NO RINGS
A story of a "rivalry..." By: the_ouskull
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It started rather simply, back in the Year 2000 of our Lord. Mack Brown, simple man as he is, was sitting around his great big ol' orange office. He only had one thing on his mind.
"This is my 17th year of coaching. I think it's high time I went out there and won myself a ring, what do you think Chrissy?"
"Yes, Chrissy, I know that that is what I TOLD you, but Major's still here too. You two are gonna have to fight for it. At the end of your battle, I'll decide on the best quarterback then, based on my 17 years of head coaching experience.
"Chris, Chris, Chris... How many times do I have to answer that question for you? (Editors Note: This is known as "foreshadowing.") I already told you that you're my boy. Now go on out there and earn the trust of your receivers."
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"Are you sure about this, Chris?"
"Yes Roy, it's what I had to do for Coach Brown. Now you want to win him his first championship, don't you?"
"I guess so, man. After all, it's all about...
...okay, let's make it quick."
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Well friends, we all know how THAT story ended... Mack didn't get...
Bob did. Then, in 2001, although OU beat Texas head-to-head, doing its best to keep Mack out of the exclusive "I've been coaching for 18 years and have one Conference Championship ring to show for it" club, our beloved Sooners weren't able to handle their business against a couple of lesser rivals...
...however,
is an elusive one.
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[Announcer #1] And the view from the bench is a miserable one. [/Announcer #1]
[Announcer #2] That's right, pardner. Chris Simms, sporting a severely wounded pinky finger, can only watch as Major Applewhite is expected to come into the game against a fired-up Colorado team and clean up the mess that Simms himself began. [/Announcer #2]
[Announcer #1] Yes sir, we can only imagine what must be going through Chris Simms' head as he sits there, watching his backup lead this team back from the deficit that his play put his team in. [/Announcer #1]
[Announcer #2] ...and what about Coach Brown. I wonder if he's willing to admit that he might have made a mistake about his starting quarterbacks. [/Announcer #2]
[Announcer #1] Well, he DID make a mistake, and the whole world knows it. If he's not willing to admit that, either he's a complete idiot, or he's gonna be looking for a new line of work soon. [/Announcer #1]
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And, once again Sooner fans, as we know, Mack is not looking for a new line of work...
Come with me now into 2002. Mack's 19th year of coaching. He was still searching for
...while the man who had become his arch-nemesis, Bob Stoops,
was after
It was already shaping up to be another battle for the ages in the Cotton Bowl. Trent Smith, always shy and reserved, gave his thoughts on the game:
While Coach Brown, on the other hand, showed the fire and grit that has made him an almost-winner for 19 years..."Burnt orange makes me puke," he said. "I never wanted to play for a team with a cow on its helmet."
(Editors Note: Yeah.)"I don't get into the other coach," he said. "It's the program that makes the difference."
Well, history, harsh mistress that it is, was on the side of the Sooners as they won
and saw Mack Brown's precious hopes dashed yet again. In fact, Coach Brown was doubly hurt by the season's outcome, keeping the Longhorns at home in Texas while the Sooners got to travel to the winter home of the Longhorns, although a bit further North...
...and the Sooners bothered winning while they were in that state too.
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2003. Mack's lucky number 20. Surely this would be the year. Chris Simms had finally graduated on to bigger and better things...
...and it was time to make room for Mack's newest prodigy. Mack was determined to win this game against OU. He knew that, with his defense loaded with NFL players... and a few college ones... that he'd be able to make this, 2003, his 20th year of coaching, the one in which he'd overcome Bob Stoops and finally get to grasp...
But first, he had a few internal "issues" to deal with...
Hmmm... Well, his athletic "quarterback's" psyche aside, Mack was ready. There would be no more tricky wind. There would be no more doing of answering of other people's questions. It was go time. Mack was tired of not standing up for himself. Mack was ready. It was his year. It was his time. This was the year he would finally be known as a champion !!!
After the game, Mack was beside himself...
"I don't get it. Where did Vince learn to do those things...?"
"I mean, the least we could have done is send Roy out of here with a win against OU."
...but we all know that story Sooner fans... it was not meant to be.
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2004 would be a new beginning. His star quarterback was throwing the ball more and more. His team was really coming together. He had a sure-fire 1st round pick in Derrick Johnson. This was his year.
"21 years / 3 jobs prior to this one is seven, and seven is a lucky number. Oh yes."
However, as Mack has been prone to do... he forgot to factor in one small detail. While Mack was still searching for
Coach Stoops, his arch-rival had moved on a bit further past that...
...and Coach Stoops believed in a different kind of math.
http://www.mackbrown-texasfootball.com/ ... 100904.htm
See, to Coach Stoops, you take the lucky number, and subtract from it the number of OU's consecutive wins... 7 - 4 = 3. Then, from there, you subtract the number of Conference Championships that Coach Stoops is gunning for... 3 - 3 = Texas' score in 2K4.
Editors Note: Coach Stoops did not major in math. While his logic may have been flawed, his gameplan was not. Besides, the differential equasion that figures in pre-season hype and strength of recruiting class is based solely on the value of Mack, which is 0.
Stoops, on the other hand...
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Now we're back... It's 2005. Texas has been playing very well so far. They're clicking on all cylinders... I mean, except for their vertical passing game and their quarterback's decision-making. (Run or Run?) ...and their run defense.
...but that's okay. Mack isn't scared. He's still sitting, 22 years in, in his office, fearless...
He knows that this time it really IS his year. It's not like the past five "his years." This one is legit. He's really gonna do it this time. He's even told people so.
But, at the same time that he's coaching with a newfound confidence and his team is playing with a renewed vigor, he's showing the country a more well-rounded coach; a coach more ready to deal with the rigors of big-game coaching.
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Mack. It's 4th and 1 and you're down by 2.
Mack. 1st and 10. You just ran the opening kickoff back to the 50.
Mack. Bob Stoops is on Line One.
:mack:
Uh oh. Trouble in paradise?
Not really... False bravado and dopey magazine covers that he later tried half-*ssedly to apologize for aside, deep down, all Tejas fans, players, and even coaches know the truth... Enjoy the spotlight while you can... it goes away when you lose. As OU fans, we know this first-hand. But that's cool... we were under the radar in 2000 too, and that is the year that started all of this business. So, better team or not... Better record or not... There is one VERY important difference on the field on Saturday, or, rather, on the sidelines...
vs.
...and that's when the truth hits you like a ton of your strength and conditioning coach...
Boomer Sooner !!!
the_ouskull
