Sign up or login to track your favorite teams

Sign Up for Bleacher Report

As a registered user you can subscribe to your favorite teams, post comments, write your own articles, and much more.

You must register in order for that functionality to work!







Validating sign up form ...

Bleacher Report articles are written by fans like you

Do you want to cover your favorite sports, teams, and leagues?

Processing writing preferences ...

Great, , you're signed up!

i.e. Big 10, LeBron James, USC Football

Selected Tags:

Logging in ...

Another BCS Championship Game, and another embarrassment for Oklahoma. Yes, the Sooners stayed in the game in the first half, and actually made it interesting for awhile, but like so many of ...

Time for "Big Game" Bob Stoops To Lose the Moniker

by Lisa Horne (Senior Writer)

76

1084 reads

Opinion

January 09, 2009


Another BCS Championship Game, and another embarrassment for Oklahoma. Yes, the Sooners stayed in the game in the first half, and actually made it interesting for awhile, but like so many of their forays into high-level competition in BCS Bowls, the Sooners' coaching staff was exposed as "not-ready-for-prime-time."

Stoops may be a legend in Norman, but his 0-5 mark in his last five BCS Bowls has cemented his status as a failure.

It's not the talent—he has plenty. It's not the play-calling—oh wait, it is. Again.

Twice in the first half, the Sooners were in the red-zone, and twice walked away with nothing. Zilch. Nada. Zippo.

When you're given a gift (i.e., interception), you don't gamble it way. Take the three and say, "Thank you very much, Mr. Tebow." But Stoops, on two consecutive plays, called a tentative running play, and when that didn't work, called it again, just to make sure the Gators were paying attention. Not only were they paying attention, but they saluted his butt back a few yards.

Sorry, Bob, there are no mulligans in football. The checklist is alarming.

Poor clock management? Check. Questionable timeouts? Check. Conservative playcalling at inappropriate times? Check. Failure to convert on big third down plays? Check, check and check.

Stoops' inability to rally the troops after a miscue has been problematic for some time. This wasn't a fluke. In fact, this performance played out like all of his other performances—a big bang beginning, and complete ineptitude afterward.

 In the 2005 Championship against the USC Trojans, the score was 7-7 and both teams were playing fairly even. One muffed punt return by Mark Bradley, and the little wheels of the Sooner Schooner fell off so fast, the Trojans had reeled off 21 straight points before the Sooners knew what hit them. Stoops even admitted that it was a game-changing play. But he hasn't learned from it.

This game against the Gators was more of the same—when his team didn't stop the Gators on a between-the-tackles run, Stoops stomped his feet and threw his headset down on the ground ala Steve Spurrier. Guess what Bob? You're becoming more and more like Spurrier and that's not a compliment. See South Carolina's game against Iowa for proof.

It's frustrating to watch the Sooners implode with dropped pass after dropped pass, but even more frustrating when you consider some of the biggest and baddest plays called can't be blamed on the players. With seconds left in the half and the game tied, Stoops called for a pass play at the goal line in a lot of traffic.

Where's the fade into the corner? There's a much higher completion percentage and less chance of an interception. Instead, the Gators intercepted the ball, and sent the Sooners into the locker room with lots of doubt and frustration and their tails between their legs. The outcome was inevitable.

It's the same old stuff and football fans are tired of it. Flashes of brilliance with tons of mediocrity. You would think by now the Sooners would have a chip on their shoulders as big as Stoops 6 million dollar paycheck—heck, even a disrespected Ohio State team came out on fire against Texas and almost won the Fiesta Bowl. The Sooners, on the other hand, got beat by a bunch of sophomores who clearly executed better in the second half. Sophomores.

For all those apologists of Notre Dame or Alabama who hide behind the youth of their team as an excuse for tanking some games, Florida just schooled you. Big time. So sit down, shut up, and quiet those spin machines.

The Florida Gators may not have the best technical quarterback, but Tebow is without a doubt the face of what is so grand about college football. He's the guy you want in a huddle. He's the guy you want to lead you into battle. Bradford may be a beautiful pocket passer and prototype NFL thrower, but give me Tebow anyway. He's the epitome of a winner.

As far as Stoops' future, who knows? Sooners fans can sit and tick off all the Big 12 Championships he has won, all the Red River Rivalries he has won, but honestly, they need a serious reality check if they don't have some lingering doubts in their minds. Moreover, outside Oklahoma, Texas and Nebraska, nobody gives a damn anymore. Yes, Stoops has brought the Sooners back into national prominence, but realistically, he has now taken them out of it.

Like Ohio State, there's going to be some serious mulling over Oklahoma next season and where the pollsters place them in the polls. Ask Notre Dame what the repercussions of losing consecutive bowls are. The Sooners stock is falling, and the CEO is to blame.

Stoops is a good coach, great community leader and has a remarkable coaching record. But his bowl performances stink. Stoops has lost five straight BCS Bowls, with a Holiday Bowl win the only thing saving him from a futile 0-6 in the last six years.

The Sooners fans may swear their allegiance to him and point with pride at how he has turned around the Sooners football program, but the "at least we are playing in a BCS Bowl" song is becoming annoying. And tiresome. The Sooners are keeping other quality teams out of a bowl and it's becoming increasingly clear that conference perceptions are whacked.

This was a title game, and the Sooners didn't look anything like a national title contender. Again. The Sooners were out coached. Again. Ask anyone in the nation whether they would take Urban Meyer or Bob Stoops as their coach, and anyone who says "Bob Stoops" is content to never go on to the next level and still believes Al Gore invented the Internet.

Urban Meyer, Pete Carroll and Les Miles are winners. Stoops is a BCS loser.

The truth hurts, but in the end, it's fairly accurate.

"Almost winning" is still a loss. 0-5 is a mess.

With a month to prepare, this nation's highest ranked offense could only produce 14 points against a bunch of underclassmen.

Pathetic performances, not able to game-prep in bowls, and a propensity to sneak through the cracks in the BCS system all add up to one thing- he's lucky as hell he even got to play in the BCS Bowls.

"Big Game" Bob? Not even close. "Big Bust" Bob is more fitting.

Congrats to the Florida Gators, 2008 National Champions.

Track this Article on My B/R
Flag This Article
Share This Article

76 comments Last one added 5 months ago — Leave a Comment

  1. Steve Auger 5 months ago

    Good analysis, Lisa. The two re zone trips w/no points told me OK was toast. Just a bad omen.

    If we can humor ourselves, now that Florida has won, how do you think USC, Texas, & Utah would fare against Florida? I think USC would win. Not sure yet about Texas and Utah. Ah, if only we had a playoff.....

    Edit Comment Cancel

    Reply
    Great Comment (
    0
    )

    • Lisa Horne 5 months ago

      Steve-

      I really don't like to play the "what if" scenarios because they can never be proved. USC should have beaten Oregon State, and they didn't, and if you had asked me before the game, I would have said USC in a close one because Corvallis is unkind to the Trojans. I would have been wrong.

