EUGENE, Ore. — Garrett Hartley was in dreamland Saturday. He’d already connected on four straight field goals, but he had something bigger on his plate.
He was 44 yards away from giving Oklahoma one of its most euphoric wins in school history.
Sure, the Sooners had blown a 13-point lead in the final 3 minutes. But one last field goal would erase the memories. Hartley was dying for the opportunity.
“That’s what all kickers want to have,” he said. “You want the game to come down to you.”
Essentially, it did in No. 15 OU’s 34-33 loss to No. 18 Oregon at Autzen Stadium.
Reggie Smith’s kickoff return to the Ducks’ 27 set the wheels in motion. OU handed the ball to Adrian Peterson to move it to the middle of field for the climax in a drama-filled afternoon.
He laughed with Peterson before jogging out on the field. The pressure was what made the moment worth savoring.
But Hartley will never know for sure what would have been able to achieve the dream.
His 44-yard field goal as time expired was blocked by the Ducks’ Blair Phillips sending a raucous crowd into euphoria. Oregon’s fans rushed the field and celebrated like the Ducks had just won a national title.
“They got a good push up front and I was able to get my hand on it,” Phillips said.
But Hartley, whose four field goals tied a school record, will be haunted by the last one, because he’ll never know for sure if he would have been able to go 5-for-5.
“It felt like a solid connection and a couple guys in the locker room said they felt like it was going to be good,” Hartley said. “Honestly, I wish I could have missed it wide left, then I would know for sure. This way, I thought it was going to be good and it got batted down.”
OU coach Bob Stoops certainly wasn’t critical. He thought the protection might have broken down.
That gave little solace to Hartley. The question is always going to haunt him.
“This is my job on the team,” he said. “I’m here to make field goals. I would have much rather missed knowing it was my fault than not know for sure.”
OU Sports
Still not a bad day for Hartley
- OU Sports
-
-
Schedule easing up for Sooners
For some time, the Oklahoma women have been done no favors by their schedule. That may still be the case, but not for much longer....
-
Sooners using roller-coaster season as motivation
Oklahoma’s women’s gymnastics team has been anything but consistent. After dominating its season opener, the Sooners fell to No. 7 Oregon State and No. 9 Nebraska before trouncing then-No. 2 Arkansas....
-
Sooners open season with World Series aspirations
The Sooners haven’t even taken the field yet, but there is already talk of a national championship floating around the Oklahoma locker room. The Sooners will take the first step toward that goal when they open the season at 1:15 p.m. ...
-
Sooners have to eliminate mistakes that are costing them wins
It was a typical practice for Oklahoma on Thursday. The long workout had a lot of energy and precision. It mirrored many it has had over the last three months....
-
Move to Big 12 is chance at stability
Maybe this Internet thing’s really going to make it after all. Maybe even as a news source....
-
Sooners struggling to make climb
Oklahoma left the Lloyd Noble Center floor feeling an emotion that has become far too common on Monday. The 71-68 loss to Missouri was another tough loss in a season that’s getting tougher every day....
-
Sooners quartet needs help from teammates
How well did Oklahoma play Monday night? So well, even after missing 14 of 23 free throws, Steven Pledger, one of the nation’s best sharpshooters, had an open 3 to send the Sooners into overtime against No. 4 Missouri....
-
Sooners good enough everywhere but the free throw line
Steven Pledger sank to the floor with his face in his hands as the buzzer sounded. He couldn’t believe the 3-pointer he took with about 1 second remaining didn’t go through the net. It wasn’t the only thing running through his mind after ...
-
Last season ended in first trip to College Word Series since 2004
Hunger. Passion. Those were the two words most often repeated at the Oklahoma softball squad’s Media Day on Monday. And it’s those two traits that the Sooners are bringing to the 2012 season, which kicks off on Friday....
-
Campbell has another big night when Sooners needed her to step up
Scoring Oklahoma’s last nine points in a narrow victory over Texas Tech, freshman Sharane Campbell had been instrumental in front of the home crowd in one victory already this season....
- More OU Sports Headlines
-
Schedule easing up for Sooners
