Tramel's ScissorTales: OU football gets sneak peek at UTEP from Week 0 loss to North Texas
Former Kansas State coach Bill Snyder was famous for his preparation.
One year, the Wildcats’ football offices had a leak problem in April, and a bunch of Snyder’s paperwork was swamped.
Snyder’s biggest regret? Some of his gameplans for September were ruined.
Most college football coaches are not like Bill Snyder, and most programs are not like K-State.
But they do work in advance.
OU’s method is called a “a summer opponent,” said offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby. “We have support staff guys who take some of our opponents and break them down and look at them and put together a gameplan to be able to get a jump, especially for early games that you aren’t going to have a ton of tape on.”
Makes sense. Sort of a running start.
But then comes the 2022 schedule, and a season opener against Texas-El Paso, which played last week, losing 31-13 at home to North Texas in Week Zero.
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Why focus on 2021 video, when the current Miners – in a tough game – are on tape?
“Just being able to watch those guys on Saturday night and watch the tape all day (Sunday) and continue to gameplan and get ready to roll, it probably just confirms some of the things that you probably saw on tape last year,” Lebby said.
“Or maybe they are doing some different things that you didn’t see. That’s the biggest thing – just seeing confirmation of what happened the year before.”
That would suggest most teams don’t change from year to year. And maybe that’s true.
But it’s not true of the Sooners, who have a new head coach in Brent Venables, new coordinators in Lebby and Ted Roof, new systems, new quarterback in Dillon Gabriel and new players all around. OU has 40 new players, and Venables said Tuesday half his team never has suited up for the Sooners.
So UTEP is going in with lots of questions.
At least in Stillwater, OSU and Central Michigan are on the starting line together. The Chippewas have the same coach, Florida-ex Jim McElwain, as a year ago. And Gundy, of course, is beginning his 18th season running Cowboy football.
“I see a tough football team,” Gundy said of CMU. “They’ve had a few transfers. Just watching last year, highly competitive, very physical up front.
“I see a lot of MAC football because they play during the week (in November). You guys are probably like I am late at night. You’re flipping and you’re like, ‘I’m going to watch a little ball.’ You get to watch a game where it’s raining and it’s 30 degrees on a Tuesday night or whatever. I watched a lot of them and they are exactly what from a distance I see.
“But with that conference, they are physical up front, they’re tough, their back (Lew Nichols III) is physical - he's part of what they are. Head coach is a good offensive guy, he’s a good playcaller.
“From the outside looking in, they believe in toughness. Quarterback is athletic. Had a really, really good pass rush last year. They don’t try to do too much, in my opinion. They’re good at what they do.”
Tramel's ScissorTales: Will Jeff Lebby's up-tempo offense hurt OU football's defense?
Of course, Venables said much the same thing about UTEP, despite that 18-point loss to North Texas.
Making the case for the Miners, Venables pointed out a wild snap on the goal line, a dropped pass on what would have been a touchdown and a missed field goal – 17 points in an 18-point deficit.
“They’re a bowl team,” Venables said of UTEP’s 7-6 season a year ago. Coach Dana Dimel’s "done a great job building that program the right way, with confidence and toughness and physicality. Their best player arguably is the quarterback (Gavin Hardison). He’s a great leader, everything goes through him. Really tough guy.
“They did a great job in the transfer portal. They lost a couple receivers in the transfer portal, but they got a couple of junior college players. They’ve got big, strong physical backs. They’re committed to the run game. Probably the best-coached part of their team is the offensive line. Head coach is an offensive line coach. They know exactly what they’re doing. They make very few mistakes. They’re usually in position to keep themselves out of harm’s way, if you will, in regards to what you’re doing on defense.”
Listen to Venables long enough, and you start to think it’s Texas, not Texas-El Paso.
“Defensively, they’re really aggressive,” Venables said. “They’re going to make you earn everything you get. It’ll be a great challenge for us. This is a group that again, they believe in what they’re doing. This was a tough loss for ‘em, but the reality is, they know they were in that game. This is a great opportunity for them to go on the road and build as a team.”
