BCS National Championship: The Magic disappears

didn't Oklahoma have to forfeit all 2005 games??

Our performance is kind of like Charles Dickens "The Tale of Two Cities". Either our offense produces and our defense chokes or our defense produces and our offense chokes. It's clear we played no defense like we faced against Florida or even like we faced against LSU a few years ago. Big XII defenses sit back in soft zone coverages. Florida's DB's were up in our receivers jock straps jarring them at the line of scrimmage and throwing the timing off. Combine that with continued pressure on Bradford and it's easy to see how our offense sputtered. I love Big XII offenses and love SEC defenses although ours played a solid game against Florida. In the end it's impossible to not lose confidence that the Sooners will win the big game any time soon.

The "magic' didn't disappear, Bob "Choke" Poops magically stole $6.1 million from your junior college university.

Boise State wasn't a choke. BSU was clearly a far superior team. Oklahoma should consider an application for membership in C-USA. That way, they would need to run the table for BCS game consideration, and being in a more competitive conference, that wouldn't happen.

I think that OU has a pretty damn good coach with all he has accomplished. As far as the Florida game I try to look at games with the scenario of " what if they played ten games against each other, what would the results be? " I believe that Oklahoma would be hard pressed to win half, thus I don't believe that the loss was a choke.
Boise State was a choke, in that they would be hard pressed to win more than one or two game against OU, in a ten series. Remember, had West Virginia beaten Pittsburg at the end of the season, they may have been in the BCS Championship game in 2008.
Go Pokes!

Oklahoma athletic director has made a 3 Million dollar mistake!! The AD admitted his mistake and is now asking congress for a 6.1 million dollar bailout. Bob Stoops conned the university of Oklahoma out of 6.1 million dollars this past football season and OU alumni are upset and are asking congress for help!!!! BOB STOOPS his coaching skills aren't as good as they are in the regular season against good teams. He lost to Texas this year and was beaten again in the BCS game. Boise, Florida, Texas and let's not forget USC. Stoops' performance at Oklahoma has made him the frequent subject of head coach searches by several NFL teams as well as other college programs, which he has repeatedly turned away. He was reportedly the top-paid coach in Division 1-A football with annual compensation in excess of $3 million until Nick Saban was signed by the University of Alabama for $4 million per year beginning in 2007. However, Stoops will receive a "longevity bonus" of $3,000,000 at the end of the 2008 season (his 10th), making his annual salary in 2008 3 Million dollar mistake!! BOB STOOPS his coaching skills aren't as good as they are in the regular season against good teams. He lost to Texas this year and was beaten again in the BCS game. Boise, Florida, Texas and let's not forget USC. Stoops' performance at Oklahoma has made him the frequent subject of head coach searches by several NFL teams as well as other college programs, which he has repeatedly turned away. He was reportedly the top-paid coach in Division 1-A football with annual compensation in excess of $3 million until Nick Saban was signed by the University of Alabama for $4 million per year beginning in 2007. However, Stoops will receive a "longevity bonus" of $3,000,000 at the end of the 2008 season (his 10th), making his annual salary in 2008 approx. $6,100,000.00, not including potential bonuses of up to $745,000., not including potential bonuses of up to $745,000. I don't know much about anything but I do know that is one EXPENSIVE mistake. Eventually the boosters, alumni and administration are going to want something like a BCS title for approx. $6,100,000.00. Chokelahoma and Bob Stoops can be known as the 6.1 Million dollar losers and ask the government for a bailout too on their loses. Hook'em Horns and be a man and comment on this one Chokelahoma!!!!!!

Stephen, they can't win big games because they play in the Big 12. They run up the score on crap teams, then wonder why they can't perform when it comes to a real game. OU, UT, TT, and OSU all played teams that were ranked lower. Only Texas won with a last second gasp, and none of these teams' offense looked anything like they do when the play conference opponents.

OU should lobby for entrance into the Sunbelt or C-USA. That way they wouldn't get the respect they don't deserve.

I thought this was a delightful game. In fact, I'm still smiling. Unfortunately, once again, OU was placed in a BCS title game, which it didn't deserve. Utah would have tossed these Sooners around like a dinner salad. My goodness. Is it still 'Big-Game Bob' or will it now be 'Big-Game Boob'?

The "magic" probably won't reappear until OU gets some O-lineman that can move their feet. A placekicker that kicks the ball higher than the linemans head would be nice too.

Was this article actually published in the Daily Oklahoman? It seems that the author knows some but not alot about Oklahoma sports history. No wonder the newspapers are bankrupt and the blogs have taken over. The standards are the same. As far as Stoops goes, he is at least in the top 5 in his profession. This writer might at best be in the top 1000 among sports writers in the U.S. I always find it amazing how a grossly underperforming writer can criticise a coach who remains at the top of his profession.

Hey Keith Okiechokie doesn't leave the 7-11 when he gets there....he goes behind the counter and starts his shift.

OU just can't get it done anymore in big games. It's doesn't matter if it's a Florida or a Southern Cal or a West Virginia or a Boise State. There is something wrong in that it's happened for 5 years in a row now. I don't know if it's the coaching in big games or the players just failing or both. But it's extremely frustrating that they can't get it done. It's obvious that they aren't as good as they think they are. So don't get excited next year when they start beating other teams again 60 something to 30 something or whatever, because it's all just an illusion.

The "magic" probably won't reappear until OU gets some O-lineman that can move their feet. A placekicker that kicks the ball higher than the linemans head would be nice too.

Many people fail to understand that although Stoops won the 2000 championship with Blake's players, they were missing a real good quality QB, Josh Heupel, which Stoops recruited. And OU lost to TX 3 out of last 4, TX didn't do enough to go to the Big 12 title the last 3 years...OU did. Some people need to do their homework before getting on these boards. SOONER FAN for better or for worse.

The Sooners do not need to rely on Magic, they need to use their God given athletic talent and skills while playing football. And using a little heart for winning would definitely help too. Again, I have to say that Coach Stoops needs to get rid of the weak link on his coaching staff, none other than DC Brent Venables.

Reginald, I wouldn't sell your soul to have OU's record. 0-5 in the last 5 BCS bowl games. Lost 3 out of the last 4 to Texas. Crushed by USC and LSU in BCS Title games. Embarrassed by Boise State and West Virginia in BCS Bowl Games. Paying a coach $6.1 million to choke in the title game.

I hate to say it boys and girls, this may be the start of a long downturn in OU football. Why go to a school who can't win it all. Big game bob needed John Blake's players to win in 2000.

If I'm a college football stud who wants to win it all, I go to Florida, USC, Texas, LSU, Utah, Alabama (Saban will win it all), before I go to OU. Hell, I'd go play under JoePa or Bobby Bowden before Big Game Bob 'Choke' Stoops.

I'm proud of the Sooners, the tradition, the winning, the losing, the leadership, the excitement, the great plays, the missed opportunities. When you're a fan of OU football, you don't question the small issues, you look at the big picture and know that MOST schools would sell their souls to have our record over the years.

I know. Maybe if Stoops passed out cough drops before the game, maybe that would keep OU from choking. Nah, on second thought...

Hey Danny Boy - It is not just OKC media talking about FOX sucking up to Florida. Here in Dallas they were mentioning it and I even heard ESPN speak of it. Just because your an OU fan doesnt mean your brainwashed. OU didnt play a shameful game. By the way who are you a fan of? OU has 7 national championships - dont feel to sorry for us. OU is no 2nd rate program and whoever thinks they are, are the ones who've been brainwashed.

