Saturday, September 16, 2006

Disgusted

I have been a fan of the University of Oklahoma for 35 years. My dad and his dad were fans of OU before I was even thought of. I have watched countless games, seen 4 of 7 national championships, scads of conference championships, and numerous All-Americans and NFL draft picks. I have celebrated great wins and agonized over ugly defeats. The Sooners snatched defeat from the jaws of victory today in Eugene, Oregon, as the Oregon Ducks won on the scoreboard, 34-33. I am still disgusted. Out of all the OU losses I have seen in 35 years, only three come close: the late loss at USC in 1981 which led to a stretch of mediocrity unseen in the Switzer era; the tie against Texas in 1984, when two questionable calls gave Texas the opportunity to tie the Sooners 15-15; and last year's debacle in Lubbock, caused by questionable officiating which allowed Texas Tech to win. Today's game had more on the line, as there was still a national championship on the table this early in the season. There is also a Heisman Trophy on the line, as Adrian Peterson gained 211 yards today alone, on his way to probably becoming OU's all-time leading rusher. I'm disgusted by the whole thing.

First, on the officiating: The onside kick late in the game was obviously touched by an Oregon player before it traveled 10 yards. Even the ABC announcers agreed with that. The officials blew the call, then the replay officials screwed up the call even more. These officials were looking for the replay officials to do their jobs for them, and the replay official did not oblige.

Second, on the result: As I watched Garrett Hartley line up to try the final field goal attempt, I thought that it was great that he kicked four field goals up to that point, but I also thought: "We shouldn't put him in the position to kick four field goals". The Sooners got stuffed twice inside the Oregon 10, including the series that put us up 33-20. When we went up by 13 instead of 17, I became a little afraid, because it left a cracked window of opportunity. Sure enough, the Ducks took advantage of it. You have to knock the other team out. Oregon was down, but not out. At the end, they had one of the biggest wins in the history of their school.

Third, on the implications: Adrian Peterson is awesome. He played his tail end off, only for his team to lose. 211 yards in a winning effort does a lot more for the Heisman hopes. This team needed this win to get its swagger back, something left in Miami at the 2005 Orange Bowl after being horsewhipped by USC. All that resulted is even more doubt. This team could run the table the rest of the way, or could lose two or three more games.

There is still a lot to play for. A national championship is probably not in the cards this year. However, this team has not won a Big XII championship in two years. There is still a conference championship there for the taking, especially as mediocre as the conference is this year. I am not a "national championship or bust" fan. We have 7 national championships in 110 years of football. That would be 103 miserable seasons, for those so inclined. Sure, a National Championship would be nice, but that takes luck as well as skill. We were unlucky today, and made mistakes that put us in the position to lose the game. This team needs to play a complete game, and to let the cards fall where they may.

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