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These Sooners still searching for an identity

OU's head coach Bob Stoops against Idaho State in Norman. Stephen Pingry/Tulsa World

 
By DAVE SITTLER World Sports Writer
Published: 9/16/2009  2:23 AM
Last Modified: 9/16/2009  10:17 AM
Go to Dave Sittler's Blog

NORMAN — Technically, Oklahoma's third game of the 2009 football season is scheduled for Saturday against Tulsa at Memorial Stadium.

In reality, it's the Sooners' second contest. Anyone who witnessed OU's 64-0 whipsawing of inept Idaho State last week knows it would be difficult to even describe that woeful mismatch as a scrimmage.

Other than padding their stats and massaging those egos still bruised from the season-opening 14-13 loss to BYU, the OU-Idaho State meeting served little purpose for the Sooners.

That's especially true for coaches who believe a team makes its greatest improvement from game one to game two. I don't know a coach who doesn't subscribe to that cliche at least until he loses that second game.

The theory behind the trite expression is that it's difficult to simulate game speed in practice. After players adjust to the tempo in the opener, a coach can use videotape from the second contest to see if his team built on the strengths displayed in game one and improved in the weak areas.

It's also the point where a team's identity starts to emerge. A coach has a better feel about whether his club possesses that all-important factor known as "team chemistry."

Idaho State (0-2) competes in the NCAA's I-AA division. OU's staff can't really trust many conclusions drawn from that glorified scrimmage because insiders believe the Bengals were the weakest team to play on Owen Field in decades.

In most seasons, TU would be the perfect second-game opponent for OU. Not only is the undefeated Golden Hurricane (2-0) a Division I-A team, it has the talent and experience to provide a legitimate early season test.

But one thing OU coaches already know is that 2009 won't be like "most seasons." That became a fact after Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Sam Bradford was injured against BYU and All-America tight end Jermaine Gresham was lost for the season in preseason practice when he blew out a knee.

Those season-changing injuries only added to the confusion and mystery of this team. It's a situation that could exist at least until Bradford comes back from his shoulder injury. At Tuesday's press conference, coach Bob Stoops declined to discuss Bradford's possible return.

Stoops said any prediction would only fuel widespread speculation and rumors, so he was "not even going to go there... It's just not worth doing, at least for me, anyway. It may be for you."

Are you kidding, coach? Of course it's worth doing by the media.

This team's true identity might not be revealed until Bradford's future is determined. As long as their leader is missing, it's only natural for the Sooners to continually glance over their shoulder pads as they look, wait, worry and wonder when or if the team's heart and soul will play again this season.

Stoops acknowledged yesterday that he has no clue at this point when it comes to identifying what his 11th OU team is all about.

"The dynamics (involved) in asking about our identity right now, with all the injuries and what all we've gone through," said Stoops, "it's way too early. It's still developing."

It's not too early to draw some conclusions from the BYU loss and Idaho State workout about what could seriously hinder that development.

The ongoing search for a second receiver to complement standout Ryan Broyles pinpoints the ramifications created when Stoops kicked freshman Josh Jarboe off the team before last season. One of the nation's top prospects at wideout, Jarboe was considered a jewel in OU's 2008 recruiting class.

Experienced backup depth behind Ryan Reynolds at middle linebacker remains a worry. While Reynolds got the majority of snaps in OU's only "true" game against BYU, Stoops insists the Sooners have other candidates for the position who "take hundreds of snaps in practice."

Powerhouse programs like OU normally try to redshirt almost their entire freshman class. Stoops' decision to play eight first-year players is not a positive sign, no matter what spin the Sooners put on it.

Stoops also indicated that the offensive line's revolving door could continue for weeks. The starters up front will be determined by practice performance, meaning the unit could be different every game and shy of experience.

"In a perfect world, you'd love to have five seniors up there," Stoops said. "But rarely is it a perfect world, as we all know."

If OU doesn't already know, the Sooners could discover in their "second" game this Saturday just how imperfect a once-promising season can become.
By DAVE SITTLER World Sports Writer

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COMMENTS 
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7 comments have been made for this team so far. Tell us what you think below!
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Report Comment
SS_Hippy, Tulsa (9/16/2009 7:40:02 AM)
need to find their identity Saturday.
Report Comment
hornhater2, (9/16/2009 8:03:04 AM)
It's amazing how all you so called sports writers know more about whats good for a team than their coaches. Sounds to me like you are probably under paid.
Report Comment
snakeman, tahlequah (9/16/2009 9:57:06 AM)
let's beat tulsa, then figure it out if the players have chemisty or not. Could be a re-building year for them. Tulsa is good, but is their backups any better than ou's? Landry will only get better because ou's talent is better overall. One game at a time. time will tell if it's a great season or just another season in the books. Don't bet against OU. Go Sooners!
Report Comment
snakeman, tahlequah (9/16/2009 9:58:07 AM)
let's beat tulsa, then figure it out if the players have chemisty or not. Could be a re-building year for them. Tulsa is good, but is their backups any better than ou's? Landry will only get better because ou's talent is better overall. One game at a time. time will tell if it's a great season or just another season in the books. Don't bet against OU. Go Sooners!
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AtlantaSooner, Atlanta (9/16/2009 11:35:39 AM)
LOL at the level of panic in some quarters, especially in the media. The reporters would love to know what is going on with this year's Sooners, and we'd love them to know, but the fact remains the reporters and us fans will not know much of anything until at least after the Texas game. This could be a National Championship team, or it could be a 7-4 team that ends up in the Blackhole Bowl. I'm still among the faithful that thinks that we're closer to a national championship team, then we are a 7-4 team. I'm also a bit old fashion in the sense that I believe the coaches at OU know a lot more about what needs to be done and what reality is, than do the media or the bandwagon fans.
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johnnyb, Tahlequah (9/17/2009 10:13:59 PM)
Being a over rated preseason #3 team only served to set this team up for a reality check against a quality oppenent in Jones stadium. Now with the injuries they are a train wreck with no identity and no confidence. They M_I-G_H_T beat Tulsa but they will get exposed at Land Shark Stadium by a young but talented team that will be fired up and waiting on OU.
Report Comment
SoonerDJ, Lisbon, Portugal (9/18/2009 10:26:26 AM)
It can't be a 7-4 record because they play 12 games lol. So it is either 7-5 or 8-4, but I hope it is 11-1 and then 13-1 with a B12 and NCG win. Honestly I don't care about finding an identity. I just want them to win!
 

 
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