By Clay Horning
Norman, Okla. — For those who may not know, there will be two golden boys on the sideline today. Three, perhaps, if you count Brent Venables. But that’s another story. Assistant coaches and players aside, there will still be two, though one is quickly losing his luster.
Bob Stoops and Dennis Franchione.
When Stoops arrived at Oklahoma, Franchione was coming off his first season at TCU. The next year, Stoops went 7-5 with the Sooners and Franchione went 8-4 with the Horned Frogs. The one after that, Stoops won it all and Franchione went 10-2.
No stopping these guys.
Stoops continued to win at OU and Franchione went to Alabama and won there.
One step ahead of probation — for past sins; not his — Franchione left for College Station. ’Bama fans felt betrayed.
Who on earth goes to Alabama for two years?
But it’s funny how things turn out.
Now, the Tide wouldn’t trade Mike Shula go for 10 Franchiones. Heck, it probably wouldn’t trade for 10 Stoops’ either. Not today, when undefeated ’Bama will try staying that way against LSU.
But that’s not to equalize Stoops and Franchione. Once grouped together, sometimes as a trio that included Mack Brown, there is now distance. Lots of distance between the head Sooner and the man overseeing a sinking Aggie ship.
What happened to Franchione?
Who’s to know. His defense can’t stop anybody. For three straight games, it’s given up more points, more passing yards and more total yards than the week before.
What happened to Stoops?
Well, a program can’t stay in the top five forever. A great group of seniors is bound to leave. Injuries are bound to happen. Youth is bound to struggle.
But the Sooners are on their way up, the Aggies not so much.
Franchione may have given his best years to the game from ’85 to ’89 when he went 55-6 at Division II Pittsburgh State. This could be it at A&M.;
It’s hard to figure.
Stoops isn’t.
His first two seasons were about getting to the top and his next four were about staying there. Season No. 7 is about finally falling down.
But that’s not all.
It’s also about how the coach has handled it, what the Sooners have done in the midst of it and the direction the program’s heading at the end of it.
Thus far, the only answers are well, well enough and up.
Can’t say that about Franchione.
Indeed, turned on the Sooner coach, this season makes a fine microscope.
Just this week, Stoops went on and on about how exciting it’s been. In so many words, it was like he said, Hey, we’re not what we’ve been, but, wow, that makes for great games!
During the dog days, when OU was 1-2 after UCLA and 2-3 after Texas, Stoops wasn’t so much stoic or resolved as he was matter of fact. His attitude seemed to be one of, Hey, these things happen, we’re going to get better.
As one who often handles losses better than wins, Stoops’ most trying time appeared to be postgame Tulsa. Despite victory, he was disgusted with the offense being forced to the ground. Yet he stuck with Rhett Bomar and the young, sometimes maddening quarterback appears to have come around. Some of the reason why, it’s impossible not to think, is the steadiness of the head coach.
Don’t misunderstand. Stoops can be maddening, too.
He’s stingy with information, loathe to explain injuries in any detail and keeps all his discipline in-house. Occasionally, he acts like he understands journalism the same way journalists act like they understand football. Of course, we watch a lot of football. He’s never watched us write.
Not that it has anything to do with coaching.
In the middle of a trying season, Stoops has stayed the course. And should things go as expected today, the Sooner Nation will not be grumbling about its team’s misfortune, but saluting its perseverance.
The Aggie Nation will be doing something else.
