Boise State is known as the school with the “smurf turf.”  Boise was original in not going with the traditional green grass football field.  The Bronco’s trend though is being followed just a bit west of Idaho.  Eastern Washington University plans on unveiling a red football field next year.

Now I’m all for traditions.  However, I don’t see EWU’s red turf being a huge success.  Let’s remember that Eastern Washington is a FCS school, so their subdivision does need something to be proud of.  But is this makeover actually going to be a good thing?

Imagine it’s come down to an onside kick, and the kicking team miraculously gets the ball.  Now your the EWU coach, and you want to challenge the play.  The ref signals first down, and you’re yelling at the official to review the play.  Because of that red turf, your team eventually loses, and you still wondering where the flag is on the field.  Do you see the error of your ways EWU?

This new field is a stupid idea, and really, your just the Eastern Washington Eagles.  Let’s focus on getting the football prestige up before trying to standout with the red grass.

Four teams still remain in the hunt for a ticket to the Superbowl.  The Jets will take on the Colts, which could be turn out to be a great game.  Considering it’s rookie Mark Sanchez against veteran Peyton Manning.  However, there’s just as good a match-up on the other side of the bracket.  That would be the New Orleans Saints playing the Minnesota Vikings.  The NFC Championship features Drew Brees vs. Brett Favre.  Both quarterbacks have had huge impacts on their teams this past season.  But as an OU fan, I’m more intrigued by another match-up.  Adrian Peterson vs. Reggie Bush.

AD and Bush faced off for the first time in the 2004 Orange Bowl.  It was for all the marbles, and Reggie Bush with the USC Trojans won the NCAA championship without any worry.  Bush was already a superstar, but Adrian was only a freshman.  A freshman who arguably should have won the Heisman Trophy.  Nonetheless, these two meet yet again in New Orleans, LA.  They both play for the top two teams in the NFC, and are wanting a Superbowl bid more than anything.

AD has been titled as the best running back in the game, but Peterson’s 2009 year wasn’t as great as he’d probably like it to be.  It was mainly because of the new Viking passing threat: Brett Favre.  Reggie Bush has been somewhat of a bust in the NFL.  Getting selected as the number two pick, and he really hasn’t done much to impress the fans.  Bush came alive in this past weekend’s games.  He went off in the Saint’s blowout victory over the defending NFC Champion Arizona Cardinals.  Bush resembled his old self, and he’s going up against the big boy NFL players now.

Next Sunday will probably be a high scoring affair.  If that doesn’t occur, it will definitely be a battle of who’s defense shows up.  The Vikings really need to find a running attack in AD and Chester Taylor.  The Saints as well need to not limit themselves to just Brees.  I personally would love to see the Vikings win, and not that doesn’t influence who I think is actually going to win.  I believe New Orleans will lose, and the Vikings will play in the Superbowl.  If either team is in a situation that they are down and not a lot of time, I’ll put my money on Brett Favre over Drew Brees any day.

The game follows the AFC Championship, and starts at about 5:40 PM CST on FOX.  The Colts/Jets game starts prior to the NFC match-up at 2:00 PM CST on CBS.  Hope you guys had a great football weekend, and hope the games next week are just as good.

As an Oklahoma Sooner fan, it’s very hard to get excited for an OU basketball game.  The team isn’t what it was last year, and I’m more of an NBA guy myself.  In the NBA, you see more talent, and the games are rarely blowouts.  I’m a Spurs fans, and I got the chance to go see San Antonio at the Ford Center last Wednesday.  I thought you guys might enjoy these pictures!

Congratulations to the Alabama Crimson Tide, they won the 2010 BCS National Championship Game.  Nick Saban is the first coach to win two BCS crowns with two different schools.  Mark Ingram opens up the new decade as one of the few Heisman winners to win the National Championship as well.  Although, Alabama received a huge help from Texas QB Colt McCoy going down.

McCoy was ready to have his chance, and to leave Texas with the Longhorn’s fifth national championship.  However, he was injured very early, and didn’t have any opportunity to lead Texas to victory.  The Longhorns were forced to put in future quarterback Garrett Gilbert.  Gilbert hadn’t played a snap before, and hadn’t shown any sign of life in his first series.

Gilbert came alive in the end, though.  Gilbert would lead Texas to comeback from a 18 point deficit.  It was 24-21, and things were looking up for Texas.  However, his offensive line didn’t guard his blind side well, and POP! went the football out of his hands.  Alabama would score, and then again.  Saban’s Tide would win 37-21, and a hit to the face by the Gatorade cooler.

To be honest, I picked the Longhorns to win this game.  I thought Colt would drive this team to victory.  But when he’s on the sideline with Horns legend Vince Young, those odds of winning spiraled down like Oklahoma’s season did.  I hope Colt has good career in the NFL, or whatever job he pursues in the future.  I still think Texas sucks, and karma is a bitch.  I was at the OU/Texas game this year, and I heard loud and clear the cheering of Longhorn fans while Bradford was crawling on the ground in agony and pain.

