APAs is the case most years, Oklahoma has the talent on paper to win (or, at the very least, compete for) another Big 12 title. But, as you very well know, football is played on a field and not at the Dunder Mifflin Paper Company.
But former Sooners coach Barry Switzer disagrees, especially when it comes to the talent along OU’s defensive front.
“They just don’t have the talent,” Switzer told the Tulsa World. “We’re not as good as we have been. We don’t have the Tommie Harrises or Gerald McCoys squatting down there in the middle [of the defensive line].”
In a 24-19 loss to Kansas State — Stoops’ second home loss in the past five games — the Wildcats ran for 213 yards led by running back John Hubert and quarterback Collin Klein.
“Sometimes you don’t want the experienced players coming back every year,” Switzer continued. “I experienced that, too. Everybody’s, ‘Well, we got our whole team coming back.’ Well, I’m not too damn sure I’d not rather have some damn sophomores. I’d rather have Lee Roy and Dewey and Lucious (Selmon) as sophomores than a bunch of five-year seniors.
“I’d rather have Tommie Harris as a freshman than a bunch of fifth-year seniors that are average.”
There’s no denying the Sooners lost plenty of talent on both sides of the ball, and with an 85-scholarship cap, talent is more spread out among teams than it’s ever been. But I also have a minor hunch that three OU turnovers — one of which directly resulted in a touchdown on the play — to Kansas State’s zero might have had something to do with last Saturday’s upset as well.
We have so many friends in and near Norman and all are saying similar things but BK’s last paragraph encapulates it all:
“There’s no denying the Sooners lost plenty of talent on both sides of the ball, and with an 85-scholarship cap, talent is more spread out among teams than it’s ever been. But I also have a minor hunch that three OU turnovers — one of which directly resulted in a touchdown on the play — to Kansas State’s zero might have had something to do with last Saturday’s upset as well.”
LSU led in stats at Auburn but just about gave the game away due to two fumbles. Turnovers negate stats, even big statistical advantages. But I would add another most important factor that Switzer omitted–that the Master Coach Bill Snyder, soon to be 73 put a coaching clinic on for his pupil Bob Stoops. It is a teaching seminar on “how to do more with less.” But Coach Snyder has been doing that for decades.
Who is Barry Switzer?
Come on, SouthPats, you know I write for this site a time or two as well
Ben Kercheval:
Sorry, really. Since NBC has not yet gotten around to giving us an edit feature, can you edit my error and erase it and make the correction so posterity does not think I can read and I am senile?
WingT: Thank you and that is funny! HA!
By the way, smoking sausage for the red beans we are already slow cooking for the big meeting tomorrow. All the big whigs are coming along with the currently evacuated homeless from Gulf Coast Louisiana. The big whigs are supposed to tell them when they can go back home. One lady said she did not know if she wanted to go back now because her husband never ate so good! HA.
Did someone let him escape from the nursing home?
Shouldn’t Switzer be hittin’ on the ladies at the senior center or something???
this story is nonsense, how can they not have any talent when they made front page/lead story/tv ticker/bold headline news by picking up Justin Brown from PSU. either this story is just a whoa is me story or a lot, i mean A LOT of media folks over sensationalized Justin Brown leaving PSU ….
I bet Bob Stoops really appreciates how Barry is helping out the sooner program with his words of wisdom.
At least Barry hasnt resorted to pimping herbal manhood remedies.
Ben:
Thank you for saving me from illiteracy and senility (or at least the accusation of it…ha.)
WingT: That is quite funny! Stoops can be quite animated and I would expect he because so when he heard of these statements from the old coach. Switzer sure knows how to help morale, doesn’t he?
@newlydead…Unless Justin Brown decides to become an interior lineman (which I kinda doubt) the skill players aren’t the ones Switzer was making reference. What a dil!
Am I the only one that thinks that looks like a campaign event Barry is speaking at?
“OU has average fifth year seniors”
-I’m Barry Switzer and I approved this message
Since when does the opinion of a has-been coach who presided over one of the most lawless programs in history mean a damn thing.
He had his chance and blew it, leaving OU on probation and Charles Thompson in prison, and now he seems tho think his opinion matters to anyone?
Go back to the nursing home and take a nap!
I hate that has been crap people spew.
Anytime anyone from the past speaks, they supposedly know nothing because they are from the past. Pathetic.
Switzwer was a lot of things, good and bad. I will tell you this, he was one hell of a recruiter and he sure knew talent.
What he’s saying is that Stoops may be lacking in that area, relying on guys that aren’t good, instead of recruiting better players.
I for one am sick of this team losing games they have no business losing!
Btw, Charles Thompson has no one to blame but himself for being in prison.
He made his own choices.
Read his book from back then, he as much as says so himself.
It’s a good thing that Switzer is retired and in a nursing home, otherwise if he was on the field, he’d be ‘stepping on Stoops’ and the rest of the coaching staff – and pulling out the fifth year seniors, ugh! Let’s hope Mr. Stoops doesn’t go into depression from Mr. Switzer’s criticisms of the team and his coaching. Go back to the Nursing home and ‘cool your jets’ Barry!
Maybe the real reason Barry is unimpressed with the Sooners’ current talent is that none of the current players is capable of climbing up on the roof of the Bud Wilkinson dorm and using an uzi like his players did.
Dear Barry,
The days of you hiring assistant coaches based on whether their wives would put out for you are long gone. The days of you driving drunk without anyone being allowed to pull you over are gone. The days of flat out buying players are over. The days of browbeating profs into passing your idiot players are over. The days of your players getting away with any crime they wanted, so long as they didn’t steal from or injure each other, are long over.
Get it, Ol’ Beady Eyes? You’re not The Man in Oklahoma anymore. You’re through. It’s the 21st century.
So shut up and go away.
Signed,
Former (thank God!) Oklahoma Resident