Robert from Dallas,
I asked a question, "Wasn't it Einstein that said, "Only the fool continues to do the same things expecting different results."?".
For one, that's a question, not a statement. The quote was paraphrasing a particular quote. I didn't say Einstein said it. I merely asked if he did. The answer obviously is, "No."
You aren't bright enough to discern the two. You'd never make it in law school and I doubt you even went to OU. Few Swooner fans do or did and even fewer graduated.
When you seen a fan in OSU gear -- you know they went to school there. When you see a fan in OU gear -- you know they went to WalMart.
Plus, I spelled Einstein correctly. You didn't.
Danny 3
Robert 0

Funny how Swooner magic disappears outside of Norman or against a team of equal or better talent.
Another funny thing is that if any other coach had the talent Bob Stoops has enjoyed, they'd have a better record..and probably win a bowl game or two.
While we're having this comedy show, you Swooners whine about how biased the media was toward Florida. Now you know what it's like having to listen to the OKC media outlets for decades. They're the largest OU toady suckups in the land. It's not your fault, Swooner fans, that you're so disappointed year after year. You're brainwashed by OKC media outlets about the Swooners from the time you wake up until the time you go to bed. Most of you aren't smart enough to even notice the psycological yellow journalism that's brought you into the corral. You're like sheep. You're so disappionted in your own lives that you have to attach yourself to a perceived "winner" to make yourselves feel better about your situation. Then when it all comes crashing down, you've got nothing to lean on. And, once again, next year, you'll be eating at the trough of OU BS once again.
Funny Swooners.
Poor Swooners.

Thanks for the explnation Todd,

I thought OU was losing bowl games because Big Game Bob is the biggest choke since John Cooper. But I am glad you cleared it up for me....

bad calls...please Its 7:08 PM CST and OU still Sucks!

Hey Matt

Here I am again....remember to 'ignore' me. Its better to just ignore the problem that Bob Stoops can't win a big game than do something about it.

Better yet, rather than ignore it, pay Big Game Bob $6 million to lose another BCS game.....opps, you all already did.

Its 7:04 pm CST boys, girls, and Matt and OU Still Sucks!

If you are looking for an area to improve, try the AD, Sam Castiglone. I have watched the Sooners get beat up and cheap shots for the past 4 years. Start with the Texas Tech gam and then the Oregon game and work your way to the Florida game. How about a no call PI on Manny Johnson in the first quarter (Stoops knew the game was over right then and there because his players were going to be abused and then penalized when it counted). How about Blake Griffth get elbowed by Micheal Washington in the Arkansas Game. When will OU's administration start to protect the players on the field? This adminstration needs to put some fear in the refs so they won't miss bad calls. Someone please take up the banner in the adminstration to strike a blow for OU and not let the officials become an extra player for the other team. When will this reporter have a report how poor the officials are and how OU has taken the most abuse by them over the years.

approx. $6,100,000.00
I don't know much about anything but I do know that is one EXPENSIVE mistake. Eventually the boosters, alumni and administration are going to want something like a BCS title for approx. $6,100,000.00. Chokelahoma and Bob Stoops can be known as the 6.1 Million dollar losers and ask the government for a bailout too on their loses. Hook'em Horns and be a man and comment on this one Chokelahoma!!!!!!

3 Million dollar mistake!! BOB STOOPS his coaching skills aren't as good as they are in the regular season against good teams. He lost to Texas this year and was beaten again in the BCS game. Boise, Florida, Texas and let's not forget USC. Stoops' performance at Oklahoma has made him the frequent subject of head coach searches by several NFL teams as well as other college programs, which he has repeatedly turned away. He was reportedly the top-paid coach in Division 1-A football with annual compensation in excess of $3 million until Nick Saban was signed by the University of Alabama for $4 million per year beginning in 2007. However, Stoops will receive a "longevity bonus" of $3,000,000 at the end of the 2008 season (his 10th), making his annual salary in 2008 3 Million dollar mistake!! BOB STOOPS his coaching skills aren't as good as they are in the regular season against good teams. He lost to Texas this year and was beaten again in the BCS game. Boise, Florida, Texas and let's not forget USC. Stoops' performance at Oklahoma has made him the frequent subject of head coach searches by several NFL teams as well as other college programs, which he has repeatedly turned away. He was reportedly the top-paid coach in Division 1-A football with annual compensation in excess of $3 million until Nick Saban was signed by the University of Alabama for $4 million per year beginning in 2007. However, Stoops will receive a "longevity bonus" of $3,000,000 at the end of the 2008 season (his 10th), making his annual salary in 2008 approx. $6,100,000.00, not including potential bonuses of up to $745,000., not including potential bonuses of up to $745,000.

I don't know much about anything but I do know that is one EXPENSIVE mistake. Eventually the boosters, alumni and administration are going to want something like a BCS title for approx. $6,100,000.00. Chokelahoma and Bob Stoops can be known as the 6.1 Million dollar losers and ask the government for a bailout too on their loses.

Hook'em Horns and be a man and comment on this one Chokelahoma!!!!!!

Those of us who remember the Switzer days know that he lost games too. I think Bob's winning percentage is about where Barry's was and Barry inherited one of the best teams in the nation. Bob will, sooner or later, get this bowl thing turned around and when he does, OU will win a high percentage. And for Texan who said this will have a drastic effect on our ability to recruit, as of last week our recruiting class this year is ranked number one in the country. We are fine, right at the top of the college football world and will remain so as long as Bob is here.

Our recievers did us in. Afraid they were going to get hit. Afraid to catch the ball. Johnson and Iglesias were terrified of the Florida Defense.
Wilson was out to lunch in his play selection. 14 points were left on the field at half time. Wasted effort.

I too am sorry that OU couldn't "finish", but I will be back next year cheering on my Sooners. Just like I was during the time between Barry and Bob. Win or lose I am a SOONER. God help the fool that uses the phrase "Choke..homa" to my face. We got our chance to play on the big stage. We lost. Next year may be better. Congratulations Gators... maybe we'll see you again next year. Bob's OVERALL record speaks for itself. He is worth it!@

It was a good game to watch. A terrible game to listen to - those announcers were the worst I've ever heard. It was a terribly officiated game - although that didnt effect the outcome (early in the game do you see the florida DB spear OU receiver with the pass hitting DB in the back , no call?). The bad calls went both ways and probably more against florida - but it would have been better to just let the game be played. And what is up with the officials 4 minute time out every 10 minutes of air time. The game couldnt have gone OU's way but unfortunately did not.
By the way Okiechokie is probably busy choking his chicken.

Okiechokie get a GPS so you don't have to explain how to get to work. By the way are you part sheep? what's with the bah bah?

For the uneducated such as Okiechokie ... persona non grata :It means someone who has been rejected by a group. A person who is not wanted/welcome.

Every morning I wake up in my Ski Island home. I go out, get into my car, and get onto Macarthur. A lot of times I stop at the 7-11 on Macarthur (just south of the Britton light on the east side of the road) and get a cup of coffee, then I continue on to NW Expressway, head down 74, and take the cross-town (I-40) to downtown. I go into my work area and listen to all the OU fans talk about how they are so great, and how they were going to whip Florida 62-24. Friday was great. A lot of people called in sick!!! Monday is going to be even better!!! Bahahahahahahaha!!!

