Sept. 2, 2002
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Oklahoma Sooners (1-0) vs. Alabama Crimson Tide (1-0)
Saturday, Sept. 7, 2002 * 2:30 p.m. * Memorial Stadium * Norman, Okla.
Quickly: What has 1,459 victories, 19 national championships and 86 bowl appearances?
Answer: The combined football programs of Oklahoma and Alabama. A sellout crowd of approximately 75,000 is expected when these two giants of the college game meet on Saturday. Both teams posted season-opening victories last weekend. The Sooners led 3-0 at halftime before erupting for a 37-0 win at Tulsa last Friday. On Saturday, the Crimson Tide edged Middle Tennessee, 39-35, in Birmingham, Ala.
Series History: Alabama leads the series, 1-0-1, and both contests were bowl games. The Crimson Tide won the 1963 Orange Bowl, 17-0, while the teams played to a 24-24 standoff in the 1970 Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl.
Last Meeting: A late, 42-yard field goal by Bruce Derr helped OU rally to a tie in the 1970 Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl. The teams combined for 843 yards of total offense.
Polls: Oklahoma is ranked No. 2 in the AP poll and No. 3 in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches poll.
On the Air: ABC is televising this game. The broadcasters for the game are Brent Musburger (play-by-play), Gary Danielson (color) and Jack Arute (sideline). 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). Michael Dean is the producer.
Tickets: Oklahoma's home games are sold out for a fourth consecutive season. The OU Athletics Ticket Office, currently located on the east side of the Lloyd Noble Center, can be reached at 405-325-2424.
Coaches: Bob Stoops (Iowa ' 83), is 32-7 in his fourth year at Oklahoma and overall. Stoops is 0-0 against Alabama, 13-2 vs. non-conference foes, 18-5 vs. the Big 12, 17-1 at home, 10-4 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 .821 winning percentage after three seasons ranked No. 5 for the best head coaching start in NCAA history. A more in-depth look at Stoops can be found later in these notes. Dennis Franchione (Pittsburg State, '73) is 8-5 in his second season at Alabama. He is 0-1 against Oklahoma (lost 10-9 Sept. 12, 1998, in Fort Worth, Texas).
New Web Site Launched for Sooner Awards Candidates
Eight Sooners are listed on watch lists for some of college football's most prestigious awards. To assist media and fans in tracking these players, OU has opened a new web site, SoonerSports.com/SoonerAwards.
Clash of the Titans
Oklahoma and Alabama represent two of college football's most storied programs...
Oklahoma Alabama
National championships 7 12
Victories 714 (No. 9 nationally) 745 (No. 5 nationally)
Winning percentage .707, 714-280-53 (No. 5) .717, 745-281-43 (No. 3)
Bowl appearances 35 (No. 8) 51 (No. 1)
Bowl victories 22 (No. 5) 29 (No. 1)
All-Americans 128 102
National Award Winners* 27 10
* i.e., Heisman, Thorpe, etc.
The Sooners and the SEC
Oklahoma has a record of 17-8-3 against teams currently holding membership in the Southeastern Conference ...
Two of OU's three bowl games under Bob Stoops have been against SEC foes. The Sooners dropped the 1999 Independence Bowl to Mississippi, 27-25, then downed Arkansas in the 2002 Cotton Bowl, 10-3. In fact, 10 of OU's 28 games against the SEC came in bowl action.
This is Oklahoma's first regular season game against an SEC school since Sept. 18, 1982, when the Sooners won at Kentucky, 29-8. Alabama's visit to Norman is the first by an SEC school since Sept. 13, 1980, when OU whipped UK, 29-7.
Home Openers
Oklahoma is 85-16-6 in home openers, including victories in each of the last five and in 15 of the last 16. The only setback during that time took place in 1996 when TCU handed the Sooners a 20-7 loss.
Under Bob Stoops, OU is 3-0 in home openers and has won those three games -- over Indiana State, Texas El-Paso and North Carolina -- by a combined score of 145-41 (48.3-13.7).
