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Bob Stoops can't explain why No. 19 Oklahoma has such a split personality: practically invincible at home and vulnerable to defeat against almost any opponent on the road.
The Sooners (7-2, 3-2 Big 12) have the longest home winning streak in the nation heading into this Saturday's game against Texas Tech (5-4, 3-4) but are coming off a 33-19 defeat at Texas A&M that was their fourth straight conference loss on the road.
''I'm not going to sit here express publicly what my frustration is or isn't. In the end, we need to play better. Simple as that,'' Stoops said Tuesday at a news conference.
''And you know what? We had a lot of opportunities the other day to make plays. We didn't quite make them.''
Just because the Sooners are returning to Owen Field for a chance to extend the nation's longest home winning streak to 36 games doesn't make Stoops confident that they'll flip the switch back on and be victorious as they have been every time since the 2005 season opener against TCU.
''I can't assume. I've got to play,'' Stoops said. ''To me, it's methodically working to make sure that we are at our best when we go on the field.''
If the problems on the road can't be solved, what's the key to Oklahoma's home dominance? The Sooners have outscored opponents by just under 30 points per game during the streak.
''I don't know that either,'' Stoops said. ''You know what? It's real simple. We play better, and on the road we need to play better. Now, a lot goes into that, but it isn't like we're sitting here naively just walking on the field. We have methods in how we prepare.''
The latest loss dropped Oklahoma into a tie for third place in the Big 12 South. After this week, the Sooners finish with back-to-back road games against the two teams ahead of them in the standings - Baylor (7-3, 4-2) and No. 12 Oklahoma State (8-1, 4-1).
''For us to be where we want to be, for us to put a ring on this finger, we're going to need a win on the road,'' linebacker Travis Lewis said. ''So, something's got to give.''
The Sooners' two losses this season have come with a similar formula for defeat: falling behind early, making a comeback and then fading in the fourth quarter. And both Missouri and Texas A&M got kickoff returns for touchdowns, something Stoops hopes will be fixed with the expected return of special teams ace Ronnell Lewis this week following knee surgery.
''If I could put my finger on it, then we probably would have corrected it by now. I'm sort of puzzled,'' safety Jonathan Nelson said. ''I'm pretty sure some of my teammates are. I don't really know what the deal is, but we have two more tough away games and we need to do really well in those in order to fulfill some of our goals.''
Stoops said he believes harping on the road woes only serves to perpetuate them. Instead of talking to his players about how poorly they have performed on the road, he prefers to tell them to try and play the same way they do in Norman.
''To me, I guess some of it is just overall as a team maturing to be able to handle it in a better way,'' Stoops said. ''Hopefully, we can.''
Since Stoops' arrival, Oklahoma has sold out all 73 of its home games - a school record - and had an overflow crowd in the last 46. Overall, Stoops is 71-2 on Owen Field and 53-29 elsewhere.
''It's your home field, it's your home crowd and your friends and family are here. That does make a difference,'' offensive tackle Eric Mensik said. ''But we can't go into someone else's house and not get that.''
