A rare Oklahoma football update

This has not been a memorable Sooner season. Oklahoma lost her up and coming quarterback before the first Autumn snap due to his own greed. We fell unceremoniously to Texas, as expected. Then, America's best running back, Adrian Peterson, broke his shoulder during a routine touchdown dive, dashing his Heisman hopes. But tonight's classic match with Texas A&M, played on Kyle Field in College Station, Texas, brought a return of at least a spark of Sooner Magic. Kyle Field is historically the home of the 12th man. This tradition is well-honored in college football, paying homage to everyone behind the scenes and even on the field during a college exhibition. The 12th man can be anyone from a walk-on special teams football player to a cheerleader, to a rabid fan. The idea is that it takes more than just the players on the field to ensure God, country, team and a win. Not a bad tradition.

Kyle Field is well known as being one of the toughest venues in sport. Oklahoma took the field in College Station on the evening of 11-04-06 in a match that was expected to be too close to call. After all, A&M held defending National Champs Texas scoreless for the better part of an entire game just last weekend, before the Longhorns staged an impressive comeback and gave A&M their first loss of the season.

Oklahoma led throughout the game, but did not dominate, and A&M was a constant threat. Two minutes left and A&M kicked a field goal, bringing the score to 17-16, Oklahoma. Sooner ball with 1:26 on the clock and we could not buy a first down or push past our own 30 after a quarterback sneak on 3rd and a yard. The game boiled down to 4th and inches. The color commentary swore that the only safe recourse was to punt and then defend A&M's charge to get within field goal range. But the TV folks forgot about Bob Stoops, one of the most winning college football coaches in the nation.

Resting on our own 30, Oklahoma burned her last two timeouts, fiddled around, hemmed and hawed, caused the repeat of the same stupid TV commercial and then lined up quickly to go for broke. No punt; we would play. By then, A&M was apparently befuddled. Our subsequent first down would have given us control of the clock and a likely win but A&M sustained a huge, high school penalty: 12 men on the field. Ha! Funny, ain't it?

Oklahoma wins 17-16!