Pat any donations would be tax deductable, but as I said for Okiechokie he is considered persona non grata. Therefore it would be FOR FREE.

hell i will put in a few dollars for that cause

Okiechokie, all jokes aside, where do you live so I can give Hamas and the Isralis your coordinates for a missle attack and airstike. I could get them both to do it for a nominal fee.... NO THEY WOULD DO IT FOR FREE.

Chokelahoma, Chokelahoma, Chokelahoma, Choke-U!!! I am Sooner born and Sooner bred, and I will die because I choked to death!!!

The magic is not magic. It is a series of successful events that allows your team to score points even when the other team's defense is playing you tough. Oklahoma has not produced a complete series of these successful events in the last 5 BCS bowl games. Until Oklahoma produces a complete series of these events in the BCS bowls the results will continue to be negative. Most of the 5 have to come from the offense.

Hey Okiechokie get off that crack....the game was Thursday not last night. If your going to speak, sir, please do so with a little intelligience.....of which you have absolutely ZERO. What a complete idiotic moron.

All jokes aside, I have a serious question. Did anyone watching the game last night notice Sam Bradford in the third quarter? He didn't look well. He looked like he was choking on something. Bahahahahaha!!!

Robert in Dallas, please don't dicount someone else's intelligence and then proceed to have incorrect grammar and incorrectly spelled words in your post. It brings to mind the adage about the pot and the kettle. Which are you? Instead of "created", you should use "credited." Likewise, your mis-spelling of "definition" is awful (defination? Really?). Good quote though. I think about that everytime Bob says they aren't going to change anything going into the bowl season. Insane.

Maybe we just need one or two guys who are just plain playmakers. Those are usually the ones who just want the football or want to be around it when the time comes to perform. OU hasn't really had that in a number of years whether it'd be at running back, d-back, or wide receiver. I do feel that they still needed to get the ball to Gresham a little more than they did. He seemed to have the hot hand that night not to mention a height advantage. Maybe the defense took away that option later in the game, but everytime they threw it downfield to him, good things were happening. Anyway, the so called Sooner Magic will reappear again someday when we get players with a want to attitude at clutch time. Those being the Ontei Jones,Derek Straits,Keith Jacksons,JT Thatchers, and Quentin Griffins of the world.

It's more like sooner coaching magic is missing. We have the players in crunch time. I don't think the coaches have the killer instinct in crunch time. They are uncharteristically lose their focus on offense at a critical time when the game is on the line during these BCS bowls. It's like they get amnesia or become befuddled for some reason.

There was no flow to the game. It as almost as if the ball would go out of bounds and four minutes of commercials would run. It was the most irritating game I ever saw. The referees and network commercial breaks drove me crazy. One time Chris Brown was going for a 7 yard gain in the first half, but the referee stopped the play almost after the snap to reset the game clock. It was painful to watch that game even when it was close. I agree OU's plays in the last seven minutes of the first half caused 14 points to be left off the Sooner scoreboard. Now we have to put up with village idiots from throughout the country posting their inane ramblings about how horrid OU is. Go FUrselves.

It isn't Bradford's fault that his receivers had the ball taken away from them on the goal line pass before halftime and the last pass that was taken away from the receiver. I don't know why OU did not go to the tight end more since he towered over everybody. Of course, the referees constantly interrupting the flow of the game to reset the clock for 4 seconds or so did not hurt the team as much that used lumbering force, namely UF, rather than precision and flow, which was OU's mode of play. I am just sad that we had to play Miami and Florida for championships in Florida in 88 and 2009, and LSU in Louisiana in 2004.

The thing I have seen consistently with Stoops and his offense coordinators is that they are sometimes slow to implement changes when the opposing team's defense has adjusted successfully to what OU is doing on Offense. For example, look at the series of downs inside the red zone where they kept handing it off to Brown expecting to pound it into the end zone. 3 times in a row is not going to get it done against a Florida defense, especially when you are taking more time than you normally do to get the ball snapped. Florida had time to load up all the gaps and they charged the blockers and got past the line into the backfield. Use the mismatch that Gresham had on the Florida defenders! Wilson and Co have to become more proactive when the scripted plays are not getting it done.

Opinion: Get your facts straight. The 3 million bonus was at Stoops signing at the beginning of his contract, in 1999. It sure is easy to be an armchair quarterback and critize after the fact, is it not? Unless you've been out there and played on that stage, you have no idea what the hell your talking about. I know, I've been there.

It ain't MAGIC...it's good coaching putting players with a massive dose of WANT TO in position to take the win for our team.

Sam Bradford is over 6 feet tall...when we were 3 feet (1 yd line) from a touchdown in the first quarter, are you telling me Sam could't have leaned over one of the aircraft carrier linemen and broken the plane of the goal line???

Zooming Florida D-linemen would have been too late to stop Sam leaning in....rather than tripping up Chris Brown 4 yds (12 feet) behind the line of scrimmage.

That game was winnable, and OU played well enough to win...the coaches left our players and our fans down.

There are two areas of sadness here. It's sad to hear the Sooner fans act like this loss is the end of the world. It's not. It's football. We've got 7 and few can claim more. But even more sad than this is the haters who think their petty comments bother real Sooner fans. Their envy and jealousy is palpable. It's far better to play for the big trophy and lose than to play a lesser game and win. The Sooners will be back next year and probably playing for the big trophy again. Sorry, but it's true. Maybe we win. Maybe we lose. But we will be there again, and again, and again. Just keep fighting the good fight and let the haters whine and cry. The real fans are Sooner born and Sooner bred. I'll see you guys next year in the Rose Bowl. And I'll be reading from the haters all the way. It is small-man syndrome pure and simple. Boomer Sooner!

Opinion: Sam did produce his passing was on target with the 2 INT's being also on target. My problem watching was 10 seconds left before half time one time left. Coach Stoops and crew should have call a pass to our TE, if incomplete then kick the field goal. Again my opinion I would like Coach Stoops to consider someone on staff to run clock management drills or what if's. Our what if's my opinion again receive a grade of D-.

Opinion: Big-Game Bob's reputation takes another hit
This time in title game, Sooners falter against a team they could beat
OPINION
By Joey Johnston
updated 11:34 p.m. PT, Thurs., Jan. 8, 2009

MIAMI - Shortly before Thursday night’s BCS Championship Game, a plane flew over Dolphin Stadium, dragging behind a predictable banner.

The ‘O’ in OU stands for 0-and-4.

Make that 0-and-5.

And the questions continue to mount for Big-Game Bob and his Oklahoma program, which has taken its “can’t-win-the-big-one’’ frustrations to new heights.

Make that to new lows.

The Florida Gators performed as expected, snatching a 24-14 victory away from Oklahoma, which has now dropped five consecutive BCS bowl games.

“Everyone is going to have their opinions on it,’’ Sooners coach Bob Stoops said. “I’ll be glad to try again next year. If that’s the biggest burden I’ll have to bear in my life, I’ll be a pretty lucky guy.’’

Stoops’ program seemed to hit the lottery this season. It weathered a midseason loss to Texas, picking up steam and mounting what looked like one of the greatest offenses of our time.

So what were the storylines? Florida’s second-half offense was crisp. The Gator defense had its best moments when it really mattered.

Oklahoma’s defense, held up as one of the “joke’’ outfits from the Big 12 by Gators linebacker Brandon Spikes, had a winning effort, even though it surrendered way too much yardage (480).

The game’s underachievers?

Would you believe it?

Oklahoma’s point-a-minute offense was practically pointless, at least by Sooner standards.

The Sooners closed the regular season with five straight games of 60-plus points (and they scored 58 the week before). They had a ridiculous 97 touchdowns.

