Oklahoma vs. North Carolina Game Notes

Aug. 22, 2001

Sooners Open 107th Season
Oklahoma's storied football program begins its 107th season of play when it hosts North Carolina. The Sooners not only begin a new season, but open defense of their 2000 national championship.

The Hispanic College Fund Football Classic
This is the Second Annual Hispanic College Fund Football Classic. The mission of the Hispanic College Fund (HCF) is to develop a new generation of educated Hispanic business leaders in America through scholarship. The Hispanic College Fund, Inc. is a private nonprofit organization founded in 1993 to develop the next generation of Hispanic business leaders in America by awarding scholarships to deserving Hispanic students. In last year's classic, Texas Tech defeated New Mexico at Lubbock, Tex., 24-3.

The Polls
Oklahoma holds the No. 3 spot in both the Associated Press and ESPN/USA Today polls. It's the first time since 1991 that the Sooners have appeared in AP's preseason top 10 and it's the highest preseason ranking in that poll since 1987 when OU began at No. 1.

Tickets
This game marks Oklahoma's 12th consecutive sellout (every game during head coach Bob Stoops' tenure). Oklahoma has sold more than 65,000 season tickets for this campaign and the Sooners are sold out for every home game for a third consecutive season. OU's attendance has increased every year since 1996.

Ceremonies/Festivities
The Sooner Fan Fest, or Fiesta in this case, is presented by Cox Communications and is open to all those attending the game from 1-6 p.m. It will feature live entertainment, music, interactive games, radio broadcasts and the world's largest piata (to be certified by Guiness), which will be filled with 300 pounds of candy courtesy of Lifesavers and constructed from paper donated by the Norman Transcript. Those festivities, most of which will have an Hispanic flavor, are slated for the tennis courts east of Memorial Stadium. On the field prior to the game, Hispanic College Fund ceremonies are planned. At halftime, Sooner greats Barry Switzer and Keith Jackson will be honored on the field for their selection to the College Football Hall of Fame.

Coaches Capsule
Oklahoma's Bob Stoops (Iowa ' 83), winner of seven national coach of the year citations last season, is in his third year at the Sooner helm. He owns a record of 20-5, which includes a 0-0 ledger against this visiting North Carolina program (a more in-depth look at Stoops can be found inside).

North Carolina's John Bunting (North Carolina '72) is in his first season. His head coaching mark of 38-14-2 was compiled during a stint at Division III Rowan (1988-92). He is 0-0 vs. Oklahoma. He spent the previous eight years as an assistant coach in the NFL.

The Series
Oklahoma leads it, 6-0, including a 3-0 mark in Norman ...

The last meeting between these two was Sept. 10, 1988 when OU (ranked No. 3 heading into that game, too) won at Chapel Hill, 28-0. That contest also marked Oklahoma's last regular season contest against a team from the Atlantic Coast Conference. The most recent OU/UNC game played in Norman took place in 1987. The Sooners won that one by an identical 28-0 count.

OU is 21-2 against the ACC and has played more games (six) against North Carolina than any other ACC foe.

Eleven of Oklahoma's games against the ACC have come in bowl action (OU is 9-2 in those tilts). The Sooners are 12-0 against the ACC in regular season contests.

Including the most recent Orange Bowl against Florida State, this marks OU's second consecutive game against an ACC representative.

The 1949 Sugar Bowl clash between these two teams rates as an Oklahoma classic. The fifth-ranked Sooners upended the third-ranked Tar Heels, 14-6, in the initial bowl outing for legendary OU coach Bud Wilkinson.

Four of OU's seven national title teams recorded a win over an ACC team.

For Openers
Oklahoma is 80-20-6 in season openers, including a 40-7-5 mark in Memorial Stadium. This is just the third night opener at the stadium. The Sooners have won 14 of their last 15 home openers (lone exception was 20-7 loss to TCU in 1996) and of those 14 victories, only two were decided by less than one touchdown -- 40-36 over Syracuse in 1997 and 17-11 over Texas Tech in 1994.

The 1955 and 1956 Sooner teams both won national championships and both opened the season against North Carolina.

All seven Sooner national championship teams won their season opener.

About the Opponent
North Carolina, 6-5 last season, including a 3-5 mark in the Atlantic Coast Conference, is under first-year coach John Bunting, a 1972 Carolina grad. UNC, which won its last three games last season, welcomes back 15 starters (six on offense, six on defense and three specialists) among its 46 returning lettermen. The Tar Heels open with three consecutive road games -- at OU, at Maryland (ACC opener) and at Texas before finally hosting SMU on Sept. 15.

