TULSA WORLD HOMEPAGE | Saturday, November 21, 2009 | WIRELESS
CONTACT US | SUBSCRIBER SERVICES | SIGN IN SIGN OUT | MY PROFILE PAGE | MY ACCOUNT

Follow us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter Follow us on RSS
Sports Extra!
Follow us on ...
OU | OSU | TU | ORU | HIGH SCHOOLS | COLLEGE FOOTBALL | COLLEGE BASKETBALL | NFL | FANTASY | OUTDOORS | GOLF | PROS | ALL


SPORTS EXTRA BLOGS
    Sports Editor
Mike Strain
Sports Columnist
Dave Sittler
The Picker
Entertaining & Infuriating

LOCAL PROS

ALL SPORTS

PHOTOS & VIDEOS

OUTDOORS

FIND A STORY

EMAIL ALERTS

SOCIAL MEDIA

RSS FEEDS

CONTACT US
BUY PHOTOS & PAGES

TULSA WORLD

ADVERTISE ON SPORTS EXTRA

Newspaper View Newspaper View      Print this story Print      Email this story Email     
Share      Bookmark Bookmark

Can we get a do-over for OU and OSU?

 
By DAVE SITTLER World Sports Writer
Published: 10/10/2009  2:21 AM
Last Modified: 10/10/2009  5:59 AM
Go to Dave Sittler's Blog

Yo, Mr. Referee, can we get a timeout?

While you're at it, how about a mulligan, do-over, second chance or some different cards and a new deal? At least let us wake up from this nightmare.

Or how about this idea from my friends over in the theatre and movie departments: Let's take it from the top one more time.

Excuse me? The first month of the college football season wasn't a dress rehearsal? To quote a former left-handed quarterback who also dabbled in tennis: "You cannot be serious!"

Oklahoma and Oklahoma State can't hit the reset button?

Uh-oh. In case you missed it, things are a friggin' mess in Soonerland and Cowboy Country. And it's all the fault of the state of Texas.

If Jerry Jones had spent some of those billions he blew on monster video boards for some softer turf inside his castle in Arlington, the shoulder attached to OU quarterback Sam Bradford's $50 million right arm wouldn't be damaged.

And if Dez hadn't done Dallas with Deion, OSU's best player would be in uniform today at College Station instead of street clothes.

But even though Bradford's back in the starting lineup, he missed 3 1/2 games and OU's off to a hard-to-believe 2-2 start for only the second time in coach Bob Stoops' 11 seasons in Norman.

And we
don't know how many contests wide receiver Dez Bryant will miss after lying to the NCAA about having dinner in Big D with Deion Sanders. Or if the 3-1 Cowboys will be forced to vacate some wins when school officials enter the NCAA's Star Chamber next week to meet with enforcement officers who seem hellbent on making an example out of a college kid who panicked and fibbed in hopes of keeping himself and his team out of trouble.

OK, screw a new deal. OU and OSU need to play the unfortunate and unlucky hands they've been dealt.

So that means OSU fans are expecting their team "to Cowboy Up."

OU doesn't have any such catchphrase. Its supporters use the blunt approach by telling the Sooners to "suck it up."

That could be much easier said than done this season.

One example of how things have changed dramatically at OU came this week when Stoops said "Baylor can't wait to play us."

What? The Bears (3-1), who are without their starting quarterback, are frothing at the mouth, eager to take on once-mighty OU in what used to be the Sooners' House of Horrors?

Well, Baylor may no longer be the bad news Bears, but there is some good news on the horizon for both the Sooners and the Cowboys.

Both are 0-0 in the Big 12 Conference heading into their league openers today. And here's even better news — the Big 12 championship race is wide open because the conference appears to be mediocre at best.

Hold it. Don't even go there about Texas. Yes, the 4-0 Longhorns are ranked No. 2 and got a jump start on Big 12 play by beating a rebuilding Texas Tech team by a measly 10 points at home.

The Big 12 stunk up the joint in nonconference games. OU and OSU certainly did their part by losing games they should have won. But, unlike Texas, at least they played some quality competition.

So the South Division championship doesn't necessarily have to go through Austin. Not when the Longhorns must play OU next week in Dallas and travel to Stillwater on Oct. 31, where the boys in black and orange could make things real scary on Halloween night.

Here's the deal: OU and OSU have to decide right now if their roles in the Big 12 race are those of spoilers or contenders.

Both could spoil Texas' perfect season and national championship hopes by upsetting the Longhorns. Or the Bedlam Brothers can treat the Texas game as a tune-up, a quality test en route to their showdown for the South Division crown on Nov. 28.

That starts with today's Big 12 openers. OU and OSU need to make us believe that despite their injuries, setbacks and problems that they still can get close to being who we thought they were back in August.

No. 19 OU has the much easier task when it hosts Baylor at 2:30 p.m. But the Sooners need a convincing performance to send a message to Texas that two teams will show up at the Cotton Bowl next Saturday expecting to win.

No. 15 OSU's 11:30 a.m. brunch near the Brazos with Texas A&M (3-1) lost its most important guest when Dez Bryant was suspended until further notice.

The rebuilding Aggies looked like easy pickings for the Pokes a month ago. But when you lose the league's most dynamic player, are missing other key players and still have a suspect defense, you're in for a fist fight in every Big 12 game.

But wouldn't you want a bunch of Cowboys on your side in a fight? Absolutely.

So forget about starting over, ref. It's time for OU and OSU to pull on their big-boy pants and get on with the business of salvaging their seasons.
By DAVE SITTLER World Sports Writer

Newspaper View Newspaper View      Print this story Print      Email this story Email     
Share      Bookmark Bookmark


COMMENTS 
      Add your comment Show: Most Recent Comment First

3 comments have been made for this team so far. Tell us what you think below!
Report Comment Reporting Comments

If you see a comment that violates our terms and conditions, please help us by clicking the "Report this Comment" link next to a comment. That will alert the web staff to review the comment. Thank you.  -- Web Editor Jason Collington
 

 
Report Comment
Stomp, Charlotte (10/10/2009 7:44:15 AM)
Liked this one.
Report Comment
Arkie from OSU, (10/11/2009 10:00:54 AM)
Another nice job.
Everybody will have the opportunity to experience tough times in sports and life. But Zac's glare protector under his eyes said it all. "Press On."

ps....and no whining allowed!!!
Report Comment
Bleeds Orange, Bartlesville (10/11/2009 12:56:56 PM)
Was this supposed to be a journalism lesson on trite cutesy phrases?
 

 
Add Your Comment 
In order to post a comment on this article, you must sign in to Tulsaworld.com. If you do not have a site account, you can create an account for free.

 
Post Your Comment
 



Home | About Tulsa World | Advertise With Us | Privacy | Usage Agreement | FAQ and Help | Contact Us | Today's Headlines
Copyright © 2009, World Publishing Co. All rights reserved.