I’m not convinced. It’s Texas-El Paso and Central Michigan, not Texas and Michigan. But UTEP and Central are what we’ve got.
Let’s get to the predictions:
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Texas-El Paso at Oklahoma: Sooners 55-14. The Miners have been to Norman thrice, losing 56-7 (2017), 68-0 (2002) and 55-14 (2000).
Central Michigan at Oklahoma State: Cowboys 30-14. Game 3 in the contract. So far, OSU has outscored the Chippewas 51-43. Tough opponent.
West Virginia at Pittsburgh: Mountaineers 26-20. WVU is tucked into the far north corner of West Virginia, which makes it only about 75 miles from Pittsburgh. This is a grand old game that should always be played but hasn’t been for a decade.
Texas Christian at Colorado: Horned Frogs 24-23. Much optimism swirls around TCU, but I’m expecting a close game against the beleaguered Buffaloes.
Louisiana-Monroe at Texas: Longhorns 49-7. A mini-Iron Bowl. UT coach Steve Sarkisian was an Alabama offensive coordinator. ULM coach Terry Bowden coached Auburn to an undefeated season, albeit 29 years ago.
South Dakota at Kansas State: Wildcats 41-14. K-State has had a couple of close calls recently against Division I-AA opponents – 31-23 against Southern Illinois last season, 27-24 against South Dakota in 2018.
Murray State at Texas Tech: Red Raiders 43-14. The Joey McGuire Era begins amid much fanfare in Lubbock.
Albany at Baylor: Bears 56-8. Seems like Baylor could have found a closer I-AA opponent than a team from upstate New York.
Southeast Missouri State at Iowa State: Cyclones 34-3. Too bad the Cyclones aren’t playing Northern Iowa. That was always a competitive game.
Tennessee Tech at Kansas: Jayhawks 38-10. KU beat South Dakota 17-14 last season. Under Lance Leipold, have the Jayhawks reached the point where they can dominate a I-AA foe?
Oregon vs. Georgia in Atlanta: Bulldogs 26-13. Not much of a neutral site. The Ducks are traveling 2,608 miles, the Bulldogs 72.
Utah at Florida: Utes 25-14. Good timing for Utah. The Utes catch Florida in Gainesville during an apparent rebuilding year in Billy Napier’s first season coaching the Gators. Florida plays in Salt Lake City next season.
Florida State vs. Louisiana State in New Orleans: Seminoles 28-27. Two big names without necessarily big teams. Big game for Mike Norvell’s future coaching FSU. Every game is big for an LSU coach, and Brian Kelly’s debut is no different.
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Cincinnati at Arkansas: Razorbacks 29-21. A Bearcats’ victory would be good for UC, good for mid-majors, good for the American Conference and good for the Big 12’s future.
Memphis at Mississippi State: Bulldogs 41-30. Mike Leach is 11-13 in two years at Starkville. He was 55-47 in eight years at Washington State, but Leach fairly clearly made the right move in jumping.
Utah State at Alabama: Crimson Tide 50-14. Welcome to Bama’s new scheduling model. The Tide no longer opens the season with a neutral-site game against a Power Five foe.
Louisiana Tech at Missouri: Tigers 38-22. The Bulldogs’ Sonny Cumbie era starts in Columbia, where Cumbie played for Texas Tech in 2003.
Georgia State at South Carolina: Gamecocks 34-16. Spencer Rattler, all eyes are on you.
Troy at Ole Miss: Rebels 42-20. Mississippi offers Southern Cal expatriate Jaxson Dart at quarterback.
Miami-Ohio at Kentucky: Wildcats 34-7. Can this be Mark Stoops’ special season? UK hasn’t been to a major bowl in 71 years.
Ball State at Tennessee: Volunteers 44-14. Hopes are high for Josh Heupel’s second season on Rocky Top.
Sam Houston State at Texas A&M: Aggies 58-10. It’s only 52 miles from Huntsville to College Station. The Bearkats’ miserable bus ride home will at least be short.
