Norman, Okla. ? All these close games are keeping Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops up at night — but not necessarily in a bad way. Coming off an overtime victory against Baylor and a seven-point win at Nebraska, these are exciting times for Stoops’ Sooners.

With a young roster and a bunch of injuries, Stoops and his staff have had to be more inventive and find ways to push Oklahoma (5-3 overall, 4-1 Big 12 Conference) to wins.

“It’s been challenging but fun and exciting — all of that,” Stoops said Tuesday. “Even the games we’ve been in, they’re invigorating. They charge you up even when they’re finished. I’ll be there at 2 in the morning and still can’t go to sleep. They wind you up.”

Stoops said he’s always been revved up on gamedays to a certain extent, but this year is different than the past two seasons. Last year, the Sooners outscored opponents by an average of 21 points on their way to an 11-0 regular season. In 2003, their average margin of victory in the regular season was 38 points.

This season, Oklahoma has outscored opponents 207-196 through eight games.

“Not everything’s going to be perfect all the time,” Stoops said. “You just do the best you can, and that’s what you’re in it for.”

For offensive coordinator Chuck Long, the games are draining.

“You’re all the way through this game and you know you’re coming down to the wire quite a bit,” Long said. “At first, especially in a road game when you get on that airplane, I tend to crash a little bit and just unwind because you’re rigid all the way through from working the game.

Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops speaks during a news conference. The Sooners can clinch bowl-eligibility today against Texas A&M.

“With play-callers — I’ve heard this before — you could get hit over the head with a hammer and not even know it, you’re so into the game.”

Once he gets home, the energy comes back — just in time for bed.

“You start to stay awake and you start thinking about all the calls you made,” Long said. “I always review my calls and go through the game sheet and review what I did, what we didn’t do and what could’ve been better.

“That always runs through your head at night when you’re laying down in bed.”

Long said this season has been positive because it’s been a test for the coaching staff. It’s also been rewarding for him to see the change in how players react to wins in the locker room. After so many blowouts the past couple years, players started to take winning for granted. But this season, the locker room has been much more festive.

“This year has become a very genuine celebration after games,” Long said. “They know that winning’s not easy. It’s hard work.”