“Every time you’re watching the film, you’re saying, ‘Man, they kicked a lot of extra points,’" Gators defensive coordinator Charlie Strong said.

Thursday night, the Sooners had just two touchdowns, their lowest offensive output since a 28-10 loss to Texas on Oct. 7, 2006.

This time, Oklahoma’s offense stopped itself. For a team so brutally effective in the red zone — 95 percent of the time, the Sooners got points when penetrating the opponent’s 20-yard line — it suddenly couldn’t close the deal.

Two second-quarter sequences told the story.
# With the score 7-7, the Sooners drove to Florida’s 1-yard line. Chris Brown was stopped for no gain on third-and-goal.

The Sooners disdained a field-goal attempt.

No problem.

This game wasn’t about field goals — it was about going for the jugular.

But Brown had trouble getting under way on fourth down. He was dumped for a 2-yard loss by Gators defensive lineman Torrey Davis.

Opportunity lost.
# Nearing halftime, still tied, Sooners quarterback Sam Bradford mounted a 74-yard drive, reaching Florida’s 6. Momentum was squarely on Oklahoma’s side. Ten seconds remained. Time for one end-zone shot, most likely. If it failed, it was time for the field-goal attempt, a halftime advantage and good feelings all around.

Nope.

Didn’t happen that way.

Instead of a fade pattern or a jump ball, Bradford tried to force in a throw just short of the goal line. It was tipped once, twice, three times before settling into the arms of Gators safety Major Wright.

Exactly what Oklahoma did not need.

It got nothing.

“Obviously, I wasn’t trying to throw an interception there,’’ said Bradford, who was picked off just six times in 13 regular-season games. “We called it. It wasn’t the coverage we were expecting to see on that play. I tried to force one in there. In all reality, I should’ve thrown it out of the end zone and taken three points.’’

That wasn’t Oklahoma’s mentality, though.

All season, the Sooners didn’t take what the defense gave them.

They took what they wanted.

Against Florida, the scenario changed. And Oklahoma couldn’t adjust.

They weren’t patient (Bradford’s interception). They were a little too patient (Brown’s non-urgent fourth-down play).

They were unlucky (an apparent fourth-quarter completion to Juaquin Iglesias was plucked away for an interception by Florida’s Ahmad Black, while a 31-yard first-quarter pass to the Florida 10-yard line was negated by a holding penalty).

In the end, Florida fans will say Oklahoma’s offensive statistics were overinflated by competition in the Big 12.

I don’t buy that. But clearly, Oklahoma’s offense wasn’t its usual compelling self against Florida. Part of that was big-play capability by the Gator defense. Maybe Oklahoma missed 1,000-yard rusher DeMarco Murray. It made plays, but certainly not enough of them.

“You win and lose as a team,’’ Stoops said. “You need to make plays together. Some games are going to be high-scoring and you win games in different ways.

“In the first half, we squandered some opportunities to score points. That really hurt. But in the second half, when we needed to make some plays, we couldn’t do it.’’

All of Oklahoma’s magnificent offensive numbers will ring a little hollow. It’s still mind-boggling to think the Sooners scored 702 points in the regular season (the most in major college football since 1904 Minnesota had 725).

But what does that matter now?

You remember the last game. And that was Oklahoma’s mantra — Win The Last Game.

Didn’t happen. Now it blends in with all the rest.

When Stoops lost the 2004 BCS title (to LSU) and the 2005 BCS big game (to USC), Oklahoma fell to better teams.

This was a Sooner team that played head-to-head with the Gators for three-plus quarters. It created opportunities, but couldn’t cash in. More than anything, this was a squandered chance at finishing No. 1.

If Oklahoma had pulled ahead in the first half, who knows if the game might’ve turned another direction?

But it didn’t. And when the game was there to be won, Florida made the plays.

It makes for another long offseason. Stoops tried to put a happy face on things with a healthy dose of perspective.

“I’m very sure of what my existence is about, and it’s not [primarily] being a football coach,’’ Stoops said. “It’s about my relationships with my wife and kids, my friendships, my faith. I’m very aware of not letting it get out of hand. I do a lot with my family and I’m not going to put them behind anything. You can do both.

“There will be a [final coaching] record at some point, but I don’t much care what it is. In the end, hopefully, I’ll be sitting on a porch with the kids and my wife around me, enjoying the day regardless of what the record is. I don’t ever want to lose perspective on it. If you’re living the right way and have great relationships, you’re a pretty wealthy and healthy guy. That’s what matters to me.’’

No one questions Stoops’ status as a big-time coach.

But his reputation as a big-game coach has taken a major hit. Now it’s Big-Game Urban (as in Meyer, the Florida coach, who has two BCS titles in the past three seasons).

Stoops can only watch and wonder if one of his greatest opportunities slipped away on Thursday night.

Early on in this streak, your columns were satisfied to call this situation simply "lethargy" which is a cop-out. There are some serious questions that need to be asked and answered here...by the Sooner coaching staff..because their attitudes & plans are reflected by the players.

Do I want to go back to the wandering 90s, or the Gibbs years...heck NO !!! Do I want to fire Stoops...heck NO!!! But as one of ESPN's anchors put it: Something has gotta change, cause whatever Bob Stoops is doing to prepare for BCS games IS NOT WORKING.

But the question has to be asked, when a team that accomplishes as much as OU's 2000s era teams accomplishes, how can the word "lethargy" even be uttered when a team stands on the biggest stage, under the brightest lights like in a BCS game? That's a coaching issue, not a talent issue. Outcoached in one game...maybe; outcoached in game after game...how can that be?? Heck we have made careers for coaches at Boise and WV...and reinforced the mantra of coaches like Saban, Carroll, and now Meyer (who is still making a rep on Ron Zook's recruits like Tebow & Harvin).

As your story notes, OU was in great shape with 8-10 minutes left in the game: down only 3, and we had just driven for a great touchdown a few minutes before....why didn't we put together a similar clock-munching drive leveraging Brown & Gresham and let Tebow watch helpless from the sideline??

Other writers below are exactly right, we saw way too much of Bradford's face staring at the sideline waiting for a play call to come in...than the side of his helmet taking the snap & throwing downfield. Either Wilson, Stoops or the play callers overall lost their nerve about doing what we did all year: run fast, go where we want to go, and let the defense try to catch up.

Sam was super accurate all night long, but our receivers didn't fight for one single ball...not one!!! If any part of the success equation failed it was our receivers. Only Gresham was a force, both before and after the catch. So why even throw the ball that Black intercepted? Why score quick and give the ball back to Florida??? Mix up play action to Gresham or the backs, run the ball in between and eat up the clock. Then give Tebow the ball on his own 20 with less than 2 minutes, and down 4 points, and let's see what the alleged Superman does with his less than accurate arm.

We would have been champs...but even if Tebow had pulled it off in that scenario OU wouldn't have been labeled the chumps we are now, somehow now less worthy than Ohio State to ever be invited back to the big game.

Does Stoops need to be fired? NO But the days of punching the clock in BCS games, and going home to the family with an cushy 8-5 job done, and with 3-6 million in the bank have gotta stop. To whom much is given, much is expected: Stoops and his staff need to be put on notice that the bar has been raised..and they were the ones who raised that bar BTW...and expectations of what constitutes success at OU have been irrevocably raised to not only getting to the BCS but being extremely competitive and regularly winning when we get there. Else why pay so highly for less than high results???

Regardless there have to be adjustments for the Sooners, 'CAUSE WHATEVER IS GOING ON NOW IS NOT WORKING !!!!!!