Sooner/Tar Heel Ties
UNC defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach Jon Tenuta was on the OU staff in 1995 while linebackers coach and special teams coordinator Dave Huxtable was on the Oklahoma State staff last season. OU head coach Bob Stoops and North Carolina defensive tackles coach Ron Broadway coached together on Florida's staff from 1996-98.

Streaks

Oklahoma has won 13 consecutive games, the longest winning streak in the nation, and has prevailed in each of its last 13 home games, as well.

The Sooners are 11-0 at Memorial Stadium under Bob Stoops. By the way, that 13-game home winning streak is the longest since a 19-game stretch from 1985-88.

Against the Non-Cons
Including the win over Florida State in the most recent FedEx Orange Bowl, Oklahoma has won four consecutive games against non-conference opponents. The Sooners also have won four straight non-league games at home dating back to a 13-12 loss to California on Sept. 19, 1998. Over the last 10 seasons, OU is 18-3 against non-conference foes in Memorial Stadium.

Sooners in Denial
Oklahoma's defense has denied opposing offenses at nearly every turn in recent games ...

The OU defense has at least one interception in 13 of the last 14 games dating back to 1999.

During those 13 games, OU has recorded 23 interceptions and 113 pass deflections.

Oklahoma's 23 interceptions ranked No. 5 nationally last season as did the 39 gained turnovers gained.

The Sooner defense hasn't allowed a team to gain 300 ore more yards rushing since Nebraska did so in 1997 (38 straight games).

The defense hasn't allowed a team to gain 200 or more yards rushing in 21 straight games.

OU's defenders have forced at least one turnover in 23 of the last 25 games, including the last 15 in a row.

In the 25 games under this coaching staff, Oklahoma's opponents have scored 14 or more points just nine times.

An Offense of Many Weapons

Oklahoma returns five receivers who accounted for 184 catches, 2,482 yards and 17 TDs. OU is the only school in the nation to have six players with 20 or more catches the last two seasons.

During Bob Stoops' tenure, an average of 13 different Sooners have had at least one reception in each game.

Over Stoops' 25 games, OU has registered 121 plays of 25 yards or longer. Seventy-three of those came through the air.

Over the past two seasons, the Sooner offense has had 61 scoring drives that last two minutes or less.

OU has more 1st quarter points (247) than any other Big 12 team over the last two seasons.

The running game features All-Big 12 pick Quentin Griffin and former freshman all-American Renaldo Works, who combined for 1,160 yards and 21 touchdowns last season.

Oklahoma receivers last season rushed 27 times for 261 yards and three touchdowns, while Griffin ranked second on the team in receptions with 45.

OU's 32 rushing touchdowns last season ranked No. 7 in the country and represented a jump of 14 rushing scores over the 1999 campaign.

Convincing Cushions
Under Bob Stoops, Oklahoma has had a double-digit lead in all but four of its 25 games (Colorado, Texas Tech and Mississippi in 1999, and Texas A&M in 2000).

Stadium Project
As part of the University of Oklahoma's $100 million Great Expectations: The Campaign for Sooner Sports, Memorial Stadium will be going through an upgrade, which is expected to begin after this season. The $65 million stadium project will renovate all facility structures and amenities, replace current seating, and add new seating - including 2,200 club seats and 27 sky suites - to bring capacity to more than 80,000. Brick and cast stone will be added to the stadium's exterior walls, giving the stadium a level of beauty in keeping with surrounding historic campus buildings. Renovations to the stadium are expected to start just after the 2001 football season and be complete in time for the 2003 season.

Sooner Summation

This marks just the second time in school history that Oklahoma has had a 12-game regular season slate. The other was in 1997 when the Sooners also played in a special opener -- the Pigskin Classic at Chicago.

While the upcoming stadium renovation will add much-needed seating to the Sooner home, tickets figure to remain in high demand. The waiting list for season tickets contains more than 4,000 names and the typical Sooner patron purchases approximately three tickets.

Hybl Gets Nod at Quarterback
Junior Nate Hybl was tabbed Oklahoma's starting quarterback on Aug. 16. In the three major scrimmages of the pre-season camp, Hybl connected on 65-of-92 (.707) passes for 550 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. OU head coach Bob Stoops said, "He had one interception through our entire camp and that includes passing drills and scrimmages. That's more than 600 attempts." Stoops also had praise for Jason White, the other main competitor for the position, "Jason has shown great qualities to also be a winning quarterback and starter," he said.

