Finishing
Posted by DontBendDontBreak | Filed under Failing To Deliver, Offensive
This season Oklahoma had many great accomplishments, but two shine above the rest. Their quarterback, sophomore Sam Bradford, won the Heisman Trophy. And, more importantly, they moved above a number of one-loss teams (Texas, Texas Tech, Penn State, USC, and Alabama) in the BCS to claim an appearance in the national championship game against Florida.
Both of these achievements were due to one thing: Offense.
They became the first team in nearly 90 years to score 60-plus points in 5 straight games. And they set an NCAA record for most points in a season.
You can’t do that without a great offense, obviously. From the wide receivers to the offensive line, everyone must contribute. But a great offense is not enough. If it were, USC’s 2005 team would have easily accomplished both of these tasks.
The reason Oklahoma was able to do so is simple: Bob Stoops is a finisher.
Take this stat for example: During that impressive 5 game streak, 31 of Oklahoma’s points were scored in the last half of the last quarter. Try as he might, Bradford was only responsible for 14 of those points. Other members of the team can be credited for the other 17, but really all 31 points can be attributed to the coach. Those are the results of a man that doesn’t know how to quit.
Some have foolishly called this running up the score. Scoring is not always running up the score, not when it serves a purpose. Case in point, Oklahoma likely wouldn’t be in the championship game were it not for their amazing offensive statistics. The ends justify the means.
USC could have scored many more points against its weaker (i.e. PAC-10) opponents, but goody two-shoes Pete Carroll wouldn’t go for the jugular. He’s more concerned with being best friends forever with the other coaches than making a statement on the field.
Who cares if the other coaches hate you? That’s your job as the head coach, to play the bad guy. Is not tacking on two more touchdowns in the fourth quarter going to convince the other team’s coach to not put up a challenge the next year?
In fact, reigning in your offense has several drawbacks. One, it shows your players that you are weak and makes them less motivated to play for you. Two, being friendly with the opposing coach makes your players not feel as upset about losing. (Losing to your coach’s enemy is terrible, but losing to his friend is just slightly )unfortunate.) And lastly, an opposing team’s coach is much more likely to rank you high in the polls if you absolutely blast his team to smithereens.
When you add in the 22 second-half points that the Trojan defense allowed this season, that slim margin of victory grows even smaller. Considering that some poll voters just look at the scores, it’s important to put up a lot of points. That says something. Holding the opponent to a low number just says that you aren’t playing good teams.
Bob Stoops may have enemies, but he also has a shot at the national championship, something Carroll won’t ever have again until he stops trying to be so damn nice.
Tags: Bob Stoops, offense, Oklahoma