There's Always Next Year...

I have no idea why I decided to come back after that disaster, but what the hell. Here are some thoughts and impressions following another laugher on national television.

• Bo is the mouthpiece for the program this week, barring players and assistants from speaking to the media. I’m fine with this. The players should be focusing on improvement, rather than manufacturing worthless quotes that will get bantered around message boards for the next few weeks. In addition, I’ve already heard enough talking, and a real lack of intensity to back things up.

• Sticking with Bo failing to give access to the media following the game: Isn’t it time the media actually did their job? Instead of asking questions, like “what happened in the first quarter?” Why don’t they get on the phone to the Big 12 office and figure out why we can’t get a break from the refs. Most importantly find out why the fumble on the punt return in the Baylor game was so eff’d up by both the on-field officials and the replay booth! The Big 10 has actually started implementing some accountability for their officials. Guess what? That was the result of media pressure the past few seasons.

• Shawn Watson is taking a lot of heat today. I didn’t like the first play of the game and it was eerily reminiscent of the first offensive snap in the 2006 Big 12 Championship Game that resulted in a Mo Purify fumble and easy score for OU. But I didn’t see much else that I disagreed with in terms of playcalling. No offensive coordinator has an answer when you’re down 21-0 before your 3 offensive snap and down 28-0 before your 6th offensive snap.

• Roy Helu looked like one of only two players on our roster that had the talent to stay on the field with OU. I would say Suh was the other one that belonged out there last night.

• The continued mental errors are absolutely infuriating. These should have been ironed out weeks ago. This reflects poorly on our coaching staff. I love Bo, but I’ve been worried since day one about the inexperience on his staff (especially defensively). I mean is there a more inexperienced staff in the country? And do Ekeler and Papuchis really belong on a Big 12 staff at this point in their careers?

• How do I know our staff is inexperienced? 10 guys on the field, 12 guys on the field. 3 time outs used in the first quarter, etc.

• I thought Joe Ganz played really poorly Saturday. He looked scared even before kickoff. He’s like the prototypical “streak shooter” in basketball. He’s really only as good as his last pass.

• It was nice to see us rotate in some young guys in the fourth quarter. I’d like to see more of them from here on out. I want us to become bowl eligible, but I also want us to be better next season. Some of these guys have been making the same mistakes for far too long. *cough* Asante *cough*

• People have continually tried to argue with me that there is talent on this team. Stop letting Rivals tell you who is talented and watch the game on the field. Other than Kansas State and Iowa State every Big 12 team has more true playmakers than we do. Yes, even Baylor.

• Which team shows up against KU? The one that had Texas Tech on the ropes, or the one we’ve seen against Missouri and Oklahoma. If it’s the latter, I seriously worry about the future of our program. At the very least we have to start winning every game we are supposed to and start stealing a game or two per year that we’re not supposed to. Otherwise, we’ll be looking up at teams like Ole Miss in the very near future.