goals above won’t always be pretty and that a person’s first reaction should be based on meaning and not color … even if that color is something called Anthracite.

Just the Opinion of One Mildly Interested Guy

Buddy Putty

The OAS

OU-TX - Part 2 - The Game Inside the Cotton Bowl

 

“All I could think about the entire game was …
How bad the Nebraska Cornhuskers are” – The OAS

 

*Now seems to be a good time to share my annual disclaimer. Despite what you might occasionally read in this blog, I hate to be critical of a student athletes, I truly do. To start with, they have more talent in their little fingers than I’ve ever exhibited in my best day. I also appreciate the commitment, sacrifice, and effort that these kids put forth in order to chase their dreams – as well as give people like me something to live vicariously through. There is an old saying, those that do, do… and those that can’t, write about it.  Never has that saying been more applicable than with The OAS.

I’m also not ready to jump ship. Anyone who thought this was going to be a 10- or 11-win season was not being realistic. I still believe we have the right guy leading this team in Brent Venables and while it very well may get worse before it gets better, I’ll continue to trust the process – but meanwhile – I might continue to pass the time by pointing out a few things in order to laugh my way through this, because let’s face it – there in nothing attractive about a crying, soon to be 57-year old man. Boomer!

The empty Oklahoma end of the Cotton Bowl in the back ground, symbolic of the way the entire day went for the Sooners

THE GAME

Look, I’m sure that backup quarterback Davis Beville is a nice kid. He probably opens the car door for his dates, spends time playing canasta with the elderly at the local retirement home, and always sends handwritten thank you notes when given a gift … but he is, without a doubt, the worst QB to ever start a football game for the University of Oklahoma. If Mr. Beville was the best option to replace Dillon Gabriel at QB on Saturday, then the young men listed behind him on the QB depth chart need to rethink their football path in life. I honestly think we would’ve been better off with Mac Davis, Sammy Davis Jr., or even Betty Davis taking the snaps instead of the Davis we trotted out there. How bad was it? The best two quarterbacks for the Sooners this past Saturday weren’t even quarterbacks – they were a tight end and a punter.

- The Sooners completed just nine passes for 39 yards on Saturday. Unless OU reverts back to the wishbone, completing less passes than the number of beers I drank before the game, is not a recipe for success … for either of us.

32 of those yards were in the first half, the fewest yards passing for OU in a first half since 2014. What the hell were we doing in 2014? Anyway – in case that wasn’t pathetic enough, we followed that exhibition of ineptitude, with a grand total of 7 yards in the second half. Hey, we almost had enough for a first down. 7-yards … isn’t that what I use to drink at Brothers when I should’ve been studying? While I can’t confirm the accuracy of this next statement – 7-yards has to be the fewest yards passing in a half by anyone since the invention of electricity, the introduction of the forward pass, and the retirement of Woody Hayes.

- OU was only 2 for 15 on third down. Which begs the question … how the hell did the Sooners get two third down conversions? That said, 2 is not much to brag about since even a broken clock is right twice a day.

- Bad decision – football related #1: Down 7-0 in the first quarter, OU sends out Tight End Brayden Willis to run the wildcat. 6-plays later the Sooners had gone 43-yards and are now 1^st and 10 at the Texas 32. The Sooners have some offensive rhythm and the Horns on their heels – so what do the Sooners do next? Well, they decide to trot Davis Beville back into the game of course. Huh?

So, let me get this straight … the 7 your dating is a head case, so you take a break – and find yourself in a rebound relationship with a 3. As soon as you realize there is zero upside to dating a 3 - you break up and after playing the field, you suddenly find yourself going out with a 6.  While dating a 6 isn’t always pretty and won’t replace the 7 long term – you’re at least going places. But suddenly, for no apparent reason, you end things with the 6  - and go back to the 3 … even when you’re fully aware of the fact that her family doesn’t own a chain of liquor stores. Clearly, I don’t understand.

- Bad decision – football related #2: With about 1:50 to go before half, Texas was facing 3^rd and 10 from their own 30-yard line. Knowing they would get the ball to start the second half, the Horns seemed more than willing to just let the clock run down and take their 3-touchdown lead to the locker room … that was until OU called a timeout.

Venables obviously wanted to stop the clock in hopes that his team could hold Texas on 3^rd down, then get the ball back with some time left on the clock to try and score before half. It was a strategy that I would normally agree with – but not this past Saturday.

Evidently, Venables wasn’t watching the same Sooners offense that I was in the first half, because if he had been– he would’ve realized that they had completed only 5 passes to that point – and two of those were to the Longhorns.

Unless Venables truly believed that his QB was suddenly gonna morph into John Elway and engineer a drive that lead to points in the final minute of the half – then stopping the clock didn’t make sense. I would also argue that even if the Sooners got the ball back with some time left – there would be a higher probability of the Longhorn defense scoring than that of the OU offense.

But Venables call the timeout – and predictably, the Longhorns were able to convert on third down and 10. Armed with the extra time on the clock courtesy of OU timeout – Texas now had time to try and score, which they did, with 18 seconds left in the half.

