some of the heat from Charles and redirect it toward Sweed? I can't imagine Sweed had a worse game than JC.

First, I love Charles, he's been my favorite player these past two seasons, but today JC came as close to single-handedly losing a game as any player I've ever seen.

Before you get too defensive or call this assertion absurd, remember that the rest of the team, despite what we predicted, was more or less clicking. Lets see: For the first time this decade, GD was actually doing what I wanted him to do [and that'll never happen again!!! Thanks JC!!!!], and the rest of the team was playing way above expectations, they were actually playing with heart. All of this compounded to put us in a delicate position to win the game. In fact, if the coaching hadn't been exactly what it was, and the team hadn't put its pride on its collective sleeve, we would never have been in that position.

And in walks JC and single-handedly undoes all of that.

The reason I think its fair to blame Charles in this case, is that I think his fumbles have more to do with attitude than physical mistakes. I supported his fumbleitis up until the point he made that asinine statement about how he can't lose his job by putting the ball on the turf. It was as if he was saying "Nah, man, I've got it, I don't need to do anything about this."

Idiocy.

Is anyone really all that surprised he fumbled on the goal line with one hand lazily holding onto the football? This is an attitude thing, and he cost us dearly today. If there is even one guy that doesn't buy into the team, and to winning, then the other 10 can accomplish nothing. JC was that guy today. Both the fumble and the tipped pass-INT appeared to be the result of a lack of urgency. For some reason, he lacks a killer instinct, a competitive will. He thinks its enough to just show up, and that, quite frankly, is inexcusable.

Sweed, on the other hand, I think is becoming more and more disillusioned about his role in this offense. I blame the coaches, because we can't expect him to play like a monster when he knows he's never going to get the ball. You can't misuse him for 30 plays and then blame him for not having his head in the game the one time you do throw the ball his way,

That, to me, is unfair.

You know, I've been trying really really hard to not say, "well, see ya next year."  First off, it automatically writes off the year, and secondly it's just a loser mentality. However, how much success can you expect replacing 3 offensive line players from a group that started for 2+ years together?  It's just not feasable.  I still have high expectations, but let's face it, we are not the reload and keep rolling team we'd like to be.  We shot our wad with Vince, and now we're just trying to figure out where to go.  IOW, if you lose the smoking hot chick that fucks and sucks like a porn star, cooks, cleans, loves you for who you are, loves sports, laughs at your jokes, brings home smoking hot chicks for the two of you, and has a 10 figure trust fund, how soon can you expect to replace her? It might take a while.  

Limas has been disappointing this year.  After last year's seemingly great connection with Colt and the preseason hype, I was expecting more big things.  But, so far, he has been unable to live up to the hype.  He has had several opportunities to make big plays and can never seem to pull the ball in.

How much has his play effected his draft stock?

We've been expecting the second comming of Roy, and Limas has had a bit of problem filling those shoes.  He probably should have waited before claiming that number 4 jersey.  

If we never would have had Roy, we'd be singing his praises left and right, but let's face it, RW left a rather massive hole.  

where the lowest of the low jumps up and cuts your balls off, after Appalachian St., I wouldn't take a single team lightly, certainly not Iowa State. Sure, they horrible. That seems to be immaterial this year when the fickle finger of fate is rapidly flexing every single week. In two weeks, half of the top 10 teams have lost. That is amazing.

My fear factor is up because Chizik needs this game in the worst way, Iowa State needs it as a bookend to the Iowa game and there is strangeness in the air, maybe even coldness by next week. The Cyclones can then turn into mere dust devils the rest of the season.

Sure, Texas traditionally busts the next team after an OU loss; yeah, they looked vastly better; everything says this is cut-and-dried 50-point win. Time to duck because this is an abby normal season and I'm not comfortable taking anything for granted.

Plus, I think Missou is gonna beat OU next week.

I agree with all you said! This was a good showing. I've being saying for so long that Limas Sweed is overrated, and he is. He is a good player, but overrated.

