2003 OU at Alabama full game. YouTube link.
- Thread starter SoonerPride
- Start date
Such a shame how that team finished. That K State loss in the CCG is still a headscratcher as are most of them when we lost to them after that. Should never happen. Sadly it would become more common as the yrs went by. Also the 2 Programs went in complete opposite directions not long after.
Just goes to show why outsiders are usually better when brought into a program to breathe new life instead of hiring within or bringing back coaches and or players from the past. We will see how the new/old pans out. Usually not so well. Hope this time its different.
Just goes to show why outsiders are usually better when brought into a program to breathe new life instead of hiring within or bringing back coaches and or players from the past. We will see how the new/old pans out. Usually not so well. Hope this time its different.
We'll hammer Alabama in Norman in 2024.
(sarcasm)
Our 2024 SEC schedule will be a brutal juggernaut. Hope the Sooners are on the right side of that juggernaut. I'm excited.
Away: Auburn, LSU, Missouri, Ole Miss
Home: Alabama, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas (at Dallas)
I listened to the live broadcast from Rudy's last night. The place was packed. Brent Venables, Gabe, Teddy and TRow were pumped up. As good as sports talk radio gets.
BV did an impersonation of Bobby Jack Wright wanting to kick to Deuce McAllister at the end of the 1999 Independence bowl. Had me rolling with laughter.
(sarcasm)
Our 2024 SEC schedule will be a brutal juggernaut. Hope the Sooners are on the right side of that juggernaut. I'm excited.
Away: Auburn, LSU, Missouri, Ole Miss
Home: Alabama, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas (at Dallas)
I listened to the live broadcast from Rudy's last night. The place was packed. Brent Venables, Gabe, Teddy and TRow were pumped up. As good as sports talk radio gets.
BV did an impersonation of Bobby Jack Wright wanting to kick to Deuce McAllister at the end of the 1999 Independence bowl. Had me rolling with laughter.
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Oops. I didn’t realize this info was posted when I started the 2024 schedule for OU thread. Didn’t mean to step on your toes, 22.
No problem @Oklabama. You’re not stepping on me. I posted OT in this thread, so it was buried. What is a problem is… I need to be in bed early in the morning, not typing on my ‘puter.
No OSU Cowboys on that 2024 schedule. Feels weird. Now it’s time for me to focus on this 2023 schedule.
I almost forgot how terrible Alabama was when Franchione and Shula were coaching them. I just looked up the 2003 season, and Alabama finished in next to last place in the SEC with a 4-9 record.
Who would have thought hiring Nick Saban would turn it around so much? I am a lifelong Dolphin fan so I was glad he was leaving but they are no better off.
LSU fans still hate him but would take him back in a heartbeat.
Would be nice if Brent can do something similar here. Hell I would take 2 Nattys from Venables over the same amount of time Saban got 6 for Bama. Just one would be nice. 😁
Joining the SEC is a bit of a Hail Mary attempt by OU as well as a money grab.
OU must now raise its level of excellence higher than it has ever been playing in the SEC and it can’t follow the paths of Arkansas, Texas A&M and Missouri who play in the shadows of Alabama, Georgia, LSU and Florida. And Texas has the money to benefit quickly in the SEC.
I hope it’s not OU biting off more than it can chew, but for now, I’ll trust Castiglione’s judgement.
OU must now raise its level of excellence higher than it has ever been playing in the SEC and it can’t follow the paths of Arkansas, Texas A&M and Missouri who play in the shadows of Alabama, Georgia, LSU and Florida. And Texas has the money to benefit quickly in the SEC.
I hope it’s not OU biting off more than it can chew, but for now, I’ll trust Castiglione’s judgement.
We are not and never have been Arkansas, Texas A&M, or Missouri.
This move is not some “Hail Mary.”
Maybe so, and as I posted some time ago, OU has a legacy that Arkansas, Texas A&M and Missouri don't have....and may never have.
That and Venables' experience in recruiting Dixie talent is a big plus.
