Recap: In Game of Threes, OU Falls to Texas, 16-13

By Bryan Waters
Oklahoma Sooners Examainer

This was a game of threes.  Let us count the ways.

No. 20 Oklahoma fell to No. 3 Texas in the heated Red River Rivalry.

The Sooners lost by three points, 16-13.

The Longhorns kicked three field goals, the Sooners two. (Each team had three attempts.)

The Sooners didn't have three timeouts when they needed them.

The Sooners fumbled the ball away three times.

Three game-deciding points in the 4th quarter by Texas, zero by Oklahoma.

Three (of 15) third-down conversions by Oklahoma.

Three quarters (second, third, and fourth) when Texas doubled Oklahoma in time of possession, or came close to it.

This game of threes came amidst a season of threes.  Let us count them, too.

Three wins, three losses.

Three major injuries--the first to Jermaine Gresham, the second to Sam Bradford, and now the third to Bradford again.

And now three Oklahoma coaches facing tough questions–head coach Bob Stoops, defensive coordinator Brent Venables and offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson–because, in Sooner Nation, all those threes just don't add up.

Oklahoma is probably the best 3-3 team in the history of college football.  But that's no solace to a squad that has had its share of tragedy and bad luck. And the superstitious say those things happen in threes.

For his part, Stoops didn't seem particularly interested in talking about bad luck and old wives tales after the game.

"It's a different year. We haven't had a lot of these," he said. "There's no doubt that we've had a lot to overcome, but it doesn't matter.  We've got a season to play."

"Congratulations to Texas," Stoops said. "It was a well-played football game on both sides. In the end, they made more plays to win the football game."

Will Bradford see the field again this season, risking the possibility of three shoulder injuries for the year?

"It was the same shoulder, and it hurt pretty much like it did at BYU. I really don't know the outlook from here. I'm going to talk to the doctors and find out exactly what is wrong with it," he said after the game. "It's extremely frustrating for me, to miss three games and start this one and then hurt my shoulder and not be able to finish. It's hard to put into words the frustration I feel right now."

Bryan Waters writes for the Oklahoma Sooners Examiner. Click here for more of his articles on Sooner football.