University of Oklahoma Athletics

Heupel And No. 14 Oklahoma Face Kansas In Big 12 Opener

September 28, 2000 | Football

By: Athletics Communications

Sept. 28, 2000

NORMAN, Okla. (AP) - Josh Heupel leads Oklahoma in a matchup with Kansas as the teams open Big 12 play at Memorial Stadium on Saturday.

Heupel completed 27 of 35 passes to 10 different receivers, and the 14th-ranked Sooners offense racked up 532 yards in a 42-14 win over Rice on Saturday.

Heupel threw his 36th career TD pass in the contest, putting him ahead of Cale Gundy to become Oklahoma's career touchdown passing leader. Gundy had 35 touchdown passes in 40 games from 1990 to 1993.

With a solid ground game and having completed passes to 13 different receivers this season, Heupel continues to keep opposing defenses guessing. He has completed 67 percent (69-for-103) of his passes for 899 yards and seven touchdowns.

Quenton Griffin had 117 yards and three touchdowns on just 14 carries Saturday, stepping up to give the Oklahoma (3-0) another solid option on the ground.

Renaldo Works had seen most of the playing time at running back, leading the team with 254 yards and four touchdowns. But Works was used mostly late in the game Saturday, finishing with 51 yards on 13 carries.

Kansas (2-1) is coming off a 42-0 win over Southern Illinois on Saturday. Dylen Smith overcame some early missed connections and threw three touchdown passes, and the Kansas defense recorded four takeaways.

Smith finished with 112 yards on 8-for-17 passing. He threw an 11-yard TD pass in the third quarter to David Winbush, who ran for 75 yards and another touchdown for the Jayhawks.

Kansas, which has struggled on offense at times this season, had 330 total yards.

"It takes a while for us to start clicking, but once we do I think we have the best offense in the league," Smith said. "We still have a lot of things to work on, but when everybody starts clicking, I think we'll be exciting to watch."

The Jayhawks' pass defense has improved dramatically this season. After allowing a league-worst 233.4 yards per game in the air last year, Kansas is yielding an average of just 84 yards so far.

Oklahoma leads the all-time series, 62-27-2.

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