Opinion: Big-Game Bob's reputation takes another hit
This time in title game, Sooners falter against a team they could beat
OPINION
By Joey Johnston
updated 11:34 p.m. PT, Thurs., Jan. 8, 2009

MIAMI - Shortly before Thursday night’s BCS Championship Game, a plane flew over Dolphin Stadium, dragging behind a predictable banner.

The ‘O’ in OU stands for 0-and-4.

Make that 0-and-5.

And the questions continue to mount for Big-Game Bob and his Oklahoma program, which has taken its “can’t-win-the-big-one’’ frustrations to new heights.

Make that to new lows.

The Florida Gators performed as expected, snatching a 24-14 victory away from Oklahoma, which has now dropped five consecutive BCS bowl games.

“Everyone is going to have their opinions on it,’’ Sooners coach Bob Stoops said. “I’ll be glad to try again next year. If that’s the biggest burden I’ll have to bear in my life, I’ll be a pretty lucky guy.’’

Stoops’ program seemed to hit the lottery this season. It weathered a midseason loss to Texas, picking up steam and mounting what looked like one of the greatest offenses of our time.

So what were the storylines? Florida’s second-half offense was crisp. The Gator defense had its best moments when it really mattered.

Oklahoma’s defense, held up as one of the “joke’’ outfits from the Big 12 by Gators linebacker Brandon Spikes, had a winning effort, even though it surrendered way too much yardage (480).

The game’s underachievers?

Would you believe it?

Oklahoma’s point-a-minute offense was practically pointless, at least by Sooner standards.

The Sooners closed the regular season with five straight games of 60-plus points (and they scored 58 the week before). They had a ridiculous 97 touchdowns.

“Every time you’re watching the film, you’re saying, ‘Man, they kicked a lot of extra points,’" Gators defensive coordinator Charlie Strong said.

Thursday night, the Sooners had just two touchdowns, their lowest offensive output since a 28-10 loss to Texas on Oct. 7, 2006.

This time, Oklahoma’s offense stopped itself. For a team so brutally effective in the red zone — 95 percent of the time, the Sooners got points when penetrating the opponent’s 20-yard line — it suddenly couldn’t close the deal.

Two second-quarter sequences told the story.
# With the score 7-7, the Sooners drove to Florida’s 1-yard line. Chris Brown was stopped for no gain on third-and-goal.

The Sooners disdained a field-goal attempt.

No problem.

This game wasn’t about field goals — it was about going for the jugular.

But Brown had trouble getting under way on fourth down. He was dumped for a 2-yard loss by Gators defensive lineman Torrey Davis.

Opportunity lost.
# Nearing halftime, still tied, Sooners quarterback Sam Bradford mounted a 74-yard drive, reaching Florida’s 6. Momentum was squarely on Oklahoma’s side. Ten seconds remained. Time for one end-zone shot, most likely. If it failed, it was time for the field-goal attempt, a halftime advantage and good feelings all around.

Nope.

Didn’t happen that way.

Instead of a fade pattern or a jump ball, Bradford tried to force in a throw just short of the goal line. It was tipped once, twice, three times before settling into the arms of Gators safety Major Wright.

Exactly what Oklahoma did not need.

It got nothing.

“Obviously, I wasn’t trying to throw an interception there,’’ said Bradford, who was picked off just six times in 13 regular-season games. “We called it. It wasn’t the coverage we were expecting to see on that play. I tried to force one in there. In all reality, I should’ve thrown it out of the end zone and taken three points.’’

That wasn’t Oklahoma’s mentality, though.

All season, the Sooners didn’t take what the defense gave them.

They took what they wanted.

Against Florida, the scenario changed. And Oklahoma couldn’t adjust.

They weren’t patient (Bradford’s interception). They were a little too patient (Brown’s non-urgent fourth-down play).

They were unlucky (an apparent fourth-quarter completion to Juaquin Iglesias was plucked away for an interception by Florida’s Ahmad Black, while a 31-yard first-quarter pass to the Florida 10-yard line was negated by a holding penalty).

In the end, Florida fans will say Oklahoma’s offensive statistics were overinflated by competition in the Big 12.

I don’t buy that. But clearly, Oklahoma’s offense wasn’t its usual compelling self against Florida. Part of that was big-play capability by the Gator defense. Maybe Oklahoma missed 1,000-yard rusher DeMarco Murray. It made plays, but certainly not enough of them.

“You win and lose as a team,’’ Stoops said. “You need to make plays together. Some games are going to be high-scoring and you win games in different ways.

“In the first half, we squandered some opportunities to score points. That really hurt. But in the second half, when we needed to make some plays, we couldn’t do it.’’

All of Oklahoma’s magnificent offensive numbers will ring a little hollow. It’s still mind-boggling to think the Sooners scored 702 points in the regular season (the most in major college football since 1904 Minnesota had 725).

But what does that matter now?

You remember the last game. And that was Oklahoma’s mantra — Win The Last Game.

Didn’t happen. Now it blends in with all the rest.

When Stoops lost the 2004 BCS title (to LSU) and the 2005 BCS big game (to USC), Oklahoma fell to better teams.

This was a Sooner team that played head-to-head with the Gators for three-plus quarters. It created opportunities, but couldn’t cash in. More than anything, this was a squandered chance at finishing No. 1.

If Oklahoma had pulled ahead in the first half, who knows if the game might’ve turned another direction?

But it didn’t. And when the game was there to be won, Florida made the plays.

It makes for another long offseason. Stoops tried to put a happy face on things with a healthy dose of perspective.

“I’m very sure of what my existence is about, and it’s not [primarily] being a football coach,’’ Stoops said. “It’s about my relationships with my wife and kids, my friendships, my faith. I’m very aware of not letting it get out of hand. I do a lot with my family and I’m not going to put them behind anything. You can do both.

“There will be a [final coaching] record at some point, but I don’t much care what it is. In the end, hopefully, I’ll be sitting on a porch with the kids and my wife around me, enjoying the day regardless of what the record is. I don’t ever want to lose perspective on it. If you’re living the right way and have great relationships, you’re a pretty wealthy and healthy guy. That’s what matters to me.’’

No one questions Stoops’ status as a big-time coach.

But his reputation as a big-game coach has taken a major hit. Now it’s Big-Game Urban (as in Meyer, the Florida coach, who has two BCS titles in the past three seasons).

Stoops can only watch and wonder if one of his greatest opportunities slipped away on Thursday night.

