The OU guy who scheduled TCU the week before the Red River Rivalry was a genius.
After all, if TCU were to upset Oklahoma — which they did on Saturday — there probably was going to be no better a salve for those wounds than beating Texas in the Cotton Bowl the following week.
Sure, you may be thinking that an Oklahoma win this week over Texas is not a foregone conclusion. Well, it never is. Weird things happen in the Red River Rivalry. Sometimes the best team doesn’t win. See last year, for example.
Yet, I am quite sure the Sooners will beat Texas on Saturday. It will be easier to maneuver the concession lines at Fair Park than for Texas — which is 104th nationally in passing and 92nd in rushing — to move the ball gainst Oklahoma.
But, what is perhaps more troubling than thinking of the long lines for corn dogs at Fair Park, is the prospect that Oklahoma’s team is still good enough to get into the college football playoffs this year — and with further Top 10 losses expected that is very much a possibility –but the coaching may not be good enough.
Yeah, I know. You’re thinking I’m one of those fair weather fans who has criticized every offensive coordinator since Gaylen Hall. That I was hurling obscenities at this year’s offensive coordinator. I’m not. I didn’t.
It is just that the thought that offensive coordinator Josh Heupel may not be a national championship caliber playcaller struck me when Oklahoma was tied 31-31 in Fort Worth. There were 15 minutes left in the game. The Sooners had scored earlier in the quarter on an impressive and crushing drive — in which the Sooners threw only one pass but ran the ball six times — to wrestle away momentum from the Horned Frogs.
But, hey, should we have been surprised the Sooners would throw 35 passing attempts in this game, when the running back who rushed for 242 yards and four touchdowns last week didn’t even start?
But, hey, should we have been surprised the Sooners would throw 35 passing attempts in this game, when the running back who rushed for 242 yards and four touchdowns last week didn’t even start?
But to start this Sooner possession, Heupel called a pass play. Yes, this is after QB Trevor Knight had previously completed only seven out of 19 passes and shown his arm was off the mark this day. And, consistent with the previous three quarters, Knight threw incomplete behind a wide open receiver on first down. On the next play, Heupel called another pass play, this time a screen pass (not a bad call and certainly one that avoided the risk of incompletion or interception) to RB Samaje Perine who willed himself for eight yards.
Then on Third and 72 inches, our offensive coordinator called a third pass play. This time Knight delivered the ball to a guy wearing a purple jersey and who delivered the same ball to the opposite end zone to put TCU up — a score that would mean a win for the toads.
Sure, Heupel didn’t not throw that errant pass. But, let’s call it straight. Heupel ignored the fact his QB was struggling and called the same plays he would have called for Landry Jones or Sam Bradford or some other very accurate thrower. He ignored the fact Perine was barreling for at minimum five yards on every carry and had a better chance of getting the first down than anyone on the field.
He ignored what had happened earlier in the game. On each scoring drive the Sooners threw only one pass. All the other plays on each of those successful drives was a run.
In fact, even though there was plenty of time left in the game, Heupel panicked.
The second half play calling was disappointing. Yes, it really really was.
But, hey, should we have been surprised the Sooners would throw 35 passing attempts in this game, when the running back who rushed for 242 yards and four touchdowns last week didn’t even start?
Then as if to tell all Sooner fans, OK OK you want a run? Here’s your run: With the last seconds running out on the Sooner hopes, and with no time outs to stop the clock, the coaches called a QB draw 65 yards away from any chance to win the game. Huh?
In his post-game interview Coach Bob Stoops said he had no issues with the play calling. After all, it was about execution. Sure, I would not expect or want him to throw his assistant coaches under the bus. But, between you and me? The play calling was atrocious.
Make no mistake. TCU played well enough to win this game. They deserved it. The Sooner defense had busts. The offensive line got schooled. Knight went 14-35 and threw two interceptions. The players did not play well enough to win.
But, there was still chance in the final quarter of this game. The tools were there for a Sooner victory. Then the coaches squelched any opportunity to have that chance by their bone headed play calling.
I expect those same coaches will help the players get better. But, I have no expectation the coaches will get better. And that is why you probably won’t see the Sooners win a national championship this year.
On the other hand, victory in Dallas is always sweet.
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