The Oklahoma Daily (Norman, Okla.), Vol. 91, No. 47, Ed. 1 Monday, October 23, 2006 Page: 7 of 18
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Sports
7a
Monday, Oct. 23,2006
STAFF COLUMN
OU better
without
1
t
Second Quarter
Third Quarter
•(Peterson) kept coming up to me
Fourth Quarter
Key Numbers
i
14
on
Key Players
I
• Junior tailback
receives 35 carries
in AD’s absence
ZACH
WEST
weather the way it is, it was important
to get those guys in there to control the
After a Malcolm Kelly tumble,
Colorado started a drive on the OU
28-yard line. But three plays later, OU’s
Nlc Harris hit Buffalo quarterback
Bernard Jackson as he threw and
linebacker Zach Latimer made an
acrobatic catch for an interception,
killing Colorado’s best field position of
the game with 10:20 left in the half.
Colorado’s All-American kicker,
Mason Crosby, missed a 56-yard field
goal attempt wide left with 4:30 left in
the second quarter, giving OU the hall
back on its own 38-yard line.
OU freshman running back Chris
Brown scores his first career touch-
down on a 4-yard nm with 1" seconds
left in the game provide the final points
of the game, making the score 24-3.
Patrick. The Sooner tailback had
the most carries of any OU running
back since Peterson had 36 againsi
Kansas State in 2004.
Rufus Alexander. OU’S weakside
linebacker filled up the stat sheet with
11 tackles (one for loss) and made
plays all over the field.
Zach West, sports editor
dailysports@ou.edu
phone: 325-7630, fax: 325-6051
Fueling hub.ou.edu
Michael Kimball
Daily Staff Writer
ground out tough yards against a tough
defense in cold, windy conditions.
“The way Allen ran the ball was
key for us,” OU offensive coordinator
Kevin Wilson said. “He got the tough
yards when we needed it and kept their
offense off the field. You can’t ask for
anything more than that "
Patrick lacks Peterson's explosive
play-making ability — as do most human
beings—L——--------
OU head coach Bob Stoops called
a timeout with 10 seconds left in the
first quarter to give kicker Garrett
Hartley a chance to kick a 46-yard
field goal with the wind — which gust-
ed to nearly 40 mph on the day. Hartley
split the uprights to give the Sooners a
10-0 lead with four ticks left.
Patrick ran for a two-yard touch-
down with 10.26 left in the final quar-
ter, giving OU a 17-0 lead. It was
OU’S first rushing touchdown without
Peterson.
Latimer. OU’S middle linebacker
had six tackles, two for five yards in
losses, the interception and a broken
up pass.
On OU’S first play from scrimmage,
the post-Adrian Peterson era began
with Patrick’s three yard nm to the
Sooner 42-yard line out of a single-
back set Patrick carried the ball on
seven of OU’s 12 plays on the drive for
36 yards.
Key Plays
First Quarter
GAME BREAKDOWN
Michael Kimball
Daily Staff Writer
UufHi8«nn/TheW>
OU junior running back Allen Patrick fights through a tackle during Saturday' 24-3 victory over Colorado at Oklahoma Memonal Stadium.
k
J dropped passes by OU pass
/I catchers, two by tight eno Brody
X Eldridge. Thompson threw ithcr
catchable balls that were mishandled
by his targets but were not officially
counted as drops.
^ys<x>ner defenders who recorded
/ a tackle for loss.
pr rashing attempts by Thompson
r\for a season-high 26 yards.
OU running back Allen Patrick
ran for 110 yards and a touchdown
on a career-high 35 carries tn lead
the Sooners (5-2, 2-1 Big 12) over
the Colorado Buffaloes (1-7, 1-3) 24-
3 at Oklahoma Memorial Stadium
Saturday.
player. OU’s Patrick, to gain at
I least 100 yards on the ground
X against Colorado this season
His 110-yard performance is the first
time an opposing player ran for more
than 100 yards against the Buffs since
Clemson’s James Davis ran for 150 in
the 2005 Champs Sports Bowl.
MmPxMi
for 110 yards against runningback
Colorado, which had
the nation's No. 9 rash
He was then pulled for Patrick liefore
returning later.
“The first play 1 got
in, 1 didn’t know wliat it
would be," Brown said.
“Then they called it and
it was a play for me to
play-action block, so 1
said, ‘Well, OK, I might
as well do my assign-
ment, so 1 just made a
block.’ Then I was think-
Chm Brown
ing if 1 get back in, 1 runningback
might get some runs. I'm
glad 1 did."
— Michael Kimball / The Daily
Defense on the rise
OU’s defense jumped from 40th to
11th nationally in total defense following
a dominating performance against the
Buffs.
