Announcer says OU-Texas game hasn't lost luster
Nessler calling OU-Texas game

By Mel Bracht

Published: October 6, 2006

ABC play-by-play announcer Brad Nessler doesn't believe Saturday's nationally televised OU-Texas game has lost its luster, despite each team having one loss.

"I kind of get a kick out of everyone saying it's lost its luster," Nessler said Wednesday in a telephone interview. "I said to Mack (Brown) and Bob Stoops (Wednesday), lost its luster? Let me see. One team lost to the No. 1 team in the country and one team lost a game that they got robbed in. So what's bad about that?

"You take away that, and they're both top 10. Even at this stage, Mack can't believe that Oklahoma is not ranked in the top 10.

"That game at Oregon (OU's 34-33 loss on a disputed onside kick call) — we just thought we were making progress with instant replay and that game set it back five years, if you ask me."

Nessler, arguably ESPN/ABC's best play-by-play announcer, is getting adjusted to working in a three-man booth, which includes the humorous Paul Maguire, returning to college announcing for the first time in 20 years, and serious Bob Griese, a former Purdue and Miami Dolphins quarterback.

"I'm kind just of the guy with the top hat and the whip just trying to keep them in each other's corners," said Nessler. "We've had a great time. I think it's been a lot of fun

"Paul is one of the great storytellers and one of the funniest guys I've ever run into. To him, the game is the game. He just worries what's going on on the field.

"He doesn't bring in 5,000 pounds of information; he just reacts to what is going on. Bob's the meticulous one. I just look at it as they're both my older brothers; they try to keep me in line."

Nessler, who will be working his fourth OU-Texas game, and Griese are veterans of the series. Maguire and sideline reporter Bonnie Bernstein will be making their first appearance at the Cotton Bowl madness.

"It's a great scene," Nessler said. "It's one of the all-time greats, just to be around the fair. We get out there in the junk food, just like everybody else. From that standpoint, it's not a normal tailgate, that's for sure."

Nessler, 50, who lives in Atlanta, said he won't be returning to ESPN's Saturday night college basketball broadcasts with Dick Vitale.

Instead, he will be doing ABC's main Saturday afternoon games with Jimmy Dykes.

Keys to Red River Rumble

ABC play-by-play announcer Brad Nessler gives his keys to the OU-Texas game:

• Quarterbacks. I think it's kind of going to boil down to who manages the game better at quarterback. They have both seen this game. They've been there. Colt (McCoy) has at least been on the sideline. Paul (Thompson) has been in the thick of it as a receiver last year and a couple seasons back as a quarterback. But they haven't been the ones where you get in there, and on one end of the field, you can't hear yourself think. I think whoever comes out the best there and doesn't turn the ball over probably wins the ball game.

• Adrian Peterson. Adrian is going to get his yards. I said to (Texas co-defensive coordinator) Gene Chizik, ‘Say he gets 130 or less, would you have done your job?' He said, ‘No, I never like to put a number on it, but I'd probably take 130 right now.' (As for the Heisman race) If Adrian goes for 200 and something and Oklahoma wins the game, he's right in there. He and Troy Smith and (Brady) Quinn, they are still kind of the three guys anyway.

• OU defense. They are just not making big plays, which is strange for them. I don't know if it's the personnel or if it's that the opportunities haven't presented themselves. I think that will come around. After a little indecision on what they want to do in the secondary, I think they have it the way they want it.

Airing dirty laundry

KFOR-4's "Friday Night Heroes" turned into "Friday Night Panties" last week when a tape operator mistakenly aired a still photo of two people holding up a pair of red and black panties for 47 seconds instead of high school football highlights.

Sports director Bob Barry Jr. went on with his report as if the correct highlights were being shown. However, later in the show, he joked about the screwup.

"Wow! Now that we've shown my briefs on the air — had a little issue there earlier — we're not going to show the scores right now because apparently scores and underwear have something to do with each other."

Barry declined further comment.

KFOR-4 spokesman Luanne Stuart said, "It appears the incident was a technical glitch. Our engineers are currently investigating. We believe it was not a deliberate act. We sincerely regret if anyone was offended."

Moral of the story: Don't shoot anything you'd be embarrassed to broadcast.