      Personally, I think USC v Florida would have been the end-all for a National Championship. High octane offenses v stingy D's.

      Texas? Don't think so.

      Utah.....if they played like they did against Alabama, it would have been a heckuva game as well.

      Edit Comment Cancel

      Reply
      Great Comment (
      0
      )

    • Steve Auger 5 months ago

      "USC should have beaten Oregon State, and they didn't,"

      And that is one of the best reasons to have a playoff. Look at college hoops. UNC will still have a shot to cut down the nets despite not showing up against BC. The Trojans on the other hand, were punished for losing to a nemesis.

      Edit Comment Cancel

      Reply
      Great Comment (
      0
      )

  2. john landrigan 5 months ago

    Bob Stoops has won a national championship, but lately as u point out his teams just seem uninspired in bowl games. The Big 12 was 4-3 in bowl games and the surprise is the Big 12 north was 3-0 and the "superior" Big 12 south was 1-3. Stoops is a good coach but the bowl season is different from the regular season and Stoops seems clueless how to carry intensity over. Maybe Stoops thinks the season ends after the Big 12 championship game?

    Edit Comment Cancel

    Reply
    Great Comment (
    0
    )

    • Lisa Horne 5 months ago

      You see some coaches who have teams fired up after a one month layoff- Florida, Utah and USC were all fired up. Oklahoma falls apart after the first half. It's half-time management, locker room speeches, I don't know.

      Edit Comment Cancel

      Reply
      Great Comment (
      0
      )

  3. felton moore 5 months ago

    How are people so convinced that USC would've beaten UF. Yeah they were suppose
    to beat Stanford by 40+ and didn't.

    Edit Comment Cancel

    Reply
    Great Comment (
    0
    )

    • Lisa Horne 5 months ago

      felton-

      What possible relevance does a team from 2007 have to do with the 2008 team? That loss was 15 months ago. I'm not understanding your logic.

      Besides, we are talking about BCS Bowls here. USC has lost one BCS Bowl and won six. Did you know USC would have been favored if they had played the Gators? It's a fact- google Vegas odds USC v Florida in National Championship Game. Of course, that doesn't mean they would have won, but USC has a strong record in BCS bowls, just like Florida does.

      Edit Comment Cancel

      Reply
      Great Comment (
      0
      )

  4. Vince Young 5 months ago

    Lisa,

    Didn't you write an apology to OU fans before the game for picking Florida? Didn't you change your pick in that article?

    I told you it was premature. OU has not only had a problem choking in the big games, but they don't play well away from Norman.

    Edit Comment Cancel

    Reply
    Great Comment (
    0
    )

    • Lisa Horne 5 months ago

      Vince-

      Yes I did write an apology to Sooners fans for dismissing their team's shortcomings. I listed several reasons why the Sooners looked to be a very good team.

      I ALSO listed one negative-Stoops ability to coach up his team in bowls. That turned out to be the difference. It's not going away.

      Edit Comment Cancel

      Reply
      Great Comment (
      0
      )

  5. rolltider01 5 months ago

    hey, i enjoyed the article.

    You are right about Stoops, he has had many opportunities and failed in most of them; As far as NC and BCS bowls go. i almost feel bad for them. I know how bad it can hurt to get so close and fall so short, which is exactly what Bama did. It was almost embarrassing the way they came out in the first quarter and was absolutely manhandled by Utah.

    As far as the game goes it was a good one, Like you said if the play calling had been a lil different OK would probably have won the game...

    Have you heard about the Stoops going pro rumor or anything? i don't know if it's true or not just something i heard.

    Edit Comment Cancel

    Reply
    Great Comment (
    0
    )

  6. James Colt 5 months ago

    I love your comparison between Spurrier and Stoops. I've been thinking about writing an article about those two. Stoops does everything like Spurrier, and as you point out that's not a good thing. He gets all his coaching attributes from Spurrier. Everything from his arrogance (he said after his NC game win against FSU that winning titles isn't hard) to his sideline melt downs from Spurrier. It must be something in the water in Gainsville (well Gatorade I guess) because I even see the arrogant attitude in Meyer, but lucky for him he wasn't there with Spurrier so he didn't learn to melt down. I'm sure it's the fans that lead to the arrogance because boy are Gator fans proud.

    Edit Comment Cancel

    Reply
    Great Comment (
    0
    )

    • Lisa Horne 5 months ago

      GATORS FANS SHOULD BE PROUD. THEY KINDA LOOKED MEDIOCRE IN THE FIRST HALF. DON'T KNOW WHAT WAS UP WITH THAT, BUT TEBOW APPARENTLY GOT REVED UP IN THE LOCKER ROOM.

      Whoops, sorry for caps. It was an accident. Anyway, they came out like champs in the 2nd half and proved why they were the champs.

      Edit Comment Cancel

      Reply
      Great Comment (
      0
      )

  7. Carter . 5 months ago

    I wouldnt call a guy coming to Oklahoma for 9 years and already getting them to 4 national championship games and plenty of conference championships a failure. Sure Oklahoma has lost a few national championship games in the past, but with you calling Bob Stoops a failure is absolutely not smart at all.

    Edit Comment Cancel

    Reply
    Great Comment (
    0
    )

    • Lisa Horne 5 months ago

      Carter-

      I appreciate your input. Define failure. Maybe I have a different definition. Here is the online dictionary's definition with me answering whether or not Stoops has met the criteria of the definition.

      fail·ure (flyr)
      n.
      1. The condition or fact of not achieving the desired end or ends: the failure of an experiment. (Yes)
      2. One that fails: a failure at one's career. (Yes, but not completely)
      3. The condition or fact of being insufficient or falling short: a crop failure. (yes)
      4. A cessation of proper functioning or performance: a power failure. (yes)
      5. Nonperformance of what is requested or expected; omission: failure to report a change of address. (yes)
      6. The act or fact of failing to pass a course, test, or assignment. (yes)
      7. A decline in strength or effectiveness. (Yes)
      8. The act or fact of becoming bankrupt or insolvent. (No)

      Except for No. 8, which does not apply, he gets a yes after every definition. It's not pretty, but it's pretty accurate.

      Edit Comment Cancel

      Reply
      Great Comment (
      0
      )

    • Zach Dirlam 5 months ago

      dude have you looked at Stoop's record against top teams lately? He's lost 5 straight BCS games by an average of around 17 points. Also after starting off 14-1 against top 15 teams he has now lost 9 of his last 15. It's even worse against the top 5. He started off 5-1 against top 5 opponents and now he has lost 5 of the last 8. Lisa is absolutely right, "Big Game" Bob is having some trouble living up to his nickname.

