Ex-Sooner Hartley exorcises ghost of von Schamann

Garrett Hartley exorcised a lot of New Orleans Saints ghosts Sunday night, from bags on the head of fans to Katrina horrors in the Superdome to 43 years without a championship. But Hartley also exorcised the ghost of Uwe von Schamann.

Bob Stoops had to be happy for Hartley when Hartley nailed the biggest kick in  Saints history. Happy, but also a little melancholy. Did you catch the length of the field goal that beat Minnesota 31-28 in overtime?

New Orleans Saints kicker Garrett Hartley (5) celebrates with his teammates after kicking the winning field goal during overtime in the NFC Championship NFL football game in New Orleans, Sunday, Jan. 24, 2010. The Saints defeated the Vikings 31-28 to advance to the Super Bowl against the Indianapolis Colts. (AP Photo/Dave Martin) ORG XMIT: NFC203

Forty yards. The 38th parallel for OU football in 2009. The Sooners, hampered by field-goal failures all season, were solid from inside 40 yards: 17 of 20, and No. 1 kicker Jimmy Stevens was 11-of-11 from inside 40. But get to a field-goal length that started with a 4 or a 5, and the Sooners were awful. One of eight, with only walk-on Paddy O’Hara’s 47-yarder good, and by season’s end, O’Hara was shaky on field goals of shorter length.

Meanwhile, Hartley was Mr. Reliable in 31/2 seasons as the OU kicker. Stoops brought Hartley out of redshirt late in the 2004 season, and Hartley was excellent throughout his career. The Sooners’ quest for another Garrett Hartley continues.