This marks just the fourth time that Oklahoma has opened the home portion of its schedule against a school currently holding membership in the SEC. The Sooners got a 13-6 victory over Arkansas in 1926, a 0-0 tie with Vanderbilt in 1933 and a 29-7 triumph over Kentucky in 1980.
About the Opponent
Alabama opened with a 39-35 victory over Middle Tennessee at Birmingham last Saturday. The Crimson Tide jumped to a 22-0 first-quarter lead, but MT was as closed as two points (29-27) with 3:18 remaining in the game. Alabama had 430 yards of total offense (194 rushing, 236 passing), but was riddled by 16 penalties for 126 yards. Middle Tennessee mustered 385 total yards (183 rushing, 202 passing). Alabama QB Tyler Watts completed 16-of-22 passes for 236 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions. He also rushed 10 times for 54 yards.
The Crimson Tide return 17 starters -- seven on offense, eight on defense and two specialists -- from last year's 7-5 team.
Alabama downed Big 12 member Iowa State in last year's Mainstay Independence Bowl, 14-13.
Oklahoma-Alabama Ties
OU defensive line coach Jackie Shipp held the same position at Alabama in 1998.
Sooner running backs coach Cale Gundy was on the Alabama-Birmingham staff from 1995-98.
Alabama receivers coach Kenith Pope played at OU from 1971-73. He coached the Sooner DEs from 1995-97. Pope also coached at Oklahoma State from 1987-90.
Alabama cornerbacks coach Chris Thurmond is a 1975 graduate of Tulsa. He coached OU's secondary from 1996-97, and also had coaching stops at TU (twice), and at high school programs in Sand Springs (Page), Claremore and McAlester.
Alabama Director of Football Operations Charley North coached at OU from 1979-84. He holds degrees from Panhandle State (1966) and East Central Oklahoma State (1971). North coached in the Oklahoma high school ranks at McAlester, Tecumseh and Wagoner.
No Sooners are from Alabama, but two Crimson Tide -- MLB Robert Allen (Lawton) and ROV Mark Anderson (Tulsa-Washington) are from Oklahoma.
Oklahoma's Most Recent Game
Oklahoma won its season opener at Tulsa last Friday, 37-0 ...
Oklahoma got its first road shutout since a 28-0 whitewashing of North Carolina on Sept. 10, 1988. That's a span of 56 true road games (excluding neutral field contests). That UNC game, like the one at Tulsa, was a season opener.
OU led just 3-0 at halftime despite penetrating the Tulsa 40 on all six of its first half possessions. The Sooners, scored two TDs within the first six minutes of the second half, then cruised.
The Sooners piled up 509 total yards, including 378 on the ground, the highest rushing total of the Bob Stoops area.
Quentin Griffin gained a career-high 237 yards on just 17 carries, an average of 13.9 per rush. Along the way, he ripped off a career-best gain of 50 yards. He had another burst of 44.
Fourteen of Oklahoma's 15 possessions either resulted in a score or ended in TU territory.
Right On 'Q'
RB Quentin Griffin surpassed a pair of milestones in the win at Tulsa. He crossed over the 2,000-yard mark for career rushing and now stands at 2,109. He also went over 3,000 career all purpose yards to reach 3,060. Griffin and James Allen (1993-96) are the only two players in OU history to rank among the top 20 in rushing yardage and career receptions (see charts on page 5 of this release).
Well, Isn't That Special
Oklahoma featured a new kicker, punter, punt returner and long snapper in its season opener, but was certainly no worse for wear ...
Antonio Perkins had four punt returns for 112 yards, an average of 28 yards per return. His 91-yard return for a touchdown tied for the third-longest in school history. His 112 yards rank No. 8 for a single game at OU. He also had a 58-yard TD return called back by penalty.
K Trey DiCarlo, whose first name is well-suited to his position than any, made his only field goal attempt, a 44-yarder, the second longest by an OU kicker in a debut and the longest by a freshman in his first Sooner game. One of the latest additions to the team (he arrived in August), the true freshman also made four of his five PAT kicks.
