LAWRENCE, Kan. -- Most of Oklahoma's dreams have been dashed. There will be no national championship this season. Hopes of a fourth straight Big 12 championship were crippled with last week's loss to Texas. The Sooners' two biggest offensive stars are out with one having season-ending surgery, the other contemplating it.
There's been a lot more nightmares than dreams for OU this season.
So where do the 25th-ranked Sooners (3-3, 1-1 Big 12) find motivation to face No. 24 Kansas (5-1, 1-1) at 2:30 p.m. today at Memorial Stadium?
"First and foremost is this team and being as good as we can be this year," defensive end Auston English said. "Being my last year here, I want to leave whatever legacy I can and hopefully leave the place better than when I got here."
English got here in 2005 when the Sooners were rebuilding after the core of a team that won two Big 12 titles and played in two national championship games left.
He redshirted that year, but watched and practiced with a team that struggled offensively most of the season and had to rely on defense.
Just like this season, OU was 3-3 after a loss to Texas and faced a make-or-break road game against the Jayhawks.
The Sooners won that game 19-3 and were able to turn their season around in the process. They started winning close games and that tenacity carried them for two years. Four years later, they haven't been able to find the intangibles required to win close games. Three losses have come by a combined five points.
The coaching staff, and most players, have talked about being just a few plays away from having a completely different outlook.
OU will need them today.
"The season is never over," cornerback Brian Jackson said. "We still have six more games to play. You never know what will happen with the Big 12. Bowl game wise, you never know what's going to go on. As long as we stay focused and stay positive, there shouldn't be a problem."
For OU's defense, there haven't been any problems. The unit hasn't allowed more than 21 points in a game. It's kept OU in every game. If the Sooners want to get out of their funk, they have to start scoring points.
With Sam Bradford on the shelf for a second time (and a fourth start) this season, OU turns to Landry Jones at quarterback. The redshirt freshman has played the caretaker role very well, but OU needs to get the ball in the end zone to win today.
That means getting the run game going, becoming more productive in the red zone and being more disciplined: committing fewer penalties and not turning the ball over.
These were all areas OU excelled in the last two seasons, but not so much this season.
"It's frustrating, but it's football. We have to keep making adjustments and find what works," offensive tackle Trent Williams said. "We're a different team from last year and we have to find our own path."
Today could be the Sooners' final chance to find one that puts them on winning trajectory. Teams that limp through September and October rarely find their stride later in the year. OU hasn't made excuses for its ills. Instead, it's talked about being close to realizing a much rosier scenario.
There's been plenty of misfortune along the way, but the opportunities to turn the season around are nearing an end.
OU needs to beat Kansas.
John Shinn 366-3536 jshinn@normantranscript.com
OU Sports
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