HH: OU defense imprints ‘UNITY’ on Missouri’s forehead

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In one of the funniest comedy sketches of all-time, comedian Charlie Murphy was punched in the forehead by Rick James, who wore a large ring with the word “UNITY” engraved on it.

Murphy reeled after the punch and discovered he had the word “UNITY” imprinted upon his forehead. James, portrayed by Dave Chappelle in the memory portions of the sketch, roared in laughter and belted out the word.

“UNITY!”

I couldn’t help but think of the iconic scene as the OU Sooners eschewed their usual name-emblazoned jerseys Saturday for their annual unified undertaking against Missouri — a habitual line-stepper of a program if there ever were one.

Unveiled in 2022, OU’s “UNITY” unis honor Prentice Gautt, the first Black scholarship player in program history. It’s a nice gesture in a world of rampant individualism and lingering racism — one that reminds us together we are stronger and many things are bigger than football. And in a week that saw OU’s fanbase divided over stadium renovation renderings, perhaps the symbolism was most needed.

Still, in my opinion, a crimson and cream version of the alternate uniforms would be far superior to the charcoal gray and crimson mashup that looks like an Australian’s nightmare. Apparently, others agree.

Call me a fuddy-duddy, but I don’t get college football’s apparent necessity of making alternate uniforms a completely different palette than a university’s official colors.

With as many trademarks and legal letters as OU has dedicated to its branding, I would think the official “crimson and cream” colors would matter most. And since Sooner athletic teams rarely don actual “cream” uniforms, why not work with that as the base for an alternative? The football team’s previous alternates relied heavily on cream and, quite honestly, were pretty good, at least relative to the low bar set by alternate uniforms.

In the grand scheme of things, I guess, who really gives a shit? OU won Saturday, and it didn’t matter a whit whether they wore “UNITY” unis or lingerie on the field. Still, it’s a new world of college football where programs with little or no historical significance — like Indiana, Texas Tech, Tulane and Virginia — can compete side-by-side with traditional titans. With that in mind, if I were a blue-blooded program like OU, I’d want my alternate uniforms to display something those schools could never buy with NIL money or gain through the transfer portal.

History and tradition come with OU’s classic crimson and cream, and those colors can honor the legacy of Mr. Gautt and carry a unifying message just fine.

Besides uniforms that exacerbated a hangover built from a late evening visit at Norman’s Bluebonnet Bar for live music, what else happened on Saturday we can discuss in this week’s Hangover Highlights?