Sophomore Blake Ferguson averaged 41.5 yards on four kicks and was the picture of consistency -- his longest boot was a 44-yarder.
More on the Special, Special Teams
Antonio Perkins' punt return for a touchdowns was the ninth special teams touchdown of the Bob Stoops era, and the fourth in the last 13 regular season games. Interestingly, those four came via four different plays -- a punt return, a kickoff return, a faked punt and a faked field goal.
OU has returned four kickoffs and three punts for TDs during Stoops' tenure.
The Sooners have blocked eight kicks over the last three-plus seasons.
Not including the kicker, punter and long snapper, OU's kickoff, kickoff return, punt and punt return units include seven players who also start on either offense or defense.
Non-Conference Success
In Bob Stoops' four seasons, Oklahoma is 10-1 in regular season non-conference games. Throw in the three bowl tilts and the Sooners are 13-2 vs. non-Big 12 teams.
OU has won 11 straight non-conference games. That streak includes five games that were not played in Norman -- the bowl games against Arkansas and Florida State, last year's contest at Air Force and this year's opener at Tulsa.
OU's last loss to a non-league opponent came on Dec. 31, 1999, when Mississippi downed the Sooners, 27-25, in the Independence Bowl. The last regular season setback at the hands of a non-conference foe came on Oct. 2, 1999, when Notre Dame clipped OU, 34-30.
Numbers That Define a Defense
The OU defense has forced at least one turnover in 37 of the last 39 games and has at least one interception in 25 of the last 28 games.
Over the last two games (Cotton Bowl vs. Arkansas and this year's opener at Tulsa), OU opponents have reached Sooner territory just five times and into the red zone just once. That covers 29 possessions.
OU has scored a defensive touchdown in seven of the last 16 regular season games.
Sooner opponents have completed 50% of their passes just 13 times in the 39 games coached by Bob Stoops. During that same span, OU foes have scored 14+ points just 12 times.
Streaks
Oklahoma has not allowed 300 yards rushing since Nebraska eclipsed that figure in 1997 (52 consecutive games). The Sooners have not allowed 200 or more rushing yards in 34 straight games.
RB Quentin Griffin has at least one reception in a school-record 28 straight games.
Griffin also enters the season with the longest string of consecutive starts on the team at 31. The next longest string belongs to CB Derrick Strait at 27.
OU has scored at least one touchdown in 41 consecutive games. During that same span, the Sooners held the opponent out of the end zone eight times.
Oklahoma has not allowed a touchdown since the fourth quarter of the Oklahoma State last November. That's a span of eight straight quarters.
OU has sold out its last 18 home games, every game of Bob Stoops' tenure.
Four for the Receiving Record
Records are made to be broken ... but by four players in one season? Eddie Hinton's OU record for receptions in a career (114) stood from 1968 until this year's opener at Tulsa when Antwone Savage went to 115. Savage is just one of four who are likely to surpass Hinton's mark this season. Quentin Griffin (113), Trent Smith (107) and Curtis Fagan (106) all are close. 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.
QB Accuracy Times two
Last season was the first in which two OU quarterbacks cracked the school's top 10 list for completion percentage in the same year. Jason White completed 73-of-113 for 64.6%, just 0.1% behind Josh Heupel's record of 64.7% in 2000. Nate Hybl hit on 58.4% (222-380) to land at the No. 6 spot.
Weekend Warriors
WR Antwone Savage and TE Trent Smith lead this team in total games played at 39. Others with more than 30 games played include WR Curtis Fagan with 38, OL Mike Skinner (34), DB Andre Woolfolk (33) and RB Quentin Griffin (32).
2001 In Review
Oklahoma went 11-2 overall, 6-2 in the Big 12 South.
The Sooners enjoyed their 12th 11-win season. OU has averaged one 11-win season every 3.8 seasons dating back to 1955.
Oklahoma posted double digit victories in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 1986 and 1987.
Oklahoma got its second straight bowl win, a 10-3 triumph over Arkansas in the SBC Cotton Bowl. OU was No. 6 in both final polls (AP and ESPN/USA Today). It marked the 29th time in the last 63 years that the Sooners have finished among the AP's top 10.
