By John Shinn
COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Oklahoma’s history of struggles at Kyle Field can be traced back to one thing — slow starts. The Sooners might be 3-1 at one college football loudest venues since 2000, but it has done little early to dull the noise.
With the exception of 2004’s 17-16 victory, OU has trailed or been tied at halftime in three of the last four there. Every minute the Aggies were in the game, the volume of the noise grew with every snap and the 12th Man became a bigger factor.
The sixth-ranked Sooners (8-1, 4-1 Big 12) would love to see that crowd calmly sitting instead of yelling at full throat when it faces Texas A&M; (4-5, 2-3) at 2:30 p.m. today. If it does, it won’t have to do anything it hasn’t already proven it can do.
OU has consistently shown it can get out of the blocks quick all season. It’s averaging 35 first-half poinst this season with an average halftime lead of 23 points.
There are several reasons for why the Sooners have hit their stride right after the opening kickoff.
“I think it’s because of how many offensive weapons we have,” wide receiver Juaquin Iglesias said. “It’s hard to stay with all of us; that’s why you get to big plays and people out of gaps. It’s great to be part of. I haven’t played on a team like this before. I’ve always been on teams that started slow.”
Better focus is another.
Last season’s Sooners, particularly when they were on the road, were notorious for their slow starts. Changing that was the big emphasis going into this season. The fruits of the players’ labor has been obvious.
About 20 of those 35 first half points typically come in the first quarter.
It’s been more shock and awe than a steady march.
“It all goes into our attitude and preparation,” quarterback Sam Bradford said. “Our attitude is we want to score every time we touch the ball. The first time we touch it, we’re looking to score.”
The Sooners have put up a touchdown on the opening possession in eight of their nine games. Last season they found the end zone on the first possession only three times all season.
The tempo of OU’s offense is another factor. The no-huddle, quick-snap approach still catches defenses off guard. It shouldn’t be a surprise. OU’s run it in every game this season. Simulating it in practice is virtually impossible, though. Seeing it in person is the only way to get acclimated to the pace. It’s taken a view series for every team OU’s faced to get up to speed.
But Kyle Field has the potential to be the loudest venue OU’s played in this year. It gets tougher to make calls at the line of scrimmage when Bradford has to yell at the top of his lungs for an offensive tackle a couple feet away to hear him. It typical slows things down.
Offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson envisions that kind of scenario at Kyle Field.
“It’s always tough in front of a big crowd,” he said. “We’ve had a nice little run, but we’ll need to maintain it.”
OU mastered it at Washington and Kansas State. If it manages to corral the Aggies, it will deal with the same situation Nov. 29 at Oklahoma State.
There’s no secret to success in a hostile environment. Play well early and raucous crowd becomes civil.
“When we went on the road in the past, we struggled early and allowed the crowd to say in it. I think that kind of rattled us a little,” Iglesias said. “This year, we’ve been getting the crowd out of the game right after it starts.”
John Shinn
366-3536
jshinn@normantranscript.com
