Here's something every member of the Sooner Nation needs to be prepared for today: Oklahoma may lose.
Believe it, because it could happen.
Ranked No. 12, at home, against unranked Tulsa, the Sooners might appear to have nothing to worry about.
Their Heisman Trophy winning quarterback on the mend and their All-American tight end having caught his final collegiate pass, this is still the Sooners of Gerald McCoy and Travis Lewis and DeMarco Murray and Jeremy Beal and Ryan Broyles and Brody Eldridge.
So many stars fill the two deep, not pencling them in to win today, even to cover a widening spread that's moved to 18 points, seems wrong.
But take another look at all those names. Three of them play defense. That doesn't mean they can't crack the scoreboard, but counting on defensive points is like counting on bipartisanship. Meanwhile, Eldridge is a tight end who doesn't catch passes, Broyles is a receiver who does and Murray is a back who can run and catch.
Yet somebody's got to protect the passer who throws the ball to Broyles and somebody must open the holes that allow Murray through the first defensive wave, allowing him into that place where linebackers and safeties roam, where he can dazzle, turning a 5 yard gain into something much bigger.
You guessed it.
When it comes to moving the ball up and down the field and finding the end zone, it's stil all about an excessively unproven Sooner offensive line.
I asked Bob Stoops two questions at his press conference this week, one about Sam Bradford, about which he wished "not to go there," and the other about the line.
Has there been measurable progress?
"We don't know," he said. "We're sure there is some, but it's something that will be ongoing. It's something that continues to build."
For those paying attention, but for trying not to take a stand on his injured quarterback, Stoops and some hard truths were riding shotgun much of the week.
He doesn't know about his line. Offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson doesn't know about the line. Not really. None of us in the media know about the line. For that matter, the line doesn't know about itself.
Every week, when the depth chart comes out, it's a pretty good idea to start with the line. Ben Habern's still at center, Stephen Good gets another start at left guard and true freshman Tyler Evans is the guy at right guard. Trent Williams is a mainstay at left tackle and Jarvis Jones is staking out right tackle.
Wilson said this week Tavaris Jeffries is due more time somewhere on the line. On the chart, he's backing up Evans.
Of course, "It's still wide open," said Stoops, who dreams of a 10-man rotation, but will settle for eight, though at this point would probably take five he really likes, but the Sooners remain a long way from there.
Wilson wants to represent progress.
"There were some strides made for sure," he said of last week's 64-0 triumph. "A lot of young guys had a chance to compete and play."
But if that's your progress, how much progress have you really made. Right now, OU's feeling good just having extra bodies to throw in for a few snaps, like throwing something against a wall to see if it sticks.
That was never the plan.
But plan or no plan, today's the biggest game of the season. Then two weeks away in Miami becomes the biggest game of the season.
Then Baylor.
Then Texas.
It goes on and on.
Have line, will travel ... up and down the field.
But the Sooners don't have a line yet. Not really. They've got a bunch of guys who showed some promise against one of the worst teams in America.
Now they're playing one of the better teams in America, maybe even a better team than themselves.
Because if the offensive line doesn't make some real strides, you better believe that could be the case.
Clay Horning 366-3526 cfhorning@normantranscript.com
OU Sports
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