NORMAN, Okla. (AP) -None of Oklahoma’s players can claim many happy memories from playing at Texas Tech.
Few would like to forget more than DeMarco Murray.
The Sooners’ dynamic running back had his record-setting freshman season cut short when he dislocated his kneecap while trying to recover a failed onside kick in the Sooners’ 34-27 loss to the Red Raiders two years ago. The defeat, in which quarterback Sam Bradford suffered a concussion, knocked Oklahoma out of the national championship chase.
“It was bad,” Murray said Tuesday. “I’ve been thinking about it a little bit, but come Saturday I don’t think I’ll be worried about it.”
Murray’s injury, which kept him out of the Big 12 championship game and Fiesta Bowl that season, provided a sour finish to what’s been a bitter road trip for the Sooners (6-4, 4-2 Big 12) the last two times.
determine whether Henderson had crossed the goal line because a key camera angle wasn’t available. Then came the seven-point loss in 2007.
Texas Tech (6-4, 3-3) hosts Oklahoma again on Saturday.
“We know the last two times we’ve been down there, we lost,” Murray said. “Last year, we beat them here at home. But it’s always a crazy time playing down there in Lubbock. The fans are pretty crazy. It’s not as loud as other places but the atmosphere, it’s pretty crazy.
“I think we have to get immune to it and just settle down.”
No Big 12 opponent has had more success at home against Sooners coach Bob Stoops than the Red Raiders. (Remember that the annual rivalry against Texas is played on a neutral field in Dallas.) Texas Tech is the only conference school that can claim three home victories against Stoops, also notching a 38-28 victory in 1999.
“When you go to someone’s place and they’re a good team, it’s harder to play there. For the most part, we’ve played well here,” said Stoops, who has a 29-game home winning streak. “And you go most places who win a lot, they play well in their place. I don’t think there’s anything magical about it.”
The Sooners’ struggles have certainly been amplified away from home this season. While they’re 5-0 at Owen Field, their record is 1-4 elsewhere.
The most noticeable difference has been on offense. Oklahoma has averaged 49.8 points in Norman and only 16.8 away from home. Offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson suggested that the familiar surroundings allowed the Sooners to overcome mistakes such as penalties that have hurt them in other places.
“It’s maximized on the road because on the road, when the crowd goes against you, it snowballs,” Wilson said. “At home, where the crowd isn’t as bad, we’ve overcame those things. We need to go this week to Tech and be a team that’s smart enough and good enough to change and not give our opponent an advantage.
“We have a tough enough time winning in the first place, so why do you want to help your opponent?”
Oklahoma also had five turnovers – all on interceptions thrown by Landry Jones – in its last road trip, a 10-3 loss at Nebraska.
“In our last three trips, we’ve had 12 turnovers. That’s another way to lose,” Wilson said.
Add A Comment