Oct. 10, 2002
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Oklahoma Sooners (5-0) vs. Texas Longhorns (5-0)
Saturday, Oct. 12, 2002 * 2:30 p.m. * Cotton Bowl * Dallas, Texas
Quickly: Oklahoma and Texas renew their storied rivalry in Dallas. The Gold Hat Trophy, presented to the winner on the field during post-game ceremonies, and the Governor's Trophy, hang in the balance. The game has been played in Dallas during the Texas State Fair every season since 1929. Dallas is practically equidistant between Norman and Austin. The Sooners must travel 189 miles, the Longhorns 196. Both teams come off narrow wins in their conference openers. Oklahoma won at Missouri, 31-24, while Texas held off Oklahoma State at Austin, 17-15. This marks the second year in a row that the teams have entered the game undefeated.
Series History: Texas holds a 55-36-5 lead, including a 43-32-4 advantage in games played at Dallas. Oklahoma has won the last two meetings and is shooting for three in a row in the series for the first time since 1986-88.
Last Meeting: Oklahoma prevailed last season, 14-3. QB Jason White came off the bench to lead the Sooners' to their lone offensive touchdown, which was scored in the second quarter by RB Quentin Griffin. Fittingly, the OU defense accounted for the other TD. SS Roy Williams' diving hit on Chris Simms forced an errant pass that was picked off by LB Teddy Lehman. Lehman stepped into the end zone from two yards out to ice the win. Williams then made the tackle on the ensuing kickoff and intercepted a pass on UT's first play from scrimmage. It was the last of four picks by Oklahoma. White hit 16-of-23 passes for 108 yards and no interceptions. He carried 12 times for 38 key yards.
Polls: Oklahoma is ranked No. 2 in the AP poll and No. 3 in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches poll. Texas is No. 3 in the AP poll and No. 2 in the coaches version.
On the Air: ABC is televising this game. The broadcasters are Brent Musburger, Gary Danielson and Jack Arute. ESPN GameDay also will be in attendance with Chris Fowler, Lee Corso and Kirk Herbstreit. In addition, the game is on radio via the Sooner Network. The broadcasters are Bob Barry, Sr., (play-by-play), Merv Johnson (color) and Mark Rodgers (sideline). The national radio broadcast will be on Westwood One with Chuck Cooperstein and Tom Walsh.
Tickets: The Red River Shootout is sold out for the 57th consecutive season.
The Coaches:
Bob Stoops (Iowa ' 83), is 36-7 in his fourth year at Oklahoma and overall. Stoops is 2-1 against Texas, 19-5 vs. the Big 12, 16-2 vs. non-conference foes, , 20-1 at home, 11-4 on the road, 5-2 on neutral fields and 2-1 in bowl games.
He is the only coach in Oklahoma history to lead his first three teams to bowl games. His .816 winning percentage after three seasons ranked No. 5 for the best head coaching start in NCAA history.
Mack Brown (Florida State '74) is 43-13 in his fifth season at Texas. He is 123-82 overall.
Oklahoma-Texas Ties
There are 43 Texans on the Oklahoma roster. Eleven Texans start for OU: five on offense, five on defense and the placekicker.
Two Oklahoma coaches, running backs coach Cale Gundy and defensive line coach Jackie Shipp, played in this rivalry when they wore the Sooner uniform.
OU assistant coach Bobby Jack Wright, a native of Mission, Texas, was on the Texas staff from 1986-97. He started as outside linebackers and secondary coach, before moving up to assistant head coach and defensive coordinator. He also had responsibilities with the wide receivers, linebackers and special teams during his tenure. Wright coached in five bowl games with the Longhorns.
OU receivers coach Darrell Wyatt is a native of Killeen, Texas.
Texas head coach Mack Brown was OU's offensive coordinator in 1984.
This and That On This Year's Game
Oklahoma is the home team this year and will wear the dark jerseys.
The Sooners are meeting a top five opponent for an amazing 75th time and have a record of 32-41-2 in the previous 74.
Both teams are undefeated at the time of the game for the 26th time in series history.
At least one of the teams is ranked at the time of the game for the 55th time in the 67 years since the AP poll began in 1936. Both teams are ranked for the 27th times. It's the ninth time that both teams have been ranked among the top five. This is the third time that both teams have been ranked among the top three.
These Sooners Against Texas
Career statistics accumulated by current OU players in the Red River Shootout ...
