Has anyone ever read the AP posts here or the Fox updates and then read the comments section at the end of them? The running blogs somewhat like we have here. I do but I never comment on them because the comments range from the benign to the incredibly ignorant...by the majority of the commentors. Whereas here we only seem to have a few of those that go to the other side of the moon when commenting. As is my usual pattern I got up yesterday morning and pulled up the OU-Baylor gametrax and read the follow-up article and then some of the comments that followed. I'm not going to give them any form of recognition here but if you ever want to look them up...well...feel free, but there was a conversation between two people (as is generally required unless you are kellyscott talking about last years OU-Oregon game...whoops....just messin' with ya ks) regarding OU's defensive effort against Baylor. One commentor said that Brent Venables can't handle the pressure of his job and that OU's secondary better figure things out before their trip to Lubbock, TX this weekend for their game against Texas Tech. The other person commented that this person was not a true fan of OU for saying what they said. I strongly disagree with that line of reasoning. As for me...I call 'em as I see 'em...and...it doesn't make me any less a fan than the proverbial "butt-kissing my team can do no wrong" fan.

I call 'em as I see 'em and I agree that the Sooner secondary...well...actually the entire defense...better get it together before they play another game...ANOTHER GAME...or all the help they have gotten to get back into the BCS NCG picture will be wasted. Baylor's QB threw up 280 yards against the Sooner secondary on Saturday night and 2 TD's. Brandon Whitaker, Baylor's RB from OU, carried the ball 15 times for 149 yards and a TD. Hey there boys...that's almost 10 yards a pop!!! Here are some comments from Sooner coach Bob Stoops and some of the players after the game.

"Defensively, we had some breakdowns and gave up a lot of yards. I'm glad I do not have to see us give up that many yards every week. IT HASN'T BEEN US, and we'll see some things we can do better. The obvious one was the one before the half. We busted coverage. We were supposed to be playing four deep and one of our safeties didn't communicate well and was playing in the flats. IT HADN'T HAPPENED BEFORE, and we can't let it happen again. A couple of the runs early we just didn't recognize the blocking schemes and they busted a couple. Bylor did a nice job of executing, give them credit. In the end, we came up with enough stops and turnovers and took advantage of opportunities when we were given them." - Head Coach Bob Stoops

"We broke down in some areas where someone has the Quarterback on the option and ran past him. That happens, and there were some areas where we could have been better." - Head Coach Bob Stoops

"It was ugly. We gave up a lot of stuff that we shouldn't have, busting coverages and missing tackles, things like that. These are things WE HAVEN'T BEEN DOING ALL YEAR." - OU CB Reggie Smith

"Getting interceptions have definately changed the momentum of the game and helped the offense. But, overall, we have to play better as a defense. As the defense, we want to come out and slow them down. But I don't think we did a good job of that today. It was a bend, don't break defense. We need to just get better, and be better on our pass coverage." - OU LB Curtis Lofton

OK!!! So what is wrong with an OU fan sharing their opinion about a defense that didn't play up to it's capabilities on Saturday? Not a damn thing. I'll take it farher than that because I call 'em as I see 'em. See all the words in BOLD above regarding comments to the effect that WE HAVEN'T DONE THAT BEFORE? Well...yes you have. Can you say Tulsa? Can you say Colorado? Can you say Missouri? I can and the big plays against have been way too numerous...ALL YEAR LONG!!! Over committing in the secondary...jumping coverages on corner routes...have been common for this OU defense this year.

And with all of that said they still sit at #3 in the AP and #4 in the BCS. Why? Surely with a defense that porous they shouldn't be there, gcoach. So why are they there? Because defensively they have made huge plays when they need them and the offense has so many options that even Kevin Wilson's conservative play calling can't slow them down.

Need examples...Lofton's fumble recovery against Missouri. D.J. Wolfe's endzone interception against Iowa State. Get the point? I've said all along that the offense was very, very good. But the major strength of this team coming into this season was supposed to be the secondary. The questions...QB...defensive ends...and the linebackers. Defense!!! This team has MAAAD talent on both sides of the ball. So what is it that makes the defense a bend but don't break defense? I'm thinking attitude. I think they are very young and they think they will befine every night...even after they have been proven wrong. For this much physical talent talent it has to be the mental side. Can it be fixed? Sometimes it doesn't look like it is broken. Inconsistent is more the pattern. But, yes, it can be fixed. How, gcoach, tell us how? Simple. Walk the walk don't just talk the talk.

For Saturday pay heed to one of your own.

"This game gave us a wake-up call; we definately have to work on some things and make some adjustments on pass coverage. We need to get in the film room and learn from this game. We need to asess our weakneses and get ready for a good passing game from Tech." - OU LB Curtis Lofton

We heard a lot of this after the Colorado game out of the Sooners and they won a couple of big games against Texas and Missouri and then WENT TO Ames, IA and had to have a big 4th quarter to win there...looking horrible in doing so. Don't talk the talk unless you FULLY INTEND to walk the walk!

Oh...and in their defense...Auston English has to be able to play and contribute. He is having a monster year and has made one of the questions on defense...the DE question...much less of a concern. A stress fracture held him ut of the Baylor game...but WE Sooner fans better hope he is available on Saturday night.

"Auston is such a great player and it makes them have to send two guys, leaving someone open. Not having Auston out there hurts a little bit." OU LB Curtis Lofton

I think it hurts alot. Another reason the Sooners sit at #3 or #4 is the offense.

