Sooners Finish Regular Season at Waco

NORMAN, Okla. -- One week removed from clinching the Big 12 South title with a home win over Nebraska, Oklahoma closes out the regular season with a trip to Baylor. The homestanding Bears are 3-2 in home games this season, including an overtime victory at the expense of Texas A&M.

THE POLLS
OU is No. 2 in the Associated Press and ESPN/USA Today Coaches polls, and in the BCS standings. Baylor is unranked.

THE SERIES
Oklahoma leads the series 13-0, including a 5-0 advantage in Waco.

Game Notes (PDF)

THE COACHES
Oklahoma: Bob Stoops (Iowa 83), now in his sixth season with the Sooners, is 65-11 overall. He is 3-2 in bowls, 3-1 in January bowls, 2-1 in BCS games, 42-8 vs. the Big 12, 24-5 vs. the Big 12 South, 18-3 vs. the Big 12 North, 2-1 in the Big 12 title game, 24-3 vs. non-conference foes, 36-1 at home, 19-6 on the road, 10-4 on neutral fields and 21-4 vs. ranked opponents. Stoops is 5-0 vs. Baylor.

Baylor: Guy Morriss TCU 73) is 6-16 in his second season at Baylor. His overall coaching mark, including one season at Kentucky, is 15-31. He is 0-1 against Oklahoma.

DR PEPPER BIG 12 CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
Oklahoma will be playing for its 39th football conference championship against a yet-to-be determined opponent in this year's Big 12 title game. Colorado, Iowