Sooners Host Aggies For Homecoming

Oct. 19, 1999

It's A Sooner Homecoming

After five weeks and three games, the Oklahoma Sooners finally return to Memorial Stadium to celebrate homecoming against the Aggies of Texas A&M. This marks just the 17th meeting between these two programs since the series began in 1903.

The contest, which is slated to kickoff at 6:08 p.m. (CDT) and be nationally televised by Fox Sports Net, will feature one of the best passing games against one of the best pass defenses.

OU enters this contest 3-2 overall after losing to Texas 38-28 inside the Cotton Bowl more than a week ago. For the second straight Saturday, the Sooners jumped out to a big lead but failed to hold on. OU led Texas 17-0 before the first quarter ended, however 13 penalties, four turnovers and nine big plays by the Longhorns allowed UT to outscore the Sooners 38-11 in the final 46 minutes.

For the fifth straight week, the OU offense was paced by quarterback Josh Heupel, who completed 31 of 48 passes for 311 yards and two touchdowns. During a first quarter which many called one of the best for OU in this series, Heupel directed scoring drives of 62, 20 and 71 yards. At the end of the first 15 minutes of play, Heupel was 11 of 14 for 181 yards and two TDs.

On the other end of Heupel's passes, freshman wide receiver Antwone Savage became the first Sooner receiver to record 100-yards this season. He caught a career-high six passes and was one of 11 players to catch a pass inside the historic Cotton Bowl.

Oklahoma is now at the midway point of the 1999 season. OU's 3-2 record is the best after five games since the '95 Sooners were 4-1. OU will play at Colorado next weekend for the first time since 1994, when the Sooners dropped a 45-7 decision.

The Aggies Of Texas A&M

Texas A&M comes into this contest fresh off a 34-17 victory over Kansas last Saturday afternoon. The win improved A&M to 5-1 overall and 2-1 inside the Big 12 Conference.

Ranked 10th nationally by USA Today/ESPN, A&M is the highest ranked team OU has squared off against this season and the highest since the game in College Station last year (A&M was ranked 10th at that time).

Offensively, Texas A&M is paced by quarterback Randy McCown, who is currently averaging 254.7 yards passing and completing 53.5 percent of his passes this season. McCown is coming to Norman after recording a career-best 362 yards against Kansas last weekend.

On the other side of the ball, the A&M Wrecking Crew defense has given the appearance that it doesn't have the same punch as it used to, but it still ranks eighth nationally in total defense (258.0 ypg) and first in the Big 12 in interceptions with 12.

In order to win the Southern Division championship of the Big 12 Conference, A&M must win against one of the toughest closing schedules in the league. The overall record of the teams left on A&M's slate is 20-9 (.690).

1999 Schedule & Results

9/4	Louisiana Tech	W	37-17
9/18	Tulsa	W	62-13
9/25	S. Mississippi	W	23-6
10/2	at Texas Tech	L	21-19
10/9	Baylor	W	45-13
10/16	Kansas	W	34-17
10/23	at Oklahoma
10/30	Oklahoma State
11/6	at Nebraska
11/13	at Missouri
11/26	Texas

OU And The Aggies

When the Sooners and Aggies kick off this weekend, it will mark just the sixth time these two schools have faced each other on the football field since 1951.

Oklahoma and Texas A&M squared off for the first time in 1903 and since then, this series has been played in six different cities -- Bryan, Dallas, Houston, Oklahoma City, Norman and College Station. The last meeting took place in College Station last season where A&M posted its second shutout in the series, 29-0.

With 17 meetings in this series overall, A&M currently leads 9-8, including four straight wins and five of the last six against the Sooners.

In Norman, the Sooners hold a 6-3 record against the Aggies, including victories in six of the last seven meetings inside Memorial Stadium.

The Series History

Year	Site	Winner	Score
1998	College Station	A&M	29-0
1997	Norman	A&M	51-7
1996	College Station	A&M	33-16
1994	College Station	A&M	36-14
1993	Norman	OU	44-14
1951	College Station	A&M	14-7
1950	Norman	OU	34-28
1949	Norman	OU	33-13
1948	Norman	OU	42-14
1947	Norman	OU	26-14
1946	Norman	OU	10-7
1945	Norman	A&M	19-14
1944	Oklahoma City	OU	21-14
1912	Houston	A&M	28-6
1909	Dallas	A&M	14-8
1907	Bryan	A&M	19-0
1903	Bryan	OU	6-0

OU-A&M Series Facts
Oklahoma Average Score: 16.9
Texas A&M's Average Score: 17.4
Highest OU Score: 44 in 1993
Widest OU Winning Margin: 30 in 1993
Highest A&M Score: 51 in 1997
Widest A&M Winning Margin: 44 in 1997
Highest Combined Score: 62 in 1950
Lowest Combined Score: 6 in 1903
Shutouts By OU: 1
Shutouts By A&M: 2

Sooner-Aggie Quick Notes

The 1903 game between Oklahoma and Texas A&M was played in Bryan, Texas. It was played in order to finance a trip to Austin for OU to play Texas. The Sooners won this contest 6-0 and logged the 20th win in school history.