Mercer at Auburn: Tigers 52-6. If it just means more in the Southeastern Conference, why are games like this being played?
Elon at Vanderbilt: Commodores 37-7. The Phoenix actually isn’t a terrible Division I-AA team. But Vandy looked good at Hawaii.
Notre Dame at Ohio State: Buckeyes 31-14. The problem with college football in a shellnut. Two huge names. Two great teams. One glorious showdown. And Ohio State is favored by 17½ points. Probably for good reason.
Penn State at Purdue: Nittany Lions 27-17. The Joe Buck Game. ESPN literally gave this game to Fox as part of the bounty to let Buck out of his Fox contract to sign with ESPN.
Illinois at Indiana: Illini 26-24. Bret Bielema needs some wins before Illinois hits the meat of the Big Ten schedule.
Rutgers at Boston College: Eagles 24-20. An old Eastern Independent rivalry is renewed.
Colorado State at Michigan: Wolverines 45-15. This is the best of Michigan’s non-conference opponents. Not good. Not good at all.
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Buffalo at Maryland: Terrapins 30-23. Bulls still reeling from Leipold’s departure. They lost a bunch of transfers when he went to Kansas in spring 2021 and fell to 4-8 last season.
Western Michigan at Michigan State: Spartans 32-13. Michigan State rolled the Broncos in 2019, but the previous three meetings were competitive.
New Mexico State at Minnesota: Gophers 41-10. One of the best grudge matches of the season. Jerry Kill coached Minnesota from 2010-15, then stepped down because of health reasons. In recent years, Kill has ripped the Gopher athletic director for firing Tracy Claeys, Kill’s successor, in 2017 and ripped current Minnesota coach P.J. Fleck for downgrading the status of the Gopher program when he took over. Now Kill is head coach at downtrodden New Mexico State. The drama will be thick in Minneapolis.
South Dakota State at Iowa: Hawkeyes 38-7. The key to scheduling Dakotas is avoiding North Dakota State.
North Dakota at Nebraska: Cornhuskers 43-14. The Dakota scheduling theory could be tested by Scott Frost’s Huskers.
Illinois State at Wisconsin: Badgers 51-7. Wisconsin's first game against a I-AA opponent since 2014.
Arizona at San Diego State: Aztecs 25-14. Quick question. Would the Big 12 be better off expanding with UofA or San Diego State? ‘Zona, I guess, but it’s not just a quick question, it’s a good question.
Boise State at Oregon State: Broncos 28-27. OSU’s previous two non-conference road games have been to these Pacific Northwest outposts. The Broncos were a much more impressive operation.
Kent State at Washington: Huskies 34-21. The Don James Game. Fifty years ago, UW hired away Kent State’s head coach, and Don James was the best thing that ever happened to the Huskies. Now the schools meet for the first time.
Bowling Green at UCLA: Bruins 42-22. Chip Kelly went 8-4 last season and has a promising team returning. This would be a very good time for UCLA football to make some strides.
Rice at Southern Cal: Trojans 62-14. Hmm. Can’t seem to remember who quarterbacks or coaches USC these days.
Cal-Davis at California: Golden Bears 31-21. The University of California system shines bright with this game. UC-Davis is a good I-AA program.
Idaho at Washington State: Cougars 42-3. Idaho State vs. Washington would not be any better of a matchup.
Northern Arizona at Arizona State: Sun Devils 49-15. ASU plays in Stillwater next week.
Colgate at Stanford: Cardinal 48-14. Funny matchup, but the academics are strong.
North Carolina at Appalachian State: Mountaineers 31-28. Kudos to UNC for this kind of schedule, but Mack Brown can’t be too pleased. At Appalachian State this week, at Georgia State next week. Two mid-major road games, and this week is against a bear of a program.
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Clemson at Georgia Tech: Tigers 30-7. Clemson beat the Yellow Jackets 14-8 a year ago, after winning 73-7 in 2020. Somewhere in the middle is probably what we’ll get.