My concern is if OU can buy players as Alabama, Georgia, LSU and Florida do in the NIL process.
watched the OU/Georgia game today. Did we ever find out what idiot called the squib kick at the end of the half that probably cost us the game?
Agree that it was a very bad call, but OU’s defense gave up the other 51 points proving, once again, to be the turd in the punch bowl.
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I understand, but Georgias defense also gave up a lot of points. We have all the momentum and we decide to kick a squib kick giving them the ball around the 50 yard line? What was one of the dumbest things I've ever seen
And that dumb decision yielded a field goal as time expired in the first half and left OU holding a 14 point lead. OU had scored 31 first half points but Georgia made defensive adjustments in the second half holding OU to zero points in the 3rd quarter and 14 points in the 4th quarter, with one TD being a fumble return. So, OU's offense scored only 10 points after the first half.
By the overtime periods, OU's defense was worn out as the 27 yard run by Georgia showed to close out the game..... as well as 3 long touchdown runs in the game by Georgia. It's defense by Georgia in the second half that decided the game.
That was the day I began to believe TBOW was a fraud
I wish you had told the rest of us, iasooner. You were right as always. BTW, we have something in common.
I would have to rewatch the 2nd half, but I wonder if we went into our traditional conservative mode that we were famous for.
The biggest factors in the second half were A that Anderson got body slammed out od bounds, l believe late first half, and dropped more than a step from his 1st half performance and B the staff for whatever reason barely played Sermon who'd been quality player all year, but despite playing against his home state, got hardly any snaps.
I believe that coaching decision was the most important factor in the game. The defense got the blame, but except for one drive, our all everything offense went three and out, the whole second half. The defense got worn down.
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That tells me that more than likely we went conservative mode ala bob stoops. How many times have we gotten a large lead only to either get beat or almost get beat because we stopped putting the pedal to the metal? A lot
In bowl games at the end of the 2017, 2018 and 2019 seasons, against Georgia, Alabama and LSU, OU gave up 162 points or an average of 54 points per game.... 54 points per game.
Whatever happened offensively, poor defense prevented OU from wining these three games against superior SEC teams.
Until and unless Venables can tear down and revitalize OU's defensive culture, more such defeats will occur as OU enters the SEC. That said, I expect Venables to succeed.... but it may not happen quickly. My guess is that Castiglione and OU know this and will give Venables the time he will need.
Whatever happened offensively, poor defense prevented OU from wining these three games against superior SEC teams.
Until and unless Venables can tear down and revitalize OU's defensive culture, more such defeats will occur as OU enters the SEC. That said, I expect Venables to succeed.... but it may not happen quickly. My guess is that Castiglione and OU know this and will give Venables the time he will need.
Coincidentally, the 2003 group was probably the last GREAT defense we have had. There’s been a few good ones since then but nothing to compare to the 2003 group of defensive studs on that team within the last 20 years, IMO. There’s little to no chance of Venables matching that team in 2023.
The 2009 team gave up 189 points compared to the 2003 team which gave up 214 points.
Riddled by some 15 injuries, including Bradford, Gresham and a few others, OU lost 4 low scoring games to BYU,, Miami, Nebraska and a close game (13-16) to Texas, a team who lost to Alabama in the championship game.
OU only had one bad defensive game, losing to Texas Tech 41-13.
OU did score 404 points in 2009, but had blowout games against some weak teams.
That 2009 season ended well with a 27-0 win over a 9-4 OSU team and a bowl win over Stanford 31-27.
I still give it up to the 2003 defenders having played at Alabama, UCLA and LSU in the Superdome. The loss to Kansas State for the Big 12 by 28 sucked. Alabama wasn't too good back then nor was UCLA, but barely losing to LSU in the Dome wasn't due to the defense. Just my opinion.
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In 2003, Alabama was 4-9 and UCLA was 6-7 and OU was trounced by KSU for the Big 12 title, 35-7.
