Oklahoma vs. Air Force Game Notes

Aug. 29, 2001

Into The Wild Blue Yonder
Oklahoma plays its first road game of the 2001 season when it travels to Air Force. This is the first non-conference road game for OU since Oct. 2, 1999 at Notre Dame. The Sooners won't play another true road game (excluding the OU-Texas clash at Dallas) until an Oct. 13 date at Kansas. This game represents the season opener for the homestanding Falcons and will be televised by ABC. Brent Musburger, Gary Danielson and Jack Arute will announce.

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 21-5, which includes a 0-0 ledger against Air Force (a more in-depth look at Stoops can be found inside). Stoops is 8-4 in games played away from Norman (including neutral fields) and 6-3 in road games. Air Force's Fisher DeBerry (Wofford '60) is 135-72-1 in his 18th season at Air Force. He is 0-0 vs. Oklahoma.

The Sooners So Far
Oklahoma opened defense of its 2000 national championship last Saturday with a 41-27 victory over North Carolina in the Second Annual Hispanic College Fund Football Classic at Norman. OU reeled off 31 first-quarter points and concluded its scoring with 6:10 remaining in the first half. A more detailed review of the game can be found later in this release.

The Polls
Oklahoma is ranked No. 3 in both the Associated Press and ESPN/USA Today polls. Air Force, 9-3 with a bowl win last season, is unranked.

Tickets
The game is a sellout. OU was able to secure an allotment of 7,000 tickets for this game and quickly sold all of those. Some 15,000 Sooner fans made application.

Quickly
OU owns the nation's longest current winning streak at 14, the best by the Sooners since a string of 20 between 1986 and 1987, and has won its last seven games away from Norman.

Next Home Game
Oklahoma's next home game is Sept. 8 when the Sooners host North Texas. That game, like all of the OU home games this season, is sold out.

Record-setting Streak Teams Set for Return
Members of the University of Oklahoma's 47-game football winning streak teams from 1953-1957 have been invited back to campus for a reunion and celebration of their legendary feat. The event will take place the weekend of Sept. 14-15, culminating in a recognition ceremony at halftime of the OU-Tulsa game on Sept. 15.

The Series
This is the first meeting between these two teams. Air Force plays in the three-year-old Mountain West Conference and this will mark Oklahoma's first game against that league. The Sooners are a collective 6-2 against teams currently holding membership in the Mountain West. In Fisher DeBerry's 19 years at Air Force, this marks just the third game against a team that is listed among the Big 12's membership.

Oklahoma and the Service Academies
Oklahoma owns a combined record of 2-2 against service academies. The Sooners are 2-1 against Army and are 0-1 against Navy. OU hasn't played one of the nation's service academies since that 1965 game against the Midshipmen.

About the Opponent

Air Force coach Fisher DeBerry ranks No. 8 for victories among active I-A coaches (135) and ranks No. 3 among the active coaches in longest tenure at one school (18).

Air Force was 9-3 last season and capped the campaign with a victory over Fresno State in the Silicon Valley Bowl.

This Air Force team returns just seven starters, but the same was true with last year's Falcon club.

Senior Keith Boyea was tabbed for the all-important quarterback job in Air Force's option offense on Aug. 26. Last season, he rushed three times for 23 yards and completed 11-of-18 passes for 131 yards with one touchdown and one interception.

Three Falcons were named to the preseason All-Mountain West team -- wide receiver Ryan Fleming, offensive lineman Ben Miller and defensive lineman Justin Pendry.

Oklahoma/Air Force Ties
Air Force's second-team quarterback, Bryan Blew, is from Edmond, Okla., and attended Edmond's North High School. Assistant coach Capt. Matt Newby also hails from Edmond. The Sooner roster includes linebacker Brandon Pryor (Denver) and cornerback/wide receiver Andre Woolfolk (Denver).

Something Must Give
Oklahoma has not allowed a team to rush for 300 or more yards in 39 consecutive games. Option-oriented Air Force rushed for 300 or more yards four times in 12 games last season.

OU's Most Recent Game
Here's a quick review of the Sooners' most recent outing, a 41-27 victory over North Carolina, last Saturday ...

Oklahoma scored five touchdowns, two by the offense, two by the defense and one by the special teams (kickoff return).

OU jumped to a 41-7 lead before North Carolina scored the game's last 20 points.

LB Rocky Calmus had 13 tackles (10 solo), one sack and two fumble recoveries, including one that he returned 14 yards for a touchdown.

RB Quentin Griffin accounted for 226 all purpose yards with 16 rushes for 68 yards and one touchdown and seven receptions for 48 yards.

Oklahoma's 31 first-quarter points were the most in a single quarter under Bob Stoops. The 41-point first-half outburst was eight points shy of the school record.

North Carolina had 290 yards to Oklahoma's 286.

Calmus is Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week
Oklahoma linebacker Rocky Calmus is the Big 12 Conference's Defensive Player of the Week for his efforts in the Sooners' 41-27 victory over North Carolina. The senior logged 13 tackles, including nine that were unassisted, one sack for an eight-yard loss and anbd one tackle, one stop for a one-yard loss and one QB hurry.

In addition, he recovered two fumbles, one of which he returned 14 yards for the second touchdown of his career.

