Chilly night. Sloppy game. Hairy moments for the home team.
Not pretty, but effective.
An Oklahoma football team that hasn't caught many breaks in the last calendar year finally found some blessings, courtesy of other college campi. Then the Sooners made their own.
OU beat Texas Tech 34-24 in a game the Sooners could have won easy or easily lost. A blossomed defense rescued OU against Tech, and the help elsewhere rescued the Sooners' BCS bowl hopes.
Yes, that's right BCS.
"I love the way our team's competing," OU coach Bob Stoops said. "We made it hard today. We've got to be able to take care of the ball. That appalls me."
"But I love the character. We've been through a lot. "
Georgia spanked Auburn and Mike Stoops did Brother Bob a solid with Arizona's upset of California, and suddenly, the Sooners' hopes for a power bowl brighten. More on that later.
First, OU had to dispatch Tech, and the Red Raiders seemed in upset mode all night. They led 24-10 late in the second quarter, courtesy of three OU turnovers, and 24-20 as late as the fourth period.
But the Sooner defense stayed the course, as it usually does against Mike Leach's 22nd-century offense and as it's done since the Oregon fiasco of September. OU held Tech to 281 total yards, just 107 in the second half, superb numbers for the yardage-eating Red Raiders. Even more impressive, the Sooners pitched a second-half shutout.
Tech's points were bloated. One touchdown came on a 54-yard interception return. Another TD came off an 18-yard drive following a fumbled kickoff return.
So that's 10 real points. That kind of defense will give the Sooners a chance against most any foe, and after Saturday, that's just who OU might see come January.
"We came up with a lot of plays and a lot of stops," Stoops said. "They're not easy to hold down like we did. We can run in space. We can cover. We're disciplined in what we do."
The Sooners came into Saturday probably seventh in the pecking order for the BCS' four at-large spots. But OU moved up perhaps a couple of spots.
Here are the seven candidates:
• The Michigan-Ohio State loser; they play next Saturday.
• The California-Southern Cal loser; they, too, play next Saturday.
• A No. 2 team from the Southeastern Conference.
• Notre Dame.
• The Rutgers-West Virginia loser; they play Dec. 2.
• Boise State.
• Oklahoma.
The Michigan-Ohio State loser will get a BCS berth, so it's really six contenders for three spots. If the Sooners win out, and they will playing defense like this, they will be 10-2 and can sell the return of franchise tailback Adrian Peterson and the bogus loss at Oregon.
Boise State's close call with San Jose State on Saturday could cost the Broncos precious BCS status. The USC-Cal loser looks less appealing after Saturday. The SEC lost a contender with Auburn. Who knows? Stranger things have happened than the Sooners invited to Miami or New Orleans.
Like the Sooners surviving four turnovers and counting on a fourth-string tailback. Freshman Chris Brown relieved Jacob Gutierrez, who was subbing for the injured Allen Patrick, and Brown's 40-yard touchdown run with 12:51 left gave the Sooners the lead.
OU got some help from Tech. The Sooners were bailed out by some untimely Red Raider penalties. Tech missed two field goals, including a 28-yarder with 9:18 left that would have tied the game at 27.
But again, play defense like this, and you've earned all your stripes. Tech scored 31 points on Texas in the first half. Yet the Oklahoma defense kept Graham Harrell off balance and out of the end zone most of the night.
That's big-time defense. That's what OU needed on this not-pretty night. Not pretty, but effective.
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