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Feel the roar

Oklahoma takes the field before playing Kansas State. The Sooners are 59-2 at Owen Field in the Bob Stoops era. MICHAEL WYKE/ Tulsa World

 
By JOHN E. HOOVER World Sports Writer
Published: 11/19/2008  2:13 AM
Last Modified: 11/19/2008  11:27 AM



Is OU’s crowd loud? Bob Stoops says it’s not as loud as some other places. Listen to a two-minute audio clip in which Stoops eventually is asked why Sooner fans are so quiet.




Coach says Sooner fans need to be a distraction to the Red Raiders' offense



NORMAN — Bob Stoops has a message for Oklahoma football fans: Get loud and stay loud.

Stoops' OU teams are 59-2 at Owen Field. That includes a 23-game winning streak. Both numbers are far and away the best in college football.

But, with No. 2-ranked Texas Tech coming to town Saturday and everything from division titles to conference crowns to BCS berths to the Heisman Trophy on the line, Stoops isn't exactly praising Sooner fans for their fervor.

"Hopefully our fans will be more active," Stoops said Monday night after practice. "I don't think it's because of how loud and ruckus our fans are. I think that's fair to say. Hopefully they'll take a little more part in the game this week."

Texas Tech defensive end Jake Ratliff, a Lawton native, said Red Raiders teammate Colby Whitlock, a sophomore from Noble, is in for a "rude awakening" because Saturday's 7 p.m. showdown is Whitlock's first trip to Norman as an enemy combatant.

Stoops, though, scoffed at the notion that OU fans are unkind to opponents.

"Why? Here? I've seen a lot of teams come in here and not even use silent counts," Stoops said. "I'm not so sure I'm with you on that. We haven't been a real loud stadium. Now, when we score a touchdown and we're running into the goal line, it's usually pretty loud."

The Sooners' only losses at home under Stoops came in 2001 (16-13 to Oklahoma State) and 2005 (17-10 to TCU). OU was a prohibitive favorite both times. Only once — the 2000 Nebraska game, won 31-14 by the Sooners — was Oklahoma a betting-line underdog.

In the 10 seasons before Stoops arrived, OU went 37-20 at home, a winning percentage of .649. Saturday's home game is the last of Stoops' first 10 years at OU, and the Sooners' 59-2 mark equals a .967 winning percentage.

If a national list was compiled to determine the most difficult venues for opponents, Owen Field would be well outside the top 10. Places like LSU, Florida, Texas A&M, Tennessee, Alabama, Nebraska, Oregon, Texas, Michigan — even Texas Tech — have much better reputations as fearsome houses of pain.

Stoops, defensive coordinator at Florida from 1996-98, concurs with the notion that "The Swamp" and its inhabitants can affect games.

"Well, the crowd and the noise is much more different," he said. "They're much more vocal and interactive in influencing the game, as far as being vocal and loud before you make a big play. They're loud all the time, when the opposing team's trying to work."

But simply put, nobody is better at home than Oklahoma under Stoops.

Texas is 58-6 (.906) at home under Mack Brown. Ohio State is 49-6 (.891) at home under Jim Tressel. Florida is 23-2 under Urban Meyer, but was just 11-7 under previous coach Ron Zook. Even Stoops' mentor, Steve Spurrier, finished 69-5 (.932) at "The Swamp" — not bad, but not up to Stoops' mark.

"I think most teams are going to be good at home. Ours has been exceptionally good," said defensive coordinator Brent Venables. "We have great fans. Players play with great confidence at home. They've got a real comfort zone here."

The Sooners need to keep their streak going if they want to get into a three-way tiebreaker with Tech and Texas atop the Big 12 South standings. If all three finish 7-1, the team ranked highest among them in the BCS standings plays in the Big 12 championship game. A win there means an inside track to the national title game.

"We just protect our house," said defensive tackle Gerald McCoy. "This team, on and off the field, is real protective about our home. That's our own belongings, our stuff."

Stoops' comments Monday night were played statewide on radio programs, and fired up regulars on Internet message boards. He addressed it again during his Tuesday news conference, and finally had to tell reporters to stop asking about it.

"I talked to a couple of my friends, and they heard coach Stoops' comments, and that probably got them fired up," said quarterback Sam Bradford. "So hopefully if it got those guys fired up, everyone heard it and it'll be louder on Saturday."

NO PLACE LIKE HOME



OU’s 59-2 home record under Bob Stoops is the best in the nation. A look at how OU compares with other selected programs since 1999.

