Game Notes: OU Hosts Bearcats
NORMAN, Okla. -- Oklahoma plays its second home game of the season and
its first Football Bowl Subdivision opponent when the
Sooners host Cincinnati in Norman on Saturday. Both
teams are coming off convincing home field victories
over Football Championship Subdivision teams. The game
is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. at Owen Field.
ABC has the regional telecast (KOKC Channel 5 in Oklahoma City, KTUL Channel 8 in Tulsa, KSWO Channel 7 in Lawton). Ron Franklin will call the game with analysis from Ed Carpenter and sideline reports from Todd Harris. Visit Sooner Gameday Central to view complete information for fans attending the game in Norman and broadcast options for fans following the Sooners across the nation.
The Series
 • Under Stoops, Oklahoma has produced its career leader in passing and receiving, while turning out the No. 3- and No. 4-ranked rusher in school history and the school record holder for single-season rushing, passing and receiving yards. • OU has scored at least one touchdown in every game dating back to Nov. 7, 1998. • Under Stoops, OU has rushed for 200 yards 36 times, including 30 over the last five seasons. • Also under Stoops, OU has 124 touchdowns of 25-plus yards and 251 scoring drives that took less than two minutes. Last Season Revisited • The Sooners scored in 50 of 56 quarters. • Oklahoma averaged 6.4 yards per play, the most since 1987. • For the fifth straight season, Oklahoma had multiple backs log a 100-yard rushing game. Also for the fifth straight season, OU produced a 1,000-yard rusher (Allen Patrick) • The team had five, one-play scoring drives. Three were rushes. The shortest was 17 yards. • There were three, 90-yard scoring drives: 96 vs. Utah St., 94 vs. Texas, 91 vs. Texas Tech. • Sam Bradford was the nation's leader in passing efficiency and Oklahoma topped the same team category. OU had not won an individual statistical title since 1979 when RB Billy Sims led the nation in scoring (138 points). The Sooners had not captured a team stat title since 1987 when they were tops in rushing offense, scoring offense, scoring defense, pass defense, scoring offense, total offense and total defense. • The 2007 team was the second-highest scoring in school history with 592 points. It was just the fifth Oklahoma team to eclipse 500 points, but the third for Stoops. The team went over 50 points five times, over 60 twice and over 70 once. Banner Year for Bradford Sam Bradford had perhaps the best freshman season by any QB in NCAA history ... • Led the nation in passing efficiency at 176.53, just ahead of Heisman winner Tim Tebow. • Fired 36 touchdown passes to break the NCAA freshman record by seven. • Had consecutive completion streaks of 22 and 21 to break Jason White's OU record of 18 and challenge the NCAA mark of 24 set by Tennessee's Tee Martin. • Had multiple TD passes in 10 games, including a school record-tying five vs. Miami and Texas A&M. • Hit at least 65% of his passes in 10 of 14 games, threw no interceptions in five and had at least one completion of 30 yards in every contest. Iglesias Piles Up Yards WR Juaquin Iglesias is one of the top all-around performers ever to wear a Sooner uniform ... • He led the Sooners in receptions and receiving yards last season with 41 for 514, respectively. • With 1,883 all purpose yards last season, he posted the seventh-best figure in school history. • His career total of 3,156 all purpose yards is 20th on the career list at Oklahoma. • He ranked No. 16 nationally last season with 28.48 yards per kickoff return. Truly a Stable of Backs Aside from Allen Patrick’s 1,009 rushing yards last season, reserves Chris Brown (611 yards) and DeMarco Murray (764 yards) combined for 1,375. Murray scored 13 TDs, Brown nine. In the opener, the top two backups, Brown and Mossis Madu, combined for 100 yards on 23 carries in addition to the 124 on 15 tries by Murray, the starter. • Chris Brown became the 66th player in school history to rush for 1,000 yards in a career with his 63 against UTC. He is now at 242 carries for 1,017 yards and 18 touchdowns for his career. The Line on the Line With an average height of just over 6-5 (77.1 inches) and 302.8 pounds on the two-deep this is one of the biggest offensive lines in OU history. During the Stoops era this is the third-heaviest line, down by an average of 13.8 pounds from last year despite the fact that it’s mostly the same group. Last year’s was the heaviest line at 316.6. By height, this is the third-tallest line of the Stoops era. The 2002 and 2003 lines both measured 77.2 inches. • This veteran line (two-deep) has combined for 132 starts and 184 games played. Nearing 30,000 Points By points, Oklahoma is the highest scoring program in the history of college football. In 1,128 games, the Sooners have scored 29,834 points, an average of 26.4 per game. Chasing the Sooners are Michigan with 29,347 points in 1,195 games and Nebraska with 29,128 in 1,191. OU’s opponents have scored 13,921 tallies for an average of 12.4 per game.