While Auston English has helped answer the DE concerns and Curtis Lofton has donethe same with the LB question...nobody has had a better answer to the questions than Sam Bradford at QB. He hit the 300 yard mark for the first time on Saturday and his efficiency was outstanding. He went 20 for 25 for 353 yards and 3 TD's along with an int. This kid is the real deal. Fortunately for the Sooners his worst game was against Iowa State and the Sooners survived that.

DeMarco Murray had another big game touching the ball 18 times and scored 4 touchdowns...one on a 91 yard kickoff return that didn't start out so well. But it ended great. Manuel Johnson entered the picture as another receiver for OU that showed potential big game stuff catching 4 passes for 126 yards and 2 touchdowns. Malcolm Kelly added a TD catch and the receiving corps is showing that the Sooners don'y need to play the pitch and catch between Bradford and Juquin Iglesiais they have done in the past.

All in all this is still a very, very good football team with a world of very young talent on both sides of the ball. Stepping it up defensively is going to be huge at the end of the year. Aside from a big game in Lubbock this weekend they follow up with Oklahoma State in Norman. This means they need to show they can play big on the road (which they really haven't done yet) and control their in-state rivals in the last game of the regular season. Virtually everyone I read or talk to has OU in the Big 12 Championship game in San Antonio. Keep the offense rolling...and shore up the inconsistent play from the defense and I think they will be there as well. However...this OU FAN is realistic as well. Too cocky and lackadaisical on the defensive side and it won't happen. Beware of Lubbock. Even though we didn't get the correct call and lost there a couple of years ago...this is a pretty good team with a very potent offense.

I love the Sooners and I call 'em as I see 'em.

And that's the bottom line....

Go Sooners!!! BOOMER SOONER!!!

I just read a post about the best college football fans and it is generating some responses across the blogosphere. It was fine but was based solely on the writers opinion which is also fine. But, and I know I'm by no means perfect, I think it lacked something. It lacked direction. It is a post in which  anyone can celebrate their fans and teams fan base  for any multitude of reasons. Fantastic! But I want to play around here a little and do sort of the same thing but with a little direction.

In order to do this I think that we all need to understand that no matter how great our fans are there are some out there that give the rest of us a BAD name. If it isn't you then we should all get along fine. And just as there are some who give the rest of us a BAD name there are those who who don't get too consumed in the assinine and who really make the adventure of attending games that special thing that is attending a college football game. Even here on this blogosphere there are those who use the keyboard to be destructive ad there are others who are classy with the whole scenario. On this site I give huge kudos to Nooch, who is an Oregon Duck fan, for the way he communicated during the aftermath of the OU-Oregon game last year. While OU and Oregon fans were barking and ripping each others heads off, Nooch was the epitome of class. And that fits with the theme of this post. I have great respect for Nooch based on personal experience.

On the other hand there have been not so pleasant confrontations with fans from opposing schools. Years ago in Dallas, TX at the Red River shootout Texas beat OU. As we were leaving some drunk guy wearing orange and white Texas stuff, for no other reason than Texas beat OU, jumped right in my dads face (he bleeds Sooner more than I do and wears the appropriate attire at all Sooner games) and started yelling and screaming #### about how OU sucks, etc., etc. But when I got in his face and told him he batter back the freak (not the wording used but censorship gets in the way some times) or he was going to end up on his #### he turned pus and backed off. Aside from the OU-Texas rivalry that left a vile taste in my mouth for Texas fans for a long time. But, hey, I've gotten older and wiser...sometimes.

At the Fiesta Bowl last year my sister and brother-in-law (Sooners) sat with 2 couples from Boise State. My sister said it was one of the most pleasant experiences she has ever had at a football game. No matter what the flow of the game was they were all cordial, supportive of their schools, and enjoyed the game and each others company. They went to breakfast with the 2 couples the next day. I think that is a great story.

So, based on your own personal experience and eliminating the fans of your team (because we all know ours are the best, ha, ha) who are the best...or the worst fans for college football out there. And remember, if at all possible, if you aren't the one being BAD and creating a bad name, or if you aren't the one being the GOOD son...then it ain't personal. Hopefully we will all be able to share a little bit and be able to show a little humility at the same time.

Anybody up for it? Then in the words of Antonio Banderas as the Mariachi in Desperado..."Let's play!"

 

I have been absent from this blog world for a while.

 I was home in Oklahoma over the Thanksgiving break but not for the Thanksgiving holiday. Unfortunately, I am at an age where I have started to lose family members on a fairly regular basis. And as this happens my father also loses many of the people who are important to him. In 2002 his mother passed away. In 2005, his best friend, my mom, was lost to us when her second bout of breast cancer took her from us. The day after Oklahoma beat Baylor this year my father lost his next best friend. When his mother passed and when my mom passed, we were somewhat expecting it. They had been ill for quite some time. But when my uncle, my father's brother, had a massive heart attack it was a surprise to us all. 

For all of my lifetime I only knew, on my father's side of our family, my grandmother and my uncle.

She was the ultimate matriarch. I lived with her when my parent's divorced and my dad went over to Vietnam. I spent a great deal of time staying with my uncle as well. I learned my multiplication tables sitting at my grandmother's table in the sixth grade. My uncle was responsible, in a great degree, for encouraging my love of sports. He played catch with me when my dad was overseas. He took me to watch him referee basketball and football and umpiring baseball and softball. My favorite story was the time my uncle was the homeplate umpire for one of Johnny Bench's high school games. The fastest guy in the state was the leadoff hitter for the opposing team. Right before calling, "Play ball," Bench told my uncle that they were going to walk the guy. And then on the second pitch he wanted my uncle to stay off of his shoulder because he was going to throw the guy out stealing second. Sure enough they walked the guy and on the second pitch he took off. Bench threw him out by 3 feet.

