Morning Wrap: Clemson Destroys Oklahoma in Bowl Game

((ht: espn.com))

Rumors of the ACC's weakness in football may be greatly exaggerated.

Either that or the Oklahoma Sooners and/or the Big 10 have a big problem.

The Clemson Tigers rolled to an early 40-0 lead and cruised home to a 40-6 Russell Athletic Bowl win over the reeling Oklahoma Sooners in front of 40,000 or so fans in a half-full stadium in Orlando, Florida.

QB Cole Stoudt had a career game, throwing for 319 yards and 3 TD's. He also ran for another score to lead the Tigers. Meanwhile, much hyped Oklahoma QB Trevor Knight threw for 103 yards and 3 interceptions. 

It wasn't pretty. And not to diminish the dominating performance by Clemson, the loss raised a ton of questions about longtime Oklahoma head coach Bob Stoops.

Stoops, once considered a coaching darling or possible NFL head coach has struggled to keep the once competitive Sooners...well, um, competitive. The team was ranked as high as #3 or #4 in the preseason and finished the year 8-5 with a ton of question marks.

As for Clemson, while it wasn't a title winning year, the Tigers won 10 games for the 4th straight season under head coach Dabo Swinney.

Your highlights from ESPN.com:

Sooners Mixon Suspended For Season

((HT: News9.com/Newson6.com))

Oklahoma Sooners freshman running back Joe Mixon has been suspended for the entire 2014 season after his arraignment in an assault after he argued with a woman at a Norman, Oklahoma restaurant last month.

He was charged with a misdemeanor- acts resulting in gross injury- from allegedly punching a woman.

OU President David Boren agreed with the assessment of both head coach Bob Stoops and AD Joe Castiglione where:

"...Mixon will be excluded from all team activities, including being removed from the team roster. With appropriate conditions, he will be permitted to continue as a student, eligible for financial aid.

Vice President for Athletics Joe Castiglione and Head Football Coach Bob Stoops said, “As the university has demonstrated in the past, we are committed to winning the right way. As an example to others, OU sets the highest possible standards for its student athletes, coaches and staff.”

Here's the latest from Norman
NewsOn6.com - Tulsa, OK - News, Weather, Video and Sports - KOTV.com |

Mixon was released on his own recognizance after posting $1,000 bond. He was given a "no contact" order by the judge in the case where the accuser is concerned and his next appearance in court is set for September 23.

Baylor Takes Care Of Bid-Ness, Knocks Off Big Game Bob...

((HT: Newsok.com))

The first quarter of the Baylor-Oklahoma game last night was what most folks thought it would be... the Sooners slowing down Baylor's offense and hamstringing them to normalcy- especially after the safety, free kick return, and a 5-3 lead...

Which might have been the beginning of the end for the Sooners... getting three instead of seven...

From there, Baylor and their black shirts outscored Oklahoma 38-7 on their way to a dominating, 41-12 win where Baylor took advantage of mistakes and capitalized quickly...

Very quickly...

Here's Damon Fontenot- very, very late last night talking about all the problems...
The Oklahoman's Berry Tramel thinks that both Josh Heupel and Blake Bell are in trouble where their jobs are concerned... From Tramel: Two years ago, after Robert Griffin torched the Sooners for a 45-38 upset, Stoops was motivated to switch his defensive leadership. Within six weeks, Mike Stoops was in and Brent Venables was out. So the Heupel watch officially has begun. Bob Stoops went 13 years without firing a coach. Now he's fired four and demoted another in the last two seasons. Stoops has proven he's got a guillotine and will use it.
Must read for Sooner types...

Guess What...??? Texas Regents Talked About Saban To Agent, Dodds Not Retiring

Surprising no one...

Regent Wallace Hall along with one of the Hicks brothers, Steve (yes his brother Tom is the former Liverpool and Texas Rangers owner) talked to Nick Saban's agent, Jimmy Sexton about his client's possible interest in being the head coach at the University of Texas.

Hall and Hicks had a conference call with Sexton a few days after the national title game. Then, Tom Hicks had a meeting with Mack Brown to see if he was still interested in coaching the Longhorns. Brown told Hicks he was not interested in retiring, so the matter wasn't pursued any further.

Mack Brown is set to be paid $5-million a year through 2020...

Saban is getting $5.6-million, but with Brown's buyout at only $3.25-million, this could be a very quick eventuality after the conclusion of the 2013 season.

"Wallace Hall brought this to the chairman and myself. Nothing was authorized by the board and the chairman and myself thought the board should not be involved," Steve Hicks told the Associated Press. "Tom and Mack are friends and talk often. They simply visited and just talked the idea through. It was dropped and nothing happened ... It was a short conversation."

Along that same line, rumors are swirling about AD DeLoss Dodds retiring- which would make another piece of the puzzle for the removal of Mack Brown- forced or otherwise...

Dodds, of course, is denying it...
((HT: Longhorn Network))


Conventional wisdom is saying that a 5-year, $50-million offer is on the table for Saban to succeed Mack Brown- which lends itself to Carousel...

The HQ anticipates three names tied to Alabama: Bob Stoops (whose message has grown stale in Norman), Will Muschamp (whose move from Gainesville might be thought of as "sideways"), and Dabo Swinney- the alum with the hot name after an allegedly successful season-to-be in Clemson.

HQ's coin is on Swinney- who will get destroyed...

Bedlam Was Exactly That...

((HT: newsok.com))

Oklahoma had three receivers go over 100 yards receiving and Landry Jones (in all his reported gimpyness) threw for 500 yards...

The Sooners needed all of those yards in a 51-48 overtime win...

Damon Fontenot was there and bundled up...

Oklahoma’s offense totalled 618 total yards and 44 first downs — second-most in NCAA history for a game.

Oklahoma can get the Big 12/10 championship, but they need a win next Saturday at TCU and Kansas State has to lose at home to Texas.

If both teams win, they’ll share the Big 12 title. But Kansas State will earn the Fiesta Bowl berth because of their 24-19 win at Oklahoma on September 22nd.

University of Oklahoma channels 1998 for promotional video

((dr.saturday/yahoo))

Hey, Oklahoma, Eminem circa 1998 called, they want their look back.

We came across this video on the Yahoo/Dr.Saturday college football website and feel compelled to share it.

Though we aren't sure why.

Maybe it's because we are oddly fascinated by it. The song, promoting the University of Oklahoma, is a  rap style song sung by a guy wearing a sweatshirt, bike gloves and skinny jeans.

And he includes such luminaries as OU football coach Bob Stoops in said video. Which of course, makes it Sports related and thusly...shared.

So enjoy, and for those of you old enough to remember, this sounds...and looks an awful lot like a really bad take off of Eminem when he first appeared on the music scene...around oh, say 1998.