If any Chokelahoma fans thank that Sam Bradford will return next season then Bob Stoops truly deserves his 3million dollar bonus. Matt Leinart stayed one more season and it cost him 10 places in in the draft and almost 30 million dollars. Sam is gone and so is BCS choking Sooners. Sam would be a truly dumb Chokelahoma Sooner and the biggest choker on the national stage if he stayed one more year. He doen't have anything to prove except win a BCS game which he is 0-2. Not every one can be a winner like the Gators or Texas Longhorns. I thought the Texas Aggies were dumb but the Chokelahoma Sooners take the cake giving Bob Stoops 3 million dollars as a bonus prior to losing the BCS NC. Texas has look of a champion Tuesday, January 06, 2009 GLENDALE, Ariz. — Texas won the football game Monday night. And probably nothing else, unfortunately. For one thrilling evening in Arizona's desert, that would be enough. The Longhorns put the wraps on one of the most exhilarating and satisfying seasons ever as Heisman runner-up Colt McCoy directed the nation's third-ranked team to a late touchdown and a 24-21 victory over 10th-ranked Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl. Any shot at a split national championship, though, may have gone awry without a convincing win over a co-champion from a league that too few respect. In all likelihood, the Florida-Oklahoma winner in Thursday's BCS title game will take home the big prize unless unbeaten Utah's longshot campaign takes hold. But Texas deserves to be in the conversation about No. 1. For part of the night, Mack Brown's team wasn't even certain it would finish No. 1 at University of Phoenix Stadium. Ohio State played that inspired and had a defense that was that good. But McCoy once again demonstrated why the junior should have been the Heisman Trophy winner, engineering his 10th comeback victory in a star-studded career that earned him a 32nd win as starter. With a year to go. He's Tim Tebow without the publicity blitz by national networks. McCoy set Fiesta Bowl records with 41 completions and 59 attempts, and he needed every one of them, given the small amount of real estate the Ohio State defense allowed on the ground. Texas somehow parsed together 72 yards rushing; it didn't appear to be that many. With the running game broken, the Longhorns fixed themselves up by relying on their no-huddle offense and five-wide formation for 26 of their 87 plays. McCoy completed passes on 18 of those 26 plays for 224 yards, many to Jordan Shipley and Brandon Collins and one on a very important fourth-and-3 play to James Kirkendoll for a critical first down. At the end, McCoy found his receiving partner Quan Cosby for a 26-yard touchdown pass to cap a 78-yard scoring drive and overcome a late Buckeye rally. Atypical of the classy 26-year-old wideout, Cosby ran unimpeded for the last 20 yards and drew an excessive celebration penalty by diving into the end zone with 16 seconds to play. Given the dramatic finish, one of the best in school history, he was completely justified. The NCAA should seriously review that arbitrary rule, too. Just whom exactly was Cosby taunting on the play? Once Texas batted down an unsuccessful Hail Mary pass by the Buckeyes, the Longhorns began a more acceptable celebration of an electrifying 12-1 season that will be remembered as much for what could have been as what was. What was was pretty darn special. "Texas is an outstanding football team," said Buckeyes coach Jim Tressel. So is Ohio State, in truth. Hey, it certainly didn't embarrass itself. That's major progress for a beleaguered Big Ten program beset by humiliating losses in the past two BCS title games. The Buckeyes played inspired football without Beanie Wells in the second half and with a freshman quarterback learning on the run. The Longhorns defense hung tough and relied mostly on a nickel defense to stop an Ohio State offense that made great use of its version of the Q package. Theirs showed results. Terrelle Pryor ran for 78 yards and caught a touchdown pass from senior backup Todd Boeckman. McCoy will enter next fall as a Heisman favorite, but Pryor won't be far behind and could win one of the trophies himself before his career ends. "Colt never thinks he's going to lose," Brown said. "His career kind of started against Ohio State (in 2006). He's got another year left to break the rest of the records. That last drive was a Heisman-type drive." Texas came within a single tantalizing second against Texas Tech of matching Utah's perfect season and finishing 13-0. Even so, the Longhorns more than proved themselves by beating four Top 25 teams, two bowl winners (Missouri and Rice) and a top-ranked Oklahoma team back in the Stone Age. The Horns should have set the table to start the 2009 season as they still hope to finish this one: atop the rankings. Mack said he'll vote his team No. 1, even though BCS rules require voting coaches to give the BCS title game victor the top spot. Cosby and Brian Orakpo will be gone in 2009, along with defensive MVP Roy Miller and five other defensive starters from a unit that mostly kept Ohio State at bay, holding the Buckeyes to three field goals until two touchdowns in the final seven-plus minutes. But McCoy will be back. And so will his favorite target, Shipley, along with four offensive line starters and more receivers than any secondary should have to cover. "I don't think anybody in the country can beat us at this point," said an exhausted McCoy. The Buckeyes came at McCoy all night, pressured him, roughed him up and hit him late, but he got back up and did what he's done his entire career. "I want to be in on the last drive to win a championship," McCoy said. "It easily shows the character of this team." When Ohio State took the lead and left Texas fewer than two minutes to change the outcome, McCoy completed 7 of 10 passes to win the bowl game. As befitting the best player in the country on — arguably — the best team in the country.3 Million dollars!!! I guess Chokelahoma got fool by Madoff too. I mean OU's version of him is named BOB Stoops. What do you get for 3 million dollars? What does Bob Stoops bring to Chokelahoma? He wins games and a lot of them I must admit. He has Chokelahoma in the National Spotlight every year. He wins Big XII championships!! He gets paid big bucks every year it's in his contract and his 3 million dollar bonus. He has the Sooners playing in a BCS bowl damn near every year. He plays for the National Championship 4 times in 9 years. Now the awful truth. He loses 5 straight BCS bowls!! He doesn't score more than 14 points in any of his BCS games!! He is the first coach to lose 3 straight BCS championships!!! He was paid 3 million dollars prior to the 2009 Orange Bowl BCS Championship!!! The Denver Broncos were blessed that Bob Stoops turned them down. 3 million dollars can but a lot of things but not BCS bowl victories and it doesn't buy Chokelahoma ANY BCS Championships!!!!! Chokelahoma can keep Bob Stoops I don't thank the NFL, CFL or defunct XFL would want him now. Bob Stoops is a wise investment he is Chokelahoma's version of the economic collapse. He looks good when he plays everyone but Texas and than reality hits and he too is a BUST!!!Reversal of fortune: Oklahoma offense at fault in title defeat By David Leon Moore, USA TODAY MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Who would have thought Oklahoma's so-called joke of a defense would keep the Sooners in the game against Florida, only to be let down by OU's record-setting offense? The Sooners defenders, who gave up a whole lot of points in the Big 12 conference, spent much of the past week defending themselves to various critics. Then they spent Thursday night defending the Gators, picking off quarterback Tim Tebow twice and handling themselves well against Florida's speed-kills offense, holding the Gators to 14 points through three quarters. They laid some serious licks on Tebow. For the most part, they caught up to Percy Harvin and the Florida speed merchants. "We believed in ourselves," said senior safety Nic Harris, who had one of the two interceptions of Tebow. "It was the media and other people who didn't believe in us. Within the white lines, in our locker room, we believed." But the OU offense, led by Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Sam Bradford, could not do enough to avoid a 24-14 Oklahoma defeat. Bradford threw two interceptions and the offense twice failed to score inside the Gators' 10-yard line in the second quarter. Asked if he thought the defense played well enough to win the game, Harris said yes, but he added: "We're not going to blame the offense. That's something we're not going to do." Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops embraced that thought. "You win and lose as a team," said Stoops, who has now lost his last five BCS games. "Some games are high-scoring. Some are won or lost in different ways." Before Thursday, Oklahoma hadn't scored fewer than 35 points in a game all season. They set an NCAA record for total points and came into the title game having scored 60 or more points in five consecutive games. But after Oklahoma All-America tackle Gerald McCoy picked off an errant Tebow pass in the second quarter, the Sooners' pinball offense tilted twice. First the Sooners failed on the ground, with running back Chris Brown getting stuffed on a fourth-and-goal gamble from the 1. Then they failed through the air, with Bradford making a terrible decision near the goal line. Facing a first-and-goal from the 6-yard line with 10 seconds left in the half, Stoops elected to try one pass into the end zone. If that failed, there would be time to kick a field goal and take a lead into the locker room at halftime. The thing Bradford couldn't do was throw an interception. But his pass was A) short of the end zone, and B) thrown into traffic. After several Gators players juggled it, Florida safety Major Wright secured the interception. "Obviously, I wasn't trying to throw an interception," Bradford said. "They weren't in the coverage we expected. But we called a play, and I tried to force it in there. I should have thrown it out the back of the end zone and taken the three points." Before Thursday, OU had scored on 76 of 80 red zone trips, with 69 touchdowns. "We came up short on a couple of occasions in areas where we've been very efficient," Stoops says. "We had an opportunity to really make a difference in the first half."