The Sooner defenders held Colorado
to 113 total yards on 44 plays and allowed
only 39 yards through the air.
Braxton out for season
Starting right tackle Branndon Braxton
pass completions
-<attempts,by Jackson.
well, sort of
everal hours after OU’s 24-3 demol-
^^Lshing of Colorado Saturday night
— when 1 could feel my legs and anus
again — a crazy thought fluttered through
my mind. At first 1 dismissed the notion as
insanity, but it kept growing on me.
OU may be better off without Adrian
Peterson. Well, sort of.
Now, before you send
a mob out to string me up
or tar and feather my butt,
hear me out. It’s no coin-
cidence that the Sooners
played their best game
of the season (Middle
Tennessee notwithstand-
ing) against Colorado in
the first game without AD.
In fact, it makes sense.
It’s all about motivation.
OU dominated the
Buffaloes Saturday in nearly every aspect of
the game.
Paul Thompson was about as solid as a
quarterback can get in gale-force winds.
The defense looked like the OU stalwart
units from years past, finally playing up to its
potential. At one point midway through the
fourth quarter, a much-maligned secondary
had given up only
six yards passing to
the Buffaloes.
On offense, Allen
Patrick, Peterson’s
replacement, ran
like a man pos-
sessed, grinding
out 115 yards
against a stel-
lar Colorado run
defense that had
yet to give up a
100-yard rasher on
the season.
"I was really
pleased how (the
defense) played the
entire night. Very
solid in our posi-
tioning, adjusting,
being physical in
tackling and con-
taining the quarter-
back as well,” OU
head coach Bob
Stoops said after
the game. “I was
extremely pleased
in the way we
played. Offensively,
I though we really
Jackson runs for 19 yards on third
and two to keep alive Colorado’s only
sustained drive. Crosby kicked a 39
yard field goal five plays later to make
the score 17-3 and extend the Buffs
scoring streak to 218 games
broke his fibula in OU’s
24-3 win over Colorado
and is expected to miss
JBmeImB. the rest of the season,
(T** jf OU head coach Bob
Stoops said after the
game.
True freshman Trent
Williams came on to
Branndon Broxton replace Braxton. He is
offensive
lineman nWl»«WOllsb»ek.
up at the other tackle
position, Cory Brandon,
is also a true freshman.
Smith plays sparingly
OU sophomore defensive back Reggie
Smith saw limited action against the Buffs
OU’s Joe Jon Finley recovered
Stephone Robinson s fumble on a
punt return. giving the Sooners pos-
session on the OU 46-yard line with 17
seconds left in the third quarter.
managed the game well. The conditions
weren’t the best. 1 believe that resulted in a
lot of the drops, but I am extremely pleased
in how we managed the game.
Strong words and very few criticisms from
a coach who — even after OU victories
— has constantly harped on the Sooners’
weaknesses and need for improvement this
season.
From my vantage point, the resounding
success of the team hinged on the impres-
sive effort given by the players - an effort 1
haven't seen from OU in quite a while.
With Peterson, the Sooners almost seemed
too relaxed. With “All Day’’ in the backfield,
OU had a reputation, a high national rank-
ing — or in other words, an ego. And too big
of an ego is never a good thing.
Without him, media and fans jumped on
the bandwagon of low expectations and
gave the Sooners an athlete's best friend
— the “no respect” ticket.
“Having a player like Adrian was a luxury,
running back Jacob Gutierrez said last week
before the game. “A player like that - you
put him out there and just ride him. The
whole team knows that no one person is
going to take his spot. We all know we need
to contribute more and play better as a unit,
not just one person.”
Saturday, the Sooners did just that — and
dominated - because they played like they
had something to prove.
While I’m not going to argue that OU is a
better team without Peterson, 1 will say that
the Sooners could very easily play better in
his absence because of the motivation factor.
Of course, I’m not the first person to delve
into the theory of a team playing beter with-
out its superstar. It actually has a name, the
Ewing theory, developed by ESPN writer Bill
Simmons and his friend - named after for-
mer NBA great Patrick Ewing, whose teams
seemed to play better when he was out with
an injury. .
While the theory has nothing to do with
how good the player is — 1 still believe AD,
when healthy, is the best player in the nation
— it has everything to do with how moti-
vated others around him are.
And with Peterson on the sideline, the
Sooners had plenty of motivation — motiva-
tion they will have to sustain, with the brutal
road-game stretch on the horizon.
Zach West Is a journalism senior. His
column appears every Monday.
ther injury to Smith.
Lofton gets first start
linebacker Curtis Lofton started at the
strongside linebacker position Saturday in
place of Demamo Pleasant Pleasant liad
KU
While I'm
not going
to argue
that 0U is a
better team
without
Peterson, I
will say that
the Sooners
could very
easily play
betterin'
bis absen ce
because
of the
motivation
factor.
