NORMAN, Okla. - As Oklahoma State's Tyreek Hill ran down the sideline, no one in crimson or cream close enough to consider making a tackle, and on his way into the endzone, an obvious question came to mind.
Not about Saturday, although the 38-35 overtime loss to an Oklahoma State team that was more than 20-point underdog, had something to do with it, but something bigger.
How'd it all come undone so quickly for Oklahoma?
In one season, book-ended by the regular-season finale vs. Oklahoma State, the Sooners went from the most exceptional of highs to the lowest of lows.
And really each situation is equally unbelievable.
A year ago, Oklahoma went through three quarterbacks in one come-from-behind, underdog victory at Oklahoma State. The win pushed the Sooners into the BCS, which manifested itself into an even more-improbable win over Alabama, an all-timer of a recruiting season and then into college football's stratosphere. OU entered 2014 as a favorite to make the inaugural four-team playoff.
And now this and so quickly? Oklahoma State, a massive underdog, rallied late, scoring twice in the final 5 minutes on its own improbable play â Hill's 92-yard punt return â and then again in overtime which pushed Oklahoma into parts unknown.
Losers three times at home this season and now four times overall for a team that started the season ranked No. 4 in the nation, returning a quarterback, confidence and swagger.
It's all gone. As rapidly as the Sooners ascended the college football world, it disappeared.
The slow leak started with a loss to TCU, became obvious in a disaster of a defeat at home to Kansas State and was ull-blown after getting run over by Baylor.
And now, instead of an offseason of anticipation, there can be only fear an loathing as the Sooners will trudge to a bowl game before having to start over in 2015. New quarterback, maybe. Changes on defense, probably. Receivers? Who knows.
How'd it happen? Well, the 2014 season was lost well before Oklahoma State and Oklahoma kicked off Saturday in Norman, but now it seems like the season is a lost cause. Not only could the Sooners not get a first down in the final 3 minutes of the game against Oklahoma State, which would have won the game, coach Bob Stoops lost his way and decided to re-punt to the fastest player in the Big 12, in two timezones, in college football.
It cost the Sooners the game, and opposite of a season ago, when the Sooners left Stillwater, Okla., with confidence, this year's loss is a kidney punch of a defeat which will end up damaging Stoops in the eyes of fans and beyond.
"We didn't put ourselves in the best position to win," Stoops said of the loss to Oklahoma State, but he could haven been talking about 2014 as the Sooners never really did decide on offense, never developed any receivers and had a defense that never improved after a good September start. Coaches openly argued with players on the sideline. Confusion was rampant. Not just in the OSU game where Stoops admitted to the mistake of re-punting after a penalty to Hill, but all season as OU had consistent trouble getting in plays and getting into position defensively.
"I fault myself, you don't kick it again," Stoops went on to say about the fateful 92-yard return by Hill with 45 seconds to play and the Sooners ahead 35-28. "You saw the rest of it."
Saw it first, and will feel it later, although Stoops did spin things to the sunny side.
You take stock any time you lose," he said. "In the end, I'm aware of where our stock is and feel positive about what we can do."
Oklahoma stock is affordable now days and perhaps that degree of positiveness from Stoops is even more surprising and improbable than how this past 12 months have gone.
"That's football," Oklahoma quarterback Cody Thomas said. "There's a fine line between winning and losing. We were on the wrong side of it."
"There's nothing we can really do about it," running back Keith Ford said.
"It's a very thin line," fullback Aaron Ripkowski said. "We've been on the wrong side of it."
"We've been on the wrong end of some tight games," defensive coordinator Mike Stoops said. "It's just how the year has gone."
So thin, but here we are.
OU couldn't get a fourth-down late against TCU. A handful of missed kicks doomed the Sooners against Kansas State and then the Sooners were on the business end of Baylor's assault.
And Saturday? OU never trailed until Ben Grogan's field goal won it in overtime Twice the Sooners had 14-point leads, including with 7:54 to play. OU punted again when it didn't have to and never double-covered Oklahoma State receiver Brandon Sheperd when it definitely needed to. You know what Hill did, but did you realize Sheperd had seven catches for a career-high 156 yards and two touchdowns? Both aided in a descent no one saw coming and capsulized a season no one expected.
It came undone. Fast.
"It's just life, man," said Oklahoma defensive tackle Chuka Ndulue. "You guys try to predict the future, but we're kids. We're not perfect. We go to school and play football. It's hard to be perfect. We had a lot of high hopes coming into the season."
OU never touched perfect on Saturday. They never saw perfect in 2014.
But it seemed like the Sooners should have.
Follow Andrew Gilman on Twitter: @andrewgilmanOK
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