Texas A&M won the 1907 meeting by the score of 19-0. It was one game in a season where every contest ended in a shutout (only season in school history with those results). The Sooners finished the year 4-4 overall.

Oklahoma played its first-ever game in Dallas and lost to Texas A&M 14-8 during the 1909 season.

The 1946 contest, won by Oklahoma 10-7, was decided on a last-second field goal by the Sooners' Dave Wallace.

In 1950, the Sooners entered the Texas A&M game with a 22-game winning streak and extended it with a 34-28 win. The 62 combined points still stand as the most in this series.

When Texas A&M came to Norman in 1993, it was unbeaten in 22 straight games and ranked fifth in the nation. When the game ended, the Sooners had their most lopsided victory over a top-five team -- 44-14.

Oklahoma was in contention for the first-ever Big 12 Conference Southern Division championship as they played A&M in College Station in 1996. The Aggies won the game 33-16 after scoring 20 unanswered points in the second half.

Texas A&M closed out the Sooners 1997 home schedule with a 51-7 win. A&M scored 35 points on five OU turnovers on way to the largest margin of victory in series history. It was also the Aggies third straight over OU since 1994. Running back Dante Hall led the way for A&M with 139 yards rushing and three touchdowns. The seven points scored by OU marked the third straight game that the Sooners could only muster one touchdown.

Texas A&M used solid special teams play and a tough defense to send OU to a 29-0 defeat last season. With the shutout, A&M has outscored the Sooners 80-7 in the last two seasons.

Sooner All-Time Bests Versus A&M

Top Rushing Performances

Players	Att.	Yds	TD
1. Jack Mitchell, '47	15	113	1
2. Derrald Lebow, '44	27	102	3
3. George Thomas, '49	16	100	2
4. George Thomas, '48	21	100	2
5. James Allen, '93	21	98	0

Top Passing Performances

Players	Totals
1. Cale Gundy, '93	13-24/167 yards
2. Claude Arnold, '50	10-19/161 yards
3. Eric Moore, '96	8-22/145 yards
4. Justin Fuente, '97	7-18/126 yards
5. Darrell Royal, '49	6-11/120 yards
6. Garrick McGee, '94	11-34/118 yards
7. Jack Mitchell, '47	6-6/87 yards

Top Receiving Performances (Yards)

Players	No.	Yds	TD
1. Albert Hall, '94	6	74	0
2. Leon Heath, '50	3	68	1
3. Billy Vessels, '50	2	60	1
4. Jim Owens, '49	2	52	0
5. Robert Goad, '49	2	52	0

Top Receiving Performances (Catches)

Players	No.	Yds	TD
1. Albert Hall, '94	6	74	0
2. Corey Warren, '93	4	41	1
3. Mike McDaniel, '96	3	46	1
4. James Allen, '93	3	33	1
5. Leon Heath, '50	3	68	1
6. Frank Anderson, '47	3	48	0

Final Words On OU-Texas

Oklahoma finished the game with just 15 yards rushing on 18 carries. That is the fewest rushing yards by a Sooner squad since Tulsa held OU to three yards in 1937. The 18 rushing attempts were also the fewest ever registered in the OU-Texas series. The previous low was 30 by OU in 1992.

When the Sooners scored in the first quarter, it marked OU's first advantage over the Longhorns in seven quarters. The Sooners led Texas 7-3 at the end of the first quarter in 1997.

When OU opened the game with three straight scoring possessions, it marked the first time since 1993 that the Sooners have accomplished that feat. That day, Missouri was the opponent and OU scored on its first three possessions of the day.

The Sooners' opening drive (two plays, 62 yards, 29 seconds) was the quickest scoring drive (non-kick return) since the Missouri game in 1992. In that contest, Steve Collins ran four yards for a touchdown following a Tiger turnover.

With touchdown passes of 44 and 30 yards against the Longhorns, OU quarterback Josh Heupel has thrown six TD passes of 30 yards or more this season. Four of those touchdown passes have been 40 yards or longer.

Sooner placekicker Tim Duncan continued his perfect season (four-for-four in field goals and 24-for-24 on PATs) after hitting a pair of field goals and two PATs. His 43-yard field goal in the first quarter was a career-long.

Duncan also became the first OU kicker to score a touchdown since Buddy Leake accomplished the feat in 1954. Duncan caught a four-yard touchdown pass from Patrick Fletcher on a fake field goal in the third quarter.