      Edit Comment Cancel

      Reply
      Great Comment (
      0
      )

    • Carter . 5 months ago

      I didnt ask for a definition. Bob Stoops is currently one of the most remarkable and most winningest coaches over the past decade. He single handedly turned around the OU football program. You seem to be too busy giving english lessons and not looking too hard at a real successful coaching candidate. It's not smart. Stoops has an overall coaching record of 109-24 (.820 winning percentage). Many coaches across the NFL and the BCS division of college football would love to have those kinds of numbers. Florida did have the better game and Oklahoma hasnt been able to finish their Bowl games in the past. However not all of the blame goes to Bob Stoops because he does not play on the field. If Sometimes articles need to look at things froom both sides. This article was well written but a little too one sided and a little too bias. Again, good article, but not very many positive numbers to back it up. but i gotta say i enjoyed reading it, just too negative.

      Edit Comment Cancel

      Reply
      Great Comment (
      0
      )

    • Zach Dirlam 5 months ago

      read over the numbers i just told you about and you will see why this article needed to be written.

      Edit Comment Cancel

      Reply
      Great Comment (
      0
      )

    • Carter . 5 months ago

      i read the numbers that you wrote down once, and again i say here. This article was well written but a little too one sided and not reflecting Stoops full tenure at Oklahoma. It only stated mainly the BCS game losses, which is indeed not the full picture. I'm not saying that the article didn;t need to be written, but it doesnt cover the full story of Bob Stoops and his great job at oklahoma.

      Edit Comment Cancel

      Reply
      Great Comment (
      0
      )

    • Edmon 5 months ago

      Lisa, by your definition, Pete Carroll is as much of a failure as Bob Stoops. Oklahoma loses it's games in BCS title games while USC loses to Stanford and Oregon State cost itself the title.

      Edit Comment Cancel

      Reply
      Great Comment (
      0
      )

    • Lisa Horne 5 months ago

      Carter-

      Make no mistake, the article was negative, so that's not a misconception. Yes, he has a remarkable winning percentage in the regular season. It's post-season that stinks.

      Is the regular season's successes supposed to be it? For some teams, you could say yes. Oklahoma doesn't fall in that category. Neither does Michigan, Ohio State, ND, Alabama, Nebraska, Miami and Florida State. They are expected to go beyond regular season and win their bowls. Not every bowl, but the majority. Oklahoma is a football state, always will be.

      This is unacceptable to most Sooners, and while they respect Stoops, I know they are mad. This was supposed to be the best team in a long time, and once again, Stoops didn't deliver. It's not the talent, it's the coaching.

      Thanks for your very nice remarks...I appreciate it.

      Edit Comment Cancel

      Reply
      Great Comment (
      0
      )

    • Lisa Horne 5 months ago

      Edmon-

      Pete Carroll could be considered one of the most dominant coaches this decade. 6-1 in BCS Bowls. Two National Championships. That's a seriously winning record.

      Edit Comment Cancel

      Reply
      Great Comment (
      0
      )

    • Edmon 5 months ago

      Lisa, I think Pete Carroll is THE best coach in college football. That doesn't mean his failure to beat teams lesser is better than Bob Stoops. The way I see it USC has missed out on just as many National Championships as Oklahoma. Failing to win a game and being a failure are two different things.

      Edit Comment Cancel

      Reply
      Great Comment (
      0
      )

  8. Lisa Horne 5 months ago

    Zach-

    Thanks. And Stoops didn't get them to the BCS games, the blind pollsters did. Once he got there, the real Sooners were exposed in the last 6 years. So obviously I disagree with Carter, but he seems like a nice guy.

    Edit Comment Cancel

    Reply
    Great Comment (
    0
    )

  9. Schmitters 5 months ago

    I'm sure everyone, myself included, agree with you on that they should have gone for the three. Nice article.

    Edit Comment Cancel

    Reply
    Great Comment (
    0
    )

    • Lisa Horne 5 months ago

      Man, if he had gone for the three (twice), it would have been 13-7, and would have been the first time in a loong time they went into half time with a lead. I knew it was going to get bad for the Sooners when the Gators intercepted.

      Edit Comment Cancel

      Reply
      Great Comment (
      0
      )

    • Edmon 5 months ago

      With that offense, you don't go for three. Hindsight is 20/20. If they would have went for three in those situations and still lost, people would be saying "you have to trust your juggernaut offense".

      Edit Comment Cancel

      Reply
      Great Comment (
      0
      )

  10. Henry Milton 5 months ago

    Gotta disagree with you on Alabama's "youth is no excuse". Comparing them with Florida is apples and oranges. Urban Meyer is in year 4 with players recruited for his system on both sides of the ball, and had one of the nation's better recruiters to stack the cupboard for him beforehand ... yes some guys recruited by Ron Zook are still in Gainesville!

    Meanwhile, Alabama is just coming off massive near "death penalty" type NCAA sanctions. They had Mike Shula, who was bad at evaluating talent and worse at developing it, as head coach. And it is also had a bunch of players who didn't know how to get up and compete from week to week because the mentality, the focus hadn't been instilled in the older players who were supposed to be the leaders by the prior coaching staff. If I recall, Nick Saban even admitted before the bowl game that his team wasn't taking Utah as seriously as they should. This team went 6-6 last season for a reason, and were really basically just the 3 or 4 good players from the prior regime and Saban's players, and recall that Saban only had the benefit of one full recruiting class.

    Oh yeah, and Alabama is putting in new systems on both sides of the ball. They don't even have the players on defense to run Saban's 3-4 defense, and Saban states that it takes about 2-3 years for his players learn his complicated blitz and coverage schemes. When you consider that Saban's system is basically the offense reacting to what the defense sets up for them in terms of turnovers and field position, that is significant. But Alabama actually had to revert back to the 4-3 defense when Cody got injured. On offense, well Saban has had 2 offensive coordinators in 2 years. Next year they start over with a new QB. Since Saban tried his hardest to get Terrelle Pryor but this year has a commit from a dropback QB he probably doesn't even know what he wants to do on the offensive side of the ball yet. I know that his first year, he hired a former Texas QB, forget his name, to try to put in a Big 12 spread style passing offense, but it didn't work out (the guy wasn't experienced enough to handle being a coordinator in the SEC) so he went back to Texas.

    That's why Utah's beating Alabama wasn't really that big of a surprise. Alabama isn't the typical SEC team loaded with talent; rather because of sanctions and Shula's incompetent recruiting and development, the talent differential really wasn't that much in Alabama's favor (don't fool yourself, Utah has future NFL players just like virtually every strong mid - major program does these days). Add that the fact that Utah was a senior - laden team that has been running the Meyer/Whittingham system for 6 years with guys knowing how to work hard and compete ... Utah was just flat out the better team, especially when - as you implied with the Tebow/Bradford comparison - there is more to being a good football player than simple natural ability.

    I actually expect Alabama to take a step back next season (although their defense will be better) and be primed for a run in 2010.

    Edit Comment Cancel

    Reply
    Great Comment (
    0
    )

    • Lisa Horne 5 months ago

      I too think Bama will take a step back next year, but '10 could be special. Saban has to work in his recruits. Still, the Gators did have like 15 sophs on the D. That's young, and they hadn't been in the system that long.

