Saturday, November 22, 2008

Nighttime in Norman

Ah, the perfect nightcap for a great day of college football: No. 2 at No. 5 in Oklahoma Memorial Stadium with an almost endless number of BCS implications at stake.

I don't know what to expect tonight other than a four-hour game, probably more than 100 pass attempts and maybe a total of 100 points. Is that a testament to a pair of great offenses or bad defenses? How about a little of both?

I'm sure Barry Switzer and Spike Dykes would never have approved of anything like this.

That said ... kickoff in a few. I'll be back after I order some Chinese and get settled on the couch.

1st Quarter: OU moved down the field like a hot knife through butter. So far, The Raiders haven't been able to mount anywhere near the pass rush they did against UT. And DeMarco Murray looks better than I last remember him. Good sign for the Sooners. OU 7-0 ... Where's Michael Crabtree? ... As a note, in the smaller screen on my TV, the First Lady is watching an Animal Planet show about different breeds of dogs. Compromise, folks. ... The Sooners are getting a great push up front, even without their best d-lineman, Auston English. Tech looks really, really flat. Sort of like UT did in Lubbock. ... I'd like to think I'm smarter than this but, my football gut is telling me that Tech could get rolled. They're going to have to start doing something right, otherwise the Raiders will be down by three touchdowns. End of 1st.

2nd Quarter: Another rushing TD for the Sooners. Tech is getting whipped along both lines, plain and simple. OU 14-0 ... Apropos of nothing really, the First Lady and I just looked at a YouTube video of the Georgia's bulldog mascot, Uga, biting an Auburn player and a dog humping a pig. Anything to keep her interested in football, I suppose. ... It goes without saying that failing on 4th and 3 in the red zone will come back to haunt the Red Raiders. Not having a reliable scholarship kicker was bound to hurt Tech at some point this season. ... Murray seems to finally be rounding into form. The Sooners could have used this Murray at the Cotton Bowl. ... OU 21-0. This has the feel of a blowout. At the least, Tech can always pass its way back into games. ... Another failed fourth-down conversion. This is about more than Tech being flat. It's about OU having the better athletes. ... Speaking of, what a move by Iglesias. OU 28-0. At this point, it's important to note that the two best-looking teams in the nation over the past few weeks have probably been Florida and OU. ... Against UT, the weak spot in OU's defense was the middle of the field. The spot where Ryan Reynolds normally would have been. Glad to see Tech figured that out. OU 28-7. ... Herbstreit is right: the Sooners are making it look easy. They're teeing off on Tech's front seven and running it down their throat. OU is just a bad matchup for Tech. UT was more to the Red Raiders' liking. OU 35-7. ... Gotta say, looks like Graham Harrell won't have to worry about an acceptance speech in New York. ... Another OU TD. Geez. My football gut was right. OU 42-7. Tech is being sacrificed tonight, folks. ... End of the half, thank goodness for Tech. That was a 30-minute, prison-style beatdown. But I do think it's cool that they have a defensive back named L.A. Reed. Wonder if his mama was a fan of The Deele?

Halftime: Out of curiosity, I went searching for info about OU safety Nic Harris after he bucked up to extremely overrated Tech lineman Brandon "Mankind" Carter. What did I find? Harris has his own wikipedia page. There, I learned he's 6-3, 232-pounds, a native of Alexandria, La., and a member of Kappa Alpha Psi. What did we ever do before the Internet? And who, exactly, created his page?

3rd Quarter: If the game gets much more out of hand, I'm going to stop blogging. I think I want to watch "Mo' Better Blues" tonight. Listening to so much jazz over the past couple days - it's great music to study to - has got me in a sentimental mood. ... Another blooper moment from Tech. This one is about over. ... Chris Brown, with a textbook example of why running backs are taught to never stop moving their feet. Yep. Tech is done. OU 52-7. ... I just can't believe the No. 2 team in the nation is losing by 45 points with 24 minutes of game time to go. But, I guess, if you're from Texas, it's not really much of a surprise. ... I wonder if Harris learned that horse-collar tackle from Roy Williams in the offseason?

4th Quarter: OU, 58-14. Brent Musberger apparently doesn't know how to pronounce Beyonce. Sheesh. Be-yuance? ... The Sooners are treating the Red Raiders like North Texas. OU, 65-14. Reminds of the old days when they used to do Mack Brown's boys like this. ... Just gonna say it here: no one can think Tech is a national-title contender after tonight. Championship teams don't lose like this. How does San Diego in late December sound? ... And get Harrell out of there.

I'm finishing up here for the night. Looks like I lasted a couple more quarters than the Raiders. If I had a ballot, I'd probably go with a top 5 of Alabama, Florida, OU, USC and Texas. We all know I've got a jones for the Trojans. But that's just me. Holla.

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