Stoops hopeful for loud crowd at Florida State game

The last time the Sooners met Florida State was a memorable one for the Sooners.

It was OU’s last national championship in a year when the Sooners were an afterthought when it came to winning the conference, much less a national title. But coach Bob Stoops led his team by Bobby Bowden and the Seminoles 13-2.

Stoops now meets the Seminoles for the second time in his career at OU, but this time against coach Jimbo Fisher, FSU’s offensive coordinator behind Bowden before he retired.

Florida State comes to Norman with the Sooners on a school record and the nation’s current longest home win streak of 31 games.

The Seminoles, led by quarterback Christian Ponder, will be the Sooners’ first real test of the season, and the win streak will be on the line.

“I don’t think there’s any special reason other than we’ve played well,” Stoops said about why his team plays so well at home. “Good things usually happen to you when you do.”

While Stoops emphasized his intentions on not getting overconfident or concerned with records, he did show his gratitude to the Sooner fan base and even referred back to one of the most notable home victories of the 31-game streak.

“They have been really special, in particular as of late,” he said. “We’re incredibly hopeful that they’ll show up this weekend in a similar fashion that they did against Texas Tech.”

But many were left concerned and bewildered after a better-than-expected Utah State team came to Norman and left a seven-point loser.

“It was decent,” coach Bobby Jack Wright said of the pressure on Utah State’s Michael Borell. “It was nothing special. It needs to be a lot better this week.”

Wright also noted that the offensive for the Seminoles is much more talented than that of the Aggies. While they may not be as big as a lot of lines in the country, they excel at zone blocking and are very agile.

Ponder will provide a different threat than Borrell did as he is more of a pocket passer by trade. But don’t let the title fool you; the kid can move just fine.

“The thing about any quarterback, especially one that is mobile, is you’ve got to keep them in the pocket,” Wright explained.

“Ponder is not necessarily a runner or a scrambler, but he can run and he does have good running ability.”

Clark Foy

Clark is a former staff member of The Oklahoma Daily who worked as Staff Writer and Men's Basketball Beat Reporter.