I grew up with stories like that.

 Not all about people who grew up to be famous athletes but similar in their context. And it was the same with my dad and my uncle and college football. It goes without saying that I get my Sooner leanings from my dad. My uncle was an Oklahoma State guy. Well, he was an OSU guy when he was younger. As he got older and especially after my dad moved back to Oklahoma after I graduated from high school he bagan to see the light that is Sooner football. Not only did they golf together they worked together for the state and they called ball together. My mom and my aunt were high school friends who re-established that friendship when they moved home. They all did everything together and my grandmother even dropped by for lunch with her sons one day a week until she was 90 years old. For the first time ever they ventured to Minnesota over the Christmas Break last year and watched my hockey team win our holiday tournament. It was the first time either of them had watched me coach or seen what I do in the winter months.

What does all of this have to do with college football and the Oklahoma Sooners?

For years and years my dad and my uncle have gotten together to watch college football, Big 8 and then Big 12. Neither was a big stickler for the NFL. They went to countless OU games at Owen Field and later the ####lord Family Memorial Stadium. They went to the Texas State Fair annually for the Red River Shootout. They traveled to as many Bowl games as they could afford. College football, the Oklahoma Sooners, and my dad and uncle were examples of family time together sharing passions and cheering on your favorite team, win or lose, good or bad, bad and awful. On the evening that the Sooners defeated Baylor this year my dad was on his back recovering from a knee replacement. My uncle went to their favorite rib joint and brought my dad dinner and they sat and watched college football until it was over and they were tired. My uncle went home. The next day they saw each other at church, another shared passion, and had dinner at a youth banquet for the church. They went to their respective homes. My uncle died later that night.

For the past couple of years my dad hasn't had a great deal to smile about.

So when the Oklahoma Sooners prove people wrong it gives him great pleasure. When they overcome the loss of their QB a month before the season and finish the regular season at 11-2 when all the "experts" said they were done it gives him great pleasure. When they overcome a few horrible calls and a lose a game that the "experts" said would define their season to finish 11-2 it gives him great pleasure. When they recover from a second half collapse in the Red River Shootout against Texas to win out and become the Big 12 South Champions (with a little assistance from Texas A & M) ahead of the same Texas team it gives him great pleasure. When they lose all everything RB Adrian Peterson and still run the table in the regular season after his loss defying the "experts" once again it gives him great pleasure. When Paul Thompson and Malcolm Kelly put on a show like they did against Nebraska in the Big 12 Championship game. When the defense rises to the occasion and stops Nebraska's offense when 11 of their 14 possessions were started in Oklahoma territory. When that same defense comes up with 5 turnovers to shut Nebraska down. When Thompson calmly marches the Sooners 99 yards for their final score in a 21-7 victory effectively shifting the momentum back to the Sooners. And when the Oklahoma Sooners flew out of Kansas City as the Big 12 Champions this year, yea, you bet, it gave him great pleasure. Hearing him laugh and relive the game or this season will never get old for me.

Coach Bob Stoops and his staff have done a remarkable job this year keeping this team focused on the positives.

The team has done a remarkable job of proving the "experts" wrong and staying true to their pre-season goals. And together they have done a remarkable of job of bringing pleasure to a man who, no doubt like many others, has not had a whole lot of things to find pleasure in lately. They will eventually lose again but I personally hope they kick the #### out of Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl. For no other reason than it would give my dad a great deal of pleasure.

And that's the bottom line...

Go Sooners!!!

 

 

Last Saturday at the ####lord Family - Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, Oklahoma a streak came to an end.

The Oklahoma Sooners had the nations longest streak of consecutive games with a running back rushing for over 100 yards in a game. Not collectively as a team but a single back. The visiting Texas Tech Red Raiders ended that streak in Norman on Saturday. Four weeks ago the college football world figured that streak would be over when OU's Heisman hopeful, Adrian Peterson, went down for the season with a broken collarbone against Iowa State. The Sooners are done. They won't be able to run the ball and the much maligned (yea, baby, I love that word) Paul Thompson won't be able to step up and carry the team. When will people learn about the resiliency of this team?

Losing Peterson, or any player of his caliber, can have devastating effects.

So can losing your starting QB to dismissal one month before the start of the season. So can getting the wrong end of the stick in a highly controversial loss to Oregon. So can a second half meltdown against Texas in the Red River shootout in which Texas didn't so much as win the game but saw Oklahoma self destruct in the second half. Eleven penalties and 5 turnovers equates to self destructing. So can a defense that started out the year playing so far below expectations that people were wondering who was evaluating the defensive talent at OU. They are young but they were bad, regardless of their age. But like I said when Peterson went down, his injury could NOT be the worst thing that happened to OU this year. And it hasn't.

In the past 15 games where OU had a 100 yard rusher that rusher has not been Adrian Peterson all the time.

Last year he missed all or most of 4 games to a high ankle sprain injury that he suffered on the third play from scrimmage in the season opener. In the Texas game last season he was limited to 10 yards on 3 carries. So far, in games the Sooners have played without Adrian Peterson, the Sooners are 7-1 which includes 4-0 this year and 3-1 last year. And they have managed to run the ball. Taking over for Peterson this season was junior Allen Patrick. He has only rushed for 440 yards in the three games he has played since Peterson's injury. He and Peterson haven't put in a days work until they have carried the ball 30 times or so a game. Yes, Texas Tech broke the string. OU's leading rusher on Saturday was their 4th string running back who carried the ball 16 times for 84 yards and 2 touchdowns. Both touchdowns were in the 4th quarter and helped shut the door on the Red Raiders. But he didn't do it alone.