Alabama, I congratulate you, but it would’ve been better for you guys if Colt would’ve played.  However, there’s no going back.  The Crimson Tide are the champions, and the SEC continues to roll.  Boomer Sooner everybody.

A lot of key guys on defense have the option to forgo their senior season, and take their game to the next level.  Today, we add another name to the list of Sooners who have entered the 2010 draft.  That being Dominique Franks, who has provided Sooner fans everywhere a cornerback that can make hits on defense, return punts, and a guy who can intercept the ball.  Seeing “Dom” play this year, I think he has a long way to go, but going to the NFL is probably what he sees best fit for him.

Stoops commented on Dom wishing him the best of luck in the pros and hopefully that he will come back to Oklahoma to finish up his degree.  Dom could’ve provided a spark for the Sooners yet again on defense, but I’m not surprised by his choice.  He knows what happens to stars when they skip out on drafts, and then something misfortunate happens the next season.  Dom was a truly great asset to the team, and will never be looked upon as an average player.

While at Oklahoma, Franks helped out OU with 60 tackles and six interceptions.  Dom racked up three touchdowns while wearing the crimson, two on interception returns and another on a fumble return.  He also returned 29 punts for 346 yards.  Franks started every game this year after proving how he could perform.  In 2009, he compiled 42 tackles and two interceptions.  Franks was selected to the All Big-12 team as well.

If you haven’t seen this by now, you really should if you are a Sooner fan.  Oklahoma has had a really bad season so far in basketball.  Things like this, however, give some cheer to the Sooner faithfuls.  In the second half of Oklahoma’s game against the Gonzaga Bulldogs, Tiny Gallon went up for an alley-oop.  Tiny tried catching it, but was unable to bring it down, and got only the rim - and the entire backboard glass.  Tiny actually hung on to the rim, and broke the backboard.  The game was delayed for about an hour, but the break didn’t help the Sooners any.  So anyway, watch the video, it’s much better than me explaining.  Boomer Sooner!

El Paso, Texas was a place Sooner fans didn’t expect as the site of their 2009 bowl game. However, the Brut Sun Bowl might have been exactly what Oklahoma needed. OU was selected to take on the Stanford Cardinal in the Sooner’s third Sun Bowl appearance in school history.  This invitation was due to Oklahoma being plagued with injuries, inlcuding 2008 Heisman Winner Sam Bradford and Jermaine Gresham. The team was forced to start younger guys who hadn’t played a second of college football of their life. The Sooners knew the National Championship was out of the question. With an upset loss to Miami and BYU, Oklahoma’s goal of being Big 12 Champion changed to hopefully having a winning season.  Which in Oklahoma, is definitely not the norm.

If anything came good from this season is the Sooner’s defense.  They came to play every week (with the exception of the Texas Tech game).  The defensive line led by Gerald McCoy was an aggressive bunch of guys who made monster tackles and knocking the breath out of quarterbacks who crossed their way.  The secondary led by Dominique Franks and Brian Jackson made huge interceptions that changed the momentum of the game.  This 2009 Oklahoma defense was something Coach Stoops would’ve wanted last year playing with possibly the best offense in the history of OU and college football.

But football consists of offense too, and that’s where OU couldn’t find any rhythm.  So to cap off a season of mediocrity, Oklahoma had to go up against the 2009 Heisman Trophy runner-up Toby Gerhart and the Pac-10’s Stanford Cardinal. For one last time, the Sooners stepped up to the challenge. The 2009 Brut Sun Bowl is in no way, shape, or form a prestigious bowl game. However, Oklahoma didn’t need to be in the spot light. The spotlight has gotten to these boys before, and the Sooners didn’t need to have the attention of championship football team. OU needed to focus on the game, not the media.  It was time these guys realize what some schools go through on a yearly basis.  The Sooners needed to earn something for themselves, and expect that greatness will come to them.

So on to the football game, it was never comfortably led by one team, and went down to the wire.  Starting things off, Matt Moreland booted the game ball down field, and  Stanford take the first snap.  Right off the bat, things were looking up for Oklahoma when on Stanford’s first possession, the Sooners intercepted one of Tavita Pricthard’s passes. Oklahoma scored on a 30 yard touchdown pass from Landry Jones to the game’s MVP Ryan Broyles. The Sooners would go on to stop the Cardinal offense again, but Landry Jones threw his first interception of the game on the second offensive series. Stanford would score, and the first half would end in favor of the Cardinal, 24-17. The Sooners were able to score, but allowed 24 points from Stanford. The defense had to get their act together, and shut down Toby Gerhart who had scored two of three Stanford touchdowns in the first two quarters.