The game was the longest in OU history (3:59).

Oklahoma surrendered 328 yards passing to the Longhorns. It was the first time an opponent threw for more than 300 yards since Kansas State posted 349 in 1996. The last two seasons, Texas has outgained OU 1,001 to 527.

The Sooners' Head Coach

Bob Stoops is already five games into his first season as the Sooners' head coach after building a reputation as one of the top defensive coaches on the college level.

Stoops was named as the Sooners' 21st head football coach on December 1 after playing a key role in the nationally ranked football programs at Kansas State and Florida. During his time as defensive coordinator at both schools, the defense ranked among the best in the nation and was instrumental in Florida winning the national championship in 1996.

Stoops, who turned 39 on Sept. 9, spent the previous three seasons as the assistant head coach, defensive coordinator and secondary coach at the University of Florida. During his tenure with the Gators, Stoops helped Florida to a combined 30-5 record, a national championship, one SEC championship and three bowl games. In each of his three seasons, the Gators ranked among the nation's top 15 teams in total defense and top 20 in rush defense.

Prior to Florida, Stoops spent seven seasons (1989-95) at Kansas State University assisting in one of the most impressive turnarounds in college football history. During his final four seasons in Manhattan, KSU posted a 35-12 record and played in three bowl games.

His 1995 defensive unit led the nation in total defense, ranked second in scoring and had all four defensive backs named to the All-Big Eight Team.

Career Coaching Record

Year	Program	Title	Record
1983	Iowa	Volunteer	9-3
1984	Iowa	G.A.	7-4-1
1985	Iowa	G.A.	10-2
1986	Iowa	G.A.	9-3
1987	Iowa	G.A.	10-3
1988	Kent State	Asst. Coach	6-5
1989	Kansas St.	DB Coach	1-10
1990	Kansas St.	DB Coach	5-6
1991	Kansas St.	Def. Coord.	7-4
1992	Kansas St.	Def. Coord.	5-6
1993	Kansas St.	Def. Coord.	9-2-1
1994	Kansas St.	Def. Coord.	9-3
1995	Kansas St.	Def. Coord.	10-2
1996	Florida	Def. Coord.	12-1
1997	Florida	Def. Coord.	10-2
1998	Florida	Def. Coord.	10-2
1999	Oklahoma	Head Coach	3-2
Totals	17-years in coaching		132-60-2

The New Guys On The Block

Here is how the 21 OU head coaches have fared in their first seasons in Norman:

Year	Coach	Record
1895	John Harts	0-1
1897	V.L. Parrington	2-0
1901	Fred Roberts	3-2
1902	Mark McMahon	6-3
1904	Fred Ewing	4-3-1
1905	Bennie Owen	7-2
1927	Adrian Linsey	3-3-2
1932	Lewie Hardage	4-4-1
1935	Biff Jones	6-3
1937	Tom Stidham	5-2-2
1941	Dewey Luster	6-3
1946	Jim Tatum	8-3
1947	Bub Wilkinson	7-2-1
1964	Gomer Jones	6-4-1
1966	Jim Mackenzie	6-4
1967	Chuck Fairbanks	10-1
1973	Barry Switzer	10-0-1
1989	Gary Gibbs	7-4
1995	H. Schnellenberger	5-5-1
1996	John Blake	3-8
1999	Bob Stoops	3-2

The Rookie Receivers

The Sooners' offense features several receivers and tight ends who are playing in their first collegiate season. Through the first five outings of the year, eight first-year players have combined for 78 (of 153 receptions) for 832 yards and eight touchdowns.

Here's a look at the first-year receivers and their progress this season.

Player	Pos.	No.	Yards	TD
Antwone Savage	WR	17	258	1
Damian Mackey	WR	15	133	2
Trent Smith	TE	11	107	1
Curtis Fagan	WR	10	110	0
Andre Woolfolk	WR	5	61	1
Julius McMillan	WR	3	33	1
Ryan Daniel	WR	1	33	1
Michael Jackson	WR	1	9	0
Tim Duncan	PK	1	4	1
Totals		78	832	8

Other Rookie Tidbits

In the second half against Louisville, the trio of Curtis Fagan, Damian Mackey and Antwone Savage combined for 10 catches for 167 yards and two touchdowns.

During the 17-point, 231-yard first half against Texas, rookies Savage, Fagan, Mackey and Trent Smith accounted for 96 yards and one touchdown. Savage ended the game with an OU freshman receiving record with six catches overall, while becoming the first Sooner to reach the century mark in receiving yards this season.

The last time OU had a receiver record 100 or more yards in a single game was Stephen Alexander vs. Texas Tech in 1997.