Mark Clayton (1 game): 6 catches, 65 yards
Dusty Dvoracek (1): 5 total tackles, 1 tackle for loss
Brandon Everage(2): 12 total tackles, 8 unassisted tackles
Curtis Fagan (3): 9 receptions, 69 yards
Quentin Griffin (2): 39 carries, 114 yards, 7 touchdowns, 8 receptions, 59 yards
Tommie Harris (1): 2 tackles, 1 tackle for loss
Nate Hybl (2): 5-11-0, 49 yards
Kory Klein (2):5 total tackles, 2 tackles for loss
Teddy Lehman (2): 12 total tackles, 1 interception (2 yds., TD), 2 passes broken up
Matt McCoy (2):3 total tackles
Antonio Perkins (1): 1 interception, 2 passes broken up
Antwone Savage (3): 11 receptions, 139 yards, 1 touchdown
Trent Smith (3): 5 receptions, 78 yards
Derrick Strait (2): 18 total tackles, 1 tackle for loss, 1 fumble forced, 1 pass broken up
Jimmy Wilkerson (2): 9 total tackles, 3 sacks (-13), 1 pass broken up
Andre Woolfolk (2): 2 receptions, 35 yards, 7 total tackles, 1 interception (39 yards)
Renaldo Works (2): 14 carries, 46 yards, 1 reception, 25 yards
OU Game Records Set Against Texas
Touchdowns: 6, Quentin Griffin, 2000
Rushing Touchdowns: 6, Quentin Griffin, 2000
Points:36, Quentin Griffin, 2000
Receiving Yards: 187, Corey Warren, 1992
Most Field Goals: 4 (tie), Mike Vachon, 1966
Tackles By A Lineman: 17, Dewey Selmon, 1974
South of the Border Success
The Sooners have won their last 12 contests against schools from the Lone Star state. Including the victory over Arkansas in the Cotton Bowl, OU has won the last six games it played inside Texas' borders.
Oklahoma's Most Recent Game
Oklahoma won at Missouri last Saturday, 31-24 ...
The Sooners led 23-7 after a 53-yard touchdown sprint by Quentin Griffin (longest rush of his career), but then trailed 24-23 before a successful faked field goal with 6:33 left. Holder Matt McCoy hit back-up TE Chris Chester on the 14-yard play as the latter got his first career catch and touchdown. It was the second career completion for McCoy who hit K Tim Duncan on a 10-yarder against Texas A&M in 2001. Both of McCoy's completions went for touchdowns.
Griffin rushed for 105 yards, the seventh 100-yard game of his career.
Nate Hybl completed 20-of-32 passes for 303 yards, the third 300-yard game of his career.
Will Peoples had six grabs for 107 yards, a career day in both categories.
Missouri QB Brad Smith rushed 26 times for 213 yards and two touchdowns. He also completed 19-of-39 passes for 178 yards and one TD. The freshman also threw three INT, one of which (by Brandon Everage) set up OU's game-winning TD.
OU had gone 37 games without allowing a team to rush for 200 yards before the Missouri contest. The Tigers piled up 271.
Curtis Fagan's 65-yard TD reception was the second-longest catch of his career. It was the longest play for OU this season and the longest allowed by Missouri.
Brandon Shelby had his first career interception.
Special Teams Superlatives
After scoring the game-winning touchdown at Missouri on a faked FG, here is a look at special teams notes from Bob Stoops' era as OU's head coach ...
There have been 12 special teams touchdowns, six in the last 18 regular season games. Those six came via four different plays -- two punt returns, two faked field goals, a kickoff return and a faked punt .
OU has returned four kickoffs and four punts for TDs during Stoops' tenure.
The Sooners have blocked 10 kicks.
OU's kickoff, kickoff return, punt and punt return units include seven players who also start on either offense or defense.
Here are the special teams touchdowns under during the Stoops era ...