The QB and the WR came to play as well.

Paul Thompson was 24/31 for 309 yards, 2 touchdowns and an interception. Thompson's favorite receiver this season has been Malcolm Kelly. And Saturday was no different. Kelly caught 11 passes for 153 yards and a touchdown on Saturday against Texas Tech. On the season Thompson is 147 for 240 for 1914 yards. His completion percentage is at 61.3 and he has thrown for 15 touchdowns and 6 interceptions. That ain't half bad for a kid that was a WR a month before the season started, even if he was also the most experienced QB they had on the roster after Stoops dismissed Rhett "Mr. Selfish" Bomar a month before the season started for violating NCAA rules. And Kelly has caught 46 of those passes for 724 yards for a 15.7 yard per catch average and 7 touchdowns. And they don't do it alone. Thompson has found 14 different receivers to catch his passes this year. OU's push to show the world that they could still rush the ball without Peterson took some of the steam out of the aerial attack. This culiminated with a 3 completion day for 39 yards against Texas A & M two weeks ago. BUT Stoops needs his QB and he needs him confident and effective. He is.

At the end of the first half on Saturday Thompson hung a ball that Texas Tech's Antonio Huffman picked off and returned 54 yards for a touchdown.

The Sooners found themselves down 24-10 with little time left in the half. A QB who is not calm or confident probably falls apart after that. Thompson calmly took control of the situation and threw a perfect pass to Kelly for a 40 touchdown with 10 seconds left in the half. Instead of being down by 2 touchdowns at halftime, OU went in down 24-17. It set the tone for the second half. OU outscored Texas Tech 17-0 in the second half. The Sooner defense, horrible early in the year, pressured Tech QB Graham Harrell with a multitude of blitz packages and coverages. Harrell ended up his day 26/48 for 250 yards 2 touchdowns and an interception as well. This is roughly 100 yards below Harrell's average. The Sooner defense has clearly stepped it up at a critical time of year. Maybe Defensive Coordinator Brent Venables should practice his number 1 defense against the number 1 offense more often. DO YA THINK BRENT? He spent the first month of the season running his defense against scout team personnel.

The other kids on the block got to play some football for Oklahoma this year.

Yea, the big guy went down and they have certainly seen more than their share of adversity. Now, nobody has been killed at OU like the sad tragedy at Miami, but this team has had more than enough adversity as well. And losing the big guy and burying their heads would have been disastrous. But they didn't bury their heads and stick their tails between their legs. The young guys stepped up. The old guys stepped up. The coaching staff stepped up. And you know what, they have a pretty damned good football team in Oklahoma. They are called the Sooners. They are 2 victories away from a 10-2 regular season. Both games are on the road. They travel to Baylor this weekend and close out in Stillwater, Oklahoma against the Oklahoma State Cowboys in the Bedlam series game. Two winnable games but the Sooners have something to do aside from what they have accomplished to win out.

OU is horrible at ball protection.

They had the interception against them for a touchdown and they lost 3 of 4 fumbles against Tech. They lost 3 fumbles against A & M. Stoops' major point of concern after the Tech game was their ball protection. Tech scored 24 points against OU on Saturday. Some would be quick to give credit to the powerful offense coach Mike Leach has in place at Tech and the talented sophomore, Harrell, who runs it. NOPE, NO WAY. Of the 24 points that Tech scored on Saturday 21 were the result of turnovers by OU. The OU defense held Harrell to 100 yards below his average on Saturday. They held the running game to 31 yards. This game was much closer than it should have been because of the OU turnovers. They need to protect the ball better.

HOT RUMOR - Adrian Peterson is saying he will be back for the Oklahoma State game.

If he returns it will be very, very interesting to see what the Sooners do with him. Having his kind of talent back can be a huge boost. But what do you do with all of the guys who have stepped up and played so well in his absence? I think you still have to make Allen Patrick a big part of your game plan. He would probably still be my feature back and while I would get Peterson some carries I would use his presence to my advantage. They are roommates who say they admire the hell out of each other. That being the case, then sharing the ball shouldn't matter. I'll take Peterson back. But I still want to watch Patrick bull away.

And you might as well get used to it.

 Sportscasters around the country have been saying it for a couple of weeks now. ABC, ESPN and their analysts have all mentioned the FACT that OU should not be at 8-2 but that they should be one of the 9-1 teams looking at a BCS bowl. The outcome of the Oregon game and the officiating are starting to play against OU. I wouldn't have brought it up except that I'm hearing it on television all the time. So get used to hearing it and don't be surprised if some Sooner fans run to encourage the sentiment. I would but it really won't matter.

And that's the bottom line...

GO SOONERS!

Two things happened this week that prompted me to start thinking about the relationship I have with my father.

The first was the tragic airplane accident that claimed the life of Cory Lidle. Not only was he a professional athlete, more importantly, he was a father. And while the baseball world and the New York Yankees mourn the loss of a player and a teammate, I weep for his children. I weep for any family that loses a parent so early in life. So young and full of energy. So full of some of the things that SoCal mentioned in an earlier post. The ability to guide and teach and lead his children. The partnering skills that his wife is now void of. The presence he has in his home. All of these things he was, his children now lack. And while his death is tragic, this is indeed a tragedy within a tragedy.

But it doesn't have to be the end of everything for them. A few years ago we had a hockey player whose father was killed in an electrical accident. My neices and nephew lost their father in an industrial accident this summer. The people in their lives and the influences of their fathers proved to be great catalysts to being able to deal with this adversity for all four of these young people. 

