At the end of the day, Oklahoma just couldn\u2019t overcome a bevy of second-half penalties, a key turnover, and several poor officiating errors at critical junctures of the fourth quarter.\u00a0 This was definitely not the end of the regular season the Sooners were anticipating going into this year.<\/p>\n
While Oklahoma did fall short in bedlam, it wasn\u2019t due to a lack of passion and effort on the Sooners’ part. Now, we break down the reasons why the Sooners fall short in Bedlam.<\/p>\n
The Sooners were undisciplined, especially on offense in the second half.\u00a0 Oklahoma just couldn\u2019t get the offense on track due to costly and untimely penalties. The offensive line committed numerous holding and false start penalties.<\/p>\n
In the area of officiating, this game was clearly not officiated on a level playing field. \u00a0This was clearly not the top Big XII\u2019s officiating crew.\u00a0 How could the conference not have their top crew officiating the biggest conference game of the year?\u00a0 The officials took the game away from the players in the fourth quarter.\u00a0 The officials picked up a flag after calling an obvious personal foul.\u00a0 This was a possession-changing call and gave the ball to the Cowboys.<\/p>\n
The officials also missed two pass interference infractions by Oklahoma State late in the fourth quarter.<\/p>\n
If you were a conspiracy theorist, you might say this was a ploy by the Big XII conference to punish Oklahoma for leaving for the SEC.<\/p>\n
First, in the biggest conference game of the year a lessor officiating crew was assigned this game.\u00a0 Also, the Sooners and Longhorns had more 11:00 am starts than any team in the conference, just something to think about.<\/p>\n
One of the biggest negatives is the offensive line.\u00a0 At this point of the season, the offensive line should be much more disciplined.\u00a0 This was clearly offensive line coach Bill Bedenbaugh\u2019s <\/strong>worst group.\u00a0 Possibly this line just wasn\u2019t as talented as everyone believed.<\/p>\n Coming into 2021, the wide receiver group was believed to be a strength.\u00a0 In recent weeks this group has underachieved.\u00a0 The receivers have had a problem creating separation with defensive backs, even when the line has provided ample protection.<\/p>\n The Sooner defense is not without deficiencies.\u00a0 In many situations, the secondary seems confused and out of position. For much of the season, the defense was very soft and passive.<\/p>\n Over the last couple of weeks, the defense began to perform the way they were expected to all year.\u00a0 The defense has played with effort and passion in the late season.\u00a0 The defensive line has begun to dominate the line of scrimmage as expected.<\/p>\nPositives<\/h3>\n