FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- The last time Oklahoma stepped off a plane in Florida, its team chemistry, as the players describe it, was in total disarray. The disheartened Sooners had four losses going into the Russell Athletic Bowl, where they got thoroughly destroyed by Clemson last December.
"Everyone was just ready for the season to be over," said defensive end Charles Tapper.
This week, the Sooners are back in the Sunshine State preparing for a rematch against the Tigers in the College Football Playoff semifinal at the Capital One Orange Bowl. But this time, they're a different team with a different mindset on a ride they wish would never end, fashioned through a national controversy, a makeshift locker room and an eight-hour travel delay.