DALLAS — "Carnies and cops, schoolkids and old people, bankers and plumbers; everybody came to the State Fair of Texas.”— Harry Hunsicker, "The Next Time You Die.”
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J.C. Watts moaned and groaned about not playing as a 1976 Oklahoma freshman. Even thought about leaving OU, and truth be told, he did quit the football squad for a brief time.
But when Dean Blevins was laid up for the Texas game, and Thomas Lott ascended to the starting job, Watts suddenly was the backup quarterback in the State Fair frenzy.
"All of a sudden, I'm walking down that ramp and thinking, ‘Just kidding. I really don't want to play,'” Watts says 31 years and a Congressional career later.
The Cotton Bowl, with its Southwestern sunset mob of crimson and burnt orange, split down the middle and keeping the ancient stadium roaring like a runway, can do that to a player. Especially a quarterback.
"The fair was loud. The fair was crowded. The fair was glorious...”
Loud. Crowded. Glorious. Sounds like the game. You walk into the stadium from the Midway or the car show, where for generations patrons are packed between pretzel stands and port-a-potties, Pintos and Porsches, and step into even crazier environs.
"The one thing, it's a constant roar,” said Jimmy Harris, who 53 years ago made his starting debut against Texas, the game of games. Harris won that start and all 24 others in his career.
In pregame, Harris said, "I was holding for extra points, and I thought, ‘I don't know if I can handle this.' But as soon as the first whistle blew, the first lick, I didn't even remember it. The people were just a blur.”
"The massive art deco buildings seemed like something out of an old-time Roman chariot movie, the front of each structure dominated by exotic statues. One had a bull that looked like a pagan god I'd once seen in a history book. Another had a 20-foot-tall, muscled warrior drawing back on a bow, aiming an arrow skyward.”
Many a muscled warrior has aimed skyward in OU-Texas. Jason White, Josh Heupel and Jack Mildren for the Sooners. Jack Mitchell, Eddie Crowder and even Darrell Royal, too.
Vince Young and James Street and Bobby Layne for the Longhorns. And Peter Gardere, Randy McEachern and Byron Gillory, otherwise nondescript quarterbacks who achieved pagan god status with their suddenly-magic bows in the Cotton Bowl mosaic.
Pressure boils in this cops-and-carnies game. Watts never played particularly well in the Cotton Bowl. UT's Chris Simms, a borderline star, truly was awful against the Sooners. When Texas' defense figured out the wishbone, the offense UT itself created, OU optioneers often made fullbacks the star, as if the Sooner QBs couldn't rid themselves of the hot-potato ball fast enough.
"In case you forgot and thought you were in some exotic land like Egypt, or maybe New Jersey, a five-story talking doll named Big Texas stood in the exact center of the fairgrounds, next to the Cotton Bowl.”
In 2007, Big Sam meets Big Tex. Rookie Sam Bradford drives the Sooner chariot and has played well so far, just as Texas rookie Colt McCoy did before and in the 2006 game.
Bradford aced most challenges so far. First start, North Texas. First big game, Miami. First road game, Tulsa. Finally, he stumbled in his first unfriendly environment, Colorado, completing eight of 19 passes with two interceptions, both on tipped balls.
Sudden Sam still has gaudy numbers, with a 72.2 completion percentage and 14 touchdown passes with just four interceptions.
"He's been just what you want him to be,” Bob Stoops said. "Stick to your plan. Block everything else out.
"He's handled it very well. Whether it be his first game or his first road game and throwing an interception on our first possession. Didn't faze him.”
Yes, but Texas will be different. Remember, this is exotic land. This game is unlike all others.
"Texas will be the ultimate test,” Harris said.
Watts was a two-time Orange Bowl MVP and became a Sooner legend himself. But he went 0-2 as a starter in the Cotton Bowl.
"There is pressure,” said Watts. "The only way to sum it up, it's Oklahoma-Texas.”
Actually, Harry Hunsicker proved there were other ways to sum it up, And here's one: Quarterback legacies are made the day everybody comes to the State Fair of Texas.
Sam wasn't the problem. It didn't matter if Joe Montana or Peyton Manning would have been at the helm, the WR's were horrible. We got beat by our OL and WR's, period. They were the weak links.
Jason, Sam was not the problem. I think I counted 4 blatant drops plus the 2 interceptions that were both tipped (one definately should have been caught, one was not as catchable, so we will blame him for that one), the catch that was taken away at the end; if you add those up all of a sudden Sam was 14 of 19 with 1 int. I'll tell you what I am worried about is the O-Line, no one has said anything about it, but they were very unimpressive. I agree that some of the play calling was weak, but I think they just kept thinking on one of these run plays our O-Line is going to wake up and make a hole, they never really did. By the 4th quarter, the defense was obviously tired and rightfully so, they were on the field it seemed like the entire second half. The most frustrating thing about the defense to me is we are probably the best 2 down defense that I have ever seen, but on 3rd or 4th down, we play different, more relaxed and not as aggressive most of the time, therefore, we allow too many 3rd and longs or 4th down plays to go for 1st downs. That is FRUSTRATING! All that to say that I do believe that Colorado woke up the Crimson Machine, I don't see this team losing again for a very long time, something like a 23 game win streak or something.
We just need to remember two things..."Special Teams" and "offensive line". If we excel in these two areas we will be just fine. It is awfully hard to go up to
Boulder and win, regardless of Colorados record. We took them for granted, looking forward to Texas, just like the longhorns did against Kansas State. I personally don't think that 10 points is enough (OU favored) at least I hope it isn't. I bet the farm on OU this week. Go Sooners!
Benching Bradford would have shown lack of brains by the coaches imo. Any QB is going to have rough times, the only way to learn from it is to play through it.
I'm sorry but the OU-CU game I saw on TV didn't just show an ineffective offense. It also showed an ineffective defense. And not the "pass rush" that is referred to in another article. But the defense against the run disappeared completely. Just look at the 2nd half stats.
I'm sorry but the OU-CU game I saw on TV didn't just show an ineffective offense. It also showed an ineffective defense. And not the "pass rush" that is referred to in another article. But the defense against the run disappeared completely. Just look at the 2nd half stats.
Sam should have been benched in the forth quarter of the CU game. I don't care what anyone says, he was not getting it done in that game. Nichol may have provided the spark needed to win. Then again to do something like that would have taken guts. Something the OU coaching staff has been lacking lately.
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Boulder and win, regardless of Colorados record. We took them for granted, looking forward to Texas, just like the longhorns did against Kansas State. I personally don't think that 10 points is enough (OU favored) at least I hope it isn't. I bet the farm on OU this week. Go Sooners!