PS. I'm also happy to see that "(alleged)" in your post!

that florida deserved to win last night. Both had their chances but neither was the better team. Their respective  defenses just got worn down to a nub in the 2nd half because the offenses could not sustain drives. OU's o line began to assert itself in the later stages and they began ripping off bigger chunks of yardage on the ground. NO team that gets outrushed 170 to 61 can be in the "should have won" category. Unless the horns figure out how to fix the moribund running game, it'll be a long season. AN aside on the lsu/fla game, miiles is not nearly the fearless genius the pundits are making himm out to be. That gator defense was exhausted;i think I read somewhere that their offense ran only 5 plays in the 4th qtr. Going for it was almost a given.

i think WE LOST YESTERDAY. im starting to get sick of the "matt leinart" speak about our team being the better on the field. you can say that we played A LOT better than usual, but saying we deserved to win is just plain being a sore loser. the better team always wins the game. ok, with that said, i must admit that i find myself siding more with people who can sympathize with sweed more so than with jc. sweed knows that colt cannot consistently get him the ball, and it's been that way for a while now and obviously hes become very frustrated. to me, it seems as if jc just doesnt give a damn about what's going on anymore. ive loved jc ever since he was a freshman, and there's no doubt that he has huge potential, but he has yet to let himself loose. from what i can see, jc looks to be half-assing just about every run now. the difference between jc and sweed is that sweed rarely even gets thrown to, whereas jc gets 95% of the carries for our team. the lack of effort on jc's part is completely unacceptable and the blame for that should also partly fall on our coaching staff for not being able to keep our players motivated.

game Saturday, one that we could have won. And I think we've seen the future, both short- and long-term:

Charles, McCoy, and Sweed are not the players they were last year.  Duh!

--JC is not a franchise running back; sadly, he's not even a really good running back.

--Colt is not VY; I'm talking about the leadership role here, and while Colt is the leader, he doesn't seem to inspire the passion, confidence, or "believeability" of his predecessor.  His style appears more "C'mon-guys-let's-win-one-for-the-Gipper-and-have-a-good-time" than "You-SOBs-better-start-taking-care-of-business-or-I'll-be-up-your-collective-assholes-with-a-red-hot -poker-now-let's-go-out-and-have-some-fun!"

But then he's in transition.  He had a freedom last year that is forever lost: he's the spiritual leader of a football program bigger than his high school.  His psychological growth hasn't kept pace with his physical growth, so on the field he is "thinking" where he should be intuitive.  The payoff will be that, if he doesn't break, next year he should be superb.

--Limas either isn't as good as many of us thought, was a flash in the pan, has pissed off someone in a decision-making capacity, or just believes his own press releases.  I have a feeling something is going on behind the scenes here.

--Anyone notice the whole offensive line that did such a nice job of keeping Bradford's jersey clean were former Texans?

--And finally, I'm afraid that generation-Mack has seen its last national championship and will see--barring one of two life-altering experiences--disappointingly few Big XII trophys:

Mack is a great (formerly "fantastic") recruiter, a nice guy, a decent and honest man, and a. . .well. . .pretty good coach.  However, he seems tied to conservatism, unable to react quickly or fully to shifting tides during the games. And when he is successful, he lacks commitment: Our second TD, the feign left, pass right, was gorgeous!  Why did it end there?  

Do we truly not have the talent to match Kansas State, Arkansas State, or Central Florida?  I still don't believe we scored only one TD and lost to A&M last year solely because Colt was out.  We scored five with him out at K-State the week before.

Over the course of about four years at the beginning of the millenium, we had the first, third, and fifth rated recruiting classes, including the #1 defensive and offensive players of the year.  Granted, the rankings were arbitrary, but the talent was not; yet we were never pretenders for national contention or won the conference.

In light of the facts, are Chiles and McGee being utilized properly?  Their appearances against OU were mere tokens.

I point to his past decisionmaking with Applewhite(demoting him at his prime) and Simms (promoting him before he reached his.  Last I heard, he's still reaching!)    

And remember, our NC was won with an anomoly that Mack couldn't coach, and whose talents and abilities Mack frankly didn't discern--and indeed tried to change--for the better part of a season.

Mack points with justifiable pride to his series of 10-win seasons, and that's admirable.  But that streak ends with this season (we'll beat A&M, but either Tech or Missouri, or both, will be unkind,  and I give us 50-50 for whatever bowl we wind up in.)  And 10-win seasons should not be the goals of crystal dreamers.

Redemption lies in one of two courses:  Mack surrounds himself with aggressive, innovative assistants and listens to them, or he finds hisself another Vince Young.

But that's just one man's opinion.  

isnt he comming back next year too?

jamaal charles fumble.... i'll give you a limas sweed drop