      The youth excuse does get old when you go undefeated. Undefeated in the SEC with a young team. Then lose to a better team (Florida) and Utah.

      Not sure what to make about them not taking Utah seriously. I read his presser quotes and he said that he had been preaching about not dismissing Utah. He then made that "real BCS conference" comment.

      Edit Comment Cancel

      Reply
      Great Comment (
      0
      )

    • Damon Wildman 5 months ago

      Bama may very well take a step back in the win loss record next year and still be better than this past season. Although the schedule looks very favorable especially not having either Florida or Georgia on the schedule. Va. Tech will be an early challenge that could go either way in my mind and Ole Miss and LSU should be tough especially Ole Miss on the road.

      A lot of things fell Bama's way this past season, lack of injuries among one of the biggest as well as other teams implosion.

      Lisa I understand your point on the youth argument but what do you think this past years #1 recruiting class will look like when they are seniors and after having coach Saban's recruits fully in place at every position with experience?

      Then maybe you will understand coach Saban's statement.

      Edit Comment Cancel

      Reply
      Great Comment (
      0
      )

  11. Edmon 5 months ago

    He may not be "Big Game", but he's a great coach. Look at who he has lost to in BCS championships (Carroll, Saban, Meyer) and look at the one win he does have (Bowden). One out of four against that list of coaches, to be honest, is pretty good.

    Edit Comment Cancel

    Reply
    Great Comment (
    0
    )

    • John Cate 5 months ago

      I think Oklahoma has a higher standard than that. I don't think this article is completely fair to Bob Stoops, but he should be expected to fight any coach and program in the nation to at least a draw.

      Take a look at Barry Switzer's record against some of his rivals. He was 12-5 against Tom Osborne, 5-3 against Jimmy Johnson, 3-0-1 against Darrell Royal, 2-0 against Bowden, 1-0 against Schembechler, Paterno and Hayes. Lou Holtz and Don James burned him once each, and Johnson did a couple of times, but overall, you didn't like your chances if Barry Switzer was the coach on the other side of the field.

      I don't see OU firing Stoops or anything like that, but he does need to win a few of these games to get back the high regard he once had. Basically, he got a mulligan this year after the Sooners fell apart against Texas, and he punted it. Switzer got one in '85, after he'd lost to Miami. They won out, and then Tennessee upset (actually, stomped) Miami in the Sugar Bowl. Oklahoma was playing Penn State that night, and with the door back open, Switzer got it done. Unless you were Bobby Bowden in the '90s, you don't get a mulligan every year.

      Edit Comment Cancel

      Reply
      Great Comment (
      0
      )

    • Lisa Horne 5 months ago

      Edmon!

      I would'nt say great coach. But can appreciate why some would say that. Great to me means someone you know will put forth a great effort and win when the expectations are high.

      Actually, Frank Beamer is a great coach. He doesn't have nearly the talent as other teams, yet his D is consistently good, and he wins when it's NOT expected.

      Edit Comment Cancel

      Reply
      Great Comment (
      0
      )

    • Travis Miller 5 months ago

      I knew scouring your comments I'd find some love for Frank Beamer and the boys!

      Okay, I can't honestly say that's true. I just like how your comment threads play the "telephone" game and you stick with it the whole time! Kudos as always Lisa!

      Edit Comment Cancel

      Reply
      Great Comment (
      0
      )

  12. J. Robert Byrom 5 months ago

    Their is nothing wrong with this article as far as facts go but seeing how you picked theSooners to win the game, it just seems to me like your trying to backpeddle and save face.

    "Stoops didn't get them to the BCS games, the blind pollsters did." Lisa, You picked the Sooners to win the game. So, you are as blind as any of the pollsters. You believed in Stoops before the game but now hindsight being twenty/twenty you want to write this article, which is about four years late, instead of just admiting you were wrong when history gave you plenty or reasons to doubt him.

    Stoops lost that "Big Game" moniker in Norman Circa 2004, We started doubing him after his dreadful performances when his brother left and were sure of it after USC in 2005. It is moslty the media that keeps trotting it out when they get to thses big games, but Sooner fans havent trusted him to win the big games in long while. Do they admit it to the other teams fans? No, of course not, you tell the other teams fans that you are the greatest and their team is toast, that is just what fans do, you support your team and talk them up no matter what you truly think.

    I, too, thought OU had a chance to win the game but I considered Stoops a liablity, especially if the game got close. I knew if it was close that didnt bode well for the Sooners and I have heard that time and time again from Sooner Fans.

    Even I, A Sooner fan who loves Stoops, was smart enough not to trust him yesterday, as evidenced by this article I wrote yesterday morning Edit Comment Cancel

    Reply
    Great Comment (
    0
    )

    • Lisa Horne 5 months ago

      If you go back and re-read the article...what was my main concern? The inability of Stoops to win in big games. I picked the Sooners based on talent, experience to win, and their level of competition during the year. But I did bring up that reservation about Stoops.

      By the way, I have harped on him before, so this isn't back pedaling. If you want links, I'll be more than happy to provide them.

      Edit Comment Cancel

      Reply
      Great Comment (
      0
      )

    • J. Robert Byrom 5 months ago

      I dont think I read an article here, it was another site or maybe tv. but really this wasnt one of his worse performances and the Big Game thing has been gone a good long while. Rereading this comment I think I was to hard on you and I apoligize.

      Edit Comment Cancel

      Reply
      Great Comment (
      0
      )

  13. Mick Seyler 5 months ago

    Ol'e Boomer is the Biggest BCS loser of the BCS era, my condolences. I was rooting for you all so maybe next year. I keep telling myself that year after year now it seems. It is going to seem like forever, but I cannot wait to get Lisa's team in the shoe next year. We kept it close against Texas, could have won so you have to go back to respecting us now, remember Lis...

    Edit Comment Cancel

    Reply
    Great Comment (
    0
    )

  14. Charles Le Shambeau 5 months ago

    Unless you're USC, UF, Texas, or LSU, you would trade places with OU and gladly accept Stoops. Showing up to 4 title games in 9 years ain't too shabby. Losing all those BCS bowls in a row isn't wonderful, but winning enough games to win 6 conference titles and MAKE it to those BCS berths is something to hang your hat on.

    Pollsters can't win a conference title game 6 times.

    Edit Comment Cancel

    Reply
    Great Comment (
    0
    )

    • Lisa Horne 5 months ago

      It's the consistent manner in which they have lost- they weren't prepared.

      Most high school teams can recognize a hook and ladder, for example. Here he is getting schooled by a WAC team.

      Halftime speeches aren't being used right- something's amiss. Look at Penn State- they were getting smoked by USC 31-7 at the half, but came back and fought hard. Now that's great coaching.

