Before I return to the world of 1980s pop music, allow me to reflect on Oklahoma's big Red River Rumble victory, 28-21, over Texas.

And before I delve into some details of the game as well as my outlook for the game, which I posted on Thursday of last week, let's look back to a blog post from Aug. 7 and, specifically, the first two paragraphs.

He doesn't quite have Adrian Peterson's breakaway speed, but he's quicker than A.D. He can cut like Reggie, and he's likely (almost certainly) the next huge OU star.


Let the Demarco Murray era begin for the Sooners.

While Murray had some shining moments in OU's first five games, he didn't become a star until Saturday, when he leaped over Joe Jon Finley en route to a 65-yard touchdown in the third quarter against Texas.

The OU-Texas game makes stars -- and both Sam Bradford and DeMarco Murray elevated themselves on Saturday. Of course, if I'm to be fair, a critical look at OU's play this season, particularly against Colorado last week, suggests that perhaps Murray has been under-utilized.

However, with the way this college football season has turned out (wacky), I think I'll cut everybody a break. No, I absolutely still think -- even after the win -- that coach Bob Stoops would be well advised to develop more creative game plans. Why he doesn't really baffles me.

On the other hand, the Sooners just excelled with everything Saturday on a physical level. They tackled well. They blocked well. They ran good routes.

Mentally, Oklahoma still has some issues. First, our pass coverage is pretty porous, and I think I know the culprit: Ryan Reynolds. The one question I would have loved to ask Mack Brown after the game was, "Why did you guys stop throwing to Jermichael Finley in the second half?"

See, everytime Colt McCoy threw inside to Finley, he'd not only be wide open, he'd run off for 20, 30, 50 yards. Who's to blame? Reynolds. A major, major defensive weakness was exposed for OU on Saturday, and while I compared him physically to Rocky Calmus last Thursday, I have major reservations about this guy right now.

On the other hand, while I questioned offensive lineman Phil Loadholdt and his ability to pancake guys half his size, he played splendidly on Saturday, handling tackle Frank Okam pretty well. In fact, Oklahoma ran quite well to the left side of the line, including on Murray's 65-yard scamper.

My contention before the game was that Oklahoma had to run the ball well to win. The announcers said whoever ran the best would win. While running the ball effectively as an analysis is common-sense, it was extra important in this game given OU's lack of pass defense and the issues Oklahoma had last week throwing the ball.

On Thursday, I said that if McCoy had success throwing the ball early, we'd be in trouble. And I think being tied 21-21 in the fourth quarter against a clearly inferior club constitutes trouble. On the other hand, we pressured McCoy just enough to cause Texas problems.

By no means do I think the Sooners are a great pass-rushing defense. However, I do think they hurry other offenses into making hasty decisions, which can often be "good enough." Auston English is clearly Oklahoma's pass rushing stud, although Alonzo Dotson ain't chopped liver. Oklahoma sacked Colt McCoy four times, including twice late in the game.

Sam Bradford got Malcolm Kelly involved. We thought that perhaps Kelly was wearing an invisible cloak last week in Colorado, but Kelly's success this week is thanks to Juaquin Iglesias and Jermaine Gresham, who was huge for OU. If those guys don't catch the ball, defenses can totally double-team Kelly.

Speaking of Bradford, it's too early to don him with too many superlatives, but he looks every bit as good as Jason White did early in his career. And, he looks miles better than Rhett Bomar did early in his.

With USC's and Wisconsin's losses, OU moved up to No. 6, totally in the national championship chase.

What makes Oklahoma super scary right now is that they can hang around with any team, period. I can't envision a scenario in which they'd get blown out by anybody on a neutral field. At the L.A. Coliseum, I could absolutely see USC beating us 38-17, but on a neutral field, I could see OU hanging with or edging the Trojans.

Could OU beat LSU right now? Well, which LSU team comes to play? If it's the one who barely beat Florida on Saturday night, OU could hang. And that's all we as fans can ask for, a chance to win every game.

Missouri comes to Norman next week with a spread offense, a great quarterback and a real challenge for the Sooners' defense. However, OU at home is a vastly different team than the one on the road. If you're asking me, Oklahoma's best chance for a second loss comes in Lubbock, against Texas Tech or in a Big 12 title game.

And if you look at the schedule, the current rankings, etc., OU still has a great chance to play in the national title game. However, even with the big win against Texas, I still say that OU cannot rest on its talent and physicality.

In a college football world that is more and more becoming even-steven among the Top 50 programs, Oklahoma has to become as mentally dominating as it can be physically. That means better game-planning and more creative play-calling. More tricks. More misdirection. The coaching staff needs to sit down in front of a Sony PlayStation and pick up a few ideas for times when they're up against the wall.

Not that we can't win out as we are. Like I said, when the chips are down, Bob Stoops is at his best. Who would have thought we could win the Big 12 last year with Rhett Bomar gone? However, when everything is going swimmingly, we are absolutely susceptible, and I don't think it's an insult at all to suggest that Stoops and his staff learn a few new tricks -- just in case they need to use them.

Why? It's not every year that Oklahoma has a real shot at a national title, and if we win out, we'll be national champs. Take it to the bank.