Sooners Survive Scare, Win Championship

 by: Justin Waganer

A game that was anything but easy for #1 Oklahoma ended with the first championship in Norman since 1993 when the Sooners won the John Hancock Bowl by beating Texas Tech 41-10.  Oklahoma is now the Big 12 South Champions for the first time in school history with the 27-13 lackluster victory over Tech.

"Fortunately, we were able to get out of here with a win," said Heisman front-runner Josh Heupel after the game.  Heupel, who was 24-38 for 248 yards and 1 touchdown (2 interceptions), was not happy with the performance.  "Basically, we didn't have any tempo and rhythm.  When our offense is clicking on all cylinders, we have a tempo and a rhythm inside the huddle.  We weren't able to get that."

The Sooners were able to rack up 384 yards on offense on what everyone who has watched OU at all would call an off day.  However, they were able to step up and score when they needed to late in the game when the score had been narrowed to 21-13. 

"For our guys to put that drive together says a lot about their character and toughness," stated Bob Stoops after the game where he went 1-0 against his former assistant Mike Leach. 

For the second week in a row the Sooner defense came up big and won the game with their speed and big play ability.  Though this week they did it in reverse fashion by having the interception return for a touchdown come in the first quarter when J.T. Thatcher intercepted Kliff Kingsbury and ran 85 yards for a TD.

This time the defense made 4th down and goal line stands look like routine plays and kept a young, explosive offense out of the end zone until late in the fourth quarter.  On a day when the Sooner offense was as inept as they have been in the Stoops era, it was needed.

"They came up big," Bob Stoops said, referring to the defense. "Our offense turned the ball over several times and dropped the punt, and the defense kept coming up with big plays with turnovers, interceptions and held them to a field goal on another occasion."

OU got lucky, like all champions do.  However, champs get lucky in games not in championship games and OU must fix its mistakes.  Stoops knows this.

 "The last few games, we haven't played near to our ability," Stoops said. "Again, I don't want to take anything away from Tech because they're a good team and are well- coached, but we can't have the turnovers, dropped balls, penalties, blocked kicks. We need to get some work done if we're going to push the way we want to."