Tulsa World: OU strategy questioned // Players second-guess Gibbs

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OU strategy questioned // Players second-guess Gibbs

By DAVE SITTLER
Published: 11/30/1991
Last Modified: 7/4/2008 7:05 AM

LINCOLN, Neb. - In a year haunted by "what ifs,"
perhaps it was inevitable that the University of Oklahoma
football team's regular season would end with one huge question
mark.
And a bunch of second guessers.
While Gary Gibbs said he never second-guesses his decisions,
the OU coach had plenty of people doing it for him - including
some of his players - after the Sooners' 19-14 loss Friday
to Nebraska.
What confounded players on both teams and perhaps many of
76,386 spectators at sold-out Memorial Stadium and a national
television audience was Gibbs' decision to take the wind
instead of the ball at the start of the second half with
OU ahead 14-3.
"It was a peculiar call," OU Z-back Ted Long said. "Our
offense was pretty hungry at the close of the first half,
and we were pretty revved up and had a lot of momentum at
the point, and we felt like we were pretty much unstoppable.
"We would have liked the ball to start the second half,
and I didn't realize he (Gibbs) was going to give them the
ball. I think you could say the whole team was surprised."
So, apparently, were the 9-1-1 Cornhuskers.
"We couldn't believe it," Nebraska offensive guard Erik
Wiegert said. "We got all fired up and said we were going
to make them pay for that."
Oklahoma paid dearly.
Nebraska turned that first possession of the second half
into a 10-play, 70-yard, momentum-shifting touchdown drive.
The No. 11 Cornhuskers ended up controlling the ball for
11 minutes, 46 seconds and 23 plays of the period compared
to 3:14 and six plays by Oklahoma.
"That (decision) turned out to be a big mistake," Wiegert
said. "That was the turning point."
Gibbs disagreed.
Gibbs said that, with the Big Eight Conference showdown
played in a steady downpour and wind gusts up to 20 mph,
he elected to take the wind because he thought Oklahoma's
defense would stuff Nebraska's first drive, thus giving
the Sooners excellent field position.
OU had taken advantage of first-half field-position opportunities
to post two scores on 1-yard runs by quarterback Cale Gundy
and tailback Mike Gaddis.
Gibbs defended his decision after Nebraska's comeback victory
had given the Cornhuskers a share of the conference title
(6-0-1) with Colorado and a berth in the Jan. 1 Orange Bowl,
and had given OU a third-place league finish and a spot
in the Dec. 29 Gator Bowl against Virginia.
"We felt like, defensively, we wanted to play field position
because that was the key to the first half," Gibbs said.
Asked after the loss if he second-guessed the strategy,
Gibbs said, "No. Who are you going to rely on? You rely
on your defense that's carried you most of the year.
"That decision didn't determine the outcome of that ballgame."
Oklahoma defensive end Reggie Barnes wasn't so sure.
"Obviously," Barnes said, "It backfired on us."
The decision eventually played a role throughout the second
half.
When OU couldn't gain control of the ball in the third quarter
with the wind in the Sooners' favor, they found themselves
forced to pass into the wind when they tried to stage a
frantic rally late in the fourth quarter.
Oklahoma fell behind when Nebraska quarterback Keithen McCant,
who had scored on a 5-yard run in the third quarter, directed
an 80-yard touchdown drive in the final quarter that was
capped with the winning score.
The OU defensive unit, ranked fifth in the nation against
the rush, couldn't halt a relentless Husker attack that
led the country in rushing.
Tailbacks Derek Brown and Calvin Jones rushed for a combined
216 yards against the Sooners, with Jones scoring the winning
touchdown on a 15-yard run with 2:57 left in the game.
"I was definitely surprised that we couldn't stop them,"
OU defensive tackle Stacey Dillard said. "We had them shut
down and then we had some guys miss sometackles, and that
hurt us."
Dillard said the Nebraska contest continued a frustrating
season-long pattern of questions for the 8-3 Sooners. OU
was left to ask "what if" after a fumble cost them a victory
against Texas, and "what if" after a critical personal-foul
penalty hurt the Sooners badly in a loss to Colorado.
"It has been a frustrating season because think we are
a better team than Colorado, and we know we are a better
team than Texas," Dillard said. "We just had some bad
things go against us, and we didn't make the big plays when
we should have."
By DAVE SITTLER

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