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Just miserable.  Coslet-esque.  Both in terms of how the team looked, and how the coach looked.  Beaten.

The decision to just allow Eric Steinbach to skip away to Cleveland, the decision to not address the center postion in the draft, and yes, the decision to not keep Willie Anderson around all add up to what we watched today.  Yesterday, I watched the best college offensive line I've ever seen.  Today, I saw the worst pro front perhaps of all time.  Carson Palmer, meet the John Deere cart.  It's gonna happen.

But when we brought this up during the draft, we were told how we were missing how high Jerome Simpson can jump.

Right now, convince me Willie Anderson can't play on the Bengals line.  You can't.

But don't worry, Marvin says they played the run well.  Which is what I saw when Baltimore go the ball with 7:15 to go, and everyone in the stadium knew they'd run it, and the Bengals couldn't stop them.  Yeah, they played the run well.

Disgusting. 

Well that sucked, worst of all is what's happened to Dustin, a gutsy player and good kid.

It is worth asking why he was in when it was 45-20.

They got whacked today.  Badly.  By a damn good football team who will score 40+ often this year.  No shame in that.  This team can still accomplish some good things this year, and can you pick a favorite after the first two brutal weekends in the Big East?  No.

The big question, and thank God for a bye week, is who's your QB?  Tony Pike has some physical gifts, but is he your guy against better teams?  Demetrius Jones struggled grasping the offfense in camp, but has the highest ceiling.  Collaros is the greenest of the bunch.  Chazz Anderson didn't even come here.  If it's me, I'm going with Jones.  Throw the guy who's your future to the fire and give him two weeks to get ready for the Redhawks.

FOURTH QUARTER

Dustin Grutza has a broken ankle, thus likely ending his Bearcat career.  Sad.  UPDATE:  Postgame, Kelly ways early indications are a fracture, and hopes Grutza can come back in 3-4 weeks.

I was actually right about something.  52-20 Sooners. 

The Sooners are going to score again,  And that's going to suck.

Pike's pass is deflected twice and picked off by Lendy Holmes.  Delightful.

The Big East.  Wow.  Syrcause down a touchdown to Akron late in the fourth.  West Virginia is down 24-3 to East Carolina midway through the third.

The Sooners pile on Grutza, sack him, and he's hurt.  His right foot was twisted.  Alan Davis held down his throat.  Class.  They bring out the cart and here comes Tony Pike.  Bob Stoops comes over to shake Dustin's hand.  Class.  This time I actually mean it.

Sooner fans doing the wave.  Come on, you're freaking Oklahoma.  They do the wave at Tulsa.  Act like the fourth ranked team in the country.

Bradford:  26-35, 365, 2 TDs, 2 picks.Not sure he's been touched all day.

Getting Chippy.  UC is frustrated.  Sooners have it at the Bearcat 25.  A third down pass is dropped by Gresham.  He just gets open.  Jimmy Stevens, who is smaller than the Sports Kitten boots his first college field goal and it's 45-20 Sooners.

THIRD QUARTER

UC has very, very good DBs.  And Ryan Broyles is killing them.  23 more yards.  He's got 7 for 141.

'Cats go three and out, and the ugly potential all of a sudden is very real.

Oklahoma wisely kicks to John Goebel.  Touchback.  Conservative approach.  Goebel twice for three combined.  And it's noisy.  Gilyard minus a shoe misses a diving attempt.  Here's Huber, and he nearly tosses a pick on a fake punt.  I like it.  Your defense is on it's heels, why not?  Huber just didn't execute it.  They get it at the 22.  Bradford it good.  So is Gresham.  TD Sooners, and it's 42-20.These guys are really, really good.

Well done, Bob Stoops.  Well done, indeed.

Ryan Broyles with just an unbelieveable catch on third and 9.  With Underwood all over him.  43 yards to the 34.  Wow. Fourth and inches, Bradford pushes behind that big O-line for a first.  Third and six, the 'Cats blitz and Bradford hits Broyles, with Revels doing everything he can to cover.  First and ten from the 11.  Murray untouched...35-20 Sooners, 5:00.

MARDY FREAKING GILYARD!!! 97 yard kickoff return for a TD.  A school record for all purpose yardage with 335 and the first Bearcat kickoff return for a TD in 13 years.  Just huge.  Freaking huge.  28-20 Sooners, 9:06.

The Sooners decide to start being penalized and it's second and 13.  Not sure if I've said this, but their O-line is good.  Bradford for nine.  Gresham is Bradford's go-to guy and makes a tough third down catch.  And he hauls in another one off play action for 24. First down at the UC 25. That is an NFL tight end.  Chris Brown for nine, and Mike Mickens does what you don't see him do often, bites on a pump fake and Bradford hits Iglesias.  28 - 13 Sooners.  9:29.

