Nobody expects North Texas to be a match for the Sooners on Saturday, and neither do I. However, I also don't take them lightly.

Can you believe it's been almost 10 years since Oklahoma almost lost to the Mean Green on Owen Field?

There's no mention of it on YouTube.

Barely a mention of it can be found on Google.

You might not even remember it.

However, I distinctly remember listening to Bob Barry on the radio in the front room of my parents' house in Henryetta, listening to the OU-North Texas game on the radio with Dad, and OU struggling to lead 10 to 9 in the third quarter.

The John Blake years were bad, but they were about to hit a new low until a guy named Patrick Fletcher literally saved the day and a generation of Sooners fans from what would have been the most embarrassing loss in OU history.

We won that game 37-9, and Fletcher was absolutely the toast of Norman for at least a few weeks. By the time Bob Stoops came to town, Fletcher got a chance to hold for placekicks and do various things, but he wasn't a star on the team come 2000.

He was kind of a forgotten guy by most OU fans, although from time to time, he'd pop up and make a memorable play, usually in some sort of trick or gadget formation.

Nevertheless, Fletcher and guys like him were the primary reason we won the national championship in 2000.

It sure as heck wasn't solely based on talent.

Did you see Heupel throw?

Do you know how little Quentin Griffin is?

Did you notice Rocky Calmus' broken arm?

It was heart, total heart -- and guys like Fletcher and J.T. Thatcher and the likes of those around in Blake's final years with the Sooners got rewarded with a title. Not a Big 12 title. A national title.

I know the 2007 edition of the Oklahoma Sooners is talented as all get out at running back, linebacker, DB, safety, on the line -- both of them -- and at placekicker. Outside of quarterback, a position we don't know much about, we're potentially as talented overall as we have ever, ever been.

But do we have heart? Who's the Patrick Fletcher on this team?

You might think I'm crazy, and I know Oklahoma has done very well at the quarterback position in recent years. However, when we see Sam Bradford debut on Saturday night, I'm not looking for a big arm or long runs.

I'm not looking for Jason White or Nate Hybl.

I'm looking to see if Bradford has some Patrick Fletcher in him.