• Well, let’s stick with the group of unity who could have really used an intervention by Queer Eye for the Sooner Guy. The Sooners won an ugly 17-6 game against Missouri that kept their College Football Playoff hopes strong. Still, as I said, it was ugly. After one quarter, OU had zero first downs, negative seven yards on six play and less than three minutes controlling the ball.
• We hear about teams who find success running scripted plays — a series an offense works on diligently the week prior — to start a game. I wonder if it’s the exact opposite for OU? Maybe once the Sooners are done with plays they game-planned all week, THEN they’re harder to defend? In other words, the less OU’s offensive braintrust has time to, you know, THINK, the better off it is?
• Snark aside, the Sooners unhitched the offensive wagon with two touchdowns in the second quarter, one on a nice 86-yard reception by Isaiah Satenga. From there, the OU offense was serviceable, but certainly never flashy.
• Really, though, why should I waste electronic ink on OU’s offense? The game was won on the other side of the ball. The Sooners’ defense strangled a top-25 offense into just a pair a field goals and a second-half shutout.
• Since I discussed “scripted plays,” I must point out that after Missouri’s opening 54-yard drive — which took an eye-popping 8:23 to culminate in a field goal — the Tigers gained just 47 yards in the first half.
• Last week, Missouri rushed for 326 yards on 39 carries against Mississippi State. Tigers running back Ahmad Hardy had 300 yards himself and led the nation in rushing coming into the weekend. Saturday, however, Mizzou managed just 70 rushing yards on 35 attempts, and Hardy had only 57.
• Much was made of Missouri starting quarterback Beau Pribula’s return after a two-game absence following a dislocated ankle. It ended up being much ado about nothing. Pribula had a few moments here and there, with 231 passing yards and 19 rushing, but with the much-feared Tiger rushing attack AWOL, it wasn’t enough to make up the difference.
• The Sooners are now one win away from an almost-guaranteed College Football Playoff berth. OU is certainly a flawed team with an ungainly offense and a penchant for penalties. Yet, a monster defense coupled with the best overall special teams in Norman in several years makes OU a squad no opponent would enjoy facing in a one-and-done playoff scenario.
• Of course, a second-straight team of Tigers looms. Sure, it’s a damaged and demoralized LSU, but still a team talented enough for me to pick as my prognosticated SEC champion in the preseason. The Tigers of Baton Rouge haven’t played to anyone’s expectations, ultimately costing head coach Brian Kelly his job. Still, could they pull together for one last burst of glory in the final game of the season?
• Oklahoma State lost a heartbreaker Saturday, 17-14, to UCF. It was the first true “heartbreaker” since the Tulsa game in early September. Hey, that’s progress, and I don’t mean it flippantly.
• I said last week the Cowboys had improved, to the point I wouldn’t be surprised if they pulled an upset, or even two, in the final games of the season. Saturday showed I wasn’t off my rocker, as it took a UCF field goal with under a minute remaining to seal things for the Golden Knights.
• As I’ve stated before, I’m honestly not sure what to discern of the OSU outing because what the current team looks like compared to what it will be next August is anyone’s guess. Most likely, the roster will be completely different from top to bottom.
• Still, credit must be given to the current players, as well as interim coach Doug Meacham. Being an interim coach can be a thankless job, but the ‘Pokes performance under Meacham is a feather in his cap when he searches for a new job next season.
• Besides OU/Missouri, the only other game of the week between ranked teams was USC at Oregon. The Ducks avoided the upset, 42-27, in a contest a bit closer than the final score.
• USC had cut the lead to 35-27 in the fourth quarter but inexplicably tried for a two-point conversion after a touchdown. I was befuddled by Lincoln Riley’s thinking, and it backfired as the Trojans bungled the conversion. I guess it didn’t hurt them since Oregon went on to score anyway, but for someone who survived math classes in college behind the axiom “D’s get degrees,” I’m still at a loss for words.
• I’ve never seen a football team give more side-eye to its kicker than when Houston’s Ethan Sanchez shanked a would-be, game-tying 38-yard field goal with 46 seconds remaining.
• The Cougars had just stoned TCU on a fourth down inside the 10-yard line with fewer than two minutes remaining. Houston mounted a quick drive back into Horned Frog territory for what should have been the relatively easy field-goal attempt. Umm, not so much, I guess.
• Utah somehow escaped with a 51-47 win at home against Kansas State that seemed like a Big 12 game from a decade ago as neither team appeared interested in defense.
• A major upset looked all but sealed for the 17-point underdog Wildcats when they scored a touchdown with seven minutes left in the game to take a 47-35 lead.
• Things really got wild, however. A would-be two-point conversion by Kansas State was intercepted and returned for a — questionable — two-point play by Utah. From there, the Utes scored two touchdowns in the final three minutes to keep their College Football Playoff hopes alive.
• Pittsburgh embarrassed its own conference when it mangled ACC-leading Georgia Tech 42-28. Don’t be fooled by the score: Pitt led 28-0 before 20 minutes had even rolled off the game clock.
• Georgia Tech was one of FOUR schools tied for the lead of a conference desperate for respect. After Saturday’s disaster, the ACC, as well as Georgia Tech, should probably avoid reading stories or opinion pieces from those who cover college football for a while.
• I don’t usually waste space in this column on games predestined as blowouts before kickoff. Still, the fact heavily favored Notre Dame led Syracuse by three touchdowns BEFORE IT TOOK AN OFFENSIVE SNAP is absolutely dumbfounding!
• The Fighting Irish won in an expected blowout, 70-7, over the woebegone Orange. Still, two interceptions returned for touchdowns, along with a punt return for another score left Notre Dame with a 21-0 lead before its offense even took the field.
• Finally, let’s give another Heisman shoutout to my boo, Diego Pavia. The Vanderbilt quarterback racked up 484 passing yards to go with five touchdowns in a 45-17 annihilation of Kentucky.
• Hell, Diego also rushed for 48 yards and another score.
• ¡Vaya, Diego, vaya!

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