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Thank goodness the team that looks ready for the playoff won this game, because the Cowboys aren't ready.
JW Walsh started in place of an obviously "more injured than we thought" Mason Rudolph. Things looked promising for a bit, with the score 14-10 OU at the end of the first quarter. However, 30 second quarter points ended all doubt, as the Cowboys' offense couldn't keep up with the big plays the defense was giving up. With Walsh at the helm, OSU didn't make too much of an effort to work the zone read, and used no misdirection to keep a charging Sooner defense at bay. Rudolph made an ill-advised appearance that resulted in a pick 6.
Still, trailing by 24 to start the 2nd half, the Cowboys' D forced a three and out and Walsh led them down the field. The drive stalled, but Gundy chose to kick a FG. Down 21 and needing a stop, Baker Mayfield burned OSU badly on a 4th and 1, and the ensuing TD put all doubts to bed.
The defensive mistakes were glaring.
Missed tackles. LB's failing to set the edge. Safeties not spying the QB keeper. Maybe it was fatigue, but it wasn't even close. In the last two games this looked like 2010's defense, without the offense to back them up.
That was likely due to the inability of the offense to sustain drives against the two best defenses in the Big 12, which was largely due to the lack of offensive line play. Rome wasn't built in a day, but I don't know that the line was all that much better than last season. The biggest difference this season was Rudolph and Walsh.
Time for me to call it a night, as the more I write the more pissed off I get.
Just imagine this...last year was ASS, and we we're all jacked up because we got goofy lucky to win Bedlam and caught a Washington defense sleeping in the bowl game.
This season was a great ride (until it wasn't), double digit wins, a chance to win an outright Big 12 title in Bedlam, and it's going to suck balls because we completely imploded on both sides of the ball in the last two games in Boone Pickens Stadium. Don't count your bowl chickens before they hatch, either. TCU could possibly jump us in the rankings, meaning we could fall to the Russell Athletic Bowl.
Despite the fact that stunk, a 10-2 season is still great, and should provide plenty of hype going into next season.
GO POKES!!!