The first young man I mentioned was a 3 sport star in high school. He was all state in football and all conference in baseball and hockey. We have an award here that embodies the elements of the Hobie Baker Award. As a matter of fact it is presented by the Hobie Baker people and is for the student/athlete that shows perseverence, commitment to community, sportsmanship, etc., etc. Because of the kind of kid he was he was our first receipient of the award. We don't give it out every year. He bears a strong physical resemblence to his father and many of his fathers mannerisms. In my time as a coach I have had the pleasure to work with many outstanding young men. This kid is truly one of the best young men I have been around. His father would be immensely proud of this young man. It was an honor to coach him and to be a part of his life. And when we meet today he impresses me more and more with his demeanor and behavior.

My neices and nephew are dealing with their tragedy. They have had some experience. They lost their grandmother a year and a half ago. But nothing prepares you for the tragedy they shared this summer. But my nephew is now enrolled as a freshman in college and while he misses his father, he is tackling school like his father tackled race car driving, which he was pretty good at in Oklahoma. The girls are getting better. They lived with their dad but now live with their PaPa, my dad! There are issues with my sisters husband but my sister is very involved with the girls and together they work hard to keep my brother-in-laws spirit alive with the girls. They have pictures of him on the computer which they rotate as their screensaver. I can see some of his mannersisms in them. He was a very strong influence on them.

So the lives of Cory Lidle's kids and his wife will be turned upside down for quite sometime. But, there is hope for them in the face of this tragedy and ,I for one, will pray for them.

The other thing that happend, actually will happen, is the Oklahoma - Iowa State game this weekend. Well, what has that got to do with anything? This!

All week in Oklahoma there has been talk about Adrian Peterson and his father. For the first time in 8 years, Peterson's father will get to watch him play in the same building he is playing in. You see, the seniior Peterson has been incarcerated for the past 8 years. After his incarceration he has been living in a halfway house in Oklahoma City. He has not been allowed to attend any OU games in person. Effectively, this man has not seen his son carry a football, in person, since before Adrian Peterson was in high school. But this weekend, Adrian Peterson has extra motivation. His father will be in Norman, OK this weekend to watch his son play football. Dad is excited about it, and so is his son. Why not? And why did this make me stop and think about the relationship I have with my dad?

My dad was a career Navy man. He missed a lot of my growing up by serving his country. Hey, there are a lot of us military brats out there, this I know. My parents divorced when I was 10 and I bounced between my dad and mother for a few years before settling with my dad. He served 21 years in the Navy and the last 4 were as a recruiter. This meant - STATIONARY! He always supported me before this but now he was there. Physically there! He served as my mentor, teacher and guidance counselor. He gave me many of the values and things I have today. I remember having trouble over playing time with my football coach when I was a sophomore in high school. I asked my dad to talk to my coach. His response, "I am your Dad. I am NOT your football coach. If you have issues with him, then you need to talk to him. I won't talk to him about your playing time and I don't want him to talk to me about how to be your dad." Self-advocacy. Another time, Prom, I took his car and brought it back on E. I proceeded to take my moms car and bring it back on E. At 6:00 am my dad opened my bedroom door, calmly woke me up and handed me a gas can. "Take this and your bike, fill it, come back and put the gas in my car. Then take my car and fill it up. Take the gas can with you and do the same thing with your moms car." Never again did I think so carelessly. The lessons I learned from my father have been passed down to my kids with, on most occasions, different scenarios.

Here is what I get, that Adrian Peterson has a chance at, that Cory Lidle's children do not!

I still get to visit the best friend I have once or twice a year. I get to sit next to him at OU home games if my visits coincide with a home game. I get to relive memories that we laugh and cry at. I get to hang out with the Best Man at my wedding whenever I go home to Oklahoma. I understand how Adrian Peterson feels. Last winter, for the first time ever, my father came to MN durring hockey season and went with us when we went to our holiday hockey tournament. It was the first time my dad ever watched me coach a game that he saw me play plaenty of. At my moms funeral a year and a half ago, I felt greatly protective of my father. He was never more than an arms length away from me, unless he wanted to be. Whatever he wanted, he got. Whatever he wanted for my mom, they got! Whenever I go home we go to the cemetary together and put flowers down for her and for my grandmother. The first time I really saw my father cry was when we buried my mom.

So what did these two things make me think? I am blessed. I have had opportunites that many kids will not have in regard to my father, or their fathers. I have had the time to have memories to share with my father that Cory Lidle's kids didn't get. I have had time to have my dad witness my accomplishments in the flesh. Along with the accomplishments have been some failures, but, not many in the grand scheme of things. And I have had a future, regardless of the past, that Adrian Peterson and others like him now have. Yes, I have been blessed.

I have learned through tragedy that we shouldn't take any relationship lightly. I cherish my dad and the relationship I have with him. Sadly, others will  never experience what I have been blessed to experience. And, therein, lies perhaps the greatest tragedy of all.

And that's the bottom line...

Go Sooners!

Two things happened this week that prompted me to start thinking about the relationship I have with my father.

The first was the tragic airplane accident that claimed the life of Cory Lidle. Not only was he a professional athlete, more importantly, he was a father. And while the baseball world and the New York Yankees mourn the loss of a player and a teammate, I weep for his children. I weep for any family that loses a parent so early in life. So young and full of energy. So full of some of the things that SoCal mentioned in an earlier post. The ability to guide and teach and lead his children. The partnering skills that his wife is now void of. The presence he has in his home. All of these things he was, his children now lack. And while his death is tragic, this is indeed a tragedy within a tragedy.

