I haven’t looked to Dr. Lou for words of wisdom since about 1995. However, Oklahoma’s blowout victory over Florida State Saturday reminded me of a Holtz classic: “You’re never as good as you think you are, and you’re never as bad as you think you are.” Or something like that.
A week ago, the Sooners were sleepwalking through the opener versus Utah State, while the Seminoles shellacked Samford. All of a sudden, OU was overrated. Meanwhile, Florida State was a force to be reckoned with.
Another classic from the worst coach in New York Jets history: “You have a different team every week.”
A week later, the new reality is Oklahoma 47, Florida State 17.
Honestly, I can’t remember the last time the Sooners put on such a completely dominant performance against a quality opponent. Everything worked. Patrick O’Hara even hit a couple field goals, and you know that means things are clicking.
Most importantly, Landry Jones and the Oklahoma defense offered strong responses to the questions that were raised in the season opener.
Jones played the best game of his career, tossing for 320 yards and three touchdowns in the first half alone. OU’s sophomore quarterback was downright surgical in carving up the Florida State defense with short, medium and long throws. He wasn’t perfect, but in a season without a true frontrunner, Jones definitely looked like the kind of quarterback who’s ready to lead a national championship contender.
As good as Jones was, the real story was on the other side of the ball. OU’s D – maligned for allowing 421 total yards and 24 points in week one to a WAC team – rendered what has been projected to be one of the nation’s most dynamic offenses essentially impotent. Some numbers from the game for the FSU O:
- 17 points, including a garbage time TD (FSU’s 2009 average: 30.1);
- 5.1 yards per play (FSU’s 2009 average: 6.8);
- 6.2 yards per pass attempt (FSU’s 2009 average: 8.1);
- 14 first downs (FSU’s 2009 average: 21.6);
- 31 percent conversion rate on third downs (FSU’s 2009 average: 47 percent).
Of course, OU’s pendulum almost certainly will swing too far back the other way after such a spectacular performance. Jones will be touted as a Heisman contender. The Oklahoma defense will be lauded as one of coach Bob Stoops’ best ever. The national championship is a formality.
Time to get real about the Seminoles for a moment. This is a talented team, but a young one. Jimbo Fisher definitely has the program on the right track, but I bet even he would admit his squad just wasn’t ready for this kind of game, particularly the FSU D.
The final score may have shocked some, but the end result, a comfortable OU win, shouldn’t have.
In other words, it was fun to watch OU roll yesterday, but not much has changed from before the season started.