Louisville at Syracuse: Cardinals 26-24. Someone the other day rated the Orange the toughest coaching job in Power Five Conference football. That seems unlikely, but you can see such status from Syracuse.
Virginia Tech at Old Dominion: Hokies 27-18. Same thing as North Carolina. The Hokies’ schedule does new coach Brent Pry no favors. VPI also plays at Liberty later this season.
North Carolina State at East Carolina: Wolfpack 31-21. Ruffin McNeill is back in college football, as special assistant to N.C. State head coach Dave Doeren, and McNeill’s first game is against the school that fired him as head coach despite a 42-34 record from 2010-15. McNeill, remember, was on Lincoln Riley’s OU staff from 2017-19 before returning to North Carolina to care for his ailing father.
Temple at Duke: Owls 23-20. On the Syracuse question, Duke might be a better candidate for worst Power Five job.
Virginia Military at Wake Forest: Demon Deacons 41-10. Wake’s ability to consistently produce good football teams is an American marvel. The Deacons have 45 wins the previous six seasons; that’s only one fewer than N.C. State and 10 more than Carolina.
Richmond at Virginia: Cavaliers 38-6. You can do worse in the nickname matchup than Spiders vs. Cavaliers.
Bethune-Cookman at Miami: Hurricanes 59-6. Lots of Floridian football teams to play, so why are the ‘Canes playing only Bethune-Cookman along with Florida State?
Tulsa at Wyoming: Golden Hurricane 24-19. Wyoming was overmatched last week against Illinois. So this is a chance for TU to get off to a strong start for what could be a third straight winning season.
Houston at Texas-San Antonio: Cougars 30-19. Dangerous game for the highly-routed UofH. UTSA was stout a year ago.
Southern Methodist at North Texas: Eagles 31-26. Massive opportunity for Seth Littrell and the Mean Green, which will join the Mustangs in the American Conference starting next season. SMU is breaking in a new coach, and the Mustangs have to play in Denton.
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Brigham Young at South Florida: Cougars 38-20. USF quarterback Gerry Bohanon beat BYU last season, while playing for Baylor.
Delaware at Navy: Midshipmen 30-13. Underrated regional rivalry. It’s only 83 miles from Newark, Delaware, to Annapolis, Maryland.
South Carolina State at Central Florida: Knights 44-7. Year 2 of the Gus Malzahn era starts for UCF.
Massachusetts at Tulane: Green Wave 27-17. Wide variance in season openers for Tulane. At OU in 2021, home against UMass in 2022.
Army at Coastal Carolina: Chanticleers 32-20. One of the best games of the day. Coastal is a mid-major force and has a great quarterback in Grayson McCall. Army is Army.
Texas State at Nevada: Bobcats 21-20. OSU transfer quarterback Shane Illingworth started for Nevada last week at New Mexico State but was so-so, completing seven of 12 passes for 51 yards before giving way to Nate Cox, who wasn’t any better. Stay tuned.
Western Kentucky at Hawaii: Hilltoppers 29-28. Thanks to Zero Week, I’ve seen more of these teams already than I would have seen all year long. Western looked one point better in beating Austin Peay than did Hawaii in getting routed by Vanderbilt.
Northern Iowa at Air Force: Falcons 33-23. Dangerous Division I-AA opponent for the Airmen. Northern Iowa has its moments, usually against Iowa State or Iowa.
Cal Poly at Fresno State: Bulldogs 42-20. This is Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo, of the Big Sky Conference. Cal Poly-Pomona does not field a football team.
Portland State at San Jose State: Spartans 24-16. Where have you gone, Neil Lomax?
Maine at New Mexico: Lobos 37-10. Perhaps the most randomly-scheduled football game of all time. Whoever pictured the Black Bears appearing in Albuquerque?
Liberty at Southern Mississippi: Flames 31-11. The latest Charlie Brewer Tour starts in Hattiesburg.
Last week: 9-2. Season: 9-2.
Tramel:Dana Dimel, Brent Venables reunited as opposing head coaches in OU-UTEP football
Mailbag: OSU left-handed quarterbacks
Gunnar Gundy is OSU’s backup quarterback. Gundy also is left-handed. Inquiring minds want to know.
Brett: “I don't live in Oklahoma, so this might be discussed and I'm not aware of it, but I'm pretty sure that if/when Gunnar Gundy starts a game for OSU, he'll be the first lefthanded starter at QB since Jim Traber. I'm not 100 percent certain this is the case, but I can't think of any lefty QBs that have started since Traber. I can remember left-handed passes attempted by Nathan Simmons, Rashaun Woods, Dez Bryant and John Paul Richardson, but no starting QBs.”
Tramel: Wow. That’s a good memory, that Richardson is a southpaw, much less Simmons, Woods and Dez.
Here’s what I found. One left-handed quarterback, period, between Gundy and Traber. OSU associate athletic director Kevin Klintworth recalls Russell Claybrook, a class of 1990 recruit from Mannford. Klintworth admits he remembers Claybrook because they are cousins.
Claybrook never threw a Cowboy pass and maybe never played quarterback; he soon enough was moved to receiver.
Traber, from Columbia, Maryland, was a class of 1980 recruit who started a few games that season as a true freshman. He completed 46 of 99 passes for 619 yards, three touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Passing efficiency was shaky a lot of places 42 years ago.
Traber then devoted all of his time to baseball, became a Cowboy star and eventually made the major leagues with the Baltimore Orioles.
Not sure what’s become of him since his baseball days.
'Reason I’m here today': How Jim Gush started Brent Venables' journey to OU football coach
Big 12 Pregame: Will TCU use three quarterbacks?
Sonny Dykes isn’t showing his hand at quarterback in advance of his debut as the Texas Christian football coach. In fact, he’s muddling the pot.
Dykes said he could play three quarterbacks Friday night against Colorado.
Oh boy.
Most Big 12 quarterback jobs are settled. Let’s see. Dillon Gabriel at OU, Spencer Sanders at OSU, Blake Shapen at Baylor, Adrian Martinez at Kansas State, J.T. Daniels at West Virginia.
Other starters have been named and seem likely to hold the jobs. Quinn Ewers at Texas. Hunter Dekkers at Iowa State. Tyler Shough at Texas Tech. Jalon Daniels at Kansas.
Even among the Big 12 soon-to-be members, you find quarterback obviousness. Jaren Hall at Brigham Young’s Jaren Hall, Houston’s Clayton Tune and Central Florida’s John Rhys Plumlee, an Ole Miss transfer.
But only TCU and Cincinnati have intrigue.
UC coach Luke Fickell declined to name who will start Saturday at Arkansas. Fickell will choose between senior Ben Bryant or sophomore Evan Prater to succeed the ultra-successful Desmond Ritter.
But at least Fickell narrows it down to two.
Dykes is playing all kinds of games, with veteran Max Duggan, OU transfer Chandler Morris and redshirt freshman Sam Jackson in the mix, though Duggan and Morris are listed as co-No. 1 quarterbacks on the TCU depth chart.
"I think we're in a good spot," Dykes said this week. “"Obviously, Max Duggan has a significant résumé. He has played a lot of snaps in the last three years here at TCU, has played very well. ... Chandler is the same way. You look at some of the games he played in last year, he played exceptionally. So they both have experience and they both have done it.”
Duggan is a three-year starter, but injuries have set him back, giving Morris a chance. Morris transferred to TCU after the 2020 season. For the Frogs last season, Morris completed 50 of 76 passes for 717 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions.
Morris had 531 total yards in TCU’s upset of Baylor last season. But against OSU’s rugged defense, Morris completed 11 of 20 passes for 120 yards and consistently was sacked.
Duggan has thrown 806 passes at TCU, completing 58.6 percent, for 5,920 yards, 41 touchdowns and 20 interceptions.
Is Dykes shooting straight? No way to know.
