Tulsa World: Special teams falter

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Special teams falter
Poor kickoff coverage and botched fake punt critical.

Texas' Jordan Shipley gets past Oklahoma kicker Matt Moreland as Shipley returns a kickoff for a touchdown Saturday. MIKE SIMONS/Tulsa World

By GUERIN EMIG World Sports Writer
Published: 10/12/2008 2:21 AM
Last Modified: 10/12/2008 2:38 AM

Poor kickoff coverage and botched fake punt critical.

DALLAS — After his Oklahoma Sooners had dropped a 45-35 decision to Texas on Saturday, punter Mike Knall said: "Coach always preaches how important special teams is."

Maybe Bob Stoops should try changing the sermon.

OU added to its season-long backlog of kickoff coverage blunders and saw Knall's fake punt run backfire, two critical plays in their first defeat of the season.

First came Jordan Shipley's 96-yard kick return, the longest in OU-Texas history. The Sooners led 14-3 at the time, two minutes into the second quarter.

"We were ahead by enough points," said defensive tackle Gerald McCoy "but the momentum from that kickoff return was just It literally flipped the whole game."

Shipley took the ball, zipped up the middle past one diving tackle attempt, sped about 30 yards, then cut right to easily elude kicker Matt Moreland, OU's last hope for a stop. It was that easy against the 104th-ranked kick return unit in the NCAA Bowl Subdivsion.

"It got us. We have all of the momentum," Stoops said. "We let them charge them all up. It appeared to me like we had some guys in position to make the play, and we get hesitant and don't make it."

OU's lead was 28-27 with three minutes left in the third quarter, when OU called Knall's fake on fourth-and-six from the Sooners' 48. The Longhorns saw it all the way, but Knall outran the initial wave of defenders and appeared headed for a first down.

Credit Texas' Curtis Brown for a saving tackle from behind, though it appeared blockers Jermaine Gresham and Sam Proctor both pulled up before the play was over.

"Jermaine stopped running a little bit, but it's not his fault," Knall said. "The play was executed like it was supposed to. I came up a couple feet short."

The Longhorns took over, drove to a field goal, and the Sooners were behind for the first time all season, 30-28.

"I felt it had a chance to give us some momentum, had a chance to steal us a possession," Stoops said. "We were already without (linebacker) Ryan Reynolds. I thought, 'Hey, this is an opportunity.'" We came up, whatever it was, about half-a-ball or a ball short."

As Knall said: "Those plays can change a game."

Guerin Emig 581-8355
guerin.emig@tulsaworld.com By GUERIN EMIG World Sports Writer

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AG1, (10/12/2008 6:38:31 PM)

Medium game Bob didn't look very impressive. How much is OU paying for him? His tantrum on the sideline wasn't as impressive any Gundy's rant - looks like he is pouting and can't spit his words out.

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