The most catches in a single season by an OU first-year player was 26 by Eddie Hinton in 1966 (his sophomore season since freshmen were not eligible at that time).

The Best Freshman Receivers

As previously mentioned, true-freshman Antwone Savage and redshirt-fresmen Damian Mackey, Curtis Fagan and Trent Smith are making strong bids to become the top freshmen receivers in OU history. Here's a look at the top freshmen heading into this contest:

Player (Season)	No.	Yds	TD
1. Derrick Shepard ('83)	19	314	2
2. Jim Owens ('46)	19	262	3
3. P.J. Mills ('92)	18	296	1
4. Antwone Savage ('99)	17	258	1
De'Mond Parker ('96)	17	188	0
Tinker Owens ('72)	17	298	1
7. Damian Mackey ('99)	15	133	2

The Best In Freshmen Tight Ends

Here is the short list for the same category as the above but for Sooner tight ends:

Player (Season)	No.	Yds	TD
1. Jim Owens ('46)	19	262	3
2. Keith Jackson ('84)	15	223	3
3. Trent Smith ('99)	11	107	1

Spreading The Wealth

After back-to-back weekends with 13 different Sooners catching at least one pass in a game, eight players hauled in a pass against Louisville and Notre Dame, and 11 recorded a reception versus Texas. So far this season, nine receivers, four running backs, three tight ends and one kicker have caught passes.

Not only does Josh Heupel spread his passes around, but the Sooner receivers have made the most of their opportunities with 868 yards after the catch (YAC) this season. Here is a list of the OU receivers and the yards they've earned this year following the catch:

Player	Pos.	Rec.	YAC
Antwone Savage	WR	17	183
Brandon Daniels	WR	18	107
Josh Norman	RB	11	92
Damian Mackey	WR	15	76
Michael Thornton	RB	13	74
Curtis Fagan	WR	10	72
Jarrail Jackson	WR	18	67
Chris Hammons	TE	12	46
Trent Smith	TE	11	36
Matt Anderson	TE	8	32
Andre Woolfolk	WR	5	30
Seth Littrell	RB	5	18
Johnnie Balous	RB	2	17
Julius McMillan	WR	3	11
Michael Jackson	WR	1	5
Ryan Daniel	WR	1	1
Tim Duncan	PK	1	1

His Numbers Speak Volumes

With every game Sooner quarterback Josh Heupel moves further up the OU passing record list. With school single-game standards for passing yards (429), total offense (410) and touchdown passes (5) already in hand, Heupel has now begun his assault on season records.

Through five games, Heupel has set single-game school marks for completions (37), passing attempts (54), passing yards (429) and total offense (410). He also owns school marks for touchdown passes in a single game (5), back-to-back games (8), three games (13) and now season (18).

With 31 completions against Texas, Heupel broke his second single-season record at OU (TD passes came first) with 150 completions. Here are some other single-season lists that we'll need to keep track of this year as Josh does some climbing:

Attempts

Player (Season)	Att.
1. Garrick McGee ('94)	284
2. Cale Gundy ('93)	243
3. Cale Gundy ('92)	227
4. Josh Heupel ('99)	224

Completions

Player (Season)	Comp.
1. Josh Heupel ('99)	150
2. Garrick McGee ('94)	149
3. Cale Gundy ('93)	144
4. Cale Gundy ('92)	131

TD Passes

Player (Season)	TD
1. Josh Heupel ('99)	18
2. Cale Gundy ('93)	14
3. Claude Arnold ('50)	13

Completion Percentage

Player (Season)	Pct.
1. Josh Heupel ('99)	.670
2. Hugh McCullough ('38)	.642
3. Cale Gundy ('93)	.593
4. Monte Deere ('62)	.585
5. Eddie Crowder ('52)	.577

Passing Yardage

Player (Season)	Yards
1. Cale Gundy ('93)	2,096
2. Cale Gundy ('92)	1,914
3. Garrick McGee ('94)	1,909
4. Josh Heupel ('99)	1,669

Total Offense

Player (Season)	Yards
1. Cale Gundy ('93)	2,291
2. Jack Mildren ('71)	2,018
3. Garrick McGee ('94)	2,014
4. Cale Gundy ('92)	1,888
5. Steve Davis ('73)	1,821
24. Josh Heupel ('99)	1,614

First-Year Signal Callers

Because of OU's history as a running program, passing quarterbacks have found recent success moving quickly up any passing charts in the record books.

There are very few first-year quarterbacks listed throughout the OU record section under passing, however at his current pace, it won't take Josh Heupel long to move past those who are there.