But it doesn't have to be the end of everything for them. A few years ago we had a hockey player whose father was killed in an electrical accident. My neices and nephew lost their father in an industrial accident this summer. The people in their lives and the influences of their fathers proved to be great catalysts to being able to deal with this adversity for all four of these young people. 

The first young man I mentioned was a 3 sport star in high school. He was all state in football and all conference in baseball and hockey. We have an award here that embodies the elements of the Hobie Baker Award. As a matter of fact it is presented by the Hobie Baker people and is for the student/athlete that shows perseverence, commitment to community, sportsmanship, etc., etc. Because of the kind of kid he was he was our first receipient of the award. We don't give it out every year. He bears a strong physical resemblence to his father and many of his fathers mannerisms. In my time as a coach I have had the pleasure to work with many outstanding young men. This kid is truly one of the best young men I have been around. His father would be immensely proud of this young man. It was an honor to coach him and to be a part of his life. And when we meet today he impresses me more and more with his demeanor and behavior.

My neices and nephew are dealing with their tragedy. They have had some experience. They lost their grandmother a year and a half ago. But nothing prepares you for the tragedy they shared this summer. But my nephew is now enrolled as a freshman in college and while he misses his father, he is tackling school like his father tackled race car driving, which he was pretty good at in Oklahoma. The girls are getting better. They lived with their dad but now live with their PaPa, my dad! There are issues with my sisters husband but my sister is very involved with the girls and together they work hard to keep my brother-in-laws spirit alive with the girls. They have pictures of him on the computer which they rotate as their screensaver. I can see some of his mannersisms in them. He was a very strong influence on them.

So the lives of Cory Lidle's kids and his wife will be turned upside down for quite sometime. But, there is hope for them in the face of this tragedy and ,I for one, will pray for them.

The other thing that happend, actually will happen, is the Oklahoma - Iowa State game this weekend. Well, what has that got to do with anything? This!

All week in Oklahoma there has been talk about Adrian Peterson and his father. For the first time in 8 years, Peterson's father will get to watch him play in the same building he is playing in. You see, the seniior Peterson has been incarcerated for the past 8 years. After his incarceration he has been living in a halfway house in Oklahoma City. He has not been allowed to attend any OU games in person. Effectively, this man has not seen his son carry a football, in person, since before Adrian Peterson was in high school. But this weekend, Adrian Peterson has extra motivation. His father will be in Norman, OK this weekend to watch his son play football. Dad is excited about it, and so is his son. Why not? And why did this make me stop and think about the relationship I have with my dad?

My dad was a career Navy man. He missed a lot of my growing up by serving his country. Hey, there are a lot of us military brats out there, this I know. My parents divorced when I was 10 and I bounced between my dad and mother for a few years before settling with my dad. He served 21 years in the Navy and the last 4 were as a recruiter. This meant - STATIONARY! He always supported me before this but now he was there. Physically there! He served as my mentor, teacher and guidance counselor. He gave me many of the values and things I have today. I remember having trouble over playing time with my football coach when I was a sophomore in high school. I asked my dad to talk to my coach. His response, "I am your Dad. I am NOT your football coach. If you have issues with him, then you need to talk to him. I won't talk to him about your playing time and I don't want him to talk to me about how to be your dad." Self-advocacy. Another time, Prom, I took his car and brought it back on E. I proceeded to take my moms car and bring it back on E. At 6:00 am my dad opened my bedroom door, calmly woke me up and handed me a gas can. "Take this and your bike, fill it, come back and put the gas in my car. Then take my car and fill it up. Take the gas can with you and do the same thing with your moms car." Never again did I think so carelessly. The lessons I learned from my father have been passed down to my kids with, on most occasions, different scenarios.

Here is what I get, that Adrian Peterson has a chance at, that Cory Lidle's children do not!

I still get to visit the best friend I have once or twice a year. I get to sit next to him at OU home games if my visits coincide with a home game. I get to relive memories that we laugh and cry at. I get to hang out with the Best Man at my wedding whenever I go home to Oklahoma. I understand how Adrian Peterson feels. Last winter, for the first time ever, my father came to MN durring hockey season and went with us when we went to our holiday hockey tournament. It was the first time my dad ever watched me coach a game that he saw me play plaenty of. At my moms funeral a year and a half ago, I felt greatly protective of my father. He was never more than an arms length away from me, unless he wanted to be. Whatever he wanted, he got. Whatever he wanted for my mom, they got! Whenever I go home we go to the cemetary together and put flowers down for her and for my grandmother. The first time I really saw my father cry was when we buried my mom.

So what did these two things make me think? I am blessed. I have had opportunites that many kids will not have in regard to my father, or their fathers. I have had the time to have memories to share with my father that Cory Lidle's kids didn't get. I have had time to have my dad witness my accomplishments in the flesh. Along with the accomplishments have been some failures, but, not many in the grand scheme of things. And I have had a future, regardless of the past, that Adrian Peterson and others like him now have. Yes, I have been blessed.

I have learned through tragedy that we shouldn't take any relationship lightly. I cherish my dad and the relationship I have with him. Sadly, others will  never experience what I have been blessed to experience. And, therein, lies perhaps the greatest tragedy of all.

And that's the bottom line...

Go Sooners!

Ahhhh! Another weekend of college football has come and gone.

I will get to the Oklahoma - Middle Tennesseee State game in a second. But I want to retrace, just for a moment, to last weekend. There are still quite a few people out there making comments about Oklahoma - Oregon game last weekend. I want to throw a few things out there and then I will bury it on this site.

 "Bob Stoops needs to shut up and move on."

