Postgame thoughts after Missouri shatters OU hopes

<p><em class="gnmEkDate">Originally Published: Oct 24, 2010 8:15 PM CDT</em></p>-You can’t make mistakes against good teams and get away with it. Apropos, when Missouri ran the opening kickoff 

Thursday, May 26th 2011, 1:28 pm

By: News 9

Originally Published: Oct 24, 2010 8:15 PM CDT

-You can’t make mistakes against good teams and get away with it. Apropos, when Missouri ran the opening kickoff backafter a miserably inept kick by Patty O’Harah.

-What would you think the score would be if were told at halftime Landry Jones would have thrown for 248 yards and two TDs? You might have thought it was a done deal. But there were so many critical errors that OU was lucky to get out only down 17-14.

-How’s this for the game of the week? 1-Kickoff TD, 7-0. 2-Missouri fumbles punt, 7-7. Jones throws INT, 14-7. Lost with the national media hereand I imagine on TV as wellis the fact that OC Kevin Wilson is forced to basically recreate an offense. The end of the season knee injury to WR Dejuan Miller and the sprained ankle sustained by Ryan Broyles made things very challenging. Not often do you have a key drive in the second half and have James Hannah in the slot and Broyles standing next to Bob Stoops.

-Anything more deflating than not converting on a red zone drive then have a kicker miss a 30-yard MUSTMUSTMAUST make field goal? Takes the wind right out of your sails.

-OU scored on two lengthy drives that when it was absolutely necessary. OU was behind 14-7 and made a stop on defense (21-7 wouldn’t have been good at all). They tied it at 14. Then down 6 in the middle of the third quarter, Sooners down 3, they hold the Tigers to 3. They they get it to Roy Finch a few timesnot nearly enough we might addand he led his mates into scoring range where Jones gave the Soooners the lead, 21-20.

-It was a frustrated team after the game, Landry Jones with one sentence answers and Travis Lewis deciding not to do interviews with the press.

-The theme of the coaches and coaches after the game was essentially, “we didn’t even give ourselves a chance to win.”

-The lack of a pass rush killed the Sooners. I talked with Jeremy Beal who politely gave credit to Missouri and said it was back to the drawing board.

-Stoops was quizzed hard about his decision to go for two when down nine with six minutes remaining. He said the same thing OC Kevin Wilson said to me: “We were going to have to go for it sometime, so we decided to do it then which helped us decide whether to kick it deep or onside.”

-Ryan Broyles told me he has two “tweaked” anklesone he injured earlier this week and one he hurt at the end of the Iowa State game.

-Frankly, this team was not national title caliber. I guess if they played to the max in the biggest games they could have made it to the title game. But unless there was major progress, I couldn’t see this bunch matching up well with an Oregon or Alabama. That’s not to say they aren’t the best in the south and won’t advance to the Big 12 title game. And guess who might be there waiting on them? RightMizzou. Next time they’ll need more than their C minus game to win.

Dean Blevins