Mentioned by the CBS game announcers, Stanford was supposedly a first half team, and were known for second half slumps. Oklahoma got exactly that. OU only allowed a field goal from the Cardinal in the second half, and scored two touchdowns in the third quarter.  Broyles caught one from Jones, and DeMarco leaped in to the end zone over the top of the offensive line.

Moving on to the fourth quarter, something we haven’t seen much of this year is Oklahoma converting on third downs. At about the nine minute mark, the Sooners got the ball following Stanford’s field goal, making the score 31-27. Landry Jones, with much poise, led the team down field for 75 yards. Jones was able to find receivers when necessary, and both DeMarco Murray and Chris Brown were able to run some time off the clock.

When the Sooners got in to the opposing team’s territory, they settled to go for a field goal. The kick went up, and Patrick O’Hara barely missed it. It was up to the Oklahoma defense to hold Stanford from scoring with the two minutes that remained on the clock.  There was no doubt in my mind that the Sooner defense couldn’t complete that task. As Tavita Pricthard tried to scramble around on 4th down, the Sooners gave the pressure, and turned the ball over on downs. The Sooners secured their victory at that point.

Oklahoma was crowned as the 2009 Sun Bowl Champions. Ryan Broyles deserved the game ball more than any other player. He set a Sun Bowl record for three receiving touchdowns, a school record of 13 receptions, and finished the day with 156 receiving yards. Ryan Broyles had a true game changing performance, and without his athletic ability to find the end zone, Oklahoma would have surely fell to the Cardinal.

The Sooners have a lot to be proud of, especially Landry Jones.  Landry has had a rough time this season, and not too many Sooner fans are pleased with the New Mexico native.  Yesterday, Jones threw for over 400 passing yards, 3 passing touchdowns, and threw only one interception. His receivers stepped up, not only Broyles, but Ratterree made some big plays, DeMarco made some big catches in the flats, and DeJuan Miller made his presence known.

The defense should be patting themselves on the back, as they had to overcome a banged up Jeremy Beal, Gerald McCoy, and a leg injury to Adrian Taylor. The defense made stops when they really needed to. They didn’t give up any scores from Toby Gerhart in the second half.  I’d also like to note that Stanford’s starting QB Andrew Luck was injured today, and went with senior Tavita Pritchard.  Pricthard was given a formal introduction to the Oklahoma defense that made Tavita’s life hell in the pocket.

Though with any Oklahoma victory, I still was very mad with some things. The officiating rivaled the 2006 Oregon game at Autzen Stadium. There were many plays where the referees looked the other way, and almost switched the momentum of the football game.  I was outraged by the referee’s giving the ball to Stanford when Ryan Broyles was hit on a punt return.  Broyles wasn’t ever given a chance to catch the ball, and the ball was picked up by the Cardinal.  I laughed when I saw Gerald McCoy pick up Ryan like a rag doll.  The refs really screwed us over.  The next series Gerald McCoy showed his strength by barely tapping a Cardinal player and knocking him flat on his ass.  His was penalized, and he didn’t need to get back at Stanford for the injustice, but I felt it was a little good pay back.

Back to the flaws of the game.  Tthe running game wasn’t all that great, in fact it was very bad. Murray and Brown scraped up some yards, but not many. The Sooners couldn’t run block to save their lives on most plays.  I loved Murray jumping over the line and in to the end zone.  But the overall performance was nothing to write home about.

The last thing that made me mad was the CBS announcers. They are the most boring and unentertaining bunch of broadcasting crews I have heard.  Not only that, but they were obviously biased towards the Cardinal.  I can’t recall one segment done on the OU team, and a million on how Stanford has come a long way.  Also the clip of the Stanford Cardinal players in the locker room getting pumped up by their coach.  I’m a huge OU homer, but CBS was a bit out of control on their Stanford praise. I’m really glad OU isn’t an SEC team.

So anyway, to end this post on a better note, what can the Sooners expect from the 2010 Sooner football team? Not to give much away, but it should be something special. We’re definitely not going 7-5, I’ll tell you that. Boomer Sooner!

Today, I decided to get some tickets to the Oklahoma basketball game.  The last time I saw an OU basketball game was against Texas in 2004 I think.  That game was at Lloyd Noble Center, and this at the Ford Center, but it was fun to see the Sooners.  The result wasn’t that pretty, but Willie Warren put on a show.  I also had great seats, and got them last minute at that.  I was right next to the locker room as you can tell.  So anyway, enjoy this video I put together!  Boomer Sooner!

Nike has selected Oklahoma to model their new Nike Pro Combat uniforms.  I’m not that impressed, i could have thought up the design, and there suppose to be designed as “throwbacks.”  Whatever the case is, they aren’t that cool, and Nike could’ve done better.

Pathetic on offense, great on defense, and at the end of the day, those do not balance