Sooners Lower The Boom On UConn Huskies, OU Win Fiesta Bowl

Pardon the Oklahoma Sooner fans if they aren't big fans of the BCS bowls. OU had lost five BCS bowls in a row heading into Saturday's Fiesta Bowl against Connecticut.

This time the Sooners took the fight out of the dog.

Oklahoma took out those BCS frustrations on the Huskies with a 48-20 beat down.

OU quarterback Landry Jones picked apart the Connecticut secondary and sharing that wealth with a trio of Sooner receivers.

Cameron Kenney caught seven balls for 154 yards and a touchdown

Kenny Stills had eight catches for 73 yards

Ryan Broyles had himself and night with 13 catches for 173 yards and a touchdown.

Landry Jones' number were impressive. 34-49 for 429 yards and three touchdowns.

"Landry had a huge night." Oklahoma head coach Bob Stoops said in the post game press conference. "Ryan always does. Jeez, that catch he made, he just every does something amazing every game."

"Great players just making plays out there." OU quarterback Landry Jones said in the post game press conference. "Ryan is one of our great players on the team."

"Coaches put us in great positions to make plays." OU wide receiver Ryan Broyles said after the game. "Landry is out there throwing the ball, putting it on spots. It is a whole team effort on offense and it definitely helps when the defense gets their offense on the field as well."

Damon Fontenot fills you in with highlights from Glendale, AZ. (Thanks NewsOK.com)



FOSG Barry Trammel and Jake Trotter of The Oklahoman add a post script to Oklahoma's win in the Fiesta Bowl. (Thanks NewsOK.com)



Photo Courtesy: Bryan Terry, The Oklahoman

TWTW: Oklahoma Saves Big 12/11/10 From A Departing Champ, Beats Nebraska

((HT: newsok.com))

The Huskers made sure the Big 12/11/10 Championship Game would be remembered. They jumped out to a 17-0 lead, dominating the first quarter-plus on both sides of the ball.

And if you believe in numbers, for the Sooners, an OU team hadn’t come back from a three-score deficit since 1983.

“I told them to just keep playin’ ball,” Sooner coach Bob Stoops said.

They did, getting pressure on any Nebraska indivudual who lined up at quarterback-winning 23-20...

Looks like they'll get UConn now in the Fiesta...

Damon Fontenot discusses...

TWTW: Does Anyone Want To Be Number One...? OU Falls In Columbia

((HT: Newsok.com))

That seems to be the question around these, or any other, part of the country since the evil early January-college football standings came out last week...

For the third week in a row, the team on top got knocked off by someone motivated.

And, really, it seemed like nothing went right for Oklahoma against Missouri.
Sho' nuff...

The Sooners couldn't do anything on special teams on the opening kickoff, couldn't play catch-up when down by 15, and couldn't keep from turning the ball over.

Blaine Gabbert solidified himself as one of the quality QB's in the country in the 36-27 win, and the Missouri fans solidified themselves as a group that doesn't listen to public address announcements when it comes to storming the field...

Berry Trammel and Jake Trotter discuss since they're the only ones left in Columbia on the football field... and they're trying to get back inside before the rain...

TWTW: Red River Recap, OU Wins 28-20

((HT: Newsok.com))

So, the golden cowboy hat goes to Norman for the first time in a long time...

Sooners head coach Bob Stoops had lost four of five to the Longhorns, but Texas had too many penalties at too many key times to keep Oklahoma drives alive.

"Game-changers," said Texas head coach Mack Brown. "Just absolute killers."

Yeah, they were...

That and a late fumble on special teams when the Longhorns had their chance to come down for a possible game-tying score...

Hey, but 5-0 is 5-0, right...???

Damon Fontenot has the microphone first...

TWTW: Why Did OU Travel To Cincinnati Again...?

((HT: Newsok.com))

Going in... the OSG North office ((and the other satellites, for that matter)) didn't give the Bearcats much of a puncher's chance against Oklahoma. But, the idea that the Sooners were looking ahead to their game with Texas may have crept into a few minds here...

It took the late recovery of an onside kick to seal a 31-29 win against Cincinnati.

OU's Landry Jones had 370 yards passing and 2TD's. But the visitors racked up 13 penalties for 113 yards, and they were outgained by the Bearcats 461-452. If you do some quick subtraction, it means they only ran for 82 yards on the road...

Yeah, they weren't thinking Red River at all...

FOSG Berry Tramel and Jake Trotter analyze the idea that OU should never take another roadie east of the Mississippi ever again...

Oklahoma Struggles With Utah State 31-24

Oklahooma needed an interception by Jammel Flemming to save a 7-point victory over a Utah State team that had won only five games in the last four years.

Landry Jones threw two interceptions. DeMarco Murray ran for 218 yards with two touchdowns.

The defense struggled with all of its new secondary pieces, and Utah State turned a 21-3 deficit into a real ball game.

Save for Flemming's save at the end...

We don't have highlights, but the HQ has the next best thing...

Jenni Carlson and Jake Trotter analyze before Florida State hits town next week...
((HT: Newsok.com/The Oklahoman))


Basically, head coach Bob Stoops turned this game into one, big "meh."