• OU forced at least one turnover in 106 of Bob Stoops’ 120 games and has at least one interception in 78 of the last 104; multiple picks in 32 of the last 75 outings. • Oklahoma has nine shutouts under its current head coach. Opponents failed to score more than seven points 30 times and scored less than 14 in 57 games. English Lesson DE Auston English emerged last season as one of the nation’s top pass rushers ... • With 9.5 sacks, English tied with Torrance Marshall (1999) for the 14th-best single season total in school history. It was the second-best total in the Stoops era behind the 10 by Calvin Thibodeaux (2005) and Dan Cody (2004, 2003). • English broke a non-weight-bearing bone in his right leg in the Texas A&M game. A rod was inserted and he missed the next three contests. He returned for the Big 12 Championship game and the Fiesta Bowl with the rod still in place. He's New, Sorta Mike Balogun played at WLB in the opener making him the first Sooner LB to start his first OU game since Lance Mitchell, also a junior college transfer, in 2002. Before that, it was Torrance Marshall in 1999. • Born Sept. 28, 1983, Balogun will be 24 on the date of the season opener. Both C.J. Ah You (2006) and Billy Sims (1979) were 24 during their senior seasons. Players of that age were typical after WWII. Since that time, the oldest Sooner football player was DL Dick Passo, who was 26 when he played in 1968. Rip and Run Bob Stoops' teams have been notorious for their interception return yardage. The 2007 team was among OU's best in that department .... • Oklahoma had 19 interceptions for 346 interception return yards and three touchdowns. That yardage total ranked No. 3 since Stoops became the head coach. The 2002 team put up a ridiculous 516 return yards on 24 interceptions. The 2000 National Champions notched 369 return yards, also on 24 picks. • The 2007 OU defenders touched the ball 70 times (5.4 times per game) with 42 PBUs, 19 interceptions and nine fumble recoveries. To put that in perspective, opposing teams have just 46 touches in 27 break-ups, 11 fumble recoveries and eight interceptions. • OU averaged 18.0 yards on INT/FUM returns with five TDs to tie the school record set in 1956, 2000 and 2001. More Than Run Stoppers Defensive ends and blitzers tend to be associated with the sack, but the Sooner interior has played a role in that statistic too. OU’s four-man defensive tackle has a combined total of 10.5 career sacks. Slackers? Not These Opponents The 2007 Sooners played some of the nation's most potent offenses ... • North Texas: No. 18 nationally in passing offense. • Tulsa: No. 1 in total offense, No. 3 in passing offense, No. 4 in passing efficiency, No. 6 in scoring offense. • Texas: No. 13 in total offense, No. 14 in scoring offense, No. 17 in rushing offense. • Texas A&M: No. 13 in rushing offense, No. 22 in sacks allowed. • Texas Tech: No. 1 in passing offense, No. 2 in total offense, No. 5 in passing efficiency, No. 7 in scoring offense, No. 17 in sacks allowed. • Oklahoma State: No. 3 in sacks allowed, No. 8 in rushing offense, No. 7 in total offense, No. 15 in passing efficiency. • Missouri: No. 5 in total offense, No. 9 in passing, No. 8 in scoring offense, No. 13 in passing efficiency. • West Virginia: No. 2 in sacks allowed, No. 3 in rushing offense, No. 9 in scoring offense.