3 Million dollars!!! I guess Chokelahoma got fool by Madoff too. I mean OU's version of him is named BOB Stoops. What do you get for 3 million dollars? What does Bob Stoops bring to Chokelahoma? He wins games and a lot of them I must admit. He has Chokelahoma in the National Spotlight every year. He wins Big XII championships!! He gets paid big bucks every year it's in his contract and his 3 million dollar bonus. He has the Sooners playing in a BCS bowl damn near every year. He plays for the National Championship 4 times in 9 years. Now the awful truth. He loses 5 straight BCS bowls!! He doesn't score more than 14 points in any of his BCS games!! He is the first coach to lose 3 straight BCS championships!!! He was paid 3 million dollars prior to the 2009 Orange Bowl BCS Championship!!! The Denver Broncos were blessed that Bob Stoops turned them down. 3 million dollars can but a lot of things but not BCS bowl victories and it doesn't buy Chokelahoma ANY BCS Championships!!!!! Chokelahoma can keep Bob Stoops I don't thank the NFL, CFL or defunct XFL would want him now. Bob Stoops is a wise investment he is Chokelahoma's version of the economic collapse. He looks good when he plays everyone but Texas and than reality hits and he too is a BUST!!!

Agree on the magic issue. Here is some more insight - in recent years versus the Switzer era, the best playmakers have been going earlier to the NFL (the Boz was pretty much an exception back then). For example, had they not been injured and gone early, Malcom Kelly and Curtis Loften, clutch big play makers would have been likely difference makers. Of course, injuries play a role and OU sorely missed DeMarco Murray, who gave OU a needed home run threat. Also, the guys left to do the job have to show up in the fourth quarter. You can find instances, as I recall, where in the fourth quarter of both the Texas and Florida games, OU's top receiver blew key plays that resulted in turning over the ball to the opposition. Versus Texas, he deflected a very catchable pass away from one of our own receivers on a third down play that would have resulted in a first down deep in Texas territory. We might have scored the go-ahead TD at that point. Instead, Texas scores another TD and makes it a 10 point victory. A similar situation happened again with Florida only this time the Florida defender took the ball away from him. So, once again, no go ahead TD for OU and Florida marches down and gets another score for yet another 10 point loss for OU. Both games could have been won by OU with very slightly different circumstances and players that perform well late in the game. I thought OU's game plan was quite good enough for a win, but the necessary elements for late game come from behind victories don't seem to appear with OU teams as of late. We can always keep hoping.

Sooner Magic is getting to the BCS Championship with a loss to Texas. Sooner Magic is a 5th Heisman from a sophomore. Sooner Magic is the highest scoring team in college football history.

Both red zone offesive series in the 1st half was the worst excuse of play calling and clock management I have ever seen, and being a Raider fan that's saying a lot..

Geesh. OU has had much rougher stretches than this, folks. Remember the nineties? I gotta disagree with you on this one, Berry. The ball Iglesias was supposed to secure was simply taken away by a great player for Florida who made a great play. For Pete's Sake, Iglesias was in stretched out in mid-air!! What I wish you could find out is why OU seemed to move away from the hurry-up offense? And, what was the reasoning for four straight plunges up the middle on the first, first and goal, rather than a play-action to Eldridge, Gresham or whoever? Thanks for the great coverage of the Sooners you and your staff provide.

Ou is now QB U ?? Man Barry that a reach, I somehow doubt that Josh Heuple or Jason White is even on a list of great QB's, I mean come on Manning or Unitas is more likely what you will hear, those 2 you mention were good college QB's and that's it, soon forgotten..

Gresham had the mismatch on any of the Florida defensive backs. The kid is 6'6" and a very physical player. Get the guy the ball! I am not one who likes to agree with Corso of ESPN but he did make an accurate statement. Oklahoma did not run any any bubble screens like they did in previous games. Bubble screens are designed to take advantage of speedy defenses and the pass rush. Florida was stacking linebackers on the line of scrimmage and sending them at the quarterback. Bubble screens place the pass receiver in the blank areas where these defenders have vacated to rush the quarterback. As speedy as the Oklahoma Offense is they would have gashed Florida even more and would have got them in the end zone as opposed to some of those running plays with Brown that were stuffed at or behind the line of scrimmage in the red zone.

As with all "magic" there is the illusion...

jerry, Hephzibah, I agree with your comment. OU moved the ball at will when they played fast. Wilson got way to conservative for me. I thought OU should have played they way that got them there. I thought for weeks that Gresham would be the difference maker. I still think he was the answer, no one from Florida could match up with him or his strength.

That is my point. If we had played Penn State Coach Wilson could have decide how many points we should win by. Switzer even said it himself when talking about him and Jimmy Johnson that whoever had the better players always won the their games against each other.

Penn State lost to Iowa, you were right, so there was no ops..... Switzer teams finished in the top 5 several times. He was never accused of choking after a championship loss. Switzer would decide how many points OU should win by, and try to beat the other team by that number. His thinking cost him two NC's, Razorbacks and Huskies.

The indecisiveness of Coach Wilson and the other offensive coordinators is what hurt the Sooners in the second half. They were taking too blasted long to get the ball snapped. That allowed the Florida defense to be in the right positions to stop plays. The times where Oklahoma did get the ball snapped quickly they caught Florida out of position and were successful at moving the ball down the field. They also did not use Gresham enough. Even if the Florida defenders were sticking to the receivers like glue Gresham is big enough to get the ball.

Danny,Veil. Who's your team, you don't bother to say that. Where did they play this season. Don't open your big mouth unless your prepared say something. Robert in Dallas, where did your team UT play. Oh yeah, they played in the Fiesta Bowl after Cry Baby Mack pleaded and cried for days and made you guys look like a bunch of idiots! And if you guys aren't worried about the recruits going to OU then why do you resort to, drinking, drugs and topless women to try to presuade HS kids to play for UT. You guys make me sick. Look forward to the investigation sure to follow after the New Times report. If you haven't read the article go to the New York Post website and read it for your self, it's in black and white from a reporter who followed the kid and his family around! Lets see Cry baby Mack cry his way out of that one! BOOMER SOONER!!!!!!!!

Danny, the LoSur fan, shows off his enormous intellect by misqoting Einstien to jab at OU. Danny, Albert Einstien actually is created with saying the defination of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.

Typical, your team cant touch OU, but you still hate anyway. Can you make some more stuff up please? You're too easy.

Number 8 won't happen with Venerable and Wilson on Staff.

Danny, the LoSur fan, shows off his enormous intellect by misqoting Einstien to jab at OU. Danny, Albert Einstien actually is created with saying the defination of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.

Typical, your team cant touch OU, but you still hate anyway. Can you make some more stuff up please? You're too easy.

Number 8 won't happen with Venerable and Wilson on Staff.

We can heap the responsibility on the quarterback for succeeding or failing in the clutch all we want, but at the end of the day, the passer only factors 25% in whether he completes a clutch pass or not. All the QB can do is make the correct read and throw the ball accurately. Three other things are completely beyond his control: 1) Whether or not he's given ample time to survey the field, 2) Whether or not a receiver separates from a defender and gives the QB a target to throw to, and 3) Whether or not the receiver makes the catch on the other end of the throw.

