Off week doesn't stem Oklahoma's momentum

Off week doesn't stem Oklahoma's momentum
Scripps Howard News Service
Must credit Oklahoma City Daily Oklahoman
By MIKE STRAIN
The Daily Oklahoman
NORMAN, Okla. -- Oklahoma had just routed UCLA. The Sooners surpassed 50 points for the second consecutive week. They improved to 4-0 and looked the part of America's No. 1-ranked team.
Momentum was undeniable. And then ... an open date.
Was it ill-timed time off? Don't count on it. Oklahoma is undefeated under Bob Stoops in the regular season after an open date. And the Sooners have been impressive in the process, beating teams that were unranked and top-ranked.
"We've played well," Stoops said. "I think the extra time, the extra attention for somebody, has generally helped us. Outside of that, just anxious to play again I guess."
Oklahoma returned to practice Monday after three days off. The Sooners play again at 6 p.m. Saturday at Iowa State.
In Stoops' four previous years at Oklahoma, the Sooners are 6-0 in the regular season after an open date. In 2000, Oklahoma beat top- ranked Nebraska 31-14. In 2001, the Sooners beat 11th-ranked Kansas State 38-37.
Part of that success can be attributed to a good program, not necessarily to extra time off, said Iowa State coach Dan McCarney.
"Oklahoma is never bad," he said. "They never seem to be average with anything they do. Coach Stoops and his staff really do a fabulous job coming out of open weeks."
Under Stoops, the Sooners have outscored regular-season foes by an average of 37-16 following a regular-season off week. Part of that success can be attributed to philosophy.
Off weeks are used for tweaking, not for overhauling.
"We manage not to flood them too much, which I think with off weeks you have a tendency to do," Oklahoma offensive coordinator Chuck Long said.
New wrinkles are added to game plans. Time is spent analyzing upcoming foes. But players aren't overwhelmed with input that could lead to confusion.
"I think we've done a good job of just tapering back and holding those reins so to speak, saying 'Hey look, let's not give them too much,' " Long said.
Oklahoma players were given time off Friday through Sunday. The break was meant for refueling.
"We work out plenty," Stoops said.
But the natural concern is that players might not return focused after an off week. Senior cornerback Derrick Strait, a four-year starter, said that hasn't happened in his time in Norman.
"We can't lose focus on the season or the team that we're going to play," said Strait, who benefited from time off that allowed a pulled thigh muscle to heal. "Just because it's a bye week we have to try even harder to stay focused."
Strait said the Sooners' improvement after bye weeks is a natural progression, the continuation of a season-long goal.
"It's not just the bye week," Strait said. "We try to get better every week."
Oklahoma appeared to be doing that before the arrival of the off week. In the 59-24 demolition of UCLA, the Sooners had their most complete performance of the season. The offense continued to make big plays. The defense had its usual dominant performance. And special teams were as good as they've been all year -- OU had no punts blocked and returned three UCLA punts for touchdowns.
Momentum was obvious, but that doesn't necessarily mean a little time off is bad, said senior linebacker Teddy Lehman, who drew a comparison to basketball.
When a player is on a hot streak, he doesn't want to stop shooting baskets. Unless, Lehman said, "you've been shooting baskets all day, and you're dead tired. You want to end on a good note.
"We're ready for off weeks whenever they come."
(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, http://www.shns.com.)