Oklahoma** ........... 59-2 (.967)
Texas............................52-6 (.897)
Ohio State................ 58-10 (.853)
USC* ..........................50-10 (.833)
Nebraska................... 57-12 (.826)
Florida.........................52-11 (.825)
Texas Tech.................48-11 (.814)
Miami ......................... 52-12 (.813)
LSU..............................56-13 (.812)
Oregon ......................50-13 (.794)
Florida State.............50-13 (.794)
Michigan....................50-14 (.781)
Tennessee.................56-16 (.778)
Alabama ................... 47-23 (.671)
Texas A&M .............44-22 (.667)

** current win streak is 23

* won 35 in a row from 01-07

A comparison



Oklahoma has major college football’s longest winning streak of 23 consecutive games. A look at how OU’s streak compares with other current streaks:

1. OU



Streak: 23 games
Last loss: TCU, 9-4-05

2. BYU



Streak: 18 games
Last loss: Utah, 11-18-05

3. Boise State



Streak: 18 games
Last loss: Boston College, 12-28-05

4. Utah



Streak: 10 games
Last loss: Air Force, 9-8-07

Source: NCAA, school Web sites

OU’S HOME GAMES IN THE STOOPS ERA



1999
Sept. 11: Indiana State.......W, 49-0
Sept. 18: Baylor...................W, 41-10
Oct. 23: Texas A&M..........W, 51-6
Nov. 6: Missouri ..................W, 37-0
Nov. 27: Okla. State...........W, 44-7
2000
Sept. 2: Texas-El Paso......W, 55-14
Sept. 9: Arkansas State.....W, 45-7
Sept. 23: Rice.....................W, 42-14
Sept. 30: Kansas..............W, 34-16
Oct. 28: Nebraska..............W, 31-14
Nov. 18: Texas Tech ...........W, 27-13
2001
Aug. 25: North Carolina..W, 41-27
Sept. 8: North Texas.........W, 37-10
Sept. 29: Kansas State .. W, 38-37
Oct. 20: Baylor...................W, 33-17
Nov. 3: Tulsa........................W, 58-0
Nov. 10: Texas A&M..........W, 31-10
Nov. 24: Okla State ............ L, 16-13
2002
Sept. 7: Alabama...............W, 37-27
Sept. 14: Texas-El Paso.....W, 68-0
Sept. 28: South Florida.....W, 31-14
Oct. 19: Iowa State.............W, 49-3
Nov. 2: Colorado,................W, 27-11
Nov. 23: Texas Tech..........W, 60-15
2003
Aug. 30: North Texas.........W, 37-3
Sept. 13: Fresno State, ....W, 52-28
Sept. 20: UCLA ................W, 59-24
Oct. 18: Missouri...............W, 34-13
Nov. 1: Oklahoma State....W, 52-9
Nov. 8: Texas A&M.............W, 77-0
Nov. 15: Baylor.....................W, 41-3
2004
Sept. 4: Bowling Green...W, 40-24
Sept. 11: Houston..............W, 63-13
Sept. 18: Oregon ..................W, 31-7
Oct. 2: Texas Tech.............W, 28-13
Oct. 23: Kansas ..................W, 41-10
Nov. 13: Nebraska..............W, 30-3
2005
Sept. 3: TCU......................... L, 17-10
Sept. 10: Tulsa.....................W, 31-15
Oct. 1: Kansas State..........W, 43-21
Oct. 22: Baylor.....W, 37-30 (2OT)
Nov. 12: Texas A&M........W, 36-30
Nov. 26: Okla. State..........W, 42-14
2006
Sept. 2: UAB.......................W, 24-17
Sept. 9: Washington .......W, 37-20
Sept. 23: M. Tenn...............W, 59-0
Oct. 14: Iowa State.............W, 34-9
Oct. 21: Colorado ................W, 24-3
Nov. 11: Texas Tech..........W, 34-24
2007
Sept. 1: North Texas .........W, 79-10
Sept. 8: Miami....................W, 51-13
Sept. 15: Utah State...........W, 54-3
Oct. 13: Missouri................W, 41-31
Nov. 3: Texas A&M...........W, 42-14
Nov. 10: Baylor...................W, 52-21
Nov. 24: Okla. State .........W, 49-17
2008
Aug. 30: Chattanooga.......W, 57-2
Sept. 6: Cincinnati ...........W, 52-26
Sept. 27: TCU.....................W, 35-10
Oct. 18: Kansas..................W, 45-31
Nov. 1: Nebraska ..............W, 62-28
Nov. 22: Texas Tech.........................?




