By ROBERT CESSNATexas A&M and Oklahoma had trouble finishing games last week, but the football team that can play a complete four quarters Saturday for a victory will feel much better.
The one that doesn't will be in danger of having its season end after eight more quarters.
The Aggies and Sooners will stage a battle for bowl-eligibility at Gaylord Family Memorial Stadium at 6:10 p.m. Saturday in Norman, Okla.
The Aggies (5-4, 2-3) were less than 10 minutes from being assured a bowl berth when struggling Colorado rallied for a 35-34 victory last weekend. It was only Colorado's third victory of the season.
"We have to be accountable for that," A&M head coach Mike Sherman said. "We can't assume anything. We have to finish the game out."
A&M is 1-2 this season in games decided by less than a touchdown, and that one victory shouldn't have been that close. The Aggies had a 38-13 lead on Utah State which scored two touchdowns in the final 6 minutes.
The Aggies' other close loss was 36-31 to 18th-ranked Oklahoma State at Kyle Field. In both losses the Aggies were stopped on fourth down inside their opponents' 5-yard line, missed a field goal and thought they had plays that should've gone for touchdowns.
"But those are wouldas, couldas and shouldas that don't really equate to what reality is," Sherman said. "Reality is we are not 7-2. We are 5-4. That's the reality."
Reality has been uncharacteristically tough to handle for the folks in Norman these days. The Sooners (5-4, 3-2) are unranked for the first time since 2005. OU also is coming off a 10-3 loss at Nebraska, a game that marked the first time the Sooners haven't scored an offensive touchdown in Bob Stoops' 11-year reign as head coach.
OU, which has been ravaged by injuries, was a popular preseason pick to play for the national championship. Now the Sooners are likely looking at the Alamo Bowl if they beat A&M. That's a letdown for disgruntled Sooner fans, who already were bemoaning losses in their last five BCS Bowl appearances.
One thing's for sure: OU won't be headed to Pasadena, Calif., Tempe, Ariz., Miami or New Orleans for the holidays. The Sooners probably will be a lot closer to home, thinking what could and should have been. Their four losses have been by a combined 12 points.
"It makes it aggravating because you see that if you had a little bit better play here and there, you have the chance to change the outcome," Stoops said. "That's how it goes. We have to find a way to do it."
OU is a 20-point favorite over A&M, but the Sooners have a tough road ahead. Next week, they go to Texas Tech, which has won the last two meetings in Lubbock. OU then ends the regular season at home against Oklahoma State.
It's not far-fetched that the Sooners could miss the posteason for the first time under Stoops. Or they could finish a respectable second in the South by winning out. There's even a mathematical chance the Sooners could tie for first in the unlikely event Texas would lose twice.
"We have to come out and keep responding and keep playing," Stoops said. "We need to challenge the other players that, regardless of their experience, they are here and need to play well, practice well and embrace the challenge. We need to play well. We are expected to play well and that is what we need to do. We need to invest in the week and get ourselves in a position to play well."
Injuries have made this Stoops' toughest year.
All-America tight end Jermaine Gresham was lost before the season. Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Sam Bradford hurt his shoulder in the season opener, then was lost for good when he reinjured it in his return against Texas. OU lost three more players this week -- offensive lineman Jarvis Jones (fractured heel), defensive end Auston English (ankle tendon) and offensive lineman-tight end Brody Eldridge (neck).
"Those are tough shoes to fill, obviously," Sherman said. "We have to come ready to play because it'll be a physical game. I think Coach Stoops, if he has his druthers, would like to run the football and control the game and the clock, being a defensive coach. So I'm sure we'll see heavy dosage of those running backs and that offensive line, and then [they'll] mix in the passing game."
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