Bob Stoops has moved on (evidence in a moment) but will answer questions from the media. If this is what the media wants to ask about then Stoops is responding. He has said more than once that he wants to move on but reporters continue to seek his opinion and he responds. Perhaps the comment should be, "The press needs to move on."

"Oklahoma still gave up a touchdown and had a field goal blocked after the two bad calls."

Yes, they did. Let me throw all of those who make that comment this assessment. You are talking about 18, 19 and 20 year olds. The defense has done its job (in whatever way that was, stopping Oregon, letting Dixon run 16 yards for score, but, you know!). The on-side kick gives OU the ball. Offense runs out the clock, Oklahoma wins. Granted, that is assuming Oklahoma recovers the ball. But why wouldn't one assume that with all the "good hands people" you put out there. All of a sudden, on a horrible call, remember this was later supported by PAC 10, Oregon gets the ball back. Now you have to re-focus your defense, made up of 18, 19 and 20 year olds, to stop a pretty good offense, with not much field to work with, who has just received a huge emotional gift at home. Add a pass interference call that shouldn't have been pass interference and what do you have? You have 18, 19 and 20 year olds with their backs to the wall and it is closing in on them. The point to this is simple. I don't think anyone making that comment is considering the psyches of 18, 19 and 20 year olds in this adverse situation. It is so much easier to spout COULDA', SHOULDA' when you are not in that situation. I work with and coach high school athletes. Trust me, the emotional side of a situation has to be considered when making comments about kids performing at this age and in that situation. Just an observation from my perspective!

PAC 10 suspends officiating crew for one game. Only thing is we don't know when they will serve it.

As an educator, if you are going to discipline you need to do it when the situation you are disciplining for is fresh. The officials who worked the Oklahoma - Oregon game, who were suspended for one game, all worked this weekend in PAC 10 games. The head on-field official worked a nationally televised game. Due to manpower issues the suspensions will be served during the course of the season. They are grown men and they will remember. Whatever! Paper suspensions, not worth much. Again, my perspective. AND I AM DONE WITH OKLAHOMA - OREGON GAME!!!

Worried about getting re-focused for their game against Middle Tennessee State was on the mind of this OU fan.

Apparently there were others who were worried about OU getting focused for the remainder of their season. A lot of comments in blog land about Stoops getting his team ready to play and what a huge distraction last week was. Last year, after OU got off to a horrible start and finished strong I thought Stoops did a great job re-focusing his team. Again, that would appear to be a Stoops strongpoint. Stoops moved on and refocused his team and Oklahoma ran up 45 points in the first half and started sitting starters after the first drive of the third quarter on Saturday. This included OU's Heisman hopefull, Adrian Peterson. Peterson threw up 127 yards on 27 carries and scored 3 touchdowns before Stoops ended his day. Some people may question this call with Peterson in the hunt for the Heisman but it only supports Stoops' contention that there is no one player who is more important than the team. If you remember, this was the comment he made when he dismissed Rhett "Mr. Selfish" Bomar a month before the season started. Peterson remaining healthy is his main concern. Peterson has been putting up these kinds of numbers his entire career at OU. Again, expected.

But what is generally not expected here at Oklahoma was the successs of the passing game this weekend.

Paul Thompson, who was much maligned when he re-assumed the QB position after Bomar was dismissed, has been pretty consistent this season. He is showing improvement weekly. This weekend he put up the following numbers. He was 13 of 18 for 257 yards and 3 scores with no interceptions. He is making regular use of Malcolm Kelly (5 catches for 164 yards and a touchdown) and of his 13 completions he found 6 different receivers. He is spreading the ball around and this is making the Oklahoma attack a little more balanced than just hammmering Peterson at the defense all day. Yea, yea, yea! This was only Middle Tennesssee Sate! I can hear those comments already. Every team, in every sport, needs to have success against someone other than their own defense in practice. While this is not the strongest defense the Sooners will see this year, this IS the kind of game that builds confidence. And with Texas on the horizon for Oklahoma in a couple of weeks, this is the kind of game the passing game for Oklahoma needed. The offense also got other players involved in the game. They even managed to get their juco QB in the game at the end.

The much maligned defense for Oklahoma is starting to step it up as are the special teams.

After having no interceptions the first two games, they had two against Oregon and linebacker Zach Latimer returned one for a touchdown on Saturday. They are stepping it up on the turnover side. On the special teams side, Reggie Lewis, who had returned a punt for 62 yards and a kickoff for 55 yards on the year, and who is a threat everytime he touches the ball, returned a punt 61 yards for a score on Saturday. Again, an opponent that is not the strongest one the Sooners will see this weekend, but, just as with the passing game, confidence builder.

Bob Stoops re-focused the troops and they did exactly what they should have done.

They hammered an opponent with inferior talent at home. Middle Tennessee State got $600,000.00 to go to Norman, OK and get pasted. You can call this the ""revenge" game (when we lose a hockey game where we feel we got the short end of the stick, or, where we feel we played badly, we often tell the kids that the next opponent has to pay for it) after last weekend or you can call it a tune up for Texas. I think the Sooners are getting better as the season goes on. It remains to be seen, but I think this game will help the Sooners confidence and the psyche of those 18, 19 and 20 years olds. The Red River Shootout in two weeks. Let's play ball!!!

Just a couple of other thoughts on college football.

OSU will need to play a tad better than they did this weekend if they want to win it all. Troy Smith is a fine QB but I don't think one scrambling long pass for a touchdown should necessarily lock him into the Heisman Trophy this year. He is a high profile athlete, at a high profile school, playing a high profile position. The pass he made on Saturday, while a great play, should not be what his career, or his season, is measured on. If I am Jim Tressel, or Bob Stoops, or Steve Spurrier, etc., etc. I pretty much expect my QB, my Heisman Trophy candidate QB, to make plays like that consistently.

