As if I have to tell you, Bob Stoops, Landry Jones or anyone else that Saturday's game at Kansas is a must win situation for Oklahoma. The season is now officially on the verge of collapse for the Sooners and a loss in Lawrence Saturday would all but put the final nail in the crimson and cream coffin. For that reason alone OU needs to rock and sock the Jayhawks on Saturday but here are a couple of other reasons Oklahoma needs a victory as well.
Confidence
This is Landry Jones' team now and they need to learn to trust him to guide them to victory. For that to happen he's got to stop throwing interceptions like the one he threw in crunch time on Saturday. Texas had coverage both underneath and over the top but Jones still threw the ball without ever checking down to any other receivers. We've seen Landry Jones throw six touchdowns in one game but we've yet to see him lead Oklahoma on a fourth quarter game winning drive even though he's had three opportunities.
It's not just Landry who has something to prove on offense though. The linemen and receivers have left a lot to be desired this season as well. How about the Sooners just proving that they can block in general? Sam Bradford has been hurt twice now on a blitz and it was also a blitz that wasn't picked up that caused Landry Jones to fumble inside of his own 20 against Miami that set up the go ahead touchdown for the Hurricanes. I wish that I could stop at pass blocking but Oklahoma's run blocking on Saturday was atrocious as well. Texas has a very solid defense but Oklahoma did a lot to help the Longhorns hold Chris Brown to a 1.9 and DeMarco Murray to a -3 yards per carry average. Oklahoma couldn't run inside or outside but did find a way to run backwards.
Here's a question. If the game is on the line and Oklahoma either needed to catch a pass or kick a field goal to win which one would you choose? For me, I'm going with the field goal because I have absolutely no confidence in our receivers and I'm not sure that they have confidence in themselves. Winning their first game against a ranked team in their last five tries would be a good start to rebuilding the confidence of this offense.
National Perception
Right now the world is looking at the Sooners and calling them what they are, a .500 team with an 0-3 record against ranked opponents. A loss on Saturday would move them below .500 with an 0-4 record against ranked teams. It would also put OU out of the Top 25 for the first time since the 2005 season. However, a win at Kansas would at least give the perception that things are heading in the right direction and that the ship is still floating. It may not be sailing but at least it isn't sinking!
OU returns home the following Saturday (Oct 31) to play Kansas State. The Wildcats pasted Texas A&M on Saturday to the tune of 62-14 but the week before they were destroyed by Texas Tech, 66-14. In the friendly confines of Oklahoma Memorial Stadium I like OU's chances and it would put the Sooners on a two game winning streak heading to Lincoln on November 7th. A win there would have people talking about the turnaround going on in Norman but it all starts with a win this Saturday.