Other than the defense, it's time for excuses

Sports editor Clay Horning

F or reasons beyond control, your friendly sports editor was forced to take in the classic they played Saturday night at Arrowhead Stadium from the comfort of The Norman Transcript sports office.

So, for a change, I saw all those things I tend to miss each fall Saturday. And this particular Saturday was some kind of doozy.

Southern Cal escaped by the skin of its teeth, keeping its winning drive going by converting a fourth-and-9 by completing a pass that required some sort of divine intervention, even at the expense of Notre Dame and in front of Touchdown Jesus, to guide the ball through the hands of an Irish defender and into those of a Trojan receiver.

Texas Tech’s Cody Hodges may have just completed another pass against Kansas State, I can’t be sure, though the game stats say he was finally stopped after tossing for 643 yards.

And so much for Texas getting caught with a post Cotton Bowl hangover.

Either Mack Brown has the Longhorns uncommonly disciplined or beating Oklahoma, even after losing five straight, has become so slight an accomplishment all it takes to look forward is finding Colorado on the schedule.

Be that as it may, OU made some real strides against Kansas.

All those picks were great and not just because the Sooners needed them. More importantly, they may serve to turn what’s been a fairly effective defense into a playmaking defense.

So there’s that.

But in adopting this fan’s perspective, at least for a weekend, it can’t be ignored just how stuck in the mud these Sooners remain. Heck, without the picks, one returned for a touchdown and another that kept the Jayhawks from setting up first-and-goal, the best OU might have hoped for was a 12-10 victory.

And from this new perspective I have some advice for Bob Stoops, his assistant coaches and the players. Namely, as antithetical as it sounds, the time has come to make excuses.

On one condition. Be honest.

The Sooner Nation, the vast majority of which took in OU’s 19-3 victory the same way I did, on TBS with Ron Thulin on the call, deserves an explanation.

Like what’s really happened to the offensive line?

Players left, we know. But was there ever any depth? And about the guys who left, what happened? Were they chased away? Maybe it was a failure in the evaluation process, who knows?

Sure, it got better against a Jayhawk defense that spent the whole night on the field, but it’s still a line that blocked for an offense that scored 12 points.

So how about letting everybody in on what happened.

It’s an excuse, but people want to know.

Everybody understands Rhett Bomar’s the quarterback of the future. And yes, before it was over at Arrowhead, he offereded more glimpses of all that potential. He even completed more than half his passes for more than 200 yards. Of course, even in the games he plays well, he makes Oklahoma weather look consistent.

So, for a staff that has always made everybody earn their time every week, just why was it decided to exempt the quarterback from such competition?

What’s the excuse?

People want to know.

Last week I was practically shouted down for asking if it might be a good idea to open up the passing game. I mean, as long as you’re going nowhere, you might want to go nowhere 20 yards down the field instead of 5. Seems to me it finally happened in the second half against those pesky Jayhawks.

Why the wait?

It might sound like an excuse, but people are scratching their heads.

They want to know.

As for the defense, well …

No need.

Three measly points will be excused without explanation any day of the week.

As for the rest, it can’t be easy. This is a well known no excuses program, established by Stoops even before the first assistant was hired.

But it’s time to make an exception.

People want to know.

Clay Horning366-3526cfhorning@normantranscript.com