      Edit Comment Cancel

      Reply
      Great Comment (
      0
      )

  15. Bernie 5 months ago

    Probably a difficult article for OU fans to digest. The truth is I would've disagreed with it until about halftime last night. It seems illogical to bash such a successful coach. But they got burned by Boise and the very next year wiped by WVU on the same field. You're right. The truth hurts....

    FWIW - I was behind going for it on fourth down. I tend to like aggressive play calls in high stakes games. But they should've play actioned on third. They looked like they knew they were going to turn it over on downs...just going through the motions. If that was the case, sure - take the three.

    Side note: what are the 150+ Big 12 writers that refused to put Tebow 1st 2nd or 3rd on their ballot thinking today?? Bradford looked a little lost against the tight man coverage. Not easy for this Georgia fan to point out, but last night Tebow showed the world who the best college football player was this season...

    Edit Comment Cancel

    Reply
    Great Comment (
    0
    )

    • Lisa Horne 5 months ago

      Bernie- Agreed. After two running plays, he calls the exact same play as the third down play. Play action would have been a great call. I was officially befuddled.

      When you are handed a gift, take the 3! When you screw that up, take the second 3. Sigh.

      Tebow invented the Internet! :)

      Edit Comment Cancel

      Reply
      Great Comment (
      0
      )

    • Bernie 5 months ago

      I won't tell Al Gore you said that.... ; )

      Edit Comment Cancel

      Reply
      Great Comment (
      0
      )

  1. Carter . 5 months ago

    considering the way that this article was written and one sided, it almost deserves comments like this to pull for the other side. Something tells me that the writer did pick OU to win the title game, Florida wins, and makes the writer look bad, so she tries to write an article to make herself look better. almost worked, but didnt... face facts...Bob Stoops and his team mightve struggled in big games, but the man is a genius and OU remains one of the most storied college football programs. You just have a hard time admitting to it.

    Edit Comment Cancel

    Reply
    Great Comment (
    0
    )

    • Lisa Horne 5 months ago

      Genius?

      Carter...first off, I'm a Gator fan. Think hard about that for a minute.

      What I am most unforgiving about is the fact that I didn't think it was possible for Stoops to MIS-MANAGE a 5th straight BCS. I gave him way too much credit. I didn't think he would have forgotten the past four- I assumed he was smart enough to keep his players hot, keep them focused, and keep them motivated. After 0-4, there has to be some positive right? Wrong. If it walks like a duck, talks like a duck, it's a duck.

      OU is a storied program, and I have absolutely NO problem admitting it. But when it comes to the Big Games, Bob is going to go down as a failure.

      Edit Comment Cancel

      Reply
      Great Comment (
      0
      )

  2. Bill Buby 5 months ago

    Lisa
    This was the most exciting game I've ever been to; I would not knock OU coaches. They showed up with a defensive plan that squelched Florida in the first half.
    The only thing I don't understand is why Stoops didn't just kick a field goal. My only knock on the defense was that in the fourth quarter after Harvin was tackled by Harris, Harris decided to snatch Harvin’s bad ankle pro-wrestle style which the sorry ACC referees ignored; they didn’t throw Harris out of the game, or even call a penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct. These were the worst officials ever assemble on one field. They destroy the momentum of a college game, I thought at first they had hire NFL referees because they were so bad.. How do you call an excessive celebration call on Murphy after he caught a pass, when he pointed toward the goal? When Tebow got a penalty for taunting by doing the Gator chomp I think he and the OU player had just agreed to cream a referee, if you watch a replay you’ll see the OU player lining up the ref for Tebow to run over.

    OU’s offense just wasn’t effective against Charlie Strong’s “underclassman” defense. When I think how hard they have work to improve from last year the ‘underclassman’ comment is a knock on what they have accomplished. I understand that Florida every Thursday had practice a little against a No-Huddle offense, but the practice team did the no-huddle simulations allot faster than OU. So you could say it’s a matter of respect, Florida excepted to play OU or OU type offense at the end of the season. So OU offense wasn’t imploding they were being beat and they were doing their best they could do trying to survive the Gator feeding frenzy.

    Tim Tebow, is the greatest college football player of all time, I would like to personally thank the 154 idot Heisman voters that denied Tebow his second Heisman Trophy; that extra motivation was priceless. Bradford is a great passer but he wish he weighted 240 pounds and could run over people like Tebow. Maybe next year Urban will let Tebow play linebacker a little, just for fun.
    I don’t know why OU lost those other BCS games, but I know why they lost this one.

    Edit Comment Cancel

    Reply
    Great Comment (
    0
    )

    • Lisa Horne 5 months ago

      Bill- How cool you got to go. Outstanding!

      I thought the refs slowed down the game in the beginning. It slowed down the pace. I agree.

      Officiating was fine. Nothing seriously missed. They let them play a little. As long as it's even on both sides, I have no complaints.

      I agree on Tebow. Hes too good for the NFL. He should run for President, and here's the thing....he would win. That kid has so much charisma, it's amazing. He simply blows me away.

      Edit Comment Cancel

      Reply
      Great Comment (
      0
      )

  3. Damon Wildman 5 months ago

    Lisa great article. About Bob Stoops....I hate to admit it but my beloved coach Paul "Bear" Bryant went 8 years in a row with a non-winning bowl streak. And then reeled off 6 straight bowl wins and 2 National championships.

    The big thing is to be good enough to get there. If you are consistently good enough to be in contention for a National Championship then you have a great chance at getting one eventually. Maybe more if you are lucky. But don't devalue what it takes to get the chance.

    Edit Comment Cancel

    Reply
    Great Comment (
    0
    )

    • Lisa Horne 5 months ago

      The thing is, were they good enough to be there? I say no.

      That's the problem. As I said...it's not their fault the BCS picked them. Unfortunately, they may have an outstanding team next year, and may get overlooked because of their past performances. I put that on Stoops' shoulders.

      Edit Comment Cancel

      Reply
      Great Comment (
      0
      )

    • Damon Wildman 5 months ago

      You are exactly right. Its not their fault no more than it was Ohio States. The BCS sucks and is no better unless they get lucky which happened from time to time, as did the old way of bowls.

      Stoops made glaring mistakes no doubt. But if he keeps getting there eventually he could figure it out.

      Edit Comment Cancel

      Reply
      Great Comment (
      0
      )

    • John Cate 5 months ago

      Bear did lose his bowl game several years in a row, but that was a different time and place and different circumstances.

      A lot of that losing streak came in the early 1970s, when Alabama kept winning the SEC title year after year and thus earning an automatic trip to the Sugar Bowl. The reason this happened was that the SEC, for one of those rare periods of time, wasn't very good. Tennessee was tanking, Auburn went into decline after 1972, LSU and Georgia were up and down, Ole Miss had lost Vaught, and Florida was years away from being relevant.

      A lot of those bowl games Alabama lost, it was simply because they were getting beat by a better team after rolling through a weak conference. Or they would go 11-0, and then lose the national championship to the team that was really the best in the country, like in '73. Basically, Alabama at that time and place was a lot like Ohio State is now. I would also add that Bear probably got a few of those teams into major bowls by dint of his coaching skills--but then lost the bowls because he faced a team with more talent that also had a Hall of Fame caliber coach.