The following is a list of the best seasons compiled by first-year quarterbacks at OU:

Attempts

Player (Season)	Class	Att.
1. Garrick McGee ('94)	Jr.	284
2. Josh Heupel ('99)	Jr.	224

Completions

Player (Season)	Class	Comp.
1. Josh Heupel ('99)	Jr.	150
2. Garrick McGee ('94)	Jr.	149

TD Passes

Player (Season)	Class	TD
1. Josh Heupel ('99)	Jr.	18
2. Justin Fuente ('95)	Fr.	8

Passing Yards

Player (Season)	Class	Yards
1. Garrick McGee ('94)	Jr.	1,909
2. Josh Heupel ('99)	Jr.	1,669

Total Offense

Player (Season)	Class	Yards
1. Garrick McGee ('94)	Jr.	2,014
2. Steve Davis ('73)	So.	1,821
3. Josh Heupel ('99)	Jr.	1,614

Standing With The Best Of Them

In five short weeks, Josh Heupel has taken the college football world by storm and currently ranks in the top 10 nationally in total offense, passing efficiency and touchdown passes.

Here is where Josh stands heading into this contest:

Passing Efficiency Leaders

	G	Att.	Comp.	Yds	TD	Points
1. Joe Hamilton (Georgia Tech)	6	151	102	1671	14	185.8
2. Chad Pennington (Marshall)	6	214	138	1962	17	161.2
3. Jarious Jackson (Notre Dame)	7	174	108	1659	10	153.1
4. Tim Lester (Western Michigan)	7	256	149	2153	23	153.0
5. Bill Volek (Fresno State)	7	203	134	1474	17	151.7
6. Chris Weinke (Florida State)	7	224	137	1981	15	150.4
7. Kevin Feterik (BYU)	6	247	158	2028	17	149.2
8. Josh Heupel (Oklahoma)	5	224	150	1669	18	148.9
9. Keith Smith (Arizona)	7	96	61	859	4	148.3
10. Dusty Bonner (Kentucky)	7	288	196	2152	17	146.1

Total Offense Leaders

	G	Plays	Yds	Ydspg
1. Patrick Ramsey (Tulane)	6	325	2151	358.50
2. Joe Hamilton (Georgia Tech)	6	237	2051	341.83
3. Drew Brees (Purdue)	7	346	2367	338.14
4. Chad Pennington (Marshall)	6	236	1971	328.50
5. Kevin Feterik (BYU)	6	290	1970	328.33
6. Josh Heupel (Oklahoma)	5	241	1614	322.80

Touchdown Passes
(Among Passing Eff. Leaders)

	G	TD	Avg.
1. Chris Redman (Louisville)	7	20	2.8
2. Josh Heupel (Oklahoma)	5	18	3.6
Doug Johnson (Florida)	7	18	2.6
4. Chad Pennington (Marshall)	6	17	2.8
Dusty Bonner (Kentucky)	7	17	2.4

Other Notes By Josh

Heupel joins former Colorado quarterback Koy Detmer as the only Big 12 Conference quarterbacks to ever record more than 400-yards passing twice in a season. Detmer posted 400 or more yards three times during the 1996 season.

As far as Big 12 quarterbacks and the number of 300-yard passing games in their careers, Heupel is currently tied for second with four. Major Applewhite (Texas) leads the way with five, while Heupel and Koy Detmer (Colorado) stand one behind with four.

The Oklahoma school record for 300-yard passing games in a career is five, held by Cale Gundy (1990-93).

With 18 touchdown passes to his credit already, Heupel stands five behind Big 12 Conference record holder Michael Bishop of Kansas State (23 in 1998). The Oklahoma record for touchdown passes in a career is 35 by Cale Gundy.

Heupel needs just 331 yards to become just the second OU quarterback ever to pass for 2,000 yards in a season. He also needs only 427 yards to set the school mark for single-season passing yards which is 2,096 by Cale Gundy in 1993.

Plenty Of Return On This Investment

After having just one kickoff return as a team on the season coming into the Notre Dame game, OUs Brandon Daniels posted returns of 89, 43, 68, 22 and 7 yards. His 89-yard return for a touchdown stands as the fourth-longest kickoff return in school history.

The 229 yards in kickoff returns against Notre Dame smashed the old OU record of 133 by Stanley Wilson in 1982.

