Football Has Changed Since Oklahoma’s Last Meeting With Oregon
Oklahoma’s Alamo Bowl opponent brings up suppressed memories for Sooner fans.
The last time OU faced off against the Oregon Ducks, Oklahoma left the filled embroiled in a controversial defeat.
Running back Allen Patrick famously emerged from the pile with a late-game onside kick recovery the last time the two sides met in Eugene, but the Ducks were awarded the ball.
In the aftermath, Oregon went down the field and scored the decisive touchdown, handing the Sooners an undeserved loss all the way back in 2006.
And while interim head coach Bob Stoops says the loss is “water under the bridge”, it’s clear the Hall of Fame coach hasn’t forgotten the contest.
“I still count myself as above 80 percent (winning percentage) since we won that game,” Stoops said during a Zoom press conference on Monday. “… I was reminded of it all the time. In fact, Toby Keith sent me the picture of Allen Patrick standing there, showing the sidelines the ball, where the official’s in the middle of it pointing like he sees something in there other than a shoe.”
Allen Patrick recovered the ball.
Football has changed a lot since 2006, however.
In the moment, Stoops was unaware of just how controversial the call was, as he himself had to wait until the team got home to see the replays and form an opinion on the situation.
“I was given way too much credit after the (Oregon) game for the poise I showed because I didn't see Allen with the ball,” Stoops said. “Everyone else had. And had I seen that, I might have been suspended a few games myself.”
But times change, and college football is no different.
Not only does the style of play look much different, but the ability of officiala to correct errors with instant replay and the appropriate application of those rules have gotten better over the years.
Now, Stoops says errors like what went down in Eugene all those years ago likely wouldn’t happen, which is a benefit to college football as a whole.
“I think they do a great job of it in today's game of doing it relatively quickly, maybe not always, but trying to get it right,” Stoops said. “Everybody's too invested. Not just players, coaches, fans, you know there's so much that rides on each game in football. So it's the right thing to do to get it right, and that's what replay's for and for the most part it really works pretty well I think.
“You can correct some egregious errors like that one. It should have been corrected.”
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