Stoops To Notre Dame...??? Yes... Or Not...

The Chicago Sun-Times says, "Yes."
Stoops says, "No."

Brian Hanley's piece in the Sun-Times has a bunch of sources piecing together information for him...

Stoops hasn't said ''No'' to Notre Dame.

Which is the same thing as not saying "yes," either...

One source said Notre Dame has a contract offer for Stoops.

Another source said Stoops has ''been doing his homework'' on the Irish, checking with coaches who have worked at Notre Dame to get their take on the program.

How about this take: "Run away!"
Or this one: "Don't do it!"

Dave Sittler, in the Tulsa World newspaper, has the pointercount on Hanley... Sittler sent a text message to Stoops telling him about the Sun-Times piece...

Stoops sent Sittler a text back saying: "Again, wrong."

The reason, according to Sittler's sources, that Stoops hasn't said "no" is that he feels like he would be throwing Notre Dame under the bus if he did it publicly.

OU, then, released a statement which says in part:

"I work for a wonderful president (David Boren) and athletic director (Joe Castiglione), who have created an incredible work environment at OU. There haven't been any plans for a meeting or negotiations with Notre Dame and there will not be. Any reporting to that fact is completely erroneous. I will not be the next coach at Notre Dame."

So the Carousel continues...

((Stoops pictured, presumably, yelling at Brian Hanley- thanks, Tulsa World file))

TWTW: Bedlam...??? For Who...??? Pokes Shut Out 27-0

((HT: Newsok.com/Tramel))

Just when you thought Oklahoma had checked out, they checked back in...

Shutting out Oklahoma State 27-0 Saturday...
The Cowboys were held to 6 first downs and never crossed the Oklahoma 45-yard line...

Here's the line of the day from Mike Gundy...
((No, not that one...))

"Wish we would have played better," said State coach Mike Gundy. "Don't feel like we gave them our best."

F'real, coach...??? Never would have guessed...

Tramel's column looks at what might have been if everyone were healthy and had their heads screwed on straight when they needed to be...

Newsok's Jenni Carlson and Brandon Chatmon discuss...

TWTW: Who Are These Sooners...??? Lose To Texas Tech 41-13

((HT: Newsok.com))

Oklahoma wore white unis and helmets for the first time in forty years, and after the 41-13 loss to Texas Tech in Lubbock, they may put them away for another forty.

Four of OU's losses were by a total of twelve points...
This one was a horizon job...and it was OU's worst loss since 2005...

Tech had 549 yards of offense- 187 on the ground. So much for that 6th-ranked defense in the country...

Quarterback Landry Jones completed just 18 of 35 passes, and running backs Chris Brown and DeMarco Murray combined for 51 yards rushing on 18 carries.

Saturday's 28-point defeat was the third-most lopsided loss in the Bob Stoops era. Only USC in 2004 (55-19) and Texas in 2005 (45-12) were worse.

Who wants to bet he's talking to folks in South Bend real soon...???

Newsok.com's Berry Tramel has the op-ed piece with the OU beat writers from Jones Stadium in Lubbock...

TWTW: Da U Takes Out OU 21-20

((HT: CBSSports))

"It's our time," said linebacker Jordan Futch. "We are back. We are still The U."

Oklahoma's last trip to the Hurricanes' home field was last January, when it lost the BCS national championship game to Florida.

This one almost certainly ended any Sooners national title hopes, too. Landry Jones threw for 188 yards and DeMarco Murray and Chris Brown combined to rush for 151 more for Oklahoma (2-2).

"They made the plays down the stretch that made the difference," Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops said. "We couldn't come up with the plays to make it happen."

The biggest mental breakdown came on the pass that gave Miami the 21-10 lead. Travis Benjamin went downfield on an out-and-up route. The DB covering at the line of scrimmage bit on the out, and thought he was going to get help deep.

It wasn't there, and neither were the Sooners...

Berry Tramel and Jake Trotter offer their post-fight analysis
((HT: Newsok.com))

College Football: Head Coach Rivalries

College Football thrives on rivalries. We know the best ones that have stood the test of time involving the teams but let’s take it deeper, are there any good rivalries involving head coaches. Bo Schembechler and Woody Hayes comes to mind. Heck they had the 10 year war. Tom Osbourne and Barry Switzer… yea but kind of a vanilla way. Frank Broyles and Darryl Royal… great for the old schoolers.

Are there any current rivalries between head coaches today? I like the one developing between Les Miles and Nick Saban but who do you pull for. They both need a seminar in people skills.

(Bob Stoops Photo: Courtesy scout.com)

(Mack Brown Photo: Courtesy collegesports.com)
The best one is going on in the Big 12 Conference. Both Bob Stoops at Oklahoma and Mack Brown at Texas compete in the same division in the same conference and have each won a national title. It doesn’t hurt that they face off in one of the best rivalries in college football, the Red River Shootout in Dallas each year.

It was a topic raised recently by Barry Tramel of The Oklahoman., It’s a great read for college football fans.