Daniels followed his performance against the Irish with kickoff returns of 39 and 38 yards versus the Longhorns. He currently has 322 yards in kickoff returns, the sixth-best single season total in school history. Here's his ranking against the best OU has ever offered in kick returns:

Single-Season Kickoff Return Yards

Player (Season)	Ret.	Yds	Avg.
1. Everette Marshall ('69)	18	386	21.4
2. Otis Taylor ('90)	15	366	24.4
3. Michael Thornton ('98)	12	342	28.5
4. Eddie Hinton ('66)	15	337	22.4
5. Greg Pruitt ('70)	16	325	20.3
6. Brandon Daniels ('99)	8	322	40.3
Chris Lewis ('97)	22	322	14.6

Single-Season Kickoff Return Average

Player (Season)	Ret.	Yds	Avg.
1. Brandon Daniels ('99)	8	322	40.3
2. Buster Rhymes ('80)	8	283	35.5
3. Lance Rentzel ('63)	7	218	31.3
4. Michael Thornton ('98)	12	342	28.5
5. Stanley Wilson ('79)	7	192	27.4
6. Travian Smith ('97)	6	162	27.0
7. Larry Grigg ('53)	8	215	26.8

Career Kickoff Return Yards

Player	Ret.	Yds	Avg.
1. Buster Rhymes	46	1,037	22.5
2. Eddie Hinton	41	845	20.6
3. Joe Washington	39	728	18.7
4. P.J. Mills	38	718	19.0
5. Otis Taylor	31	690	21.2
6. Jack Mitchell	29	665	22.9
7. Brandon Daniels	25	601	24.1

Career Kickoff Return Average

Player	Ret.	Yds	Avg.
1. Lance Rentzel	16	415	25.9
2. Brandon Daniels	25	601	24.1
3. Jack Mitchell	29	665	22.9
4. Buster Rhymes	46	1,037	22.5
5. Otis Taylor	31	690	21.2

As previously noted, Daniels' kickoff return for a touchdown against Notre Dame was one of the longest in school history. It was also the first kickoff return by a Sooner since Eric Bross ran back an on-side kick (42 yards) against Iowa State in 1989. Here are the OU kickoff returns longer than Daniels':

Player (Year)	Opp.	Yds
Buster Rhymes (1980)	Kansas St.	100
Jerome Ledbetter (1980)	Colorado	100
Jerome Ledbetter (1980)	Oklahoma St.	95

Defensive Highs And Lows

Under the guidance of Mike Stoops and Brent Venables, the '99 Sooner defense has been making slow progress toward becoming a force.

With a new scheme in place, OU has shown true signs of being one of the best defensive units in the nation. However this unit has also showed growing pains. Here's a breakdown of some defensive highs and lows so far this season.

The Highs:

Against the run-happy, wishbone-option Sycamores of Indiana State, OU held ISU to just 195 yards of offense overall. Of the 195 yards, the Sooners allowed just 45 in the second half.

One week later, Baylor recorded 202 yards of total offense, but 83 of those came on the Bears' fourth quarter scoring drive.

The OU defenders allowed the BU offense minus three yards (on just six plays) during the third quarter.

After allowing Louisville 249 yards of total offense in the first half, the Sooners' defense held the Cardinals to 137 yards in the second half, including 78 on their second drive of the third quarter.

Through five games, OU's opponents have run 391 plays and 141 of those (36.1%) have resulted in zero or minus yardage.

The Sooner defense has recorded minus yardage 47 times this season, including eight times against Texas more than a week ago.

Of the 391 plays run against OU this season, only 57 have been for 10 or more yards, however 31 were produced the last two games by Notre Dame and Texas.

The Sooners have allowed just 10 points (one TD and one FG) in the first quarter through five games. A year ago, OU allowed 53 points (4.8 ppg) in the opening quarter throughout the season.

The Sooner defense has allowed its first five opponents just 47 points (four TDs and six FGs) in the first five games of this season.

The Lows:
Notre Dame collected 20 points (three TDs) and 14 first downs (of 26) in the second half. The 98-yard TD drive Notre Dame produced in the fourth quarter just about equaled the total yardage that OU had allowed (151) in the first three outings this season.

The 566 yards of total offense allowed by OU against Notre Dame marked the first time the Sooners have allowed over 500 yards to an opponent since 1997 when Nebraska rolled up 552 yards in a 69-7 beating of the Sooners in Norman.

The 553 yards compiled by Texas was the most ever allowed by OU in the series. It also represented the first time that a Sooner defense has allowed more than 500 yards of total offense in back-to-back games.

The fumble recovery by Mike Woods with less than five minutes to play against Texas was the first forced turnover by the OU defense in almost eight quarters.

Charting The Red Zone

After hitting paydirt about 75 percent of the time but scoring just 10 touchdowns a year ago, the Sooners have shown a vast improvement to those numbers this season.

Here is the complete breakdown for the '99 season:

	OU	Opp.
Possessions	23	16
Touchdowns	17	8
Field Goals	3	4
Success Rate	.869	.750
Missed FG	0	3
Turnovers	3	0
Lost On Downs	0	1

The Long Distance Call

Oklahoma's offense has generated its share of big plays this season, especially from the passing attack. In the first five games of this season, OU has recorded 20 plays of 25 yards or more from the running game, passing game and special teams.

At the same time, the Sooner defense has allowed just 17 plays from scrimmage of 25 yards or longer.

