Hunni-Cut It To the Left

   On Saturday morning in Norman, most people were excited to see how the Oklahoma Sooners would respond after their piss-poor offensive output versus Texas last week, but ended up getting more than what they bargained for. Trevor Knight played the best game of the season (so far) and the offense was moving the ball effectively against the above-average Kansas State defense. The problem for the Sooners was that when they got into the redzone, they couldn't punch it in for touchdowns. Enter the Groza Award Finalist kicker, Michael Hunnicut. The young man has kicked his way atop the Sooners all-time leading scorer list, and coming into the game against the Wildcats, no one expected him to fold. Right before halftime, the Sooners, who were behind by 4, opted to kick a 32-yard field goal to cut the lead to 1. No one held their breath on the attempt and no one was worried when Hunnicut was that close to the uprights. After all, it's not like Bob Stoops was trotting out little Jimmy Stevens for the attempt. If your memory serves you right, you'll remember the 5 foot 8 inch little kicker that struggled in his Sooner career to hit short field goals, or any field goals, for that matter. So, Hunnicut kicked the ball, and the crowd automatically began to cheer (at least from the angle where I was sitting) as the ball sailed past the goal post. Then the PA announcer let the Sooner nation that had the terrible angles know that the kick had been missed. Murmurs began shortly after, but it was halftime and OU was only down by 4.

OU kicker, Michael Hunnicut, reacts after missing a 32-yard field goal
in the first half against the Kansas State Wildcats this past weekend.
The Sooners fell to K-State with a final score of 31-30.

   In the second half, the offenses traded punches, and with 10:35 left in the game, the Sooners scored a touchdown that fans would believe would have tied the game at 31. With an extra point pending, and Hunnicut being almost automatic on his PATs, no OU fan was concerned. But the extra point was blocked, and the score was 30-31 with more football to be played. The Wildcats went 3 and out in a hurry, and gave the ball back to Oklahoma with just under 10 minutes left. This was more than enough time for the Sooners to make something happen. The drive took almost 6 minutes for OU to get back into the redzone, but once they were there, they couldn't punch it in from the 1 yard line on 3rd and goal. Out came the field goal unit, and for the first time in awhile, the OU faithful were concerned about the outcome of the kick. Sure, it was a 19-yard chip shot that was shorter than any extra point Hunnicut ever kicked, but with the last PAT being blocked, the question mark was the offensive line. So the snap was called, ball was placed, and the kick...sailed so far to the left that it was almost like Hunnicut had never kicked a football in his life! Nevertheless, there was still just under 4 minutes for the Sooners to get another chance, but they would have to make the Wildcats go 3 and out again, and OU had only 1 timeout to work with. With 2:22 on the clock and Kansas State facing a third down and 3, it was Oklahoma's decision whether or not they wanted to win this game or not. As Kansas State quarterback, Jake Waters, took the snap, he dropped back, had all the time in the world, and completed a 6-yard pass to Curry Sexton for the first down. All Kansas State had to do was take a couple kneel downs, and the game would be over, and that's exactly what they did. OU ended up losing the game, 31-30, and left 7 points on the field.
  After the game, it was apparent that the Sooners' chances at being in this year's playoff was done. They would need some major upsets and meltdowns in order to climb their way back into the conversation. The dream of a national championship was, once again, foiled by OU hurting themselves in opportune situations. But the blame is not soley on Hunnicut for the loss. Earlier in the game, Knight threw a pick-6 that allowed the Kansas State lead to balloon to 14-7, and the defense proved that third down was going to be a consistent problem for OU. The bottom line: This is just not the year for Oklahoma football to win it all.
  The Sooners go to Ames, Iowa this weekend to play the Iowa State Cyclones, and that game should restore some confidence in OU, as the Cyclones are one of the worst teams in the Big 12. Sure, they hung in with Texas this week and lost on a last-second field goal, but Iowa State is no match for the Sooners. With Baylor, Oklahoma State, and Texas Tech still on the schedule for OU, the losing, most likely, will not stop at 2. Just something to think about, as the Sooners look to take on Iowa State this weekend. No time has been set for kickoff as of yet.