What to watch for as you're watching the game

By Clay Horning

FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- The best thing about college football might just be the best thing about anything: the stories.

One story this week began with Sooner defensive back Dominique Franks talking about Florida quarterback Tim Tebow. Then it became about what the Gators said in response to it. Then it became about how Bob Stoops accused the media of playing "Gotcha" sports journalism.

It was all very entertaining.

Also, tonight's national championship game features last season's Heisman Trophy winner, Tebow, against this season's Heisman Trophy winner, Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford.

Pretty good story.

Now, the skirmish between the Sooners and Gators mere hours away, perhaps something else is in order. Because let's face it, the Sooner Nation watching from home can absolutely taste victory even as it's petrified by the possibility of defeat.

As in all things, the pieces can sometimes come together and fall preposterously short of yielding the intended result. There's always that chance OU could do everything right tonight and lose. But it's not likely.

With that in mind, be it at your favorite watering hole, a busy sports bar or on your couch, here are five keys to look for as you're watching the game. If they even accomplish most of them, you should be able to watch in anticipatory hope rather than impending fear.

· 1. What's the emotion? Both Florida and OU are going to come out very fired up. Expect trash talking from both sides in the middle of hockey-like after-the-whistle scrums. But the question always becomes which team is channeling all the energy to the greatest use. Are the Sooners doing a little yapping as a result of playing on a maintainable edge, or are they bubbling over and taking dumb penalties. If it's the former, OU will be in good shape.

· 2. Pressure. This one's two-fold. Is Florida getting it on Bradford and, if so, how is Bradford handling it? It's a real issue because Bradford has faced so little pressure most of this season, having been sacked only 11 times. Four times against TCU, when he still threw four touchdown passes and three times against Texas, when he still threw five. That's very impressive, yet the last time he faced any real pressure was the Texas game. A long time ago. If he doesn't face any, it's hard to imagine the Sooners ever being stopped.

· 3. Special teams. It would almost be a sort of cosmic justice for OU to lose the game on special teams. So bad for so much of the season, it hasn't cost the Sooners yet. On the other hand, special teams have improved across the board over the last few games, so that's hopeful. Still, you can bet viewers will be reminded tonight of the four kick returns OU has allowed for touchdowns and of placekicker Jimmy Stevens' troubles (five missed extra points and three missed field goals). If OU escapes trouble on this front, it will be ahead of the game.

· 4. No crazy calls from the bench. Last season, with all the momentum and finally back in the game with plenty of time left on the clock, OU coach Bob Stoops tried an onside kick against West Virginia at the Fiesta Bowl. It may have been the only way to give back all the momentum. It did, gave the Mountaineers a short field and soon the rout was back on. Also, after trying a fake punt against Texas while leading by a small margin, in part because his defense was shorthanded after Ryan Reynolds' exit, Stoops later refused to go for it on fourth-and-short later in the game, by that time trailing, thereby putting the game on a defense that hadn't stopped anything in the second half. Most calls, even controversial ones, can go either way and shouldn't be second guessed. But not those two. If OU will not aid the enemy via bad decisions, winning will be easier.

· 5. Perhaps this should be No. 1. But if it's a relay, it is surely the anchor. More than anything, victory and defeat are created by making plays or absolutely failing to make them. The second part of that is turnovers, but the first part of it is Roy Williams' leap of faith into the arm of Texas quarterback Chris Simms, Torrance Marshall's 2000 interception return at Texas A--M and Sam Bradford's picking up a fumbled snap at the Bedlam game in time to score a fourth-down touchdown. So who's making the plays and do they start early? Big plays late can pull out a win. Big plays early can set an uninterrupted tone. Look for them. They could be, well, the story.

Clay Horning 366-3526 cfhorning@normantranscript.com