Nothing "Rocky" About This Career
Oklahoma linebacker Rocky Calmus is on the preseason "watch list" for both the Butkus and Nagurski Awards. His 42 tackles for loss already stand as a career school record, surpassing the 39 registered by Brian Bosworth. He needs just six tackles to become only the 15th Sooner to log 300 stops for a career.

Strait, Williams Worth A Watch
Oklahoma defensive backs Roy Williams and Derrick Strait have been named to the 2001 Jim Thorpe Award pre-season "watch list." The Jim Thorpe Award is presented annually to the best defensive back in college football by the Oklahoma City-based Jim Thorpe Association. Williams is on the Thorpe Award's Pre-Season Top 10 List. Strait batted down 16 aerials last season, the best total ever posted by an Oklahoma freshman.

Woolfolk A Two-Way Oddity
Andre Woolfolk may again draw time in OU's secondary and receiving corps. He worked in that two-way role last season. He is the first Sooner to play on both sides of the ball since Bud Hebert (A-bare) worked at both safety and split end in 1979.

Duncan Dominant in Final Scrimmage
Placekicker Tim Duncan, a Groza Award candidate, was solid through the entire preseason camp, but put on a particularly impressive show in the final scrimmage, Aug. 15 at Memorial Stadium, when he made 9-of-13 field goals. The four misses came from 52, 62 (twice) and 71 yards, while five of the makes covered 45 or more yards, including a long of 64. Duncan has scored 180 career points and is just 20 shy of becoming only the 15th Sooner to reach 200. His 98 points last season set a record for tallies by a kicker at Oklahoma. Duncan, who has made 24-of-37 field goals during his career (.649), has split the uprights on seven of his last 10 attempts.

Ferguson Goes For Forty ... Again
Jeff Ferguson is bidding to become only the second Sooner punter to average at least 40 yards in each of his four years of eligibility (Michael Keeling also accomplished the feat 1979-82). With a 42.5-yard career average, the senior is attempting to break a 60-year-old Oklahoma mark, Jack Jacobs' career punting standard of 42.3 yards, which was set from 1939-41.

Taking Our 'Q' From Griffin
Quentin Griffin rushed for 783 yards last season and figures to be one of the top runners in the Big 12 this season, but the junior has made quite a splash as a pass catcher, too. He needs just five receptions and 47 receiving yards to become the top receiving running back in Oklahoma history.

Fagan, Savage Climbing Receiving Chart
Curtis Fagan and Antwone Savage, both just juniors and just two of a deep and talented receiving corps, already figure prominently in Oklahoma receiving lore. Savage's 75 career catches rank No. 6 at OU, while Fagan is tied for No. 7 at 70. The statistic to watch? Never has Oklahoma featured two receivers with 100 career receptions on the same roster. That's not surprising considering just two Sooners (Eddie Hinton 114, Stephen Alexander 104) have eclipsed the century mark.

Catch These Streaks
Four Oklahoma pass catchers will attempt to extend impressive strings of at least one reception in consecutive games during the 2001 season ...

Antwone Savage (WR) has made at least one catch in each of his last 18* games.

Quentin Griffin (RB) likewise has at least one catch in 18* straight games.

Josh Norman (WR) has at least one catch in 14 consecutive games.

Curtis Fagan (WR) has at least one reception in each of the last nine contests. *school record

Defense Makes a Point(s)
Linebacker Rocky Calmus, cornerback Derrick Strait and safety Roy Williams took back three of the five interceptions the Sooners returned for touchdowns last season. Calmus covered 41 yards against Texas, Strait scampered 32 yards against Nebraska and Williams ran 35 yards against UTEP.

No Shot Put Here
Linebacker Teddy Lehman tips the scales at 225 pounds, but as a high school track and field athlete he was a heavily decorated sprinter, finishing second at the 2A state meet in 100 meters. He has been clocked at better than 4.4 in the 40. Similarly, Russell Dennison, a 220-pound freshman linebacker, was second in the 4A 100 meters at the Oklahoma state meet.

Been There, Done That
Linebacker Rocky Calmus, punter Jeff Ferguson, deep snapper Ben Painter, receiver Josh Norman and offensive tackle Frank Romero are the team leaders in games played at 36. Painter's 36 straight starts lead the squad. Of the regular position players, the longest consecutive starting strings belong to Romero, strong safety Roy Williams and defensive end Cory Heinecke at 17.

Hard to Single Out a Few
Seventeen Sooner returnees captured some sort of post-season honor for their work during the 2000 season.

Number Changes
Here are the number changes that have been made since the media guide was published. Teddy Lehman is now No. 11 (was No. 54), Brandon Jones is No. 81 (was No. 40).

University of Oklahoma Athletics

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