Calling Oklahoma disappointing at this point is like waiting until after the Super Bowl to call out a team that didn't make the playoffs.
Sooners teams are gauged on championships. This team won't be winning this season. The national championship hopes were gone by early October. Big 12 title hopes followed soon after.
After last Saturday's loss at Nebraska, defensive end Jeremy Beal gave the best description of OU's season to date.
"It's very frustrating," he said. "Before the season, we had high expectations."
Which begs the question: What does OU (5-4, 3-2 Big 12) still have to play for?
Championships are out of the question. Getting to a bowl requires one more victory.
The Sooners, however, can get that critical victory at 6 p.m. at Owen Field against Texas A--M (5-4, 2-3).
"Honestly, some of our goals are gone now but we feel there is still a goal out there. We haven't been able to win a bowl game in a while," center Ben Habern said. "We feel like we need to win out and whatever bowl game we go to, we feel confident in trying to win that, too."
Then again, OU's played in BCS bowls the last three seasons. Anything else is going to be a letdown.
The typical late-season motivational factors are missing.
"Last year, we were in a certain situation where we had a chance for the national championship. We wanted to finish strong," Sooner defensive tackle Gerald McCoy said. "We don't have that same opportunity this year, but we have pride in being at the University of Oklahoma, so we still want to finish strong. Nothing changes."
It's what OU teams have for done for decades.
Players mentioned peer pressure as the strongest motivation they have for the rest of the regular season. There's the standard they've set for themselves, but what matters to them is not letting the standard set by those who came before them slip.
"You have to step and embrace the challenge and play well," OU coach Bob Stoops said. "We're expected to play well; practice and invest in the week to get yourself in a position to play well."
It gets tougher every week when you consider who is no longer practicing.
The Sooners did their best to absorb the blows from losing Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Sam Bradford and All-American tight end Jermaine Gresham. Three more starters -- defensive end Auston English, left guard Brody Eldridge and right guard Tavaris Jeffries -- were lost against Nebraska.
Each week it seems like the Sooners find another obstacle that must be overcome that goes beyond their next opponent. The injuries are the most obvious. This year's team has suffered the most of any during Stoops' 11 seasons.
Obstacles or not, the expectations don't change. They remain there even when hopes of winning a national championship or a conference title drift away.
"It just means that we have to keep pushing," left tackle Trent Williams said. "We still have games to play and we can't give up, so we still have to play."
The Sooners will be playing a very critical game tonight. It will have no bearing on the Big 12 race and has zero national championship implications. Tonight is the night OU lets everybody know if pride still matters.
John Shinn 366-3536 jshinn@normantranscript.com
Sports
Sooners left to maintain the tradition of those who came before
- Sports
-
-
There are no easy outs in the lineup
Looking for a gameplan to stop Oklahoma? Well, one may or may not be available, but walking two of the first three Sooners you face certainly isn’t part of it. Just ask Arizona’s Kenzie Fowler....
-
Sooners will play for Big 12 championship
OKLAHOMA CITY, — It’s been 16 years since Oklahoma won the Big 12 tournament. It’s closer now than its ever been to ending the streak. The Sooners rolled through Baylor, 7-2, on Saturday at Bricktown Ballpark to advance to the tournament’s ...
-
Sooners make winning look easy
As Oklahoma’s players locked arms around the pitching circle, coming together for what passed as a celebration following Saturday’s 7-1 NCAA Super Regional-clinching victory over Arizona, three gloves remained near second base....
-
Tigers rout Jayhawks to reach finals
OKLAHOMA CITY — Dane Opel doubled, tripled and drove in five runs to lead Missouri to a 12-2 rout of Kansas and earn a trip to the Big 12 tournament championship game for the second straight season....
-
Thunder, Spurs are ready to settle West’s best debate
SAN ANTONIO — Maybe they’ll finally get a challenge this time....
-
Djokovic bids for fourth consecutive Slam title
PARIS — As daylight disappeared and wind whipped loose dirt around the court, Novak Djokovic watched one last ace fly off Roger Federer’s racket and end their thrill-a-minute semifinal at the 2011 French Open....
-
Dale Jr. still optimistic
CONCORD, N.C. — At first Dale Earnhardt Jr. was relieved he didn’t fall further back than seventh at last year’s Coca-Cola 600. Then he realized what he had lost for just about a gallon of gas. “After a while, you start thinking about, ...
-
Indy wide open as Penske tries to go 5-0
INDIANAPOLIS — Marco Andretti knows how much heartache his family has suffered at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. He needs no reminders that IndyCar could use an American superstar, and with his famous last name, he is quite aware of the hope ...
-
Sooners send five more to nationals
AUSTIN, Texas — Oklahoma track and field teams had five more individuals qualify for the NCAA Championship on Saturday evening at the NCAA West Preliminary. The men’s 4x100-meter relay team also advanced to the national semifinals....
-
Celtics advance
BOSTON — To Doug Collins, Boston’s Big Three is already a memory....
- More Sports Headlines
-
