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November 9, 2009

Sooner magic? Not this year

By Bruce Campbell, Staff Writer

The words Sooner Magic may be disappearing from Mr. Webster’s dictionary.

If Oklahoma fans thought the football Gods were against them in 2009, it was further confirmed in the Sooners’ 10-3 loss to Nebraska Saturday.

Sooner Magic and Nebraska, at one time, went together like hamburgers and french fries.

OU, like the Saturday afternoon cowboy movie hero, would find a way to beat the Huskers in the fourth quarter, especially in Lincoln.

Think of the last-minute victories in 1976, 1980 and 1986 or in 1972 when the Sooners won 17-14, despite All-American running back Greg Pruitt being injured.

Saturday’s loss reflected the frustration of the season:

n Three missed field goals;

n Five pass interceptions.

n Nine penalties, many coming at inopportune times.

Nebraska won despite being held to seven first downs and 180 yards of total offense.

OU was inside the Nebraska 30 six times and did not score a touchdown. This was the first time in the Bob Stoops era the Sooners did not cross the end zone.

The last time OU failed to score a touchdown came in a 29-0 loss to Texas A&M; in 1998.

The 2009 OU-Nebraska game won’t be remembered like the 1971 classic.

OU’s 5-4 season is making ESPN’s Andre Ware look like a genius after he predicted the Sooners would lose four games this season.

Of course, the Sooners, with a few breaks, could be 9-0 right now.

There’s a thin line in today’s world of parity between a perfect and a not-so-perfect season.

A line, which had lost four starters to the NFL, is still trying to find itself. Remember 2005 when OU struggled to an 8-4 season? It had young line.

Because of injuries, Stoops has had to use several different combinations which doesn’t build chemistry.

The loss of Sam Bradford is obvious.

Landry Jones, being a redshirt freshman, is going to be inconsistent. Rhett Bomar struggled in 2005 as a redshirt freshman with a young line.

He shouldn’t be compared to Bradford’s redshirt season. He didn’t have an established line or the number of big-play receivers. It’s asking a lot of a young quarterback to be thrown in as the starter at halftime of the season opener.

In retrospect, it might have been better for OU had Bradford gone to the NFL this season which would have given Jones more snaps with the first team in the spring and preseason and allowed him to establish himself as the leader.

Jones is a strong person, mentally. Look for him to come back next week against Texas A&M; when he’s playing in front of a friendly crowd. He’s been a different quarterback at home.

Obviously, the Sooners have played a lot better in Norman (4-0) than they have on the road (1-4).

Where the Sooners go from here is a big question mark.

The Cotton Bowl is still not out of reach if OU can win out to finish 8-4.Getting wins over Texas Tech and Oklahoma State would give the Sooners a strong argument to go to Cowboys Stadium for a Jan. 2 game with an SEC team (maybe Les Miles’ LSU team).

But there’s no guarantees.



Campbell is a staff writer for the News & Eagle.

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