The decimated OU team of 2009 lost to 9-2 BYU, 9-4 Miami, 10-4 Nebraska and beat a 9-4 OSU team.
Both teams of 2003 and 2009 were good on defense and a 27 point difference really isn't worth debating further.
Yeah, I agree. Two old farts arguing about something that doesn’t matter. 😂.
That's a superficial stat.
The 2008 team played for the national championship and scored more than 700 points for the season. So the second unit on defense played a lot. Both OSU and Texas Tech had all time for them offenses in 2008. OSU scored 50 in five different games. We played them in Stillwater and gave up 40 plus, but scored over 60. I think we did that in five straight games.
Tech's offense was so good, that their only regular season loss was in Norman in 2008 We didn't care much when they scored all their points after we scored 40, on their way to 60. Against Texas in '08, we lost Ryan Reynolds in the first half and the sub wasn't what we needed that day. Texas got high 40's. And OUr offense played really fast all season. In the NC game, the defense gave up 24, despite playing OUr third team MLB, who hadn't played a serious snap all year until the NC game. And played against the previous season's Heisman winner. A year later, the 2009 defense that you claimed was to great. played against Stanford, missing their best player. and gave up 27 in the Sun Bowl. Tech and OSU weren't nearly as good on offense. And we didn't play in the CCG. Texas did, and played for the national title, which they lost when Opie II got hurt.
In the NC game, we really missed the late, great Austin Box.
In 2009, we played a much slower pace, trying to nurse along Landry Jones as a soph at quarterback. We were pretty good on defense both seasons.
The 2008 team played for the national championship and scored more than 700 points for the season. So the second unit on defense played a lot. Both OSU and Texas Tech had all time for them offenses in 2008. OSU scored 50 in five different games. We played them in Stillwater and gave up 40 plus, but scored over 60. I think we did that in five straight games.
Tech's offense was so good, that their only regular season loss was in Norman in 2008 We didn't care much when they scored all their points after we scored 40, on their way to 60. Against Texas in '08, we lost Ryan Reynolds in the first half and the sub wasn't what we needed that day. Texas got high 40's. And OUr offense played really fast all season. In the NC game, the defense gave up 24, despite playing OUr third team MLB, who hadn't played a serious snap all year until the NC game. And played against the previous season's Heisman winner. A year later, the 2009 defense that you claimed was to great. played against Stanford, missing their best player. and gave up 27 in the Sun Bowl. Tech and OSU weren't nearly as good on offense. And we didn't play in the CCG. Texas did, and played for the national title, which they lost when Opie II got hurt.
In the NC game, we really missed the late, great Austin Box.
In 2009, we played a much slower pace, trying to nurse along Landry Jones as a soph at quarterback. We were pretty good on defense both seasons.
Plaino, where did I say OU had a "great defense" in 2009?
And you did not mention the many injuries OU had both before the 2009 season and during the season which often had the defense playing with no room for error as evident vs BYU, Miami, Texas and Nebraska.
The 2009 team was picked to challenge for a championship in preseason polls.
Against Florida, I believe the absence of DeMarco Murray was more of a factor in OU losing than Austin Box at LB since reserve Mike Balogun played well.
And it was two OU drives inside the Florida 10-yard line that stalled in the first half, due to what I thought was bad play calling, that killed OU. Murray's absence and not utilizing Gresham factored in these two situations.
In the 2009 Sun Bowl, Stanford's backup QB Pritchard was not the player that starting QB Andrew Luck was, but the year before he led Stanford to a stunning 24-23 win over USC. Stanford was a 41-point underdog in that game. So, it wasn't like he was Davis Beville playing against Texas last year.
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After so many seasons of shaky defenses, yes, I’m ready.
I’m hoping for a better defense but will not be surprised if we aren’t much, much better. An improvement will be encouraging and I’d be happy with that. I think we’re a year away. Hope I’m wrong.
Only one or two breakouts my man. Like cracker jacks, a surprise in every box.