Oklahoma set or tied 36 school records and has now set or tied 67 during Bob Stoops' tenure.
Sooner Summation
OU has had 87 scoring drives of less than two minutes over the last four seasons.
Special teams and/or defense have at least one TD in 15 of Bob Stoops' 39 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 Sooners appeared on national covers or preseason preview editions with Sports Illustrated and The Sporting News and on a regional cover with ESPN The Magazine.
Players
LB Gayron Allen -- OU's top tackler in two of the three preseason scrimmages. Has move to No. 2 at WLB.
SS Eric Bassey -- Consistently tests as the fastest player on the team. Tied with Antonio Perkins for the fastest 40 time in the preseason drills at 4.32.
OT Jammal Brown -- One of OU's top pass protectors, he starts at right tackle.
C Vince Carter -- Started the last nine games last year as a true freshman and gets the nod again as a soph.
WR Mark Clayton -- Caught a pass in all 13 games last season, his true freshman campaign at OU. Knee bruise kept him out of the starting line-up at Tulsa.
DE Dan Cody -- Played in the 2001 opener, then sat out the remainder of the season for medical reasons.
OG Brad Davis -- Made a strong preseason push to nail down the starting job at left guard.
K Trey DiCarlo -- Was at the Naval Academy, but left before practice began and joined the Sooners shortly after the newcomers reported in early August. DiCarlo was a four-year starter as the placekicker at Carrollton's Creekview High School, where he split the punting chores with another Sooner freshman, wide receiver Travis Wilson. His career long field goal was a 55-yarder. He made nine field goals and 45 point after touchdown kicks as a senior. DiCarlo's 44 yarder was the second longest in a debut role. John Carroll kicked a 45-yarder against SMU in 1971. Carroll was a sophomore, so DiCarlo's was the longest ever by an OU freshman in his first game.
DT Dusty Dvoracek -- Missed much of the preseason with a toe ailment, but played extensively in the season opener.
FS Brandon Everage -- Slowed some by a shoulder injury in the preseason, but started at Tulsa.. Hard hitter who forced three fumbles last season.
WR Curtis Fagan -- One of the four receivers over 100 career receptions on this team. Handled the punt return duties last season. Topped OU with 50 receiving yards (on three catches) at Tulsa.
P Blake Ferguson -- Brother of Jeff Ferguson, who punted for OU over the previous four seasons. Sat out last season after transferring from North Carolina. Averaged 41.5 yards in the opener.
OL Jerod Fields -- A starter for part of last season, he's in a back-up role after taking a helmet to the back during preseason drills.
RB Quentin Griffin -- Coming off huge effort at Tulsa that included 17 rushes for 237 yards. Needs just 48 receiving yards to reach 1,000 for his career. No. 10 receiver in Big 12 history.
DT Tommie Harris -- Candidate for all-America and for some of college football's most prestigious awards. Of his 32 tackles last season, 17 were behind the line of scrimmage.
QB Nate Hybl -- Back-up signal caller who started each of OU's 11 victories last season. No. 7 on the school's career passing list with 2,383 yards.
DE Jonathan Jackson -- Made his first career start at Tulsa and responded with seven tackles, three for loss, one fumble forced and one sack.
LB Pasha Jackson -- Starting strong side linebacker when OU is in a three linebacker set.
WR Brandon Jones -- Big-play receiver who worked primarily on special teams last season. Starting center fielder for OU's baseball team last spring.
WR Kejuan Jones -- The redshirt freshman came off the bench at Tulsa to rush 11 times for 74 yards and two TDs in his college debut.
OL Davin Joseph -- Spent the first two weeks of camp on the defensive line, before moving to offensive guard.
DL Kory Klein -- One of the Sooners' most consistent players. He tied for the team lead in QB hurries last season with 14.
LB Teddy Lehman -- Speedster who moves from the middle to the weak side this season. Career-high 14 tackles, including 11 solos, in the opener at Tulsa.
