The Shaman
First Post
The morning after...
Two plays from last night's...game?...stand out in my mind:
Third quarter, SC 3rd-and-9 from around their own 30. Leinart takes the snap and rolls right as seven Trojans block and ONE receiver goes deep (Smith or Jarrett, I don't remember which) - Leinart hits the receiver for a 48-yard gain and a first down. Two things jumped out at me on this play: first, LEFT-handed QB Leinart rolls RIGHT and throws a strike deep into double coverage, and second, the Sooners defense was so bumfuzzled that the best they could do was double-coverage on the ONLY GUY DOWNFIELD on 3rd-and-9, and even then they still couldn't stop the first down.
Second quarter, Sooners on the SC 38. Under pressure (which is a euphemism for about to be buried under crimson jerseys) White (the Heisman Trophy winner starting his second national championship game in two years) lobs the ball down to about the 10-yard line, into QUINTUPLE coverage, giving the OU receiver at best a 1-in-6 chance of coming up with the ball.
The Stoops-apologists are noting that OU played uncharacteristically sloppy ball in the first half with the four turnovers. I beg to differ. One fumble was the result of a grievous mental error by a senior on the special teams squad, and one interception was the result of a receiver slipping while running his route - the latter is excusable, the former is not, not in that program at this level. But the other two turnovers were generated by a Trojan D that was faster and smarter than anyone OU faced on its way to its date withinfamy destiny - and for that matter the fumbled punt started with a bad decision but it was executed by a well-timed strip of the ball. That's not bad luck for OU - that's great athleticism and heads-up play by SC.
If, as the apologists would have you believe, this was a reaction to the quick shift in momentum following the fumbled punt, then one might expect a championship-calibre team to recover its composure and make the necessary adjustments at halftime. Instead they nearly lost another fumble on their first possession after the half, then White proceeded to throw the third of three interceptions for the night, again under pressure, again with no one in a white jersey close to the ball.
I watched SC all season, and saw a young team rebuilding after some significant personnel changes and a key injury overcome adversity and expectations to maintain its poise and demonstrate not only the strength of this team but of the program that has won the Rose Bowl once and the Orange Bowl twice in the last three years, including a share of one national title and sole possession of another.
The bandwagon is full to overflowing this morning, but that's okay by me - this team and this program deserves the accolades its earned.
I think Pete Carroll has a much tougher job next season - no one is going to underestimate SC again any time soon, so the weight of the expectations is heavier, the pressure greater, the level to which their opponents will rise higher. He's also losing one coach (Orgeron) and may yet lose another (Chow) to head-coaching jobs elsewhere during the off-season - finding someone to replace Norm Chow is something I don't want to have to think about, and I'm hoping SC does everything it can to encourage him to stay and continue the transformation of Tailback U into "Backfield U." This will be the real test of whether or not SC can achieve the level of a dynasty, and I for one can't wait.
By the way, I made 1100.00 credits last night after picking SC straight-up over OU in the Orange Bowl for the national title last summer. Daddy needed a new pair o' shoes...
I may set some of those credits aside for tickets to the 2006 Rose Bowl featuring the Pac-10 champion USC Trojans and the Big-10 champion OSU Buckeyes for the national championship, the biggest game of the year on the biggest stage in college football, the granddaddy of 'em all...
Two plays from last night's...game?...stand out in my mind:
Third quarter, SC 3rd-and-9 from around their own 30. Leinart takes the snap and rolls right as seven Trojans block and ONE receiver goes deep (Smith or Jarrett, I don't remember which) - Leinart hits the receiver for a 48-yard gain and a first down. Two things jumped out at me on this play: first, LEFT-handed QB Leinart rolls RIGHT and throws a strike deep into double coverage, and second, the Sooners defense was so bumfuzzled that the best they could do was double-coverage on the ONLY GUY DOWNFIELD on 3rd-and-9, and even then they still couldn't stop the first down.
Second quarter, Sooners on the SC 38. Under pressure (which is a euphemism for about to be buried under crimson jerseys) White (the Heisman Trophy winner starting his second national championship game in two years) lobs the ball down to about the 10-yard line, into QUINTUPLE coverage, giving the OU receiver at best a 1-in-6 chance of coming up with the ball.
The Stoops-apologists are noting that OU played uncharacteristically sloppy ball in the first half with the four turnovers. I beg to differ. One fumble was the result of a grievous mental error by a senior on the special teams squad, and one interception was the result of a receiver slipping while running his route - the latter is excusable, the former is not, not in that program at this level. But the other two turnovers were generated by a Trojan D that was faster and smarter than anyone OU faced on its way to its date with
If, as the apologists would have you believe, this was a reaction to the quick shift in momentum following the fumbled punt, then one might expect a championship-calibre team to recover its composure and make the necessary adjustments at halftime. Instead they nearly lost another fumble on their first possession after the half, then White proceeded to throw the third of three interceptions for the night, again under pressure, again with no one in a white jersey close to the ball.
I watched SC all season, and saw a young team rebuilding after some significant personnel changes and a key injury overcome adversity and expectations to maintain its poise and demonstrate not only the strength of this team but of the program that has won the Rose Bowl once and the Orange Bowl twice in the last three years, including a share of one national title and sole possession of another.
The bandwagon is full to overflowing this morning, but that's okay by me - this team and this program deserves the accolades its earned.
I think Pete Carroll has a much tougher job next season - no one is going to underestimate SC again any time soon, so the weight of the expectations is heavier, the pressure greater, the level to which their opponents will rise higher. He's also losing one coach (Orgeron) and may yet lose another (Chow) to head-coaching jobs elsewhere during the off-season - finding someone to replace Norm Chow is something I don't want to have to think about, and I'm hoping SC does everything it can to encourage him to stay and continue the transformation of Tailback U into "Backfield U." This will be the real test of whether or not SC can achieve the level of a dynasty, and I for one can't wait.
By the way, I made 1100.00 credits last night after picking SC straight-up over OU in the Orange Bowl for the national title last summer. Daddy needed a new pair o' shoes...
I may set some of those credits aside for tickets to the 2006 Rose Bowl featuring the Pac-10 champion USC Trojans and the Big-10 champion OSU Buckeyes for the national championship, the biggest game of the year on the biggest stage in college football, the granddaddy of 'em all...