My guess? Morris will start and go as long as he’s effective.
Coach on the hot seat: West Virginia’s Neal Brown
The last West Virginia football coach who left with a losing record was Frank Cignetti, whose Mountaineers went 17-27 from 1976-79. Cignetti was fired, Don Nehlen was hired and WVU has been college football relevant ever since.
No coach has won big in Morgantown, but the four coaches who followed Cignetti were winners – Nehlen 149-93-4 from 1980-2000, Rich Rodriguez 60-26 from 2001-07, Bill Stewart 28-12 from 2008-2010 and Dana Holgorsen 61-41 from 2011-18.
But Neal Brown is 17-18 in three West Virginia seasons, and the Mountaineers are ready for some success.
WVU is 11-15 in the Big 12 under Brown, who was noted for his offensive acumen but has not delivered in Morgantown.
Now Brown has handed over the offense to new coordinator Graham Harrell. With Georgia transfer J.T. Daniels at quarterback, seems like WVU could start posting high point totals.
But West Virginia opens the season Thursday night at Pittsburgh in the return of the Backyard Brawl after an 11-year hiatus. WVU fans are jazzed with high hopes.
But a loss to Pitt, the defending ACC champion, would temper the optimism and put Brown on the clock.
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Upset special: Cincinnati over Arkansas
Yes, we’re including the eventual Big 12 members in the 2022 Big 12 Pregame. It’s always a good time to learn about your new neighbors.
And Cincinnati figures to be a good neighbor. The Bearcats reached the College Football Playoff last season, and Fickell has built a quality program in the Queen City.
UC lost a bunch of talent off its 2021 team, and Arkansas had a renaissance season under Sam Pittman last year.
But Fickell has been recruiting well and has a lot of returning talent. The Razorbacks are 5½-point favorites in the Ozarks, but let’s go with Cincinnati in the upset.
More:Oklahoma State's Mike Gundy, Kendal Daniels nearing significant career moments
Ranking the Big 12 games
1. West Virginia at Pittsburgh, 6 p.m. Thursday, ESPN: This was a quick sellout in Pittsburgh. These are the games we need in college football. Kudos to WVU athletic director Shane Lyons for reviving the rivalry.
2. Cincinnati at Arkansas, 2:30 p.m. Saturday, ESPN: Will the Bearcats be considered Big 12 contenders in 2023? This game will go a long way toward shaping that answer.
3. Texas Christian at Colorado, 9 p.m. Friday, ESPN: Much optimism swirls around TCU, but expect a close game against the beleaguered Buffaloes.
4. Houston at Texas-San Antonio, 2:30 p.m. Saturday, CBS Sports Network: As many future Big 12 members (three) are in The Associated Press top 25 as current Big 12 members. OU, Baylor and OSU rank 9-10-12, while Cincinnati, Houston and Brigham Young rank 23-24-25.
5. BYU at South Florida, 3 p.m. Saturday, ESPNU: Remember when USF was considered a possible Big 12 expansion candidate? Not anymore.
6. Central Michigan at Oklahoma State, 6 p.m. Thursday, Fox Sports1: The Mid-American Conference is good for an average of 3.5 upsets a year over Power Five Conference foes. Can OSU avoid that fate?
7. Texas-El Paso at Oklahoma, 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Fox: The Miners are 1-17 all-time against Big Eight/Big 12 teams. Their only victory came over Kansas State in 1947 (actually, Big Six days).
8. Louisiana-Monroe at Texas, 7 p.m. Saturday, Longhorn Network: Wonder if the Duck Dynasty crowd remains Warhawk loyalists?
9. South Dakota at Kansas State, 6 p.m. Saturday, ESPN Plus: Quarterback Adrian Martinez makes his K-State debut.
10. Tennessee Tech at Kansas, 7 p.m. Friday, ESPN Plus: KU appears to be better, but we’ve heard that before.
11. Murray State at Texas Tech, 7 p.m. Saturday, ESPN Plus: The Red Raiders monkeyed around with Stephen F. Austin a year ago before prevailing 28-22.