Lee Corso is possibly the most annoying man on television. Not only does he say stupid things regularly, the man can't sit still. It's like his hemmoroidal donut is slipping under him and he can't get the proper squat. That Texas foam helmet he put on a couple of weeks ago started me thinking what an #### he is and at least three times a show now he has either said something stupid, or done something stupid to convince me.

And that's the bottom line...

Go Sooners!

 

Alright, enough already.

The game is over. The University of Oklahoma lost to the University of Oregon. The score was 34-33. Sooners go to 2-1 and Ducks go to 3-0.

Yes, everyone of any importance to this story knows what happened. Game officials blew on-side kick call. Ball should have been OU's, game should have been over. OU should have defeated UO 33-27. Didn't happen.

President of University of Oklahoma makes a few worthless demands. But, in the midst of those demands there are a few good points.

PAC 10 Commissioner suspends entire officiating crew, field and booth, for one game. In his statement he admits the poor officiating cost Oklahoma the game.

"Errors clearly were made and not corrected, and for that we apologize to the University of Oklahoma, coach Bob Stoops and his players," PAC 10 Commissioner Tom Hansen said in a statement. "They played an outstanding college football game, as did Oregon, and it is regrettable that the outcome of the contest was affected by the officiating."

"The fact that the errors on the onside kick altered the outcome of the game is most unfortunate and unsettling," Hansen said. "We had a solid veteran crew assigned, and the instant replay official had a fine career as a referee in the PAC 10."

In the article I am quoting from Hansen said the onside kick was touched by an Oregon player before it had traveled the required 10 yards, and, therefore, the ball should have been awarded to Oklahoma.

Should have been. Wasn't. SO FREAKIN' WHAT.

One of the University of Oklahoma Presidents requests was to have the game struck from the record books. Not going to happen. Even I agree that would be absurd. Kind of like striking all of Barry Bonds' records from the books. Big 12 Commissioner Kevin Weiberg says the game result will stand.

Another request he made was that the NCAA consider not allowing the PAC 10, or any conference,  to have conference officials for non-conference games. THIS ONE MAKES PERFECT SENSE.

He got his apology. He got all the suspension of the officiating crew he is going to get. He asked for the entire season.

So, now that we know what we know, let's get past the ####.

Oregon fans. In victory, unfortunately, this action by the Commissioner of the PAC 10 ensures that your victory will remain in question forever. Sorry about that. So all of your arguments that OU should have stopped Oregon  and then kicked the field goal to win are worthless comments now. Your own conference said you should have lost the game. All the comments about how many yards the Ducks threw up against a Big 12 defense mean little.

Oklahoma fans (and I am one). It is over. The Ducks receive credit for the victory no matter how diligently and passionately we argue for a different outcome. They will hold their spot at #13 in the polls and OU will move to #17. They will play the rest of their season and the Sooners will play theirs. All of the complaining in the world will not change it. Let's move on.

That being said, I want to bring attention to a blog out there that lumps every OU fan into the world of a fanatical few.

The replay official who blew the call (he also admitted that) claims he is receiving death threats aimed at him and his family. I love the Oklahoma Sooners and I clearly think they got the wrong end of the stick on this one. But, DEATH THREATS! That ain't right.

There is also a rumor out there, and I have not seen it, read it, or heard it anywhere but on this particular blog, that OU fans are yelling conspiracy theory. I don't know about that one. I think OU got homered. Not by the University of Oregon but by the PAC 10. While I am not spouting it I would listen to arguments for or against. Great discussion material.

My point is this. I would bet that 99.9% of Oklahoma fans have expressed their frustration at the water cooler, in blog sites and chat rooms, in discussions with friends and neighbors, etc., etc. I have seen name calling here and from OU and Oregon fans and from "I am not a fan of either team" fans. But DO NOT LUMP ALL OKLAHOMA SOONER FANS in with a few closet morons who have resorted to DEATH THREATS! That shows shallow thinking on their part and it is shallow thinking on the author of the post.

I don't think the Oregon Ducks really proved anything with this victory. Why? Because this Sooner defense is young, getting better, but it ain't there yet. So even without the acknowledged outcome I don't think they proved what they really wanted to prove. Regardless of the yards, when the game really became questionable, OU was ahead 33-20. The Ducks are a very good football team with two "high end " players in Dennis Dixon and Jonathan Stewart. They played a very good football game.

The Sooners didn't set the world on fire, either. You can't play one half of football and be very successful. You can't make the lack of discipline mistakes they made and be very successful. If they don't start tackling better and getting Adrian Peterson the ball more from somewhere other than the middle of the line it will be a longer year. Let Paul Thompson throw on the run more. He is pretty accurate on the move. The one thing the Sooners did better than Oregon was capitalizing on turn-overs. That was the difference in the scoring.  If Oregon didn't have 4 turn-overs they would more than likely have been ahead and all of the other stuff would have been moot. BUT THAT IS PART OF THE GAME THAT CAN BE CONTROLLED BY THE PLAYERS. OU did what good teams do, they capitalized.

I'm tired. I'm tired of all the comments left out there that are mean spirited and nasty. I have left some commens on other blogs. But I try to be logical and present my comments intelligently . And I think I do a pretty good job of that. NO MATTER how frustrated I was, and am, about the outcome of this game.

It's over. Oregon 34, Oklahoma 33.

And that's the bottom line.....

Ya'll have good day now, ya hear.

Quotes used here are from Minneapolis Star Tribune and AP.