One fourth of the way through the season it's time to play fact or fiction with the 2006 Oklahoma Sooners football team.
Fact - Adrian Peterson is the best running back in the country. In four games he has rushed for 643 yards (160.8 per game) despite the fact that opposing defenses are keying on him.
Peterson leads the conference in rushing and is second in the nation. His biggest game at this point (211 yards) was against Oklahoma's toughest opponent so far (Oregon).
Fiction - The Oklahoma offensive line is weak. The line may be thin but they are not weak. The line has paved the way for Adrian Peterson's stats and has only allowed five quarterback sacks this season.
Fact - Malcolm Kelly is emerging as a star. The Sooner sophomore is second in the conference in receiving, 379 yards, 94.8 ypg and 4 touchdowns.
Fiction - Freshman tight end Jermaine Gresham is a man among boys. While he certainly has the size (6-7, 230) he has struggled blocking which has limited his playing time. Gresham fumbled his first reception of the season and didn't get his second (an 18 yard TD) until last week against MTSU.
Fact - The Sooner defense is bad. That is they are playing bad. There is confusion in the secondary and missed tackles everywhere. The Sooner defense currently ranks 9th in the conference and has got to get better for OU to improve over last season.
A shutout of Middle Tennessee State showed they are moving in the right direction but we need to see improvement against top tier competition.
Fiction - Paul Thompson isn't capable of playing qb at a big time division one program. Truth is Thompson is having a great season considering just over two months ago he was a receiver. He ranks fourth in the conference in passing and has a 162.8 passer rating.
Fact - Reggie Smith is Superman. Smith is another sophomore who is turning heads this season. He has played three positions in the secondary and has taken offensive snaps as well. He's averaging 27.5 yards on kick-off returns and 15.9 on punt returns with a touchdown.
Fiction - The Sooners are over-rated. If anything they are under-rated at 16th. Regardless of how bad the defense has played Oklahoma should be 4-0. While other schools around the conference mock the Oregon fiasco they should be reminded that the Sooners losing to the Ducks hurts the entire conference.
It would be much more beneficial for the Longhorns hopes of getting back into the BCS Championship race if they beat a 4-0 Oklahoma team that was ranked in or near the Top 10. Any other school in the conference would benefit from beating or losing to a higher ranked undefeated opponent.
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