Just inhalded six servings of the greatest double chocolate chip cookie ever. This is officially my favorite college football venue.

We asked for a running game, we got a running game.  Jacob Ramsey opens the second half with a 15 yard run.   The drive stalls when they pass backwards on third down.  Huber punts and OU takes it to the 31.

HALFTIME

Brian Kelly has to be happy.  I am.  They're 100% in this game.  About 300 opportunites to fold in that half and they trail by eight, and get it to start the third.  The defense has to get used to the pace the Sooners are playing, and they're going to have to get something going on the ground.  If it comes down to a kick, how unconfident are you in either kicker making one right now?

SECOND QUARTER

Ah, but Goodman tried to recover as part of his body was out of bounds and the 'Cats get it back at their 48.  Huge break.  Gilyard again.  Seven yards.  Grutza close to a grounding call.  He was out of the tackle box.  0:25.  Huber punts it to the one.  They'll get the ball to start the half. 

Oklahoma takes the kick to the 45, but the Bearcats force a three and out.  UC with it at their 20 with 1:06 to go in the half.  Points would be huge here.  And my man Goodman gets loose, then has the ball popped out and the Sooners recover at the 33.  Then Bones Barnett is called for unsportsmanlike conduct.  Damn.

My man Dominick Gooodman hauls in a 14 yard TD pass.  They were aided by a couple of 15 yard penalities on the drive.  Give 'em credit.  They took Oklahoma's punch and are still standing.  But Yingling misses the PAT and it's 21-13 Sooners. 2:07

D-lo Smith with a PI call.  Close, but a good call.  'Cats bleeding for a stop.  And they get one!  Brad Jones picks off Bradford.  D'Angelo hits the receiver and Jones makes a nice play on the ball.  First down from their 29.  4:43.

Mardy Gilyard is putting on a show today.  A great grab for 22 yards on third and 19. 193 total yards so far.  Goebel for 7 to set up third and three from the 13.  Gilyard again.  Bearcats doing a nice job with the crowd noise.  On the run, Grutza throws one he shouldn't and it's picked off by Dominique Franks in the end zone.  Un. Be. Llieveable.

An Armon Binns grab to the one comes back when Jason Kelce is called for holding.  For the love of God.  This O-line commits too many penalties.

Listener Seth tells me ABC is not offering this game in Columbus.  They're getting Penn St./Oregon State.   Whatever.

Chris Brown from a yard out.  21-7 Sooners, 10:50 to go.

I'm told this game is not being offered in HD.  Unforgiveable.  It's 2008, right? It's the Big 12 v. the Big East, right?  But the Little League World Series is in HD.  OK.

Give Jake Rogers some credit.  He loses his gig, doesn't sulk, and both his kickoffs and have into the end zone.  They take it to the 24, and the 'Cats don't get the three and out I was begging for.  Man, the Sooner O-line is good.  Bradford to Iglesias for 40.  Brown runs for a first down.  Bengal-esque tackling by the boys. And a first and goal set up on a pass to the fullback.  'Cats are not ready for the quick snap Oklahoma is using on offense.

This is not an objective blog.  I'm a Bearcat fan.  Get a three and out here.  You've got some momentum. 

Third and goal.  Score here.  A toss to Ramsey to the one.  Lindsay Holmes with a great tackle.  And Grutza takes it in.  TD Bearcats!  14-7 Sooners

The Bearcats have fourth and one at the Sooner 17.  I kick here.  Give  Yingling a chance to make one.  But Adrien Robinson makes a great leaping catch on a misdirection to the six. 

FIRST QUARTER

Gilyard.  Pure athleticism.  Takes a screen pass 57 yards to the Sooner 26.  They gotta get some points here. 

More great protection for Bradford, then Underwood makes a great pay to pick one off.  The return comes back when Mickens is penalized on the return. And a Bearcat false start. Unreal.

The crowd causing all kinds af trouble for Grutza.  He tries to audible.  Can't.  And he gets sacked.  Then they punt. And Huber kicks the crap out of one into the end zone.

Just what the 'Cats needed, Gilyard with a big return into Sooner territory and UC starts at the 42. They turn it over on downs, then force a Sooner three and out.

The Bearcat D already looks winded.  That ain't good.  And the Oklahoma offensive line is phenomenal.  Oklahoma radio analyst Merv Johnson thinks all five starters (all seniors) will get drafted, and he think two senior backups will as well.  Bradford all day to throw and he hits his tight end for a TD.  14-0 Sooners.  Wow.

With this crowd noise, they're gonna have to have Grutza go under center.  They do, and he gets sacked.  Huber punts and the Sooners have it at their own 38.