      Stoops isn't "coaching up" his teams into bowls over their head, nor is he playing in a weak conference. As I said in an earlier post, he needs to win some of these games, and right now he's not doing that, and it is hurting his reputation.

      Edit Comment Cancel

      Reply
      Great Comment (
      0
      )

    • Damon Wildman 5 months ago

      John back then the SEC champion didn't have the automatic trip to the Sugar bowl. Bama lost to Nebraska in the Orange bowl in '72. To Texas in the Cotton bowl in'73. To Notre Dame on December 31st, 1973 Sugar bowl. Which was played at Tulane stadium in one of if not the best football games I ever witnessed. Bama had Notre Dame backed up against their own goal line with a third and long awaiting a punt to go and kick a field goal to win only to have Notre Dame throw a pass out of the endzone for a game ending clock running down first down.

      Then to Notre Dame the next year in the Orange bowl. I believe then after that the SEC and Sugar bowl signed an agreement for the SEC champion to play in the Sugar bowl which was after the completion of the Louisiana Super dome. During coach Bryants non-winning bowl streak he also lost to Texas A&M in '68 Cotton bowl, Missouri in the Gator bowl in '68, Colorado in the '69 Liberty bowl, and tied Oklahoma in the '70 Blue Bonnet bowl.

      Times have changed from back then no doubt. Bama was king of the SEC and the 85 scholarship rule that we have today was only a dream that some Ivy league president was dreaming of to make their conference relevant again which never happened.

      Bama did get the UPI Poll national championship in '73 while Notre Dame got the AP in that classic 24-23 win. but of course the UPI voted before the bowls were played. If that were still the case Bama would have been the national champions this past season at the end of the regular scheduled season at 12-0.

      Edit Comment Cancel

      Reply
      Great Comment (
      0
      )

  4. Gray Ghost 5 months ago

    Great job Lisa! When all is said and done, and with all of the outstanding QB's we've seen, this will be known as the Tim Tebow era. He is an amazing athlete and I hope we realize we are watching something that is very special take place. Some will try and detract by saying he won't make it in the NFL, but regardless - he is the best there is in college football.

    As a Dawg fan who has watched his team get torched by Tebow and the Gators - it has been a privilege to witness such a athlete. One final comment: No one gets their team better prepared for a big game than Urban Meyer. He is a great coach. Congrats to the Gators and their fans.

    Edit Comment Cancel

    Reply
    Great Comment (
    0
    )

    • Robert 5 months ago

      Those sure are some kind words, GG.

      I was hoping the game would end in both teams quitting. Oh well...

      (Long sigh. Brief pause.)

      Congrats Gators.

      Edit Comment Cancel

      Reply
      Great Comment (
      0
      )

  5. Jordan Tippitt 5 months ago

    So the man who gets to 4 national championships in 9 years is a failure? How can you justify that? oh wait, you can't.
    And if you don't know, Bradford has the option to change the play at the line so how do you know that Stoops made the call? In fact, last time i checked the offensive coordinater called the plays.
    Stoops took a team who won three games the year before and went to the independence bowl in his first year, he lost that game to ole miss by a last second field goal after deuce mcalister ran back a kickoff. (not a bad first season for a team who only won three games the year before especially considering this is back when there were only 11 games). Oh yea and in his second season HE WENT UNDEFEATED. Oh and he does all of this in a state that has little talent.
    You know what, you are right. Bob stoops should quit his job right now because he sucks so bad because he has won a national championship in his second year. What a sucky coach.

    i am a huge SEC guy, but you are crazy to tell me that what Bob Stoops has done isn't just amazing.

    Edit Comment Cancel

    Reply
    Great Comment (
    0
    )

    • Lisa Horne 5 months ago

      Jordan-

      He didn't get the team to the finals, the BCS did. They gave him chances, and he has failed five straight times.

      His sole NC wasn't with his own players.

      As far as the OC making the calls, you could be right. Maybe he didn't hire well, because the playcalling was bad. If the OC made the calls, he made a bad choice. It's still on him.

      I gave him credit for turning the program around, fyi. But what have you done since then? Nada. Quick, name me the first round losers in the NBA playoffs last year. It would take a lot of time. The "we at least made it there" argument doesn't wash with me.

      Nobody remembers the losers in a decade. Only the winners.

      Edit Comment Cancel

      Reply
      Great Comment (
      0
      )

    • Jordan Tippitt 5 months ago

      So that national championship he won when TWO years ago the team had 3 wins isn't impressive. talk about "What have you done for me lately." There are over 100 coaches in division 1 foootball that have not won a national championship, and around 118 that haven't been to the title game 4 times in 9 years. You say his sole national championship like its nothing. How many have you won?

      And seriously, are you going to give the BCS credit for his sucess? That's low.

      So you are saying that if the offensive coordinater makes a mistake its Stoops fault? So if the defensive back trips and falls is that stoops fault? What about the other interception by Bradford, was that stoops fault?

      And can you name the BCS champion from 10, 11, or 12 years ago? (most people don't even remember the winners)

      Edit Comment Cancel

      Reply
      Great Comment (
      0
      )

  6. Ron Stiles 5 months ago

    Lisa,
    You had wrote in an earlier story that your pick for the national championship was for Oklahoma. You also wrote that If the game was lost you would never ever pick Stoops for anything again. I respect that. That is your choice.
    The decision to run those playes were based on a years worth of work that had allowed the Sooners to score 716 points in a season. It was based on an offense that had been unbelievable in the red zone this year. The choice that was made had been made on suscessful tries over and over again.
    People said in the buildup to the game that defense wins the game. In one year Bob Stoops put his team in a position to challange that perception.
    A good coach is all about giving players the chance to compete. The drive to become better. The will to win. Both programs; Flordia and Oklahoma, acheived that this year. This game was not a blow-out. It was a well played defensive struggle from start to finish. The better team won on Thursday. The only if's left in football this year are reguarding the draft.
    From your comments one could think that you believe Bob Stoops should never be allowed to dance in the BCS again. So be it, I can and will respect your opinion. I do not know why the winning of one National Championship has offended you to this extent. I do not understand the personal and professional reasons behind it.
    If being a coach is all about giving your players a chance Bob had built a record unlike anyone else in this last decade. Will the road to the BCS be harder next time? I believe yes, it will. Will the Sooners be able to travel that road with suscess? You only have to look at the program he has built over the years at Oklahoma. Then the answer becomes clear.