Sooner Long Plays

Opp.	Rush	Pass	Ret.	Total
ISU	0	1	0	1
Baylor	2	1	1	4
UL	0	4	0	4
ND	0	1	3	4
Texas	0	5	2	7
Totals	2	12	6	20

Opponent Long Plays

Team	Rush	Pass	Ret.	Total
ISU	0	0	1	1
Baylor	0	1	0	1
UL	0	2	1	3
ND	2	1	0	3
Texas	3	5	1	9
Totals	5	9	3	17

Quick Scoring Sooners

Oklahoma has shown its ability to strike quickly this season. Of the 28 scoring drives through the first five games, 18 have been six plays or less. Of those 18, five were drives of three plays or less, and that doesn't count the kickoff return by Brandon Daniels against Notre Dame.

	Scoring	Total		Long	Short
Game	Drives	Time	Avg.	Drive	Drive
ISU	7	18:01	2:53	11	1
Baylor	7	21:15	3:02	14	2
UL	6	13:48	2:24	7	4
ND	3	8:03	3:07	9	2
Texas	5	12:23	2:03	10	2
Totals	28	73.30	2:57	7	1

An Offensive Record Pace

Much has already been mentioned about the Sooners' offense this season, however there are several more team records that the '99 Sooners are on track to break. Categories in bold should be broken this Saturday.

	Current
	Record	'99 Total
Pass Completions	158 ('92)	153
Completions P/G	14.3 ('92)	30.6
Passing Yards	2,214 ('92)	2,175
Passing Yards P/G	201.3 ('92)	336.4
Completion Pct.	58.4 ('93)	66.5
Total Yards	6,232 ('71)	2,175
Points Per Game	44.9 ('71)	38.0
Punting Average	43.0 ('82)	40.8
Kickoff Return Avg.	33.2 ('80)	27.8

Oklahoma Memorial Stadium

Despite the fact that the Sooners enter this contest with just 10 wins in their last 25 home games, Memorial Stadium has traditionally been one of the toughest places to play in college football.

Since Memorial Stadium opened in 1925, the Sooners have built a 285-78-15 record (.760). During that time, Oklahoma has posted undefeated home seasons 28 times, the last coming in 1987.

Since 1970, the Sooners have built a 80-25-1 home record against conference opponents. Since the Big 12 Conference began in 1995, OU is 4-9 in Norman versus league members. The four Sooner wins at home have come against Baylor (1999 & 1997), Iowa State (1998) and Texas Tech (1998).

Showing Their Support

There is no question that Sooner fans believe in their program. With this game already announced as a sellout, OU has three straight sellouts in a single season for the first time since 1987.

As for the Missouri and Oklahoma State games left on the Sooner home slate, OSU is already sold out, but there are about 1,000 tickets remaining for the Missouri game and expected to move fast.

Last season, the Sooners recorded the highest percentage of capacity in the 90s (97.4%) with the help of two sellouts. Currently, OU stands at 102.7 percent of capacity following the first two games this year.

Here's a look at the average attendance (percentage of capacity) for OU since 1990:

1990	70,778 (94.4%)
1991	69,066 (92.1%)
1992	66,250 (88.6%)
1993	65,250 (86.7%)
1994	62,648 (83.5%)
1995	70,969 (94.6%)
1996	68,225 (90.9%)
1997	69,616 (96.1%)
1998	70,777 (97.4%)
1999	74,214 (102.7%)

Play As A Team, Rank As A Team

Much like some of the Sooner individuals, OU has been standing near the top of several national statistical categories. Oklahoma currently stands six in passing offense and eighth in scoring. OU and Louisville are the only teams ranked inside the top 10 in both categories. Here's a look at the Top teams in each of these categories:

Scoring Leaders

	G	Pts	Avg.
1. Virginia Tech	6	260	43.3
2. Louisville	7	300	42.9
3. Georgia Tech	6	243	40.5
4. Florida State	7	281	40.1
5. Kansas State	6	240	40.0
6. Florida	7	276	39.4
7. Nebraska	6	234	39.0
8. Oklahoma	5	190	38.0
9. Texas	7	262	37.4
10. Arkansas	6	224	37.3

Passing Offense Leaders

	G	Att	Cmp	Yds	Ydspg
1. Tulane	6	314	191	2182	363.7
2. Purdue	7	330	196	2399	342.7
3. BYU	6	250	159	2042	340.3
4. Marshall	6	226	145	2022	337.0
5. Louisiana Tech	6	282	183	2021	336.8
6. Oklahoma	5	230	153	1682	336.4
7. Louisville	7	323	216	2354	336.3
8. Hawaii	6	271	145	2001	333.5
9. Oregon State	6	251	128	1964	327.3
10. Stanford	6	209	117	1940	323.3