Cats need to at least get a first down this drive.  The defense needs to regroup.  And Jacob Ramse gets them one, carrying it to the UC 39.

The Sooners run the no huddle, and have moved easily to their 42.  Then a huge gain for Justin Johnson takes one to the 26, then Ryan Broyles for a 26 yard TD.  For a defense that practices against such a fast offense, they didn't look ready for the no huddle or for Bradford to roll out as much as he did. 7-0 Sooners.

Oklahoma win the toss, and takes the ball, and crap this place is loud.  Brandon Underwood with a nice tackle on the retrun and the Sooners start at their 12.

PREGAME

Greetings from Norman and Oklahoma Memorial Stadium.  This is one hell of a place.  Really nice people, really great atmosphere. 

I wouldn't say uptight, but the demeanor of the players and coaches is a little different than you usually see.  It hasn't gone unnoticed by the broadcast crew, and not sure if it's good or but, but noteworthy.  

Took in the Oklahoma City Federal Building Memorial last night.  Very moving.  Also saw some free minor league baseball, and when I say free, I mean we walked up to the park midway through the game and asked if we could get in.  They let us. They have a statue of Johnny Bench outside the park.  Not quite as moving, but a better photo op.

Jim Kelly, Tom Gelehrter, and I touch Johnny's pedestal.

UCONN needed OT to beat Temple.  Wow.  I know it was in the storm, but still. 

The Sooners charging out is as cool an entrance as I've seen in college football.  And despite some great tailgating, the fans are in their seats well before kick.

FUNKY COLE'S SISTER?
That might be the lamest thing I've ever typed. Anyway, my man Nat at Uncoached found Erika Medina. What Erika does, I'm not exactly sure. He also wonders what you would do to get it done with Erika. Me? I might go as far as to enter the seventh circle of hell otherwise known as a Tori Amos concert for that opportunity.

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IT'S OK TO LIKE FANTASY FOOTBALL
But I'm not sure it's ok to like it this much.

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THIS, MY FRIENDS, IS HILLARY FISHER

Hillary won the 2007 Miss Hawaiian contest (pageant?). Outstanding. A great blog I was just pointed to (Thanks listener Mike) has her up (There's like 800 million blogs. You expect me to know them all?). You also have to check out an outstanding take on the election, which is not for the 7 people who read this blog and actually take politics seriously.

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WAY TO GO, BIG MAN

We have fewer attachments better than those to the athletes we idolized when we were kids. I may worship Carson Palmer, might get giddy watching Jose Reyes run out a triple, ask my wife to stop talking so I can watch Chris Dickerson hit, and think of Eric Hicks against Marquetee his senior year when in need of a smile, but nothing tops the lifelong love affair we have with the guys we worshipped when we were kids. No baseball player will ever be as cool as Mookie Wilson. No item will ever be as cherished as my Bernard King signed ball, and I'll never own a shirt with Carson's face on it like I did with my Boomer shirt I had when I was 12.

On the rare occasion one of your guys enters the rarified air of the Hall of Fame, you feel mixed emotions. You're proud. You argued on school buses that your guy was hall material, and your conviction is validated. You also can't help but think "man, I felt old when he hung it up, now he's in the Hall. Crap."

Patrick Ewing goes into the Basketball Hall of Fame this weekend (maybe while he's there he can make the case for Bernard) and I'm feeling both of those things. To say I love Patrick Ewing would be like saying Jeremi Johnson loves bacon. I freaking love Patrick Ewing. He was unlucky enough to be in his prime while the Bad Boys were bulliyng their way to east supremacy, then while Jordan was dominating the league, a highly popular internet douchebag named an entire theory after him, he stayed around two years too long (Pat in a Sonics jersey remains as painful a sight as Alan Cutler with his shirt off) but in my mind, Patrick Ewing can do no wrong. He was a class guy, played his rear off despite two bad knees for more or less his entire career, and more clutch than people realize (next time ESPN Classic shows Game 7 of the 1994 East Finals watch it), and I couldn't be prouder of him and old feeling at the same time. I hope Ian Cartwright, who used to argue that Mike Gminski was a better center (he was a Sixer fan) is watching somewhere.

Nice going, big fella.

Thanks for indulging me.

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BEVERLY MAKES ONE HELL OF A PANCAKE!
Greetings from Oklahoma, where our hotel has yet to hear of this internet fad. So I'm at a place called "Beverly's Pancake House," where not only have they heard of the internet, they make the finest pancake west of Cincinnati. In fact they crack the top five.

