TCU’s 17-10 victory over Oklahoma in 2005 was one of the most shocking during Bob Stoops’ tenure. In the four years after that season-opening upset, TCU coach Gary Patterson doesn’t believe his team received enough credit for what happened that day.
Rumors have flown that insider information helped the Horned Frogs that afternoon. Several sources close to OU’s program have said the open practices that preseason benefited TCU.
“As far as us watching their practices, I took a little bit of offense that they would think that I would have someone go and spy on their practices, because, absolutely, that did not happen,” Patterson told the Dallas Morning News.
The following year, OU began the practice of closing most, if not all preseason practices. This year scrimmages were added to the behind-closed-doors list. Just two practices were open to fans and media.
Monday on the Big 12 coaches teleconference, Stoops said the loss to TCU or allegations of the Horned Frogs spying had nothing to do with the decision.
“The reason we closed our practices were for multiple reasons. I think it’s obvious to everybody just how much information is out there,” he said. “We just have far better work, communicate much better, everything when we have it closed. We just decided to do that. It has nothing to do with anybody in particular.”
Patterson admitted that he and his staff studied the tape of OU’s 2005 Red/White Game, which was televised.
“I watched it all summer,” he said.
The Sooners have played things much closer to the vest in the spring game since. The offense has been fairly vanilla in public situations since.
But Stoops isn’t worried about insider information when the second-ranked Sooners (3-0) face the 24th-ranked Horned Frogs (4-0) at 6 p.m. Saturday at Owen Field. He doesn’t believe it had much to do with the 2005 game.
“We’re four weeks into the season. They know what we’re going to do,” he said. “I don’t know where that would come from. They kicked our butt in 2005, plain and simple. They were more physical, more disciplined, executed better, all of that.”
John Shinn
366-3536
jshinn@normantranscript.com
OU Sports
Stoops discounts spy rumors
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