Published: August 27, 2008 01:09 am            

Loss fuels Sooners

For close to eight months, Oklahoma’s had a bitter feeling. It’s gone through spring practice and fought through the heat and rain of the preseason with it there.

But the Sooners agree the only way to put the disappointment of last season’s Fiesta Bowl loss behind them is start another season.

“Our last game wasn’t our best and that has motivated us to have a great summer and training camp,” offensive tackle Trent Williams said. “I think this year we are going to come out and try to maximize our talent and take advantage of everybody playing better as a unit. We are really looking forward to the season getting started.”

The fourth-ranked Sooners open the season at 6 Saturday night against Tennessee-Chattanooga at Owen Field. On paper, it’s a major mismatch.

OU has its typical Big 12 championship and national title aspirations. The Mocs, a non bowl-subdivision team coming off a 2-9 season, look to be little more than a sacrificial lamb.

But just lining up a team wearing something other than crimson or white jerseys and crimson helmets provides an unmatched therapy.

“The way last season ended, the way the last two seasons ended really, leaves a bad taste in your mouth,” defensive tackle Cory Bennett said. “We all want to finish strong. For guys like me, it’s our senior year and you to leave with a feeling of satisfaction. That feeling we’ve had for the last couple months isn’t good.”

It will be the driving force behind the Sooners this season. Players have talked freely about the importance of the entire season in ways that have been rare at OU.

For years, the mantra has been to win the Big 12 championship and go from there. Over the last month talk as extended to the whole season and how each game fits.

When offseason workouts lagged, when practice was a struggle and when a film session wasn’t attentive, last season was brought up.

“It’s something that burns inside of you,” Bennett said. “You want to go out there and prove everybody wrong. We’ve been labeled as people that can’t finish and that’s what we say about ourselves. We’re ready to go out and prove that’s not the case.”

Can’t be done in just one game. Coaches know it. Players know it. Even fans and media understand one game doesn’t necessarily change things.

It’s part of a process, though.

OU coach Bob Stoops likes to say every team has its own character and identity.

“As much as anything, you don’t have any answers until they get out there and play,” he said. “I know I say it a lot, but from one year to the next teams are different. So, you just want to see what kind of makeup they have when they get out there and play.”

When OU last took the field, it didn’t portray the characteristic it wanted to display.

If you want to look for the Sooners’ motivation going into a game against a non-bowl subdivision team, look to last season.

“There should be absolutely no problems for us getting motivated to go out there and play on Saturday,” quarterback Sam Bradford said.

John Shinn

366-3536

jshinn@normantranscript.com

        

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