John Shinn
• Sooners’ passing struggles go deeper than quarterback
The old adage says statistics don’t lie. Oklahoma knows it as well as anybody.
Anyone looking to pin down where the Sooners’ offensive struggles have come from doesn’t need to look any further than passing yardage.
They have thrown for just 644 yards through five games and are last in the Big 12 Conference and 112th out of 117 NCAA Division I teams in the category.
Simply put, throwing the football has been anything but easy for OU. Finding out why is much tougher.
While some try to pin it on the youthful struggles of quarterback Rhett Bomar, OU coach Bob Stoops sees plenty of blame to go around.
Receivers not getting open and Bomar not having time to throw the ball have played major parts in the Sooners’ woes.
“We’ll adjust our plays and schemes every week, but it’s execution,” Stoops said. “A lot of times it doesn’t matter how open the guy is if you don’t have the time or you throw the ball off target. We just have to execute better.
“You’ve got to throw the ball at his chest and give him an opportunity to catch it. You’ve got to be able to protect the quarterback long enough to get the ball out. You’ve got to be able to run the proper route, get some separation and have some room.”
It’s a trio of deficiencies that have all come crashing down on the Sooners and Bomar’s statistics reflect just that.
His pass efficiency rating (94.6) is last in the Big 12 and yardage-per-game total (107.0) trails only Oklahoma State’s Bobby Reid.
It’s a tough time for Bomar and OU’s offense. It may get tougher when the Sooners (2-3 overall, 1-1 Big 12) face Kansas (3-2, 0-2) at 6 p.m. Saturday at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Mo.
The Jayhawks certainly haven’t been world-beaters but they have the best rushing defense in the Big 12. OU can’t expect to pound away with the running game and escape with a win.
“We’ve got to be more productive, to me more than anything, passing the football,” Stoops said.
It’s been easier said than done this season. Bomar seemed to progress every week until last Saturday’s loss to Texas at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas. He completed just 12-of-33 passes for 94 yards in the game.
Dwelling on what happened in the Red River Rivalry won’t do anyone any good. Moving on and getting better are the only things he can focus on.
“We know we can do that. We’ve just got to do it,” Bomar said. “…We have to come out against Kansas and pick our game up. I think we’ll do that.”
But how?
One of the biggest reasons for the struggles has been slow starts. Bomar has been erratic early in all four of his starts. He said coming out and playing well would help calm a lot nerves, including his own.
“It is important,” he said. “You want to start off strong. I don’t think I’ve done that one time this year. Against Kansas State I started slow and picked it up as the game went along. Same thing against UCLA. That’s key because it gives you confidence going along to keep rolling from the very beginning.”
No matter what, offensive coordinator Chuck Long preaches patience and believes better days are coming for his quarterback.
“I have a young player there that I believe is only going to get better,” he said. “You’re going to have to wait to be the judge of his career four years from now. I do believe he’s going to be a fantastic football player before he’s finished here.”
And Bomar is willing to take his lumps during the process. Each setback comes with a lesson.
“I’ll grow from it and move on,” he said. “I’ll be much better because of it.”
John Shinn366-3536jshinn@normantranscript.com