IT’S OVER WHEN IT’S OVER

Somewhere above – John Blake is smiling.

Saturday's 49-0 loss ends the Sooners streak of 311 consecutive games without being shutout. The last time Oklahoma was held scoreless was by Texas A&M back on Nov. 7, 1998. The last time Texas shut-out Oklahoma was in 1965, 19-days before I was born.

Coming into the game, Oklahoma had scored an offensive touchdown in 167 straight games, which WAS the longest active streak in FBS.

The 55-24 loss to TCU last week and the 49-0 loss to the Longhorns on Saturday, marked the first time in the programs 127-year history that the Sooners have lost consecutive games by 30 or more points.

Next streak in jeopardy? The Sooners 22-year post season bowl streak. Just Sayin’

How bad is our defense? The latest Heisman polls show the favorites to win the 40-lbs piece of granite to be: Alabama QB Bryce Young, Ohio State QB C.J. Stroud and any QB with OU still left to play on their schedule.

Just the Opinion Of One Mildly Interested Guy

Buddy Putty

The OAS

OU-TX - Part 1 - The Game Outside the Cotton Bowl

 

As always, one of the best parts of every OU-TX weekend is getting to see and spend time with friends that day-to-day-life doesn’t always allow time for. The weekend also serves as a reminder of just how fast life is moving. All those kids my friends were raising? Well, they’re not kids anymore.

OU-TX: Where Are They Now

Donnie Little (Texas QB 1978-82) “Hello, Donnie Little.” Surprised that I recognized him as he was leaving the stadium, the former Longhorn QB actually stopped to shake my hand and offer condolences. “As you know, we’ve been on the other side of this kinda score,” he said. “Games like this aren’t indicative of what this rivalry is all about.” My response was to try and not breath on him.

Little, who was the first black QB to play at UT, looked like he could still play today. The Texas Sports Hall of Famer, who lives in Round Rock, was also nice enough to take a picture with me. I’ll let you decide which one of us had been drinking all day.

Forecast: High in the low 70’s, with a high probability of an ass kicking in the afternoon

The game time temperature at kickoff was 71 degrees, which was about three degrees cooler than the beer being served at most of the stands at Fair Park. Ah, warm beer in a wax paper cup … other than cold, it’s my second favorite kind.

Alex, “I’ll take ‘food items’ I can’t pronounce’ for 14 coupons

My choice to forgo a third corndog in favor of some big taco looking thing was a colossal mistake. First of all, I should know better than to try and eat something I can’t pronounce, especially when it’s the size of a deflated Spalding basketball -  and oozing enough grease to service a John Deere tractor. But with Kate being in the beer line, this is the kinda thing that happens when I’m left unsupervised.

The main ingredient was a chopped meat of undetermined origin that may or may not have been originally cooked within the last week. But none of that mattered if you made the additional mistake that I did, which was dipping it in the ‘sauce’ that accompanied this thing.

Holy ghost pepper, Batman. I now know what the flame emanating from a blowtorch would taste like if it was liquid. I would’ve dialed 911 and/or sought on-site medical attention – but both of those options would’ve required the ability to speak or see clearly. Once I was able to partially regain my vision, my quest became finding a trash can big enough to hold this thing – and remembering not to rub my eyes in case some of the nuclear waste they called ‘sauce’ had leaked onto my hands.  Even though my bad decision cost me 14-coupon and two of my five tastebuds – I feel lucky to have survived the ordeal.

IF YOU’RE A GOOD BOY, WE’LL GET ICE CREAM LATER

For the most part, my behavior was pretty darn good on Saturday. Turns out that the Sooners living down to my low expectations doesn’t bring out the wack-job in me like it does when they fail to live up to the standard of greatness, I so wish for them. Hmm, after typing that, I can’t help but wonder if that is the same mentality my mom has used in order to deal with me all these years so calmly?

The day, however, was not without incident. As Kate and I were exiting Fair Park, some punk in burnt orange asked me if the betting line on the game had been 49. Predictably, I didn’t find as much humor in his question as his three McConaughey wannabe friends.

My response – and I’m paraphrasing -  was to call him a name his mom wouldn’t appreciate, followed by equating his short memory to another part of his anatomy, then tying it all together by reminding him that the Longhorns had lost 4 straight to OU prior to today. Despite the fact that I used complete sentences and only slurred a couple of my words, my remark didn’t seem to be appreciated by the four Teasippers. Judging by the fingernails that were buried an inch deep just above my right elbow – it wasn’t a big hit with Kate either.

Then Kate goes all Ron White on me … “I don’t know how many of them it would take to kick your ass, but I know how many of them they were going to use – and the math wasn’t going to work out very well for you,” she said. “And by the way, I’ve already had to endure one ass kicking today – I’d rather not be witness to a second.” Her points were both funny and hard to argue – so I didn’t.  

Next – the game. Ugh

Just the Opinion of One Mildly Interested Guy

Buddy Putty

The OAS