The Stoops era in one column

By Clay Horning
The Norman Transcript

July 16, 2008 01:17 am

— Inspired by a little free time and another reminder that soonersports.com, having already polled fans for their top 10 Oklahoma games of the century (you know, since 2000), is now taking votes for the top plays, 20 of which you may watch while surfing the site, I’ve decided to cast my votes, taking Bob Stoops’ entire Sooner era into account.
n Best mantra: No excuses.
n Best season: 2000.
Duh.
n Best player: Jason White.
n Best defender: Roy Williams.
n Most underrated player: Nate Hybl.
n Most overrated player: Josh Heupel. (Note: Sacrilege, I know, but the first half of 2000 and the second half of 2000 were like day and night. But stick around, Heupel’s in on Best Play, even if it’s not one of the 20 soonersports.com has put on its ballot.)
n Most underrated cast of players: 2000 defense.
n Most singular performance: Tie. White, at Texas A&M, 2004; Antonio Perkins, against UCLA, 2003.
n Most important game: 2001 Orange Bowl.
n Three most important games: Red October, 2000 (Texas, Kansas State, Nebraska).
n Worst play call: Stoops’ onside kick at Fiesta Bowl last season. (Note: Like Dimaggio’s hitting streak, this one’s untouchable).
n Most emotional win: At Kansas State, 2000.
n Solitary heroes: Torrance Marshall, at Texas A&M, 2000; Roy Williams, vs. Texas, 2001; Renaldo Works, against Alabama, 2002; Clint Ingram, Holiday Bowl, 2005.
n What could have been award: Mo Dampeer.
n Best play: 2000, vs. Nebraska, Heupel to Curtis Fagan, 34-yard touchdown pass over the middle. (If that doesn’t jog your memory, maybe this will. It was third-and-14, Heupel dropped back and threw. From press-box altitude or the lone upper deck (at the time), anybody who looked downfield for the intended target saw … nothing, just a blur of players in the secondary. Yet by the time the ball fell to earth, Fagan had emerged from … who knows where, two steps in front of the pack where he caught the ball in stride. It tied the game. Basically ended it, too).
n What is it about some quarterbacks award: Rhett Bomar.
n What is it about some quarterbacks runner-up: Brent Rawls.
n Phrase that’s entered the vernacular award: “In a good way.”
n Did he ever get burned award: Derrick Strait.
n Misleading award: Stoops declaring White had sprained his knee at Nebraska, 2001.
n Best assistant: Mike Stoops (Note: A case can be made for several, however, see Most Important Game for explanation).
n Most wacky/crazy/nutty assistant: Mike Leach (Note: in a landslide).
n Second best running back: Quentin Griffin.
n Best linebacker: Curtis Lofton.
n Best position change: Brandon Daniels.
n Best reclamation project: J.T. Thatcher. (Note: Also best Norman High Sooner; sorry Patrick Fletcher).
n Coolest guys to hear speak: Fagan and Allen Patrick.
n Best word to describe the era: Consistent (Note: in eight of nine seasons, Stoops has won at least 11 games)
n Second best word to describe the era: Heartbreaking (Note: Two bedlam losses, two national championship game losses, two more BCS bowl losses at Fiesta Bowl).
n Third best word to describe the era: Resurgent.
Clay Horning
366-3526
cfhorning@normantranscript.com