By John Shinn

Transcript Sports Writer

Maybe it was clear from Oklahoma’s first offensive snap when starting quarterback Paul Thompson dropped back seven steps on a play-action fake and eyed wide receiver Travis Wilson running down the field uncovered.

All the Sooners needed to do was connect.

They couldn’t and it was the first of many misfires and miscues that resulted in No. 7 OU’s shocking 17-10 loss to unranked TCU at Owen Field Saturday.

It was the Sooners’ first regular-season loss since 2002.

Asked the last time he felt so badly about one of his team’s peformances, Bob Stoops had to go back a ways.

“Probably, I would say since 1999,” he said. “Just the way we reacted to everything was a disappointment across the board.”

The Sooners were held to a paltry 225 yards of offense. Sophomore running back Adrian Peterson, who averaged 149 yards a game last season, ran for 63. OU finished with 97 on the ground.

TCU consistently packed the line of scrimmage with eight defenders, begging the Sooners to throw over the top.

They couldn’t.

Thompson’s first start measured out as an 11-for-26 passing performance totaling 109 yards. He mixed in a critical fumble and interception that squandered scoring opportunities.

“I think our problem was mainly our execution,” Thompson said. “We came out and knew what we had to do, but didn’t execute.”

Redshirt freshman Rhett Bomar had a golden opportunity to re-ignite the quarterback race that burned throughout the spring and preseason.

Instead, he went 2-for-5 for 19 yards and played in four series. He ran for 28 yards on his first play, but his early fourth-quarter fumble turned into TCU’s go ahead touchdown.