KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Any questions? Really, are there? What more could anybody want from this team?
Balance? There was balance on a night the Sooners rolled up 627 yards, 243 of it on the ground, even 114 of it from Mossis Madu, who had no idea he’s get anywhere near 15 carries, but that’s how it went after DeMarco Murray bruised a knee on the opening kick.
Defense? There was defense. On the other side of the field stood a team once ranked in the top 5, that was No. 1 entering the same stage a year ago with most of the same playmakers back. Missouri finished the night with 354 yards. A nice total until its compared with what the Tigers were averaging coming into the game: 509.4.
Special teams? Maybe its still an issue. Jimmy Stevens converted the ugliest 20-yard field goal of all time and Mike Knall kicked a punt off the hosel that only traveled 26 yards and only that far thanks to a most kind bounce. But Jeremy Maclin didn’t bring anything back the distance and who cares about a shanked punt when it was the only punt?
It’s tempting to say the game was closer the final score — 62-21 — indicated because there were a few moments there in the second quarter when it was only 10-7 and might well have been 10-10 but for a missed Tiger field goal.
Only it wasn’t any closer.
Not at all.
OU led 38-7 at the half and it was over then. Not on the scoreboard where there was still 30 minutes to play, but on the Missouri side of the field where, with time to run another couple of plays before the half from near midfield, the Tigers chucked it in instead and walked to the locker room.
In its last five games OU has scored 62, 66, 65, 61 and 62 points. In the modern era, which basically means since World War II, that’s never happened. And it’s certainly never happened when three of the five opponents were ranked, all three having spent time in the top 10, two of them in the top 5.
And still, it was like OU would have gladly played against Saturday had anybody left unconvinced.
Down on the field, Sam Bradford, who threw two more touchdown passes without a pick and for 384 yards, talked about how so many people thought the Sooners didn’t belong in Arrowhead.
Asked about his personnel as time ran down, Bob Stoops said, in so many words, this was for a championship and his team was going to play to the end. Maybe that’s why, two plays before Madu closed the scoring with a 38-yard run, Bradford threw deep, though incomplete, to Juaquin Iglesias.
The bunker mentality hasn’t been a Sooner staple since Kelvin Sampson was running men’s basketball, but maybe that’s where Stoops and the Sooners have taken residence. To their credit, they didn’t take the dive until everybody beyond Oklahoma’s borders really did turn against them. Also, maybe, that’s just the ticket to end a two-season BCS hex and win the program’s eighth national championship.
Maybe the best thing that ever happened to this team was the insane and seemingly in unison chant taken up by a chorus of national college football voices claiming one loss in October meant more than any recordbreaking run that’s followed.
The Sooners just crushed another strong opponent and they still sound mad, like the only thing better would be another minute and three time outs. That way they drive the field again, go for two, and score 70.
But they’ll have to wait.
They’ll get another chance, with any justice, Jan. 8 in Miami.
OU Sports
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Commentary
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