Thursday, September 11, 2008
Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops doesn’t have the greatest affection for Pac-10 officiating.
That’s because the last time his team played a Pac-10 opponent, the Sooners walked away without a victory they’d rightfully earned.
In 2006, Oregon was incorrectly awarded the ball after an onside kick late in its game against Oklahoma, and then marched down the field for the winning touchdown. The Ducks snuck away with a 34-33 victory.
Now Oklahoma’s set to travel to Pac-10 country once again for a game against Washington, a team that last week was caught by Pac-10 refs on a technicality.
Husky quarterback Jake Locker rushed into the end zone with only two seconds left to bring his team within one point, and in his celebration tossed the ball over his head. The refs, strictly following the rules, flagged his team for 15 yards for excessive celebration and BYU blocked the extra point to escape with a victory.
Teams everywhere have tried to avoid this emotional crackdown by instructing their players to simply hand the ball to the ref.
“Absolutely. We do it all the time,” Stoops said.
Stoops tried to avoid any questions pertaining to Washington’s tough luck with Pac-10 refs, and offered only a flat life lesson.
“That’s the way it is,” he said.
COWBOY UP
Sure it was against Houston, but it’s hard not to get excited about the gaudy stats Oklahoma State put up last week.
The Cowboys had a 300-yard passer (Zac Robinson), 200-yard receiver (Dez Bryant) and a 200-yard rusher (Kendall Hunter), which all added up to a 56-37 victory.
“It’s difficult to get a player to rush for over 200 yards, but it’s tougher for a receiver to get over 200 yards because you can’t always get him the ball,” coach Mike Gundy said. “I’m happy with the effort on offense.”
Hunter has been a surprise running back early in the Big 12, rushing for 317 yards on 45 carries.
“We didn’t know how he would do this season,” Gundy said. “Last year, he was the relief pitcher at running back.”
CLASH IN THE CORN
Iowa State coach Gene Chizik knows what the CyHawk Rivalry means to most people in Iowa.
“It’s the best thing going on in the state,” Chizik said “There is so much passion in this state for sports. It’s bragging rights for 365 days.”
Last year, Chizik picked up his first career victory as a head coach when he knocked off Iowa 15-13. This year the game will be played in Iowa City and the Hawkeyes roll in after successive beat downs over Maine (46-3) and FIU (42-0).
Last week, the Cyclones played without running back Alexander Robinson because of injuries, but Chizik said he should be ready to go on Saturday.
BIG 12 BULLIES
This week the Big 12 is picking on the state of Washington.
Oklahoma travels to take on Washington, while Baylor welcomes Washington State, a team Oklahoma State beat 39-13 in week one.
Baylor coach Art Briles said his team is much more confident now that freshman quarterback Robert Griffin has made his first career start.
Against Northwestern State, Griffin completed 15-of-19 passes for 294 yards and three touchdowns, and also ran 10 times for 42 yards and another score.
Despite their struggles, Briles said his players wouldn’t overlook the Cougars.
“We don’t look at what happened to them. Our job is to get better,” Briles said. “Washington State is going to be very determined and focused.”
— — Edited by Scott R. Toland
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