    Edit Comment Cancel

    Reply
    Great Comment (
    0
    )

  7. Gerry Salinas 5 months ago

    OU & Bob Stoops are a JOKE to most College Football Folks.
    OU, OSU & Tx. Tech. Three of the Hi Powered Big 12 Offenses & all got smoked in their 09 Bowl games.
    Texas had a right to be PO'd after beating OU in the annual TX-Ou game in Dallas.
    I believe this loss will make the BCS people look real at where they RANK & place OU in future Bowl games.
    The Big 12 North won all their 09 Bowl games. Wait till next year with NU & KU bringing back most their Talent. And with OU consistently losing in Big games, it can only help the Big 12 North in Recruiting more than the leftovers they usually get because of TX & OU getting all the 5 star recruits.

    Stoops better take one of those NFL pro coaching JOBS because them OKIES don't like being painted Big Game Losers after all those Barry Switzer winning championship days.

    Edit Comment Cancel

    Reply
    Great Comment (
    0
    )

  8. Doug Kraus 5 months ago

    Great article Lisa - hit the nail on the head. You could have replaced Stoops with Tressel in a lot of places in this article and it would still hit the nail on the head.

    Winning BCS games with Utah talent = winner; losing BCS games with Oklahoma (Ohio State) talent = loser.

    Not only did they lose, they looked like they weren't prepared to even be there. They came out flat, with a bad game plan, and executed like they were just walking through their play book.

    Congrats to the Gators. Yes, as a Buckeye I can (and did) root for them.

    Edit Comment Cancel

    Reply
    Great Comment (
    0
    )

  9. bob stoops 5 months ago

    wow, how original, take the obvious ou bowl loss and make it a blog...

    stoops still wins and still gets his team there...win or lose, boy doesn't it hurt? obviously it does...

    go sooners.

    and any "football" bio with "chicks dig the long ball"...wow, and you think stoops has validity issues?!

    Edit Comment Cancel

    Reply
    Great Comment (
    0
    )

  10. Hunter Ellis 5 months ago

    Bob Stoops is becoming the Bobby Cox of college football. For years the braves would dominate in the regular season and lose in the playoffs so I feel for the OU fans. Maybe if we had a playoff OU might win a game (an easy one). My problem with OU is I feel the nation automatically feels they are deserving as well as USC. OU has lost to west virginia, boise state, and now florida in the last three years. On the other hand, Utah has won 8 consecutive bowl games including 2 BCS games. I understand Utah is a smaller program which I use to feel had no legitamate shot at a BCS game but they prove us wrong time and time again. I would love to see Utah play an OU or USC. That may shut some people up. If the nation would stop giving Bob Stoops and OU so much credit someone else would be in the title game and OU could go to a bowl they might actually win. One of my biggest problems this year was OU lost to Texas on a neutral site and still got the nod over Texas to the big - 12 title game. Yes, Texas lost to Texas-Tech, but it was at texas-tech and occured in the last second. A loss is a loss but homefield advantage is another story. The fact is OU should have played Alabama or Ohio State which I think they might could beat Ohio State, Texas would beat them again and Texas or Utah should have played Florida. USC fans you lost to Oregon State the team Utah beat. You have talent and good players but so did the Patriots thats why we play the game. The main point is OU should never have been in the title game after their loss to Texas. They had the highest scoring offense but not the best team. In the future lets put the best team in the title game and not base things on reputation and a name. If were gonna do that once again 5 straight losses compared to 8 straight wins for Utah in bowl games. Stoops play calling is as arrogant as the voters that put him in the title game.

    Edit Comment Cancel

    Reply
    Great Comment (
    0
    )

  11. Barney Miller 5 months ago

    Stoops better half is coaching football in the desert. OU hasn't been the same since he left. They should've taken that 3 million dollar bonus he fleeced the school for and offered it to Mike to stay and help out. The post season meltdowns have gotten really old and watching so many bad decisions being made have made me wonder if, perhaps, I'm in the wrong line of work. Personally, I hope there's an NFL team dumb enough to hire him so maybe the school and fans can get on with things. I'm starting to smell a very stale oder wafting out of Norman.

    Edit Comment Cancel

    Reply
    Great Comment (
    0
    )

    • Lisa Horne 5 months ago

      Barney-

      You are so correct! Since Mike left, the Sooners have digressed every year in points allowed. I think the TO margin has fallen as well, but I'm not sure....I just remember that for some reason.

      Edit Comment Cancel

      Reply
      Great Comment (
      0
      )

  12. Silver Fox 5 months ago

    Very good article. Carroll and Meyers (2 national titles in only 4 years) are the best college coaches. In Oklahoma's last five BCS bowl games Stoops "screwed the pooch" (pardon the expression). Stoops fails to recognize opportunities and moments in the game to make something postitive happen.

    USC or Florida are probably the best college team in the nation, which we will never objectively know without a tourney or playoffs. So under the lame BCS system, I vote for Utah as the #1 team because of their 13-0 perfect record, the win over Alabama, and they beat Oregon State who beat USC.

    Edit Comment Cancel

    Reply
    Great Comment (
    0
    )

  13. Robert 5 months ago

    Lisa, you're right. "Big Loss" Bob and CHoklahoma just flopper in the second half of this one.

    They had fire out of the gate, but couldn't capitalize on Florida's mistakes. The redzone playcalling that had them putting massive numbers on the board all season just didn't work.

    This game wasn't as bad of a choke job as the '05 Orange Bowl vs. USC, so I think this article is just a tad too much. But the premise is right on the money.

    Sure, they had the Heisman winner. Sure, they didn't have their starting RB. Sure, the defense has been lacking something all season. But when you have an offense scoring 60, who wouldn't lose some energy over 60'?

    He's not a horrible coach. He just can't beat LSU, USC, Boise State, West Virginia, or Florida in BCS bowls. Shucks.

    I bet Texas is pissed. They play great all season long, except for one play against Texas Tech. They beat Oklahoma. They are the only Big XII South team with a bowl win. Jeez.

    So much for Big XII supremacy this year.

    Edit Comment Cancel

    Reply
    Great Comment (
    0
    )

    • Lisa Horne 5 months ago

      I know if I was a Sooner fan, I would be making some noise.

      Stoops has put a great face on the football program, but if just winning the Big 12 is as far as he can go right now and the fans are thrilled with him, hey, I hope my team gets another shot at the Sooners in a BCS Bowl. The odds are in my favor!