12. Southeast Missouri State at Iowa State, 1 p.m. Saturday, ESPN Plus: Why not play Drake if you’re going to play Southeast Missouri State?
13. South Carolina State at Central Florida, 7 p.m. Thursday, ESPN Plus: The Knights opening with South Carolina State made me curious about UCF’s scheduling going forward. The Knights join the Big 12 in 2023. UCF will play Kent State, at Boise State, Villanova in 2023; New Hampshire, Sam Houston State, at Florida in 2024; and at Maryland, Florida Atlantic, North Carolina in 2025.
14. Albany at Baylor, 6 p.m. Saturday, ESPN Plus: The Great Danes are football-only members of the Colonial Athletic Conference.
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The List: Rough OU openers
OU struggled to beat Tulane in the 2021 season opener, keeping alive a long tradition of the Sooners struggling against overmatched opponents in season openers.
Here are 12 closer-than-they-should-have-been openers for the Sooners in the last 55 years:
2021: OU 40, Tulane 35. The game was moved to Norman after a hurricane swamped New Orleans, but the Green Wave put up a massive fight. Only a fourth-down stop near midfield in the final minute saved the Sooners.
2016: Houston 33, OU 23. The Cougars were no pushovers, coming off a 13-1 record and a Peach Bowl victory over Florida State. And Houston dominated at NRG Stadium.
2012: OU 24, UTEP 7. The Sooners stumbled all game long, tied 7-7 at halftime and not taking a two-possession lead until a fourth-quarter touchdown pass from Landry Jones to Brannon Green.
2010: OU 31, Utah State 24. The Sooners jumped to a 21-0 lead but stagnated, and the Aggies cut the gap to 31-24 down the stretch. Jamell Fleming’s late interception saved the Sooners.
2009: Brigham Young 14, OU 13. At JerryWorld in Arlington, the Cougars knocked defending Heisman Trophy winner Sam Bradford from the game and held redshirt freshman Landry Jones in check to secure the upset.
2006: OU 24, Alabama-Birmingham 17. Watson Brown’s UAB Blazers led 17-14 in the third quarter. In the fourth quarter, UAB missed a field goal and punted twice.
2005: Texas Christian 17, OU 10. TCU, then a member of the Mountain West Conference, pulled off a stunner in Paul Thompson’s debut as the starting quarterback. Bob Stoops went with Rhett Bomar at QB the rest of the season.
1997: Northwestern 24, OU 0. At Chicago’s Soldier Field, John Blake’s second Sooner team went thud. OU’s offense moved the ball consistently but never scored. Northwestern was coming off back-to-back Big Ten titles. But still. How much of a sting was it? This is a postgame quote from Northwestern defensive end Keith Lozowski: “We showed we're just OK and we need a lot of work.”
1996: Texas Christian 20, OU 7. The Blake era began the same as the Bud Wilkinson era – a 20-7 loss to the Horned Frogs. That’s the extent of similarities in those coaching regimes.
1985: OU 13, Minnesota 7. Sure, the Gophers were a Big Ten school. But Minnesota was a combined 8-25 the previous three seasons, yet had a chance to win in the Metrodome.
1982: West Virginia 41, OU 27. Jeff Hostetler tore up the Sooners. I still recall the lede written by my first sports editor, Jim Weeks of the Norman Transcript. “Yes (West) Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. It wears red and is OU’s pass defense.”
1977: OU 25, Vanderbilt 23. Literally the maddest I’ve ever seen Barry Switzer was postgame after this bumblethon against the overmatched Commodores, in which third-team, true freshman quarterback Jay Jimerson was summoned to help the Sooners survive.
Berry Tramel: Berry can be reached at 405-760-8080 or at btramel@oklahoman.com. He can be heard Monday through Friday from 4:40-5:20 p.m. on The Sports Animal radio network, including FM-98.1. Support his work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OU football gets sneak peek at UTEP in Week Zero loss to North Texas
