Sooners making changes after upset loss

Oklahoma prepared for Texas Tech all week as four-touchdown favorites while its rival up north, Oklahoma State, listened to critics place it on upset alert all week heading into a road matchup against Missouri.

The Sooners, you might have heard by now, lost. Oklahoma State won by three touchdowns.

Oklahoma decided to limit its media access following the loss to just one post-practice opportunity instead of the usual three. The move is reminiscent of late last season when the Sooners closed their season with two mammoth road games against Baylor and Oklahoma State and trimmed media access to a few select players.

Did Oklahoma let the confidence of others outside the locker room get in its head? Who knows? But Texas coach Mack Brown, not speaking specifically about the Sooners, says it wouldn't be the first time that's happened to a team.

Brown's wife, Sally, likes to tell him she knows nothing about football, but she's learned at least one thing over the years.

"She says about the time someone says, 'That absolutely cannot happen,' is when it happens," Brown told reporters during the weekly Big 12 coaches teleconference. "Kids sit around all week and listen to the fans. They listen to the media, and when people are talking about the other team not having a chance to win -- or you start talking about a game down the road instead of the one that week -- it is a very, very dangerous thing. That's why coaches get so paranoid about games each week. All of us have been in one of those, and when you've been in one, that's enough. That'll keep your attention for the rest of them."

Oklahoma experienced that disappointment on Saturday. Oklahoma State didn't, but Mike Gundy knows a similar performance from his team could produce a similar result.

"You try to do everything you can as a coach to stress the importance of trying to play at a high level every week," Gundy said. "The example that I've used is that we're in March Madness from Sept. 1 in college football. There are not many opportunities to slip and continue to have a chance to be there at the end of the season."

Oklahoma State is one of just eight remaining undefeated teams left, including two in the Big 12. It's the highest-ranked Big 12 team, five spots above fellow undefeated Kansas State, which hosts Oklahoma this week. The challenge ahead of the Cowboys is clear: avoid the fate Oklahoma fell victim to against Texas Tech.

"We think as a coaching staff that the greatest challenge we have now is to get them to play at a high level 12 weeks in a row," Gundy said.

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Buccaneers Still Making Tweaks After Big Victory

Coming off a 45-point setback at San Francisco, the Bucs jumped headfirst back into the NFC South race Sunday by grinding out a 26-20 win over New Orleans.

Tampa's season outlook was shaky at best a week ago thanks to inconsistent quarterback play, a defense stuck in the middle pack among its peers and key injuries to running back LeGarrette Blount and defensive tackle Gerald McCoy.

Now heading into this week's trip to London for a matchup with Chicago, the Bucs are hoping the resolve they showed on both sides of the ball against the Saints will go a long way in changing the early perceptions about them.

"I got a bunch of tough guys on this football team and no matter what happens, anybody may be considered a star," Morris said. "It's always going to be the next man theory...These guys know how to move on to the next game."

Tampa entered the New Orleans game ranked just 23rd in total defense and 20th in offense, but played well above those numbers Sunday.

The improvement was particularly noticeable on defense where the Bucs forced four turnovers — including three interceptions of Saints quarterback Drew Brees — while allowing New Orleans a touchdown on just one of its four red zone opportunities.

Tampa is now plus-2 in turnover margin for the season and was the biggest takeaway from the win, Morris said, for a unit that played without McCoy, who was out with an ankle injury.

"We're streaky I guess, we're like John Starks, we come out hot some days and some days we're not," Morris said. "But we are on fire and back in, we got the hop-step we've been missing the last couple of weeks, and that's what we've got to be."

Avoiding turnovers was also key for Tampa's offense and they were turnover-free thanks to one of quarterback Josh Freeman's best efforts of the season.

He completed just 23 of 41 passes, but had two touchdown passes and 303 passing yards. His final quarterback rating for the day was a less than stellar 95.9, but well above the season average of 74.1 he entered the game with.

His leadership was needed without the services Sunday of Blount, who sat out with a knee injury. He will likely miss his second straight game this week.

Earnest Graham did play well in Blount's place, rushing for 109 yards. But at 31 years old and in his eighth season the Bucs probably can't count on that production on a weekly basis if Blount doesn't return to action quickly.

Still, Graham said he's ready to step in as long as he's needed to, but isn't focusing on having to fill that role long term.

"I never felt entitled to being the starting running back or to anything," Graham said. "When you feel that way and just handle your work and handle your career, you want to be able to step up and be ready when it's time."

Freeman said the pieces are certainly there for the Bucs to be playoff team, though there is still a lot of room for growth as they continue a challenging six-game stretch against teams with a combined record of 24-11.

"We're a young team, we're a good team, but at the same time, it comes down to preparation and execution and if we can keep that at a high level," Freeman said. "It's Week 6, nothing's decided at this point, and every win is extremely valuable."

Cornerback E.J. Biggers said it's why nobody in the Bucs' locker room thinks that all of their early season issues are completely behind them.

"We left some plays out there on the field," he said. "It's going to be like that every game. Something going to happen that you could correct and get better at. We are going to do that and get better and keep growing as a team." __

Follow Kyle Hightower on Twitter: www.twitter.com/khightower

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Burleson: Stafford making elite plays for Lions

Published: September 19th, 2011 | Tags: Nate Burleson, Around the League, Detroit Lions, Matthew Stafford

Matthew Stafford is healthy, and his ability to stay on the field (yes, it’s only two games) has allowed him the opportunity to impress just about everyone. That includes his teammates.

Lions WR Nate Burleson told NFL Network’s “Around the League” Monday that Stafford is making the same plays elite quarterbacks make.

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“The one thing I can point out about Matt is that there are certain plays and certain throws that he takes chances on that not a lot of quarterbacks can even try to attempt,” said Burleson. “I remember in the preseason game versus the Patriots I caught a ball over the middle and I went to the sideline and said, ‘I didn’t think you were going to make that pass.’ He looked at me and said, ‘well the guy’s head was turned; by the time I got the ball to you, he couldn’t find it.’

“That’s just the type of play that elite quarterbacks make. He’s young, he’s still showing everybody what he has. But hopefully by the end of the season [with] consistent play by us as a team and him as a quarterback, he’ll prove to people he is one of the better quarterbacks in this league.”

Due to injuries and other factors, Stafford didn’t find instant individual or team success like Mark Sanchez, Joe Flacco or Matt Ryan. But the former first overall pick in the 2009 draft might finally be showing he’s the best of the league’s young crop of quarterbacks.

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49′ers DT Justin Smith Tossed for Making Contact with Official

It’s already been a tough night for the Niners, as they trail the Chargers 17-0 at halftime. It’s also been a tough night for defensive tackle Justin Smith, who was tossed from the game for making contact with an official after a play.

Smith was tossed early in the second quarter after a brief argument between the DT and at least one Chargers player at the San Diego 8-yard line. Smith appeared to shove away umpire Garth DeFelice while the official attempted to keep Smith out of the dispute, and DeFelice immediately threw a flag.

San Francisco linebacker Travis LaBoy made the tackle on the play, but also left with a knee injury.

The ejection of Smith, who has started 153 straight games, occurred shortly after San Diego’s defense stopped the 49ers on fourth down inside the 1, maintaining the Chargers’ 7-0 lead.

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