I’m watching Oregon in its loss to Oklahoma last Saturday, and I’m thinking; OK, we got them third-and-long, the Duck defense will stop them this time, right? Ahhhhh! Not another first down! It was like getting poked to death with a sewing needle.
Maybe I’m overreacting, but during two touchdown drives in the decisive second and third quarters, Jason White and the Sooners converted four — that’s right, four — third-and-long tries, and Duck fans everywhere felt that little vein in their forehead getting bigger and bigger.
Just when the Ducks looked like they were going to stop the mighty Oklahoma offense … BAM! First down Oklahoma.
After the Sooners picked up two third and longs in the second quarter during Oklahoma’s first touchdown drive of the game, I actually started rooting for the Sooners to get closer to the first down marker during their first two downs so I didn’t have to see another third and long.
But the trend continued, and it’s almost like I knew a first down was going to happen. I don’t think it would have mattered if Oregon would have dropped back all eleven players in coverage, Jason White would have found someone open.
Don’t get me wrong — this column isn’t a knock on the Oregon defense. In fact, barring the fourth quarter, the defense looked the best it has in a long time. It held a team that was averaging more than 50 points per game to zero points in the first quarter and 10 in the first half. That’s impressive.
I am recognizing how clutch the Oklahoma offense is on third downs. This season the Sooners have completed 66.6 percent of their third down attempts, tied for first in the country. Oregon ranks 90th in the nation in that category, completing 31 percent of its third down attempts.
White, the 2003 Heisman winner, looks so confident and comfortable on the field it’s as if he’s in the backyard of his house with a Nerf football and a couple buddies playing against sixth graders, and why shouldn’t he?
White should feel comfortable on the field — he has been at Oklahoma for six years. Yes six. Do you know what we call most college students who are at college for six years?
Med students.
There are NFL careers (probably White’s as well) that don’t last
that long.
Back to the point of Oklahoma’s painful way of defeating Oregon. When White completed another long third down against Oregon in the third quarter, I started thinking of other ways sports teams agonizingly lose games.
As Oregon State fans can surely attest — a kicker missing three extra points is pretty painful, but that is a little too easy.
I’m thinking more of a pitcher throwing an 0-2 pitch over the middle to a .200 hitter and him knocking the ball out of the ballpark for the win.
The one that kills me when I watch baseball is when a hitter takes a third strike, ending the game with the winning run in scoring
position. Swing the bat!
Or how about when your team has the lead during a basketball game, and they use the whole shot clock and get a crappy shot out of it? Fifteen crappy shots later, your team is now losing and playing catch up.
What about when your team’s coach doesn’t foul when it has a three-point lead and gives the opposing team a chance to hit a three pointer and tie the game? The shot always seems to go in. It’s not cheap to foul — it’s strategy.
During football games, it drives me crazy when teams play a soft prevent defense when they have a slim lead. The team behind always seems to throw a couple of 15-20 yard passes to get into position to win the game. I understand a team doesn’t want to give up the big play, but don’t let a team drive down your throat for the win.
And don’t even get me started on the short and high kickoff that gives the trailing team field position at the 35 or 40 yard line. I understand it is trying to prevent a long return, but unless they have someone like Oklahoma’s Antonio Perkins back there, kick the hell out of the ball, and make them run the ball back 90-plus yards.
But maybe this is why we keep watching the games. For the hope the baseball player won’t take the third strike, the basketball player won’t drain the three despite the other team not fouling or maybe a prevent defense actually preventing a team from scoring.
Or the chance that Jason White might actually throw an incomplete pass on third and long.
OK, that’s pushing it.

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