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Cause for concern Oklahoma shows chinks in armor against K-State
Updated: Saturday October 06, 2001 9:43 PM
NORMAN, Okla. -- It was a strange ending to a strange game -- one you almost needed a rule book to completely follow -- so pardon the Oklahoma faithful if they didn’t quite know how to react. Their beloved Sooners had just won their 17th consecutive game, but not in nearly the fashion they’d come to expect in the first 16. Their much-vaunted defense had just gotten pasted for 446 yards, their much-scrutinized quarterback threw three interceptions and, perhaps most mind-boggling, they’d let a seemingly crushed opponent come back from a 35-14 deficit to within 38-37, the game decided only when the pesky Kansas State quarterback’s last shot at the end zone fell astray. "We’re not going to walk out of here with our heads down," said OU All-American Rocky Calmus, "but we’re not going to have our chests out high, either." Now, following a three-week layoff leading up to this one, the third-ranked Sooners have only a week to recover before their showdown with No. 5 Texas, and college football observers everywhere are left wondering: Are the once-invincible champs more fallible than we realized?
If they are, no one’s saying so. OU head coach Bob Stoops, never one to offer anything but heaping praise on anyone, chalked up the closeness of Saturday’s contest largely to the quality of the opponent, possibly to their underestimating the passing ability of K-State QB Ell Roberson and maybe, just slightly, to the long layoff since their last game. Of QB Nate Hybl, whose 17-of-38, three-interception passing line is sure to have at least some red-clad fans grumbling, Stoops said, "I thought Nate Hybl was just exceptional." Of OU allowing the Wildcats to score 23 of the game’s final 26 points and turn a blowout into a barn-burner: “We’re playing a Top 10 team in the country here. They’re a powerful program that doesn’t lose very much. Am I disappointed they came back to score one less point than us? Not at all.” Well, he’s right. And wrong. He’s right in that there’s no understating the abilities of K-State, which despite losing a bulk of talent from last year’s 11-3 squad, appears to be even tougher. He’s right that, numbers notwithstanding, Hybl played a major role in the Sooners’ victory. But saying there’s no reason for concern following OU’s worst defensive game in two years -- and its lowest rushing total (9 yards) in any victory in school history -- isn’t going to fool anyone. Before Saturday, the OU defense was beginning to gain a reputation as one of the all-time greats, beginning with its historic performance against Florida State in last year’s Orange Bowl. Losing star LB Torrance Marshall and plugging in a true freshman (Tommie Harris) and converted linebacker (Jimmy Wilkerson) seemed to have little effect during three opening games in which the Sooners forced 12 turnovers and allowed 40 points. Against the Wildcats, co-defensive coordinator Mike Stoops was set on slowing down RB Josh Scobey, which the Sooners did by holding him nearly 100 yards below his 138.5 average. But they got burned by everyone else, including Roberson and two previously unheralded K-State receivers, Brandon Clark (5 catches, 126 yards) and Ricky Lloyd (4, 86, 1 TD). Was this really the work of the same defensive juggernaut we’ve become accustomed to the past two years? "At times," Mike Stoops said afterward. "But to give up that many big plays … you can’t be a great defense and give up that many big plays. That’s disconcerting." On offense, OU had to deal with a K-State defense intent on shutting down RB Quentin Griffin (17 carries, 28 yards). No one would have dared try that last year with Heisman finalist Josh Heupel under center. He would have picked them apart. But K-State was willing to roll the dice that his replacement, Hybl, couldn’t do the same. As a result, Hybl spent much of the day trying to throw over the Wildcat backfield, something he certainly accomplished on 75- and 63-yard touchdowns to Antwone Savage. But other times he forced the issue, resulting in the three interceptions. One of them, on an overthrow picked off by safety Jon McGraw, proved particularly costly, with the score then 35-21. One wonders if Texas -- and other future opponents -- will utilize a similar strategy. Not to get ahead of ourselves, they’re still the Sooners, still unbeaten and still the champs, until proven otherwise. On Saturday, they did many of the things we’ve come to expect from the Sooners, like the Roberson fumble Roy Williams ran in for OU’s first touchdown, their fourth defensive score this season. And the fake punt for a touchdown in which Hunter Wall both threw and caught a pass showed familiar Bob Stoops bravado. For Texas, attempting to reverse a 63-14 score from a year ago, this may have been the worst thing that could happen. OU was taken to the limit and survived. Practice begins again Monday, and if there’s any chance the Sooners were getting complacent, that chance is gone. Stewart Mandel covers college football for CNNSI.com.
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