Calmus was one of three finalists for the 2000 Butkus Award, which is presented annually to college football's top linebacker.

Many Happy Returns
In its season opener, Oklahoma returned a kickoff (88 yards by Antwone Savage), a fumble (14 yards by Rocky Calmus) and an interception (47 yards by Derrick Strait) for a touchdown. Savage's kickoff return was the sixth touchdown scored by the special teams over the last three seasons. The returns by Calmus and Strait also accounted for the second defensive touchdown of each of their respective careers. Calmus' previous score came on an interception return vs. Texas in 2000.

Unconventional Scoring
Oklahoma has gotten at least one touchdown from a unit other than the offense in 10 of Bob Stoops' 26 games with the Sooners.

Against the Non-Cons
Including the win over Florida State in the most recent FedEx Orange Bowl, Oklahoma has won five consecutive games against non-conference opponents. The Sooners also have won five 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, 5-4 against non-league team on the road.

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 14 of the last 15 games dating back to 1999.

During those 15 games, OU has recorded 24 interceptions and 125 pass deflections.

The Sooner defense hasn't allowed a team to gain 300 or more yards rushing since Nebraska did so in 1997 (39 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 24 of the last 26 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.

Convincing Cushions
Under Bob Stoops, Oklahoma has had a double-digit lead in all but four of its 26 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 1997.

Oklahoma has won 14 consecutive games, the longest winning streak in the nation, and has prevailed in each of its last 14 home games, as well.

The Sooners are 12-0 at Memorial Stadium under Bob Stoops.

Griffin a Great Catch
Quentin Griffin had seven receptions in the opener to set a record for career catches by an OU running back. The previous mark of 60 was held by James Allen (1993-96). Griffin's 48 receiving yards also moved him into the all-time lead for a Sooner back with 361.

Woolfolk A Two-Way Oddity
Andre Woolfolk started at both receiver and cornerback in the season opener. 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.

Ferguson Returns to Friendly Skies
When Jeff Ferguson goes to Air Force he'll return to Colorado. The last time he was there (at CU during the 1999 season) he unleashed the best single-game average of his career at 50.2 and his career long boot of 73 yards against the Colorado Buffaloes.

Harris Start One for the Ages
Tommie Harris became the first true freshman interior defensive lineman to start for Oklahoma since 1987. That year, Marcus Lowe got a start against North Texas.

Calmus Eclipses 300
With 13 tackles in the opener., Rocky Calmus became only the 15th Sooner to reach 300 for a career. The UNC game represented the 13th double-digit tackle for the senior. His 44 tackles for loss already stand as a career school record for a linebacker, surpassing the 39 registered by Brian Bosworth. With three more TFL, Calmus would set a school record (all positions) in that category, exceeding the current mark of 46.5 Cedric Jones. When Calmus returns to the state of Colorado, he'll return to the site of his best tackle total -- he had 22 at CU in 1999.

Duncan Gets a Kick from Tackling
Placekicker Tim Duncan, a Groza Award candidate, was outstanding in the opener. He made all five of his PAT kicks, both field goal attempts (22 and 25 yards) and forced a fumble on kick coverage. The OU offense later converted that turnover into a touchdown. Duncan has scored 191 career points and is trying to become 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 26-of-39 field goals during his career (.649), has split the uprights on nine of his last 12 attempts. He also has made good on 64 of his last 65 PATs.

Savage Return Man
Antwone Savage's 88-yard kickoff return against North Carolina was the sixth-longest in school history and his 114 return yards (two returns) ranks No. 5 for a game at OU. He had just 193 yards all last season on KO returns.

Ferguson Goes For Forty ... Again
Jeff Ferguson could become only the second Sooner punter to average at least 40 yards in each of his four years (Michael Keeling 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. In the opener, he dropped four punts down inside the 20. He has now done that 53 times in 174 career punts.

Hybl Accurate
Junior Nate Hybl completed 20-of-29 passes in the opener. The 20 completions rated the third-highest total ever by an OU quarterback in a season opener. Josh Heupel completed 32 against Indiana State and Cale Gundy had 22 against Texas Tech. 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 82 career catches rank No. 6 at OU, while Fagan is tied for No. 7 at 74. 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. Fagan also has nine career TD grabs and needs five to set an OU record. The junior already owns or shares the game and season records.

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 19* games.

Quentin Griffin (RB) likewise has at least one catch in 19* straight games.

Curtis Fagan (WR) has at least one reception in each of the last 10 contests. *school record

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 Panter, receiver Josh Norman and offensive tackle Frank Romero are the team leaders in games played at 37. Panter's 37 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 Corey Heinecke at 18.

Roster Changes
Here are the number changes that have been made since the media guide was published. Teddy Lehman is No. 11 (was No. 54), Brandon Jones is No. 81 (was No. 5), Brett Rayl is No. 59 on offensive line (previously 97 on defensive line), Brian Hodges is No. 16 and a defensive back (was No. 18 duplicate and wide receiver), Adam Creath is No. 32 (previously No. 16), Jeremy Hess is No. 42 and a running back (was No. 85), Chris Toney is No. 49 (was No. 42), Quentin Morgan is now a WR (was a defensive back) and Chris Bush is No. 52 and and an offensive lineman (was No. 81 and a tight end).

University of Oklahoma Athletics

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