John E. Hoover 581-8384
john.hoover@tulsaworld.com
By JOHN E. HOOVER World Sports Writer

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JoJo, (11/19/2008 8:37:48 AM)
I have an opinion on why the fans are realtively quiet.By the time the game starts, a large percentage of the fans are drunk from tailgating all morning. They nod off during the game or don't stay focused on it. Campus police seem to look the other way on game day when it comes to drinking. That's been my experience.
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learn2speakenglish, Tulsa (11/19/2008 9:05:39 AM)
Yep... it'll be louder alright... The sounds of "Fight Raiders Fight" and "Get Your Guns Up!" will echo through Owen Field House and Norman Saturday. Especially when Tech is well on it's way to administering the worst defeat in Stoop's OU home history. GO RED RAIDERS!!! Final Score T-Tech 48 OU 17.
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learn2speakenglish, Tulsa (11/19/2008 9:24:42 AM)
Jo Jo - - You're right! I think Coach Schnellenberger is to thank for teaching Sooner Fan how to properly prepare for game day. I'm sure many of the O U faithful will begin their drunk-fest (I mean Schnellenberger rituals) Sat. morning. Guess what... game time is 7pm. They ought to be good and smashed by then. Soomer - Booner & sleep tight!
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Stogdiddy, Broken Arrow (11/19/2008 9:27:59 AM)
Translation for Stoops: We can't beat Texas Tech alone - please help!!
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LeftieTulsan, Tulsa (11/19/2008 9:51:02 AM)
Interesting, alcohol is to blame for the fans not being engaged in the game. It's amazing to think that OU is the only stadium in the country whether it be NCAA or NFL football to have drunk fans. That must explain why our fans are so quiet. I take it you blame Oklahoma's high teen pregnancy rate on dancing.
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old roper, Sun City (11/19/2008 11:34:55 AM)
OU fans are a different breed of cat. . .some go to games because it's good for business to be a season ticket holder. Some go for social reasons. . .it's good to be seen at a Sooner game, now they may not give a flip about what's going on out on the football field, but Muffy and Chad have season tickets, so we need to have season tickets, too. . .just to keep up. Complacency is another reason why the stadium is not loud, except when the Sooners are scoring. . .they already know who's going to win, they just go to see by how much.
If Sooner fans would take on the personna of say, most of the SEC schools, Memorial Stadium would maybe have foundation problems because of the reverberation of sound in the stadium. Come on people, it's not a country club setting, or a memorial service for a departed friend for crying out loud, IT'S A FREAKIN' FOOTBALL GAME. It's ok to get loud and support the Sooners and try to disrupt the visiting team and get their attention away from what they're trying to accomplish. . .that's the 12th man!
Some years back, two of my friends went to a TU and Louisville basketball game (sadly I was not able to go that evening), their seats were pretty close to the Louisville bench. After the game, Coach Denny Crum came up to them and told them that if they ever relocated to Louisville to please contact him and he'd see that they got season tickets behind the visiting teams bench, because they were the best that he'd ever heard ragging on a visiting team. This was done without cussing or insulting parentage of the visiting players. I was really proud of the fact that they told the coach that the best at what they were doing couldn't be at that game. TU won the game, my point being. . .that fans make a difference. Well, unless they go to the games just to be seen!!
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soonerguy, Tulsa (11/19/2008 11:44:30 AM)
It has been hard to stay loud, this year especially. When you are winning by 30, things just settle in a bit. The Nebraska game was one of the best this season I thought, as far as intensity from the fans. I wish the OU fans (besides the student section) would get up and get loud. The students can only be so loud.
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lovethemsooners, Fayetteville (11/19/2008 1:33:25 PM)
JoJo, that's ridiculous! It must be the people you hang around. Most people I see might have a pre-game beverage, but have yet to see anyone out of control. In fact, I don't remember ever seeing anyone that was obviously intoxicated, to a point that they were causing any problem at all, let alone being escorted out.....and I've had season tickets since '84! I believe a couple of other factors are the real reason, and both have been mentioned here. Age and point spread. Alot of the fans that go are older, and most of the teams we play, we blow out.
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sidster, Tulsa (11/20/2008 10:25:31 AM)
I understand Stoops, but don't worry about making changes OU fans because Texas Tech will make you be quiet. Florida vs Texas Tech National Title Game
Report Comment
KB, Tulsa (11/20/2008 12:27:03 PM)
Frankly I think this is getting totally blown out of proportion. Bobby just wants the fans to be hyped for a great game. OU will win no question but the fans need to be involved so the Sooners can use the home field to their advantage.
 

 
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