Sooner quarterback Paul
Thompson found Manuel Johnson
for a three-yard touchdown on a fade
route, putting DU on top 7-0 with 7:49
left in the first quarter.
how hard they ran it up in that he can be counted on.
“My teammates, they know 1 can go
>iii ui out there and pretty much get the job
As fall settles in and the days get cold- done." he said. “A lot of fans. protab^
been as precipitous as many predicted ^f tbe availability of other running backs (....—-------
Peterson to a broken collarbone, OU
had to prove it could still run the foot-
ball and maintain a ser-
viceable offense with-
out him.
Saturday, the
Sooners did just that.
In fact, OU handed off
to junior Allen Patrick
.35 times — more car-
ries than Peterson had
in any game this sea-
son. Patrick rushed
Pleasant could have played but his
------M „ . - niuniw<Bmw»y ——o------'
Smith played only when Hams was used opd(^
A freshman surprise
After OU coaches spent last week say-
ing that Mossis Madu was the most ready
----------- to play of OU’s three freshman running
Stoops said he was unaware of any fur- Chrjs Bn)wn who bumed his
ther injury to Smith. redshirt in the Sooners’ win Saturday.
Brown stepped on to a collegiate field
for the first time in the fourth quarter. He
ended up with 12 yards on four carries
and a touchdown.
r---- . . Brown was used as a decoy on hts first
surgery on his finger to treat an injury he a play^jon pass.
Peterson...
Patrick gores Buffaloes
was creating difficulties in the passing
game against the Buffs and could pose
the same problents down the road. Four
of OU’s final five games are played on
the windswept plains of Oklahoma and
Texas. And the other game, at Missouri
Saturday, will be played against a high-
flying offense, meaning clock control
will be key for the Sooners.
“Obviously it was part of the strat-
beings — hut has the same downhill ran- egy to ran it," Wilson said. With the
After losing star tailback Adrian njng style and prefers contact to making
---------■„.■ " defenders miss.
“When 1 was going out there on the clock."
field, I just had the mind-set to go
out then* and give some punishment,"
Patrick said. “Just let them know 1 was
on the field. Just let me go out there and month, he
get my name known." <--------
Uumtanrv1he(W)i
due to a leg injury suffered against Iowa QU ljneba(ker Rufus Alexander lunges to tackle Colorado running back Hugh Charles during OU’s
24.3 wln.verttleBuWaloesatOMahomaMemoriafSta<Bum Sanifday. Al«fander_had11 IMkles.
next week against Missouri. . suffered agaiitst Iowa State, Stoops said.
Sooner nickel back Nic Hanis played IL
the majority of snaps at strong safety and ^J^heavty ^ped? making Lofton
at the nickel position in obvious pass-
ing situations. Smith did return punts, as
usual, but fumbled once.
Smith was seen limping off the field
after making a fourth-quarter hit, but
outside if it was there, and it was there.
We started working towards that, going
outside, and things kind of happened."
uk With the help of Peterson and the
defense coming into the game. Peterson complements to [Patrick]," Stoops said, confidence of his team, Patrick said he
ran for 109 against Texas, which now q was niost prou(j of just how physical hopes to prove game in and game out
has the No. 2 rush defense in the coun- were) |
try. there and how they took care of the
Based on that statistic alone, it is evi- football."
dent the drop-off from AD to AP has not 1<U1 Ul ------ ------
been as precipitous as many predicted er the availability of other running backs didn’t think so* I went out there and
it would be. Patrick took the field and Ui Spell Patrick will be key. The weather made my point."
Football Notes and Quotes
Braving the cold with the rest of the
Sooners was Peterson himself. Even
though he can’t suit up for at least a
‘ ! was on the sidelines giving
advice and encouragement to his team-
The Sooners also made it clear that mates.
they will not use a running back-by-com- “[Peterson] kept coming up to me
mittee approach to replacing Peterson, and telling me certain things I needed to
OU’s other backs had only nine car- do." Patrick said. “I was trying to cut the
ries. Head coach Bob Stoops, however, ball inside, and he kept telling me to go
stressed the importance of the different
styles employed by Jacob Gutierrez and
Chris Brown.
“Jacob and Chris are going to be good
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Savage, William W., III. The Oklahoma Daily (Norman, Okla.), Vol. 91, No. 47, Ed. 1 Monday, October 23, 2006, newspaper, October 23, 2006; Norman, Oklahoma. (https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc1812185/m1/7/: accessed July 17, 2024), The Gateway to Oklahoma History, https://gateway.okhistory.org; crediting Carl Albert Congressional Research and Studies Center.