      Edit Comment Cancel

      Reply
      Great Comment (
      0
      )

  14. Melanie Mosier 5 months ago

    Lisa,
    I respect your right to your opinion, but I have to disagree on a few things.
    I thought Oklahoma played a great game. Their maligned defense & special teams played well, much to most everyone's surprise. It was a thriller until the 4th quarter when the better team took control & won it. To say the Sooners were "not-ready-for-prime-time" takes away from the Gators victory, a 10 point victory, and basically a home game for them. Somehow, the Sooners managed to make Tebow throw 2 interceptions, something no other team has done, at least not in a while if ever. As great a competitor as Tebow is, I'd give the OU defense some sort of award just for that. (I'll think of what that reward shoud be called and let ya know).
    Poor clock management? When? What timeouts do you question? Conservative play-calling at inappropriate times? ????? At the time, I thought letting Chris Brown run was a smart move. He seemed to be hot at the moment. Hindsight is ... just hindsight. If you could teach it or learn it, you'd be really, really wealthy. Failure to convert on 3rd down plays? I thnk the Florida defense had a hand in that. Back to that hindsight. I'd rather trust the choice of play-calling to an experienced group of coaches rather than to me, or even to you.
    Complete ineptitude? C'mon, Lisa.
    "The Sooners are keeping other quality teams out of a bowl" ??? Who do you think could have played better? Texas? Maybe, but I doubt it. I'll bet Florida would have beat them, too. Utah? No way. Now USC might have beaten the Gators. But the fact that they didn't play in the game wasn't because of Oklahoma. What could Stoops & the Sooners do to make you not judge them so harshly (other than consult you on playcalls)? Sneak in and blow up the BCS computers? Quit playing football? What? There are a lot of college football programs that would love to have what Stoops has brought to Oklahoma.

    Edit Comment Cancel

    Reply
    Great Comment (
    0
    )

    • Lisa Horne 5 months ago

      Hi Melanie!

      I do not think they played a "great" game. I do think they played better than usual, if you look at their past tank jobs against USC and West Virginia, which were blow outs. Great game? Does Bradford usually throw 2 picks? Do the Sooners usually score 14 points? I'm not sure how they played a "great game" unless you compare this game against some previous performances.

      As far as conservative play-calling...well, what got them here in the first place? Prolific passing. They went away from it. They have a good running game, but instead of calling play-actions to possibly freeze the LBs in the box, he kept running blasts and slants. Nobody was fooled.

      Stoops wasted several timeouts in the game, for no apparent reason. He was running the ball when he was down by ten points. It just seemed like the Sooners never really tried very hard in the 4th. There was no urgency and Bradford looked like a deer in headlights.

      Edit Comment Cancel

      Reply
      Great Comment (
      0
      )

  15. Melanie Mosier 5 months ago

    Lisa,
    Again, the Sooners were beaten by only 10 points by a better Gator team. We were tied until the last 9+ minutes of the game. Our defense & special teams played great, just not good enough. I'll agree with you that Bradford didn't play his best game, but if you watch the game, UF's defense stopped our long ball threat frequently, as they did when Bradford threw his 2nd interception down the field. The Florida defense was too good for our offense. And their offense smelled the weakness in the middle created by our 3rd string MLB, Balogun. Very smart to run it down the middle.
    Bradford is a sophomore, yet he's smart enough to know when he's in trouble. His offense was outclassed by the Gator D & he knew it. Yet he still threw for 250+ yards.
    USC beat us badly because we just weren't anywhere near their level. Wasn't it the BCS system that sent us to that game? Maybe we should throw out the BCS. Now there's an original idea. West Virginia is another story, and I'll have to give you that one; even without 5 of our starters, we should have beat them. (BCS loser Stoops forgot to mention that, so I covered for him). You forgot to mention Boise State, so I did it for you. No excuses from me. Florida & Tebow played crappy football when Michigan beat them last year. You forgot to mention that, so I did it for you.
    I live in SEC country, Tennessee. When questions about Fulmer's replacement arose, Stoops was thought to be at or near the top of the list. If Kiffin doesn't work out, I'll bet they'll go on the hunt for Bob Stoops again.
    Play actions, slants, fades .... I dunno. Oklahoma's coaches must have had good reason to call the plays they did. I'll continue to trust their expertise until they're replaced. They did manage 2 touchdowns against Florida's ferocious defense. Maybe they were just lucky.
    Bob Stoops will lose the nickname when reporters quit calling him that, the same people that have perpetuated its existence despite 4, now 5 BCS game losses.
    "Complete ineptitude". That was harsh, and worse yet for a reporter, inaccurate.
    The Sooners are one of the 5 best teams in college football, like it or not. Sure, they'd have fared better against Ole Miss or Utah or Ohio State. Again ... that hindsight. Again ... those pesky computers.
    Oklahoma will be back next year, and the next, and the next. They'll always be a powerhouse program that opponents will respect, as long as Stoops is the "CEO". They'll win some big games & they'll lose some big ones. That's how it is at the top of the college football ranks or any other sport.
    Congratulations to the 2008 College Football National Champions, the Florida Gators. See ya down the stretch. :)

    Edit Comment Cancel

    Reply
    Great Comment (
    0
    )

  1. Ken Gossett 5 months ago

    In reply to the thread title, I agree. Stoops seems to have test anxiety. He may have the best team all season, then throws it away in the end. I don't agree with all of the post game analysis. Makes one wonder if people actually watched the game. Yes, Bradford had two picks, but were these bad throws? Not from where I sat. Both were well thrown balls that were mishandled. They weren't like Tebow's...two ugly ducks thrown right at the defenders. OU's D showed up. They played UF better than any SEC team all season...better than Bama. Better than Ole Miss. Who else held UF to 24 pts? Nobody! OU's O was the problem...I think there is still a missing persons report on them. The play calling sucked. Every time OU got something going, they changed it on the next series. They probably should've gone for the 3's, but I think that Stoops felt that he would not be able to win that way and would need all the pts they could muster. I still think it was a good game, and even though OU has lost a few BCS games, some of the losses weren't as bad as they may seem in retrospect. Good losses, if one believes in such things. If one just looks at numbers, they can tell a different tale. Just ask any UT fan...

    Edit Comment Cancel

    Reply
    Great Comment (
    0
    )

  2. Tony 5 months ago

    Better than Ole Miss? Didn't they beat Florida?

    Edit Comment Cancel

    Reply
    Great Comment (
    0
    )

  3. Ken Gossett 5 months ago

    That they did, but Ole Miss allowed UF 30 pts in so doing, whereas OU played a well rested, focused UF team holding them to 24. Not saying OU played UF better, as OU's O failed to show up. But their D certainly did. Remember...OU had to play UF after Tebow's Acadamy Award winning speech...

    Edit Comment Cancel

    Reply
    Great Comment (
    0
    )

  4. Gwen Frazier 5 months ago

    I'm from Oklahoma and having watched the Sooners all season was shocked at the way they played in the title game. I kept thinking, "What are they doing?" "Why is Bradford stopping and staring at the sidelines for so long?" At times he took so long I thought UF had time for a nap before the snap.
    I'm still trying to figure out what that was all about. It was strange to say the least and in my opinion what lost them the game. For whatever reason they seemed tethered. Not loose like they usually are.
    Especially Bradford. I guess it's a little hard to dazzle people when you're playing with a choke hold on you from the side-lines.

    Edit Comment Cancel

    Reply
    Great Comment (
    0
    )

Leave a Comment

  • You must register to post a comment.

    • Want to write for Bleacher Report

    We are a community of fans who write about sports. And we're growing.

    Learn More and Sign Up »

    Certain photos copyright © 2009 by Getty Images.
    Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of Getty Images is strictly prohibited.