Top Five Pancakes
5. Sugar and Spice in Norwood...whispy thin. Though the omelettes are the reason to go.
4. PJ's Pancakes in Princeton, NJ. You have to put up with a throng of Ivy Leaguers, but it's a great place to crush some cakes after a night of drinking with snobs.
3. Beverly's. Oklahoma City. Thickest pancakes ever. And served with a baseball sized heap of butter. And the waitress is rooting for the Bearcats.
2. Fort Wright Family Restaurant...in you guessed it, Fort Wright! Family owned joint with the best pancakes in Kentucky.
1. The Golden Nugget in Kettering. Any UD grad knows what I'm talking about. The original burned down, but the new one, just opened, holds up just as well. I'm not a peanut butter guy, but the chocolate chip and peanut butter cakes are the ultimate hangover cure.

Anyway, how fun is this weekend? The first real weekend of college football, my Bearcats with a chance for a signature win, and the NFL returns. This is one of the top three or four weekends of the year. For my purposes, toss is a huge Mets/Phils series (found a place with MLB Extra Innings for tonight) and my man Patrick Ewing in the hall, outside of Aurdina Patridge showing up at my hotel and doing a pole dance to Springsteen, I don;t know how this weekend gets any better. Now, because I feel some obligation, some picks...

UC/Oklahoma
I really don't believe in moral victories at this point in the program. I'm here to see a win. Granted, not likely, but the program has arrived to the point where losing by ten to a great team isn't enough.

That said, I'm not seeing it. They will cover (21.5 last I checked), I think, and I've talked to some people who cover the Big 12 closely who agree) there are chances within the Oklahomas secondary to make some plays. And UC's wideouts can get open. The big question is obviously Grutza and whether he can take advantage. I think he can to the tune of 17-20 points.

If that's the case, the UC defense just isn't giving up enough for Oklahoma to cover. The Sooners have a big, experienced offensive line, and Bradford will have time to make throws, but this Beacat defense is too fast to give up the kind of points many think the Sooners will put up.

Still, this is a national championship caliber team, Stoops is nearly unbeatable at home (54-2), and Bradford has some great weapons,

Oklahoma 31 UC 20

Bengals/Ravens
If the 'Cats pull off the upset, I can't even tell you how awesome Sunday will be. Even a Bengals loss couldn't ruin it. I don't think we have to worry about that.

This game is not the foregone conclusion many think it is. Is anything a foregone conclusion with this team? Actually yes, but let's focus on this game. It's Carson Palmer v. Joe Flacco. I have no opinion of Joe Flacco. The next Delaware Blue Hens game I see will be my firstt, but there is little chance I'm taking any rookie in their first game, no matter the opponent.

The line worries me, with a healthy Baltimore defense, Rex Ryan could throw everything he has at the Bengals and Daniel Coats. With a beat up secondary though, he doesn't have the luxury of being able to do so. It's gonna take a while for Carson/Chad/TJ/Ben, etc to click but they'll be able to do enough.

I like (like, not love) the Bengals D. I don't like the lack of depth, and the safeties are suspect, but I like them. And as much as we killed the tackling in preseason game one, it got better throughout the preseason. They'll make tackles Sunday, and they'll get some coverage sacks. Bengals win, but not by as much as some think.

Bengals 20 Ravens 13

I'M JUST NOT BUYING THAT THIS WOMAN IS FROM ENGLAND
The fantastic Abbey Clancy gets it done in FHM.

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STORMIN' NORMAN
That's what I plan on doing tomorrow night.  Heading to Oklahoma for the Sooners/Bearcats tilt. This means I'm not on tomorrow.  My buddy Josh Sneed fills in.  He's got a ton of stuff he's got going on the next few weeks listed on his lotD page.  I'll still be blogging tomorrow, and will blog from the game on Saturday, so there's really no reason to even watch the game.

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THURSDAY THINGS

-I really can't imagine the Bengals losing Sunday.  It's Carson Palmer v. Joe Flacco.  The Ravens' entire QB situation is a disaster.  The Ravens are decimated by injuries on defense.  McGahee has been limited.  All signs point to a Bengals win.  Just like they did in week two last year.

-Epic Carnival has Ten Jerks in Your Fantasy Football League.  I'm number four.  Any to add?

-I love Jay Bruce, but frankly, Chris Dickerson has been more impressive in his first few weeks.  How huge would the man-crush be if he was doing this when people were actually paying attention to the Reds.

-There will likely not be a better story in the NFL than this one. 

-The torch continues to be passed.

-700WLW's Bearcat sideline man Tom Gelehrter will preview UC/Oklahoma. 

-A blog catches up with one of my favorite UK Wildcats.

-Why is there a Major League team team in Miami?

-This guy realizes he's in the CFL, right?

-The Bengals new fullback seems like a heck of a guy, and also insane.