One or two games do not a college football season make. But certain games or wins can definitely serve as a directional indicator or trend. That raises the question: How impactful for OU football this season was the dramatic comeback win over Tennessee?
One victory, no matter how big the game is, does not constitute a championship season. That is determined over the course of 12 or 13 games. Although victories over good teams, no mater where they fall in the schedule, are especially important because they build team character and instill a winning attitude that ideally carries over to the next game, and the next one and, hopefully, right on through the season.
The earlier a signature win comes in the season, like Oklahoma’s over Tennessee last weekend, the easier it is build upon the positives that came out of it, address the shortcomings and leverage the sum result for future big games that lie ahead on the schedule.
Sep 12, 2015; Knoxville, TN, USA; Oklahoma Sooners head coach Bob Stoops and quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) are interviewed by the media after defeating the Tennessee Volunteers. Oklahoma won in double overtime 31-24. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports
Most college football experts – and even the fans themselves – said before the start of the 2015 season that the rematch between Oklahoma and Tennessee would tell us a lot about where those two programs are right now in their evolution and whether they should be considered contenders or pretenders in their respective conference races.
No one can question the Sooners’ resilience and will in finding a way to win a game that for almost three-quarters of the contest looked like a certain loss. Tennessee raced out to a 17-0 advantage in the first 18 minutes of the game and appeared, at that point, to be unstoppable.
But that why these game are played out over a full 60 minutes – and, as in the case of OU and the Rocky Top gang, sometimes extended to extra time. At halftime, the Sooner coaching staff obviously made game-changing adjustments. That did not appear to be the case on the sidelines of the home team.
As a result, the game itself became a tale of two halves. Tennessee dominated the opening half, as measured in the halftime score of 17-3. The second half (including the required two overtime sessions) was played in complete reverse, with the Sooners outcoaching, outplaying and eventually outscoring their 23rd-ranked SEC opponent by a margin of 28-7.
Sep 12, 2015; Knoxville, TN, USA; Oklahoma Sooners wide receiver Sterling Shepard (3) scores the winning touchdown in double overtime against the Tennessee Volunteers Neyland Stadium. Oklahoma won in double overtime 31-24. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports
As big a win as Bob Stoops has ever experienced in his time at Oklahoma – he himself said it might be “my favorite of all of them” – the victory at Tennessee spawns a whole new set of questions. Are the Sooners really as good as they looked in the second half at Tennessee, or are the Volunteers not as good as many experts projected them to be this season?
My take on that question is that the answer lies somewhere in between. Oklahoma is a better team, with better talent, better coaching and more offensive weapons, than the Sooners’ team that ended last season. But Tennessee also is an improved team this season, and had things turned out just a bit differently on one or two second-half plays, the outcome easily could have been reversed.
The broader question, particularly among fans in the Sooner Nation, is: Can beating Tennessee at its prodigious place be legitimately viewed as a sign that the expectations that many experts had for the Sooners in 2015 are too low and that OU is more than capable of posing a serious challenge this season to Big 12 co-favorites TCU and Baylor?
We won’t know, of course, for several more weeks, but consider this: The seven games the Sooners have between now and Nov. 14 – the date Oklahoma visits Baylor – are very winnable games. There is a good probability that Oklahoma could be 9-0 going into the final three games of the schedule. That certainly would make for an interesting final three weeks of the regular season: at Baylor, at home vs. TCU and Bedlam at Oklahoma State.
Things can certainly change from week to week in college football, but with Tennessee now in the rear view mirror and the spoils of victory to go along with it, its fun to dare to dream what the rest of the long and winding road could look like for the new and improved football Sooners this season.