TULSA WORLD HOMEPAGE | Tuesday, February 09, 2010 | 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

Sooners look good, but work remains

OU head coach Bob Stoops yells at a Pac-10 official during the first half Saturday in Seattle. Stoops picked up his 100th win as OU coach with the victory over the Huskies. TOM GILBERT/Tulsa World

 
By DAVE SITTLER World Sports Columnist
Published: 9/14/2008  2:14 AM
Last Modified: 9/14/2008  2:36 AM

 SEATTLE — Yup, just like the song says: "You're doing fine Oklahoma."

At least midway through September. But what about early next January?

The Sooners exorcized a whole bunch of demons here Saturday when they smacked around Washington, 55-14. After last night's domination of the Huskies, no one can dispute OU's status as the nation's third-ranked team. As a matter of fact, that might be a notch or so too low.

It's entirely possible OU could move up to No. 2 when the latest polls are released Sunday. No. 2 Georgia's 14-7 win over South Carolina (1-2) wasn't nearly as impressive as what the Sooners did to Washington (0-3) before 67,716 spectators at Husky Stadium and a national cable television audience.

Finally, when the Sooners hit the road west, the road didn't hit back. OU was a paltry 1-7 in its last eight outings west of Memorial Stadium in Norman.

There was also the irritating fact that OU had lost the last three times it entered a contest ranked No. 3.

But no matter what OU does, or how fine the Sooners look the rest of the regular season, they won't satisfy their harshest critics until they get rid of the biggest demon of all next January by winning a BCS bowl.

That's the biggest obstacle OU must conquer during a 2008 season some have labeled the Sooners' personal Road to BCS Redemption.

Rankings, double-digit wins and multiple conference championships are accomplishments 11 other schools in the Big 12 would kill for. And Bob Stoops used to insist that reaching those goals satisfied the competitive fire that burns continuously inside OU's coach.

But Stoops acknowledged this summer that the Sooners' primary goal this season is to "win the last game." After losing two consecutive BCS bowls and four of those big-time bowls out of the last five seasons, the only way Stoops' 10th season at OU will be considered a smashing success is if the Sooners end that BCS jinx.

That doesn't mean the Sooners can't have fun along the way. And also use the 12 contests during the regular season and the Big 12 title game to improve in the areas that have cost them victories in the last two Fiesta Bowls. It has also cost them wins in the Sugar and Orange Bowls.

Against the Huskies, Stoops' club had loads of fun while also making some significant strides toward BCS success.

Several of those seven road losses west of Norman were the result of turnovers. Last season alone, OU had 10 turnovers in seven home games while committing eight turnovers in just three games away from Owen Field.

The Sooners quickly removed any pregame suspense that might have built up before last night's contest by surging to a 34-0 halftime lead. They did it when they forced and recovered three Husky fumbles, turning all three takeaways into touchdowns.

Riding the best all-around, balanced team performance of the young season, the Sooners used that 34-point outburst to also ensure that a Pac-10 Conference officiating crew wasn't going to deny Stoops his 100th victory at OU. Everyone who follows college football knows Stoops' record would and should be 101-21 instead of 100-22, if a neutral officiating crew had worked the Sooners' last visit to the Left Coast.

It was a highly controversial 34-33 loss at Oregon in the third game of the 2006 season that had Stoops threatening to break the contract with Washington for Saturday's game.

Cooler heads eventually prevailed, and OU decided to honor its commitment, even though smug Pac-10 bigwigs insisted on using their own officiating crews.

Stoops and the Sooners certainly can't quibble with the hospitality offered by Washington. The overmatched Huskies couldn't stop OU from scoring more than 50 points for the third consecutive game.

The game also allowed Stoops to make a point about the team's running game. The Sooners' explosive offense has drawn raves for its versatility in the passing game. On OU's first drive, Stoops ordered six consecutive running plays before quarterback Sam Bradford's second pass of the night resulted in a 13-yard touchdown to wide receiver Juaquin Iglesias.

Bradford and the OU receivers still put on a show. The redshirt sophomore quarterback completed 18-of-21 passes for 304 yards and five touchdowns. But the Sooners also rolled up 274 yards on the ground en route to 591 yards of total offense.

So, Oklahoma, you just need to keep fine-tuning things between now and January.
By DAVE SITTLER World Sports Columnist

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


COMMENTS 
      Add your comment Show: Most Recent Comment First

2 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
tulsaOUfan, Tulsa (9/14/2008 8:42:56 AM)
I expected no less from Stilter. OU looked better than good and every team has work to be done. Why does this pokie state rooter refuse to say something good about OU? This is why I don't subscribe to the paper.

Also, did anyone notice that we got constant headlines yesterday during the pokie state game about how they were dominating but none during the OU game? Just more proof of the TW sports people's anti-OU bias.
Report Comment
joshbrillo, Krebs (9/17/2008 3:04:07 AM)
Sittler Again? Will you ever say anything good about the Sooners. Keep dogging them. 100 wins in 10 seasons. Lets see the lOSUrs of the state do that. Every other reporter in the state recognizes OU's accomplishments. All you do is recongnize flaws! Why Sittler? If I see another article that you write in the Tulsa World about what OU can't or din't or needs to do, I wont by another paper. Get rid of Dave Sittler...the worst sports writer in the State.
 

 
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 © 2010, World Publishing Co. All rights reserved.