Randy Inman
Bruce Bostwick
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Robin PottratzApple Cup outdoes Oklahoma vs. Texas Tech
November 24th 2008 18:49
Prior to Saturday, ask anyone in the country which game they would rather watch - and overwhelmingly you would get a reply of Oklahoma vs. Texas Tech. Granted, if you asked only people in the state of Washington you may get skewed results, as the 101st playing of the Apple Cup was - for many Husky and Cougar fans - the absolute and only thing to look forward to in an otherwise terrible season for both schools.
If you were to ask the same question after the final whistle blew on both games - you may see a drastic shift in those results. While the Oklahoma Sooners had put the game away by halftime with a 42-7 lead - and its defense playing very stout against the high flying Texas Tech Red Raiders offense - the Apple Cup was a dead-locked double overtime thriller. While it may not go down as the highest staked game between the two schools, it will always be remembered as a classic rivalry game.
Now, if you are one for points, yardage and blowouts - then you may not agree that the Apple Cup was the better game. The Oklahoma/Texas Tech game featured 86 (65-21, Oklahoma) total points and over 1,000 (625-406, Oklahoma) yards of combined offense. With Graham Harell completing 33 of 55 passes for 361 yards with 3 TD's in a losing effort - he did nothing to lessen his shot at the Heisman Trophy. The Red Raiders were a paltry 1-13 on 3rd downs and Oklahoma's defense seemed to rise to every occasion. So did the offense, as Sam Bradford may have bettered his chances with a super efficient 14 for 19 passing, 304 yard, 4 TD performance. It was a great game to be sure, but as is the case with blowouts - it may have had casual viewer reaching for the remote midway through the 3rd quarter.
On the other hand, the Apple Cup viewers were treated to a far more competitive game all the way to the bitter end. Did the game have any national implications? Other then being the brunt of national sports media jokes - no it did not. Was the game a sound, well-played game? No, with four turnovers and some key missed field goal's it left a lot of things that need to be worked out on the practice field. After taking a 10-0 lead into the 3rd quarter, the University of Washington would watch that lead be chipped away - on the games lone big play Washington State's Logwone Mitz broke free for a 57 yard score, and also on the foot of Nico Grasu; who would hit again in the 1st OT, and then the game winner form 37 yards in the 2nd.
After all is said and done, the Apple Cup - purely on a competitive comparison - one has to agree that it far outshined the larger matchup later that evening between Oklahoma and Texas Tech. To every player on the field at Martin Stadium in Pullman, Washington last Saturday - that was their bowl game - and they sure made all their fans, and hopefully even some casual viewers - feel like it was too.
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If you were to ask the same question after the final whistle blew on both games - you may see a drastic shift in those results. While the Oklahoma Sooners had put the game away by halftime with a 42-7 lead - and its defense playing very stout against the high flying Texas Tech Red Raiders offense - the Apple Cup was a dead-locked double overtime thriller. While it may not go down as the highest staked game between the two schools, it will always be remembered as a classic rivalry game.
Now, if you are one for points, yardage and blowouts - then you may not agree that the Apple Cup was the better game. The Oklahoma/Texas Tech game featured 86 (65-21, Oklahoma) total points and over 1,000 (625-406, Oklahoma) yards of combined offense. With Graham Harell completing 33 of 55 passes for 361 yards with 3 TD's in a losing effort - he did nothing to lessen his shot at the Heisman Trophy. The Red Raiders were a paltry 1-13 on 3rd downs and Oklahoma's defense seemed to rise to every occasion. So did the offense, as Sam Bradford may have bettered his chances with a super efficient 14 for 19 passing, 304 yard, 4 TD performance. It was a great game to be sure, but as is the case with blowouts - it may have had casual viewer reaching for the remote midway through the 3rd quarter.
On the other hand, the Apple Cup viewers were treated to a far more competitive game all the way to the bitter end. Did the game have any national implications? Other then being the brunt of national sports media jokes - no it did not. Was the game a sound, well-played game? No, with four turnovers and some key missed field goal's it left a lot of things that need to be worked out on the practice field. After taking a 10-0 lead into the 3rd quarter, the University of Washington would watch that lead be chipped away - on the games lone big play Washington State's Logwone Mitz broke free for a 57 yard score, and also on the foot of Nico Grasu; who would hit again in the 1st OT, and then the game winner form 37 yards in the 2nd.
After all is said and done, the Apple Cup - purely on a competitive comparison - one has to agree that it far outshined the larger matchup later that evening between Oklahoma and Texas Tech. To every player on the field at Martin Stadium in Pullman, Washington last Saturday - that was their bowl game - and they sure made all their fans, and hopefully even some casual viewers - feel like it was too.
Resources
Really Long Link
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