by John Shinn
The Norman Transcript
November 22, 2008 02:21 am
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The construction that sprouted around Owen Field the last couple days isn’t because Oklahoma is adding more facilities. It’s ESPN that’s invaded Norman.
In case you haven’t noticed or simply haven’t been paying attention, it’s a little bigger week than usual around campus. It isn’t every week or every year, the second-ranked team in the country visits Owen Field.
Tonight’s meeting between No. 2 Texas Tech (10-0, 6-0 Big 12) and No. 5 OU (9-1, 5-1) has more implications than any college football game this season. Both teams’ Big 12 and national title hopes hang in the balance.
Both teams have Heisman Trophy caliber quarterbacks. The winner of one of sports’ most coveted individual prizes is at stake.
And it’s just a side story.
“It’s probably the last thing that I’m thinking about this week,” OU quarterback Sam Bradford said. “When you start thinking about that, then you get away from what’s really important and that’s winning this football game.”
It’s the biggest game Texas Tech has ever played and the Sooners’ biggest of the season.
“It is as big as it gets. Just for the fact that all of our goals are still in reach, and if we win, you never know what’s going to happen in the BCS,” OU wide receiver Juaquin Iglesias said. “We are just going to try to treat it like another game, and we are just going to try to keep going and keep focused out there.”
Iglesias can say that because big games are nothing new to the Sooners. Their annual showdown with Texas always has Big 12 and national championship implications. They’ve played in three of the last four Big 12 title games. They know what late-season pressure feels like.
But tonight will be a rare treat for Sooner fans because they’ll get to see it unfold first hand. Hard to believe considering how good the Big 12 Conference has been over the last decade, but since 1999 only six top-20 teams have visited Owen Field.
Tonight’s game will be just the second during the Bob Stoops era when he isn’t coaching the higher-ranked team.
The 2000 OU-Nebraska game was the last time it happened. It’s fitting that game was being mentioned this week because of its importance.
That game completed OU’s historic “Red October” run during the national championship season. It’s still remebered as a game Sooner fans really came out at full-throat. There was a steady blanket of noise throughout and OU truly enjoyed a home-field advantage. And it was the day when the mystique of “Big Game Bob” was cemented.
“People talk about the 2000 game against Nebraska, so hopefully our fans will come in here and help us out,” running back DeMarco Murray said.
Stoops did his best to pique Sooner fans this week. He chided them for not being as consistently loud as fans are in some other famous venues. It was a dare to see how big a factor they could be.
“That is something that our crowd will hopefully take an active interest in for this game,” Stoops said. “(The Red Raiders) are a no-huddle team that does a lot of communicating at the line of scrimmage, and the louder you are, the more difficult you make it on them and it can influence the game.”
Doubtful Stoops would even bring it up if he didn’t think it was necessary. Most home games it hasn’t been.
Tonight will different. It’s not very often one of the best teams in college football visits. You have to go all the way back to the glory days of the OU-Nebraska rivalry to find a game when so much was hanging in the balance.
It’s been a long time since Owen Field was the sight for one. Enjoy the treat. It doesn’t happen often.
John Shinn
366-3536
jshinn@normantranscript.com
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