F or reasons beyond control, your friendly sports editor was forced to take in the classic they played Saturday night at Arrowhead Stadium from the comfort of The Norman Transcript sports office.

So, for a change, I saw all those things I tend to miss each fall Saturday. And this particular Saturday was some kind of doozy.

Southern Cal escaped by the skin of its teeth, keeping its winning drive going by converting a fourth-and-9 by completing a pass that required some sort of divine intervention, even at the expense of Notre Dame and in front of Touchdown Jesus, to guide the ball through the hands of an Irish defender and into those of a Trojan receiver.

Texas Tech’s Cody Hodges may have just completed another pass against Kansas State, I can’t be sure, though the game stats say he was finally stopped after tossing for 643 yards.

And so much for Texas getting caught with a post Cotton Bowl hangover.

Either Mack Brown has the Longhorns uncommonly disciplined or beating Oklahoma, even after losing five straight, has become so slight an accomplishment all it takes to look forward is finding Colorado on the schedule.

Be that as it may, OU made some real strides against Kansas.

All those picks were great and not just because the Sooners needed them. More importantly, they may serve to turn what’s been a fairly effective defense into a playmaking defense.

So there’s that.

But in adopting this fan’s perspective, at least for a weekend, it can’t be ignored just how stuck in the mud these Sooners remain. Heck, without the picks, one returned for a touchdown and another that kept the Jayhawks from setting up first-and-goal, the best OU might have hoped for was a 12-10 victory.

And from this new perspective I have some advice for Bob Stoops, his assistant coaches and the players. Namely, as antithetical as it sounds, the time has come to make excuses.

On one condition. Be honest.

The Sooner Nation, the vast majority of which took in OU’s 19-3 victory the same way I did, on TBS with Ron Thulin on the call, deserves an explanation.

Like what’s really happened to the offensive line?

Players left, we know. But was there ever any depth? And about the guys who left, what happened? Were they chased away? Maybe it was a failure in the evaluation process, who knows?