DB Matt McCoy -- Sometimes overlooked, he can be key in nickel and dime packages. Had four interceptions last season including one in the SBC Cotton Bowl. Holder for placements.
DT Lynn McGruder -- Transferred to OU from Tennessee. Has slimmed down from the spring and has been impressive in the August workouts.
LB Lance Mitchell -- Rated the No. 1 junior college linebacker in the nation last year, he steps into the middle of OU's defense. Eligibility glitch at Florida landed him at Oklahoma where he joins former JUCO teammate Pasha Jackson. Nice debut with 13 tackles at Tulsa.
WR Will Peoples -- Gifted athlete who played mostly on special teams last season, but should see more snaps at receiver in '02.
CB Antonio Perkins -- Impressive in the preseason testing. Returned four punts for 112 yards, including a 91-yard TD sprint, at Tulsa in his first game as OU's punt returner.
QB Brent Rawls -- Injured thumb ligaments in his right thumb and will likely miss the first three weeks of the season.
WR Antwone Savage -- Enters this game as OU's career leader for pass receptions with 115, but leads teammates Quentin Griffin and Trent Smith by just two. No. 8 all-time receiver in Big 12.
OL Wes Sims -- Moved from right to left tackle this season.
OL Mike Skinner -- The most experienced of OU's offensive linemen with 34 games played.
TE Trent Smith -- Led the nation's tight ends with 61 catches last season. Only one of the three 2001 Mackey finalists back for the 2002 season. OU's offensive MVP last season.
CB Derrick Strait -- His five career receptions are tops among active Sooners.
FS Michael Thompson -- Missed last season while recovering from injuries suffered in an off-season automobile accident. Key cog on 2000 national championship team.
QB Jason White -- Won the starting job in a preseason competition with Nate Hybl. Played in seven games last season with starts against Baylor and Nebraska.
DE Jimmy Wilkerson -- Led OU in tackles for loss last season with 18 and tied for the sacks lead with five. Outstanding in the opener with seven tackles, three for -7, one sack for -1 and one fumble forced.
CB Andre Woolfolk -- Split time between offense and defense last season. Will go full-time defense this season. Only senior starter on defense.
Head Coach Bob Stoops
When Bob Stoops arrived at Oklahoma prior to the 1999 season, it had been five seasons since the storied Sooner program had finished above the .500 mark, four since it last played in bowl game. In Stoops' three seasons, OU has a national championship, 31 victories and three bowl appearances. The lightning-quick return to national prominence has been so complete as to almost obliterate per-haps the most impressive achievement of all ... the turnaround itself.
Few could have envisioned OU's dip in the middle '90's. Virtually none could have predicted the extent to which the Schooner would be righted.
The head coach stubbornly points to the program as a whole when defining the resurgence. Humility aside, it is Stoops who deserve a lion's share of the credit ...
He is the first OU coach to take his first three teams to bowl games.
One of 18 head coaches hired on the D-I level in 1999, he has been the most successful of the class with a 31-7 mark.
His 31-7 start is the fifth-best three-year mark in NCAA history.
Some 67 school records have been set during the his tenure.
In 18 home games, his teams have out-scored their opponents 680-181.
Every home game of his OU tenure has been a sellout. The average attendance at Memorial Stadium during that time is 75,082. The facility has a listed capacity of 72,765.
During his tenure, OU has 16 television appearances, eight vists from ESPN's GameDay and five cover photos on Sports Illustrated.
If not for its meteoric pace, Stoops' career would read like a textbook rise in the coaching profession.
A four-year starter as a player at Iowa, he began his coaching career in a volunteer capacity at his alma mater in 1983. He worked through the ranks until he became co-defensive coordinator at Kansas State from 1991-95. With the Wildcats, he played a key role in the impressive turnaround. During his final four seasons there, K-State was 35-12 with three bowl appearances.
Then came a three-year stint as Florida's defensive coordinator from 1996-98. It was during that time that the national spotlight focused on his accomplishments and the door opened for a head coaching post.
It was a hiring for the ages. At Oklahoma Stoops has restored the pride, while carving out a niche' for this era and these teams.
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