Big 12 Wrap: Championship
Oklahoma 29, Colorado 7
Colorado normally beats teams with a physical running game that wears out its opponents by the fourth quarter. But it was Oklahoma that employed the Colorado game plan, running the ball 56 times for 287 yards and using a short passing game (114 yards total, 14/25) to convert key third downs and keep up the pounding. By the fourth quarter, Colorado was gased, and Oklahoma and Quentin Griffin (188 yards) ran away with it. Colorado tried to employ parts of the A&M and Oklahoma State game plans that worked so well against Oklahoma, but seemed out of sync all night, and the effort may have hurt more than it helped.
It was interesting being at Reliant for a non-Texans game, and it made me realize just how good our Texans fans are. For one thing, there were lots of no-shows. We were able to go to the game courtesy of a UT fan who gave our friend tickets purchased much earlier in the year. It looked like a lot of UT fans just ate those tickets. Paid attendance was 65,000 (roughly), but it was probably more like 55,000 in the seats. That's not to say OU fans didn't do their part -- I would guess 45,000 or so of the fans were clad in Crimson. The Colorado fans didn't travel well at all, and that's a big reason the stadium wasn't full.
The OU fans were not as rowdy as I expected. When the Texans are playing defense in Reliant, that place is LOUD. The Sooner fans had their moments last night, I suppose, but I was shocked to see so many people just hanging out and chatting in the concourses during the second half. It seemed to be more of a social event than a championship game for a lot of Sooner fans, despite the fact that Colorado made it a game at one point in the second half. And there should have been a lot more cheering for that dominant defense, especially at some critical points. Not that I didn't do my part. :)
In any case, I enjoyed the experience. But it's a little disappointing that the Big 12 can't figure out some way to make sure its championship game is a packed house. I think the Big 12 is the best college football conference in the country, and its championship game should be a big deal.
(Update) Cathy has comments, AND photos!
[Posted at 16:11 CST on 12/08/02] [Link]
