The University of Oklahoma has quite a bit of history in Miami. Once upon a time in Sooner legend, the Orange Bowl was a rite of passage for young men like Brian Bosworth, Charles Thompson, and a whole slew of Sooners, all tweaked to the gills on steroids, cocaine, and rape.
It was the Switzer Way, and legions of Oklahoma fans from varying educational and socioeconomic backgrounds could proudly walk into any Walmart in the state, buy an OU flag or decal, put it on their truck and drive around feeling like part of the team.
Those days now seem like little more than part of some mythologized past, as the expected high-flying Sooner offense has been grounded. Injuries are part of the game and no coach worth his salt ever wants to make excuses. No sportswriter worth a damn should, either, but that’s exactly what’s happening in Oklahoma following OU’s 21-20 loss to Miami in the recently-renamed-for-the-fourth-time Land Shark Stadium (formerly Pro Player Stadium, Joe Robbie Stadium, and Miami Dolphins Stadium). “Our poor Sooners are banged up,” lament the homers for the Daily Oklahoman, the state’s largest newspaper, owned and operated by the Gaylord family, OU mega-donors and owners of such family-friendly establishments as the Opryland theme park and hotel in Nashville and official sponsors of the always-exciting Gaylord Music City Bowl.
In fairness to the high standard of journalism practiced in Oklahoma City, it is worth noting that the Daily Oklahoman has been deemed by the Columbia Journalism Review as “the worst newspaper in America.”
Which may or may not be beside the point. Sure, the Sooners seem to have some incredibly bad luck: losing Sam Bradford, Jermaine Gresham, and Ryan Broyles to injury is basically losing the entire passing game. Against a mediocre Tulsa team, however, it was backup quarterback Landry Jones, he of the fine sporting mustache, who set a new school record with six touchdown passes. Top-tier teams are supposed to have real depth and it looks like the Sooners don’t. This leads to some very interesting criticism of Bob Stoops, something Texas Longhorn fans with long enough memories should be able to comprehend only too clearly.
There is now a Fire the OU Coaches group on Facebook.
Hot damn, and we’re only a few weeks into the season!
Yes indeed, and the mighty Sooners are 2-2. This crushes the swollen pride and ego of the Walmart flag-waving Sooner fan, who now has no other option but to go on message boards and speculate how many games will be lost this season, which coaches need to go now and which might survive the season.
October 17 in Dallas was supposed to be the game of the year, not just in the Big 12, but perhaps nationally, as well. Not anymore. Bradford is apparently set to take some snaps this weekend against Baylor, in what should be a tuneup for the UT game. Still, it’s hard to imagine the national sporting press going gaga over this game. Bookies will, though.
You can bet on it.
1) Texas [4-0; 1-0]: The win against UTEP looks a little more impressive after the Miners stunned the same Houston team that recorded back-to-back wins over Big 12 teams Texas Tech and oSu. The Horns had a week off to prepare for a godawful Colorado team. The most exciting thing about this weekend’s game will probably be Ralphie the Buffalo charging the field, eyes wild with fear & rage. Bevo would probably be jealous and want to frolic in the grass with the other large herd animal if he weren’t so shot full of tranquilizers.
2) Missouri [4-0; 0-0]: The biggest surprise of the Big 12 season so far, besides OU’s struggles, has to be the ease with which Mizzou seems to have reloaded on offense. Huge test at home against Nebraska on Saturday.
3) Kansas [4-0; 0-0]: The win against Southern Miss isn’t looking so good after the Golden Eagles laid a stink egg against UAB. But a win’s a win, as they say. Just ask OU.
4) Nebraska [3-1; 0-0]: Nebraska should probably be the favorite in the Big 12 North at this point in the season. The Huskers haven’t won at Missouri since 2001, so this weekend’s game is pretty much a must-win. Point of interest: Mizzou QB Blaine Gabbert originally signed with Nebraska.
5) Oklahoma State [3-1; 0-0]: The bye week came at a good time for banged-up oSu. Speculation in Stillwater is that the Cowboys are suffering a staggering string of injuries due to poor conditioning, as freshman running back Jeremy Smith, who rushed for 165 yards on 13 carries in his college debut, is now out for the season with a dislocated shoulder. A visit to the hostile confines of Kyle Field now looms for the Pokes.
6) Texas Tech [3-2; 0-1]: Not a very impressive win against New Mexico. Five turnovers and five sacks allowed.
7) Oklahoma [2-2; 0-0]: “Poooooor Sooners!” is the lamentation being raised to the skies north of the Red River. Poor indeed, as in “poor play by the offense.”
8) Texas A&M [3-1; 0-0]: The complete dismantling by Arkansas in Arlington says the Aggies aren’t even close to arriving. Anywhere. It’s not like the Hogs are world-beaters, either. A long league season could be starting on Saturday, when Okie State comes calling. If Okie State shows up, that is.
9) Kansas State [3-1; 0-0]: Stat of the Week: K-State’s block of the potential game tying PAT against Iowa State was the Wildcats’ 36th blocked kick since 2002.
10) Iowa State [3-2; 0-1]: The loss to Kansas State has to hurt, given the Cyclones had plenty of chances. Just when it looked as if the Cyclones would send the game to overtime, a blocked PAT killed any momentum Iowa State was hoping for in league play.
11) Baylor [3-1; 0-0]: Now the hard part comes for the Bears. A 3-1 nonconference mark is nice and all, but let’s see how the Bears perform in the Big 12 South, where they’ll tee it up Saturday against the wounded Sooners.
12) Colorado [1-3; 0-0]: Showed some flashes against West Virginia, but that’s all they were … flashes. Here one moment, gone the next. Kind of like Dan Hawkins‘ tenure as head coach.
This article appears in October 2 • 2009.