If you've ever seen a QB have a clutch 4th quarter, it's because all of those things went right on enough plays to get the team down the field. Bradford's failure to come up big in the 4th quarter against Florida has everything to do with Bradford's teammates and Florida's defense, and nothing to do with him.

McCoy is a hero in Texas not Oklahoma. He is nothing more than another Sissy Crissy here. Texas did have a great QB in Vince Young, and no one in Oklahoma will dispute that. Texas had another great QB that got benched so Sissy Crissy could play. Remember him? Major Applewhite was by far a better QB than McCoy.

I think Sooner Magic only works when we are the better team. Back in the seventies we were always matched up in the orange bowl usaually against an inferior opponent. The reason we have not pulled out games against LSU and Florida is the simple fact that those teams were better than we were on that day.. We have great teams, aiways one of the top 5 in the country, we have just happen to play in three championship games against some great teams. Imagine this year if Penn State had not lost to Iowa.

Danny, the LoSur fan, shows off his enormous intellect by misqoting Einstien to jab at OU. Danny, Albert Einstien actually is created with saying the defination of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.

Typical, your team cant touch OU, but you still hate anyway. Can you make some more stuff up please? You're too easy.

Number 8 won't happen with Venerable and Wilson on Staff.

opps! I think it was Illinois that beat Penn State.

I think Sooner Magic only works when we are the better team. Back in the seventies we were always matched up in the orange bowl usaually against an inferior opponent. The reason we have not pulled out games against LSU and Florida is the simple fact that those teams were better than we were on that day.. We have great teams, aiways one of the top 5 in the country, we have just happen to play in three championship games against some great teams. Imagine this year if Penn State had not lost to Iowa.

Danny, the LoSur fan, shows off his enormous intellect by misqoting Einstien to jab at OU. Danny, Albert Einstien actually is created with saying the defination of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.

Typical, your team cant touch OU, but you still hate anyway. Can you make some more stuff up please? You're too easy.

Number 8 won't happen with Venerable and Wilson on Staff.

I hate to admit that Florida was the better team, but it was. The spread went from 3 1/2 points to 5 points. When the points change that way in just a couple days, the better team most always shines thru, just as Florida did. The odds makers don't have favorite teams..... To all that like to claim OU choked, you're dead wrong. The better team won. OU didn't choke, they were supposed to lose to the better team, and did. But I will say the best two teams played for the Championship.

AS I said yesterday the capacity to come back is an issue of on field leadership, the ability to inspire confidence, and a certain amount of grit. This team did not have that. I guess that we can say that the National Champoinship does go through Norman, gotta go through OU but getting to the game insures a victory. The body language of Sammy and the rest did not communicate that they expected to win. Hard to say it but MCCoy has grit, brought them from behind twice, Sammy does not.

This most recent loss, tied in with all the others, has become an albatrois for recruiting. The good to great, 5 star recruits want to go where they can win championships. Why did AD pick OU over Texas, because he though OU could win a national championship while UT couldn't. Man, was he wrong. This latest loss is just another blow, USC gets there - they win, Florida gets there - they win, twice, LSU gets there they win, UT gets there - they win. These are all teams OU recruits against. OU gets there, the coaches stink it up and they lose. How come the number 1 ranked receiver in the nation this year is not even considering OU, even though we have no returning starters at WR? He apparently wants to go someplace he can immediately play as he was considering the Booners and then canceled as stated he want to go play where they win, check out Rivals. Why isnt he considering OU? What does he know that escapes the logic of all OU fans with rose colored glasses on, or should that be red glasses. He knows. Number 8 will never happen while Venerables and Wilson are on staff. But, But, we're OU......

"Sooner Magic," hasn't been there since Switzer. It was Switzer's term to begin with. "Sooner Nation," can't take it's place, that was Howard's term. Maybe if Sooner Nation will quit being used to identify OU, Sooner Magic will return.....

Did anyone believe, had Iglesias pulled it in and not tried to catch it like a 12-year-old girl, that OU could get at least a game-tying field goal on that drive? The Sooners MUST get a reliable kicker, and not the Webster clone they run out there now. Garrett Hartley was sorely missed. There was certainly no Sooner Magic in the kicking game, either on field goals or punts (or returns either way, for that matter) this season. Special teams must get better.

Did anyone believe, had Iglesias pulled it in and not tried to catch it like a 12-year-old girl, that OU could get at least a game-tying field goal on that drive? The Sooners MUST get a reliable kicker, and not the Webster clone they run out there now. Garrett Hartley was sorely missed. There was certainly no Sooner Magic in the kicking game, either on field goals or punts (or returns either way, for that matter) this season. Special teams must get better.

Sooner Magic gone? Maybe, lately... yes.

Did anyone have confidence that, had Iglesias not tried to catch the ball like a 12-year-old girl and hauled it in, and OU got stopped on third down deep in Fla territory, that the Sooners could have kicked a game-tying field goal? Not with the midget kicker ... he's got to go, so OU can at least count on three when it gets deep into foes' territory. Garrett Hartley was sorely missed ...

Did anyone have confidence that, had Iglesias not tried to catch the ball like a 12-year-old girl and hauled it in, and OU got stopped on third down deep in Fla territory, that the Sooners could have kicked a game-tying field goal? Not with the midget kicker ... he's got to go, so OU can at least count on three when it gets deep into foes' territory. Garrett Hartley was sorely missed ...

OU just got some unlucky breaks.

Sam's fine. And, yes, he would benefit from a return.

Berry, I agree with Thomas. Also, I reject any contention that Sam shoulder any blame for this loss. His passes were right on the money. His receivers were not use to catching balls with tight coverage and dropped passes that they could have caught. Give Florida's defensive secondary credit for not allowing yards after catch. Unless you expect Sam to throw the pass and catch it too, put the blame elsewhere. On the positive side, the huge TV rating for the game says that the Sooner anme still resonates in college football as does Ohio State. Anyone who thinks those two programs will never be back in the national championship game is nuts. There are only about 8-10 programs that can even get to the national championship game. Happily, OU is one of them.

I'm still waiting for the Berry Tramel headline, "Swooners swoon again!" or "Big Bust Bob" or "Sooner Award Stoops Another Raise" or "We Play For Championships!...But We Don't Win Them."

If you listen hard enough, you can still hear the gnashing of tooth and wailing coming out of the Swooner Nation.

I'll bet WalMart suffered huge loses in unsold Swooner gear. OU car flag sales hit a new low on Friday.

Now, what will the Carl's of Norman do that their only tie to self esteem has been blown out again?
I suppose we'll not hear from Carl and the like for another year when the Swooners once again fool their minions into believing Stoops will lead them to the promised land.

Wasn't it Einstein that said, "Only the fool continues to do the same things expecting different results."?

Berry, once again, I find myself on your side of an issue as a prodcut of the seventies I witnessed first hand "Sooner Magic". In this new era, it's gone. great article

Berry, Berry, Berry...I am disappointed with this column. Patrick is right. I think you could have used the word 'maybe' instead of 'probably' when describing Bradford's time left at Oklahoma. But what made me quit reading halfway thru the piece was the use of fragment sentences. I know it's all good for the suspense of it all, but this piece was a dud. Berry, you're one of my favorite writers, and I'll still read you column. But I'm going to boycott the Oklahoman for the night. And by the way, I know my writing's bad, but I don't get paid for it.