Sooners On The Web

Up-to-date information on the Sooner football team is available 24 hours a day on the Internet at www.SoonerSports.com. This site is one of the most advanced in college sports and will feature day-to-day updates on Sooner athletics including audio and video clips of OU football. The schedule of recorded interviews, which will be posted by 3 p.m. each day, for the season ahead are:

Monday	Mike Leach
Tuesday	Replay from Coach Stoops' Tuesday Luncheon
Wednesday	Mike Stoops or Brent Venables
Thursday	Selected Players
Friday	Selected Players
Saturday	Postgame Comments

The Final Word

...With 153 completions through five games, the Sooners have already surpassed the season completion total from 43 of the past 46 years
...The 153 completions are also more than the Sooners completed in each of their national championship seasons
...Combined, OU completed a total of 205 passes in its national championship seasons
...Oklahoma scored 184 points in 11 games last year and already has 190 this season
...The 190 points scored by OU through the first five games this season are the most since the Sooners recorded 200 points in the first five games of the 1990 season
...Every single Sooner who has caught a pass this season has recorded a career high for season receptions
...Oklahoma has 117 rushing plays to its credit (23.4 rpg). At this pace, OU would record 257 rushing plays on the year, the lowest total in the last 46 years of record keeping. The lowest in that span of years was 447 in 1966
...With more than 100 penalties in each of the previous two seasons, the Sooners have certainly cut down on yellow flags. Through five games, OU has just 36 penalties (7.1 avg.) including the 13 OU had against Texas
...That total doesn't even come close to the 10.4 penalty average from a year ago
...Brandon Daniels finds himself nationally ranked in two major categories this week
...Daniels ranks first in kickoff returns with an average of 40.2 and 16th among all-purpose runners with an average of 141.0
...Jarrail Jackson now has 105 punt returns and 993 return yards for his career
...He's the only OU player to ever top the century mark in punt returns
...With seven more yards, Jackson will become the only Sooner to top 1,000 yards in punt return yardage as well
....Placekicker Tim Duncan is the only Big 12 kicker who hasn't missed a field goal attempt this season, while his 24-of-24 effort on PATs stands second to A&M's Terrance Kitchens
...Giving credit to the Sooners offensive line, OU has thrown 230 times this season and currently stand second in the Big 12 for the number of sacks allowed with eight
...Only Iowa State has allowed fewer quarterback sacks (4)
...OU center Matt O'Neal has yet to give up a sack in his one and a half season (16 games) as a Sooner
...Oklahoma has scored at least 28 points in all five games this season
...In it's history, OU is 269-8 when scoring at least 28 points in a game, including the two losses this year
...As previously noted, OU gained only 15 yards rushing against Texas two weeks ago
...In its history, the Sooners have failed to rush for 100 or more yards in a game only 35 times, posting a 2-30-3 record in those contests
...The last time OU won a game when it didn't gain 100 yards was at Missouri in 1995 (93 total yards rushing that day)
...Sooners Jarrail Jackson, Antwone Savage, Damian Mackey, Michael Thornton and Josh Norman have recorded at least one catch in each game this season
...Jackson has caught a touchdown pass in each of the last three games and has five this season, one off the school record set by Eddie Hinton in 1968
...Jackson has a total of six TD receptions for his career, ranking him 12th on the all-time career list
...Sophomore punter Jeff Ferguson is having a career season with a 40.8 average (4th in the Big 12), nine downed inside the 20 and just four returned
...While many have discussed OU's lack of rushing yards this season, running back Michael Thornton currently leads the team in rushing attempts (65) and yards rushing (370), both of which are not the lowest by a Sooner leading rusher
...Jerald Moore paced OU in 1994 with only 129 carries for 659 yards
...The lowest number of carries ever by a Sooner leading rusher is 67 by Billy Vessels in 1952
...The lowest number of rushing yards by a Sooner leading rusher for a season is 344 by Larry Brown in 1965
...The Sooners currently have nine players with 10 or more receptions this season, a first in OU football history
... OU in Quarterback Nate Hybl who transferred to OU from Georgia at the beginning of the school year, played as a member of the Sooner golf team at the Taylor Made Red River Classic in Dallas last week
...Despite not playing for more than three months, Hybl posted rounds of 78-73-77 and finished 84th overall
...Speaking of OU golf, Hunter Haas will be honored during the OU-A&M game this weekend
...Haas proved himself to be one of the top amateur golfers in the U.S. this past summer when he won the Porter Cup, the U.S. Public Links Championship, was a semi-finalist in the U.S. Amateur at Pebble Beach and was a member of the U.S. Walker Cup Team in September. His win at the Public Links secured him a spot as an amateur in the Masters in April.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

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