Oklahoma's special teams under Bob Stoops... • There have been 25 special teams TDs, including 19 in the last 65 regular season games. Those 19 came via five different kinds of plays -- 10 punt returns, two faked field goals, two blocked punts, four kickoff returns and a faked punt. Special teams also own one safety in that span. • In total, OU has returned eight kickoffs and 14 punts for touchdowns on Stoops’ watch (since 1999). • The Sooners have blocked 21 kicks. Many Happy Returns Information on returns during the Stoops era ... • Kickoff Returns --77 returns of 25 yards or more with eight TD. • Punt Returns -- 48 returns of 15 or more yards with 14 TD. • Interception Returns -- 69 returns of 10 or more yards with 20 TD. • Fumble Returns -- four returns of 15 or more yards with five TD. Oklahoma Led Nation in Kickoff Returns Oklahoma's kickoff returns led the nation for 2007 with an average of 28.27 yards per return ... • The Sooners had 19 kickoff returns that covered at least 30 yards. • Four different players had a return of more than 35 yards. • All five players who returned kicks last season averaged at least 24 yards. • DeMarco Murray ran 81 yards for a touchdown against Tulsa on the second kickoff return of his college career. His first came earlier in that same game. He then went for 91 yards and a touchdown against Baylor. Knall Emerges at Punter Mike Knall won the starting job in the 10th game (vs. Baylor) of the 2007 season and held it for the remainder of the season. Prior to that time he had been used mostly in short-yardage situations as the pooch punter ... • Finished the season with 24 punts for an average of 43.7. He unleashed a 66-yarder, the longest of the season for OU, against Missouri in the Big 12 Championship game. • In his five starting assignments, he averaged 42.2 yards per punt and was under 40 yards in just one game (39.5 vs. Baylor). • His best game was the Missouri tilt with four punts for a 49.5-yard average. Freshman Kicker Redshirt freshman Jimmy Stevens is the team’s placekicker. He is the first freshman to tackle that chore since Garrett Hartley did so in the Baylor game of 2004 (Nov. 20). Hold It WR Carter Whitson, a walk-on, takes over as the team’s holder. The sophomore played most of his high school career at Shawnee, Okla., before spending his senior season at Broken Arrow HS. He was a quarterback during his prep days. Whitson was the holder at Shawnee during his sophomore season. • With redshirt freshman Jimmy Stevens at kicker, Whitson at holder and Ben Hampton as the long snapper, all three ball-handlers on placements are new this season. Hampton held at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M junior college for two seasons before transferring to Oklahoma. Derek Shaw, the holder the last two seasons, is recovering from an off-season injury. • Long snapper James Winchester, a freshman, is the son of former Sooner Mike Winchester, who lettered as a punter from 1984-86. Carolyn Winchester, a senior member of the OU women’s basketball team, is James’ sister.
Such dramatics are lost on Bob Stoops. The Sooner head coach befriended the would-be albatross of OU's successful past from his first day on campus and remains steadfastly focused on tomorrow and the championship it holds. It falls then to the observers and experts of the game to define Stoops' impact. Rarely have the pundits had it so easy. Under Stoops, Oklahoma has won 87 games (86-19), spent 69 consecutive weeks in the national rankings, played in seven bowl games, four of the BCS variety, and captured three Big 12 crowns. His 2000 team won the national championship. On a playing field leveled by scholarship limits and parity, this era stares down the Oklahoma standard and does not blink. The achievement dulls the memory of what Stoops inherited. When he arrived in Norman, the proud Sooner program was five years removed from a winning record, four from bowl play. Those atypical days of angst are so forgotten now that they might as well be mentioned with the land rush and dust bowl. Stoops has been characterized as a grounded family man, brilliant big-game coach, relentless recruiter, disciplined leader and a person with uncommon perspective. His success emanates from a disciplined style true to his roots in the Steel Valley of Ohio, but he is far from inflexible. The principles to which he holds are the tried and true axioms of the sport ... mixed with cutting edge strategy and an appreciation for the