Oklahoma Football: Cincinnati Game Brings More Questions Than Answers

Okay, now that the out of conference portion of the Sooners schedule is in the archives, the thought foremost on the minds of those who care, amounts to this:

Will the real Sooners please stand up?

By those who care, I am not talking about the government, although, these days, they seem to have no problem butting into business that is not their own.

I am talking about the coaches and fans of the University of Oklahoma, those who are genuinely interested in the success of the football team and prove it to the detriment of their time, money, health, blood pressure, and/or ever-receding hair lines.

Yes you, the guy who only noticed he was clutching a hand-full of hair in each fist and bleeding into his eyes after the Sooners recovered the onside kick that bounced around like a pinball against Cincinnati.

Maybe you would include the players themselves in this group of the genuinely interested but a strong case could be made that the jury is still out on that one.

The first four games of the season show an inconsistent team with conflicting evidence of who they are at this point. A quick recap proves this. 

Game One against Utah State

The offense scores three quick touchdowns and goes into stand-by mode for most of the remainder of the game.

The defense can't seem to stop a Utah State team from repeatedly burning them for big plays until a late interception allows the OU offense to take possession and run out the clock in a seven-point victory, 31-24.

Sooner fans consoled themselves after this game with the knowledge that the Aggies had a great quarterback and no team would hold down that offense.

Meanwhile, yesterday, the defensive juggernaut from San Diego State held that same Utah State team to seven total points.

Game Two against Florida State

 After trading touchdowns to start the game, the Sooners blitz the Seminoles on both sides of the ball on their way to a dominating win that may have ended Christian Ponders Heisman campaign in Week 2.

This was a strong all around team effort that was not really expected in what was supposed to be a close game against a resurgent national power.

Only a fluke last second 47-yard touchdown against Sooner reserves allowed the Seminoles to escape Norman without their worse loss since 1992.

Game Three against Air Force

 The defense plays well in the first half while the offense struggles to a 10-3 half time lead. The second half, the defense gives up a long opening scoring drive to knot the game at 10 apiece.

Meanwhile, the offense then takes advantage of good field position, a forced punt, and a fumble recovery to build a 17-point lead going into the fourth quarter.

The defense then allows two long scoring drives to pull the Falcons to within three points, missing tackles and giving up third-down conversions in the process.

Air Force elects to kick deep and the offense manages to string together a few first downs to run out the clock.

Game Four against Cincinnati

 Playing their first game in Ohio since 1979, both sides of the ball were inconsistent. If not for numerous Bearcat miscues, Oklahoma would have been making the return trip to Norman with another road loss.

These Cincinnati mistakes that allowed the Sooners to escape with the victory included a fumble into OU's end zone and an end zone interception for two touchbacks and a muffed punt inside the 10-yard line with less than five minutes to go in the game. This last gaffe by the Bearcats gift-wrapped Oklahoma's final points of the game and a nine-point lead.

This lead was just enough, as the defense again decided that stopping an opposing offense is optional, allowing them to practically sprint the length of the field to pull within two with less than a minute remaining.

Only a Ryan Broyles on-side kick recovery allowed the Sooners to again run out the clock, and some blue-faced Sooner fans to breath again.

Alright Mr. Helper, what's your point?

The point here is pretty obvious thus far: The only things Sooner fans can count on so far this season are the lack of consistency in all three phases, an ability to win the close ones, Ryan Broyles getting at least 100 yards in receptions every game, and a team that clearly plays better when it is not being told they will win easily.

Now, with Texas getting smacked around by UCLA like Joe Pesci in Raging Bull, at home no less, the Sooners will again be favored to win in Dallas next Saturday in the Red River Rivalry.

It is only because Oklahoma has played so poorly themselves that they will not be expected to win this game easily. This is actually a good thing because the young Sooner squad plays much better with a chip on their shoulder.

Add that to the fact that the Longhorns are in even worse shape at this point and it may be enough for the Sooners to break a two game losing streak to Mack Brown's Texas team—If they come out focused, determined, and with a killer instinct, which is by no means a given.

As far as the rest of the season, Oklahoma still has tough road trips at Missouri, at Texas A&M, at Baylor (Robert Griffin is better than Utah States QB), and a regular-season ending game in Stillwater.

Anybody who, at this point, claims to know how which Sooner squad will show up from week to week and how they will finish the season should either be drug tested or put in a special padded room for "observation."

Because, if life is a crap-shoot, the team in Crimson and Cream is about this close to having crapped-out three times so far this season.