Brandon Daniels 89-yard kickoff return at Notre Dame, 1999
K Tim Duncan 4-yard pass from Patrick Fletcher vs. Texas, 1999 (faked FG)
Jarrail Jackson 70-yard punt return vs. Missouri, 1999
J.T. Thatcher 81-yard punt return vs. Oklahoma State, 1999
J.T. Thatcher 66-yard punt return vs. Arkansas State, 2000
J.T. Thatcher 60-yard punt return vs. Baylor, 2000
Antwone Savage 88-yard kickoff return vs. North Carolina, 2001
Hunter Wall 33-yard pass from Antwone Savage vs. Kansas State, 2001 (faked punt)
K Tim Duncan 10-yard run vs. Texas A&M, 2001 (faked FG)
Antonio Perkins 91-yard punt return vs. Tulsa, 2002
Antonio Perkins 82-yard punt return vs. Texas-El Paso, 2002
Chris Chester 14-yard pass from holder Matt McCoy vs. Missouri, 2002 (faked FG)
Oklahoma in Dallas
Oklahoma is 34-43-4 all-time in Dallas and all but seven of those games were played in the Cotton Bowl stadium. All were against Texas with the exception of the 2002 SBC Cotton Bowl against Arkansas, which OU won, 10-3; a 1970 bout with SMU, which OU won, 28-11 and a 1909 game with Texas A&M, which the Aggies won, 14-8.
Under Bob Stoops, the Sooners are 3-1 in Dallas with victories in each of their last three trips to the Metroplex. Two of those wins came in the last two games against Texas and the third was against Arkansas in the most recent SBC Cotton Bowl.
Nate Playing Great
Including last year's Cotton Bowl, Nate Hybl has thrown 148 consecutive passes without an interception, including 116 this season.
The senior already has completed 10 passes this season that covered at least 30 yards. Hybl has played in 21 games at OU and has at least one 30-yard completion in 10 of those, including nine of the last 16. Hybl's 21.4-yards per completion figure against UTEP was the second-highest in school history. Garrick McGee posted a 23.0 (12 completions/276 yards) against Syracuse in 1994.
He ranks among the top five in OU history in passing yards, completions, attempts, and touchdown passes.
Hybl was the starter from day one last season, so it's not an exact comparison, but here is a look at his first five games in 2001 and the first four of 2002 ...
Comp. Att. Pct. Yards TD Int.
2001 73 148 .493 981 6 6
2002 69 116 .595 1,014 6 0
AP - All-American?
Antonio Perkins is off to the kind of start that inspires such talk ...
Has two punt returns for touchdowns this season -- a 91-yarder at Tulsa and an 82-yarder against South Florida. Needs one more return for a TD to equal the school record held by Merrill Green (1953) and Jack Mitchell (1946 and 1948).
Ranks No. 2 at OU in punt return yards in a game with 150 vs. USF. That number was just 10 yards shy of the mark set by J.T. Thatcher against Arkansas State in 2000.
Perkins is one of only two OU players to have two 100-yard punt return games in the same season. J.T. Thatcher did it in 2000.
Perkins is enjoying the fifth-best season in OU history in punt return yards with 330.
He has four returns of more than 20 yards. The 91-yarder for a touchdown at Tulsa tied for the third-longest punt return in school history, while the 82-yarder against USF stands at No. 8. He is the only Sooner with two returns among the top 10.
Perkins has two interceptions this season. Against UTEP, he returned a pick 50 yards for a touchdown. Against USF, he had a return of 28 yards that set up OU's offense, which later scored, at the Bulls' 45. In addition, he has one fumble recovery and one forced fumble.
End Zone a Popular Place
Through four games, 14 Sooners have scored a touchdown. Last season, in 12 games, 17 OU players crossed the goal line.
Have Eligibility, Will Play
A breakdown of the 70 players who have seen action for OU ...
Fr. Fr.-RS So. Jr. Sr.
Seen game action 13 12 19 15 11
Scored points 4 3 3 3 4
Opponents Not Getting The Point(s)
Oklahoma had shutouts in two of its first three games. That hadn't happened since the 1987 season when the Sooners blanked North Carolina (28-0) and Tulsa (65-0) in games two and three, respectively. OU hasn't had three shutouts in the same season since 1986 when it posted an five.
Shutout irony ... the only Bob Stoops-coached Oklahoma team did NOT log a shutout was the 2000 club that won the national championship. OU won the national title game by a 13-2 count over Florida State and held three other teams to single digits.
Since Stoops took over at OU, the Sooners have five shutouts. The opponents failed to score more than seven points in 15 of the 42 games (36% of the games).
Quent-Essential Information
Oklahoma running back Quentin Griffin has been over 100 rushing yards three times.
He has logged the three longest runs of his career this season.
Griffin is now No. 12 on the Big 12 Conference's all-time list for all purpose yardage with 3,383 yards. He needs another 129 to crack the top 10.
The senior is No. 4 on the league's career list for rushing touchdowns. While Ricky Williams' 64 are out of reach, it is realistic to expect that Griffin could climb as high as No. 3. At 32, he is two behind Missouri's Corby Jones (1996-98). Eric Crouch is second at 59.