calculated risk. During his time, OU has produced record-setting passers and receivers, three 1,000-yard rushers, suffocating defense and special teams units that rank among the most dynamic in the land. Every facet has been impacted. His players have snagged 16 national awards, including the 2003 Heisman Trophy won by Jason White. There have been 58 academic honorees, 53 All-Big 12 players, 22 All-Americans and 32 NFL draft choices. Stoops has won a total of 10 national coach of the year awards and has been Big 12 Coach of the year in three of his six campaigns in Norman. This is one of the finest coaches in the history of one of college football's most storied traditions. The son of a coach, Stoops was a four-year starter at Iowa. He began his coaching career in 1983 as a volunteer in the Hawkeye program under Hayden Fry. He worked through the ranks until he became co-defensive coordinator at Kansas State (1991-95) during Bill Snyder's rein. With the Wildcats, he played a key role in an impressive turnaround. During his final four seasons there, K-State was 35-12 with three bowl appearances. Eventually, he left for Florida and a three-year stint as Steve Spurrier's defensive coordinator. In 1996, he was part of a national championship team. It was with the Gators that the spotlight found Stoops and made him one of the hottest names in the profession. Stoops, who was born Sept. 9, 1960, in Youngstown, Ohio, graduated from Iowa in 1983 with a degree in marketing. He and his wife, Carol, have three children: daughter, Mackenzie, and twin sons, Drake and Isaac. Head Coach Bob Stoops | OU Coaching Staff
DT Cory Bennett: Leads the defensive tackles in games played with 39. LB Austin Box: Missed opener after arthroscopic surgery on his left knee. QB Sam Bradford: See notes on offense’s page. OT Branndon Braxton: Probable starter at right tackle, but also spent part of the preseason working at guard ... from the same hometown as Bob Stoops -- Youngstown, Ohio. RB Chris Brown: Three touchdowns in the opener ... nearly one-third (31%) of his career rushes have resulted in a touchdown or first down -- 228 carries with 56 first downs, 15 touchdowns. WR Quentin Chaney: Over the last two bowl games, he combined for eight receptions for 166 yards and two TDs. FB Matt Clapp: A player to watch after a very good redshirt season ... in the best condition of his playing career. LB Keenan Clayton: Has converted from strong safety to strong side linebacker. C Jon Cooper: His 30 career starts lead the team. TE Brody Eldridge: All-Big 12 fullback last season despite the fact that he had no carries. DE Auston English: Had 4.0 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks in the opener. CB Dominque Franks: Knocked down three passes in the opener, the second start of his career. DT DeMarcus Granger: Led OU’s defensive tackles with 3.5 sacks last season. TE Jermaine Gresham: His 11 TD receptions last season were the most ever by a Sooner tight end. QB Joey Halzle: Hit 21-of-41 for 291 yards in a back-up role at Texas Tech last season. DB Nic Harris: Six career interceptions and 15 deflections. DB Lendy Holmes: Worked at both safety and corner during the August drills before settling on the former. WR Juaquin Iglesias: Has 3,156 career all purpose yards on 192 plays for an average of 16.4 yards per touch. WR Manuel Johnson: Only current Sooner receiver who has a career reception, rush and pass completion. P Mike Knall: Was one punt shy of the 25 points necessary to count officially, but had it counted, his 43.7-yard average would have rated as the second-best in school history. OT Phil Loadholt: Thirteen pounds lighter than last season -- 350 to 337. LB Travis Lewis: In first career game and start, he tied for team-high tackle honors with six vs. UTC. RB Mossis Madu: Will play more this season, but impressed in 2007 with 5.8-yard rushing average. DT Gerald McCoy: Quick tackle looking to parlay Freshman All-America status into more national honors. RB DeMarco Murray: Carried 15 times for 124 yards (8.3/carry) and two touchdowns in opener. LB Ryan Reynolds: Only Sooner who had started an OU game at linebacker prior to the season opener. OG Duke Robinson: Consensus All-American last season. OG Brandon Walker: Had the highest overall grade of all OU offensive lineman last season (80%). OT Trent Williams: Has shared the right tackle spot with Branndon Braxton over the last two years.   
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