Improved
Sooners
evidence
of parity
NORMAN, Okla. — As drunk
en Sooner fans drove down the
streets proclaiming their all-time
greatness as the best team known
to the world, one thing was evi
dent from the outcome of
Oklahoma’s win over Nebraska.
Unlike NU’s loss at Texas last
year, the best
team did win.
But an offen
sive revolution
did not occur.
Bob Stoops
did not reach
Barry Switzer
status. He
probably
never will,
even though
Joshua
Camenzind
me man is a
god in the state right now.
Stoops won’t because parity
reared its ugly head again on
Saturday.
It struck the NFL a while ago
and, due to many factors, has ate
away at the college game as well
It is evident in the Bac-10, Big
10 and every conference out
there. Big-time programs are get
ting beat every week and num
bered are the days of undefeated
national champions as lower-tier
teams find their way to die top.
The ultimate proof of parity in
college football South Carolina.
This season, only three teams
remain in the ranks of the
unbeaten after Nebraska and
Clemson lost Saturday and
Virginia Tech squeaked away for
the last time with Michael Vick
going down. Texas Christian
might go undefeated, but when
you back out of a game with the
Huskers and then don’t play any
body, you won't get Orange Bowl
bids.
So that leaves the Sooners as
the only team with a legitimate
shot of finishing die season with
out a dent in their armor. But how
will OU deal with a suddenly
resurgent Texas A&M team? How
will the Sooners prepare for
Nebraska should they face them
again in the Big 12 championship
game, knowing what happened
to Texas last year?
After watching OU dismantle
the Huskers, I have a hard time
saying that A&M has a chance or
that NU would put up a better
fight the second time around in
Kansas City.
NU’s display Saturday was
uninspiring and just another
example this season of other
teams closing the gap with the
Huskers.
Eric Crouch had a Heisman
like first two drives and then
watched his hopes of winning the
award go down the drain with
every incomplete pass he threw.
Crouch and NU were unable to
rush for 200 yards against the
Sooners. OU might have scored
50 if Stoops hadn’t called off the
dogs.
As for Nebraskas offensive
game plan, there didn’t seem to
be one as NU panicked when OU
hunga24-spot on it Most expect
ed Prank Solich to empty his bag
of tricks, but he left Norman with
his bag still half full. Maybe the
tricks just didn't work. Maybe
there are no tricks. We'll never
know.
Teams like OU, with the right
mixture of senior leadership and
chemistry, are rare these days.
Bob Stoops said his offense is die
best he has ever seen. He says
Josh Heupel is not good because
of the-system because he is the
system So what does that say for
the Sooners next season when
Heupel is trying to make it in the
pros?
It leaves them with a trip to
Lincoln to face Crouch again
under a first-year quarterback.
Add in that the heart of OU’s
defense, linebackers Rocky
Calmus and Torrance Marshall,
will be gone, and there are the
Sooners staring down the barrel
of a blemished season with the
rest of the country.
Those signs proclaiming,
“Stoops for President” will merely
read, “Stoops for city council.”
The man is a great coach, but
even he cannot escape the curse
of parity.
And folks, it is here to stay -
even for Nebraska.
“We got off to a good
start, but we knew they
had the potential to come
back and score very
quickly."
- NU Coach Frank Solich
“We’ve more than proven
who we are. ”
• OU Coach Bob Stoops
Castaside...
Punt block, interception doom NU
as OU passing game, defense click
BY JOSHUA CAMENZ1ND
NORMAN, Okla. — In the week
leading up to its matchup with No. 1
ranked Nebraska, Oklahoma had to
endure cloudy skies and rain - ending
a three-month drought almost as
unbearable as the winless streak OU
had going against its rival from the
north.
On Saturday afternoon, the No. 3
ranked Sooners ended their decade
long drought against No. 1 Nebraska,
benefiting from the torrential down
pour of Josh Heupel passes that pro
pelled OU to a 31-14 win and later led
to a crowd of 75,989 raining down on
NU's parade with its favorite fruit -
oranges.
OU's sellout crowd pelted Owen
Field for much of the second half with
the fruit, signifying the Sooners return
to national prominence and possible
trip to the national title game at the
Orange Bowl.
• "I was hoping we weren’t going to
get hit by one,” said OU quarterback
Josh Heupel, who passed for 300 yards,
the most ever by a Sooner against NU.
Early on, it looked as if many in
Soonerland would be having home
made juice for weeks to come.
Nebraska jumped out to a light
ning-quick lead, scoring twice before
seven minutes had ticked off the clock.
NU’s first score came at the 12:02 mark
with a 39-yard touchdown pass from
Eric Crouch to Matt Davison. Crouch
would then score less than four min
utes later at the 8:11 mark on a 37-yard
run and NU looked to be cruising
along for the third straight week.
“I think we just found some areas
where we could run some option
plays, and we took advantage of that,”
Crouch said.
But, then came the second quarter
and Nebraska’s subsequent collapse.
OU stormed back and scored 24
unanswered points to give the Sooners
a 10-point lead going into the locker
room. Heupel engineered four scoring
drives in a row and finished the quar
ter with 149 yards on seven of 10 pass
ing and one touchdown.
The performance by Heupel and
OU's spread offense did not take
Nebraska Coach Frank Solich by sur
prise.
“We got off to a good start, but we
knew they had the potential to come
back and score very quickly," said
Solich, who lost his first game to OU.
“So without question, we needed to
put more points on the board than
what we did.”
But Nebraska, after the two early
scores, would never see the end zone
again.
In the battle of Heisman Trophy
candidates, Heupel came out the win
ner with Crouch and NU’s offense
stalling time and time again after their
early dominance.
Crouch opened up the game five
for five passing for 77 yards and a
touchdown in an effort that might
have brought back memories of last
Please see GAME on 11
W National^^^M
MfRankings j
[Associated Press Football]
1 Oklahoma 7-0 1,749 3
2 Virginia Tech 8-0 1,633 2
3 Miami 6-1 1,602 4
4 Florida State 8-1 1,539 6
5 Nebraska 7-1 1,425 1
6 Florida 7-1 1,395 8
7 Oregon 7-1 1,378 7 •
8 Washington 7-1 1,262 9
9 Texas Christian 7-0 1,150 11
10 Clemson 8-1 1,071 5
11 Purdue 7-2 1,017 16
12 Michigan 6-2 925 15
13 S. Mississippi 6-1 897 14
14 Oregon State 7-1 893 18
15 Notre Dame 6-2 674 19
TOP Of PAGE: Husker free safety Dion
Booker is in disbelief after a 34-yard Sooner
pass in Saturday^ 31-14 Oklahoma victory.
ABOVE: Oklahoma quarterback Josh
Heupel gives NU linebacker Carlos Polk a
stiff arm and slips away into the open field
for a gain of17 yards to the Nebraska 30
yard line with 556 left in the fourth quarter
and NU trailing 31-14.
RIGHT: Oklahoma's Josh Norman scrambles
to control a blocked Nebraska punt, bring
ing Oklahoma to the 4-yard fine. The black
shirts would hold the drive to a successful
OU field goal making the score 14-17.
MikeWarren/DN L
Scott McClurg/DN
RIGHT: Sooner wide receiv
er Andre Wootfolk concen
trates on the football
despite already having been
knocked to the ground.
Wootfolk made the catch
over NU defensive back
Erwin Swiny while lying on
theground.The34yard
catch brought the Sooners
to the Nebraska 30-yard
line, setting up their second
touchdown.
Scott McQutg/DN