He's the No. 9 receiver in Big 12 history with 125 catches.
Opposing Ball Carriers "Lanced"
Just five games into his Oklahoma career, junior college transfer Lance Mitchell is OU's leading tackler with 62. He's coming off a season-best 19 stops (13 solo) at Missouri. That total is No. 7 on OU's single game list and the sixth-best total ever by a Sooner linebacker.
Jones Among the Best for Early TDs
Redshirt freshman Kejuan Jones has seven touchdowns. He is No. 14 for most points scored by a freshman with 42. K Trey DiCarlo, a true freshman, is No. 16 with 35. The school record for points by a freshman belongs to kicker R.D. Lashar, who scored 89 in 1987. The mark for most points scored by a freshman non-kicker is held by RB Buddy Leake and Marcus DuPree with 78 in 1951 and 1987, respectively.
Numbers That Define a Defense
The OU defense has forced at least one turnover in 39 of the last 43 games and at least one interception in 28 of the last 31.
OU has scored a defensive touchdown in nine of the last 20 regular season games. Sooner opponents have completed 50% of their passes just 15 times in the 43 games coached by Bob Stoops. During that same span, OU foes have scored 14+ points just 15 times.
Streaks
Oklahoma has not allowed 300 yards rushing since Nebraska eclipsed that figure in 1997 (55 consecutive games).
RB Quentin Griffin has at least one reception in a school-record 32 straight games.
Griffin also has the longest string of consecutive starts on the team at 32. The next longest string belongs to CB Derrick Strait at 31.
OU has scored at least one touchdown in 44 consecutive games. During that same span, the Sooners held the opponent out of the end zone eight times.
OU has sold out its last 21 home games, every game of Bob Stoops' tenure.
5 and Oh
Oklahoma is 5-0 for the third year in a row and the 21st time in its history. The Sooners have succeeded 17 times at reaching 6-0.
Lots of Ways to Skin a Touchdown
Last year, Oklahoma found seven different routes to the end zone -- rushing, passing, kickoff return, interception return, fumble return, faked punt and faked field goal. Already this season, the Sooners have found six ... rushing (vs. Tulsa, Alabama, UTEP, Missouri), passing (vs. Tulsa, Alabama, UTEP, Missouri), punt return (vs. Tulsa), interception return (vs. UTEP), fumble return (vs. Alabama) and a faked field goal (vs. Missouri).
Four For the Receiving Record
Eddie Hinton's OU record for receptions in a career (114) stood from 1968 until this year's opener when FL Antwone Savage bettered the mark. He's now at 127. RB Quentin Griffin eclipsed Hinton in the Alabama game and now has 125. TE Trent Smith passed Hinton in the South Florida game and now has 118, while WR Curtis Fagan moved past Hinton at Missouri and now has 117. Before this barrage, only two OU players had logged 100 receptions in a career --Hinton and current San Diego Chargers tight end Stephen Alexander, who had 104.
Weekend Warriors
WR Antwone Savage and TE Trent Smith lead this team in total games played at 43. Next in line are WR Curtis Fagan with 42, OL Mike Skinner (38), DB Andre Woolfolk (36) and RB Quentin Griffin (36).
This Date in Sooner History
The Sooners are 5-6 in games played on Oct. 12. Ten of the 11 were played against Texas. The lone exception was a 39-6 win over Kingfisher (Okla.) College in 1899.
Sooner Summation
QB Jason White was lost for the season when he tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee during the first quarter of the Alabama game. He missed the last five games of the 2001 season after tearing the ACL in his left knee. Against Alabama, he was making just his fourth career start. Neither time was the injury the direct result of contact with another player.
Oklahoma has 97 scoring drives of two minutes or less over the last four seasons.
OU has held a double digit lead in 36 of the 41 games under Bob Stoops.
Special teams and/or defense have at least one TD in 16 of Bob Stoops' 41 games.
As part of the OU's $100 million Great Expectations: The Campaign for Sooner Sports, Memorial Stadium will be upgraded. The $65 million project will renovate 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. Work began after the 2001 season and be complete in time for the 2003 season.
The largest gift in the history of OU athletics - a $12 million from Edward L. Gaylord on behalf of the Gaylord family of Oklahoma City - has been presented to complete the $75 million expansion and restoration of Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. The gift pushed OU's Great Expectations Campaign, which began in January of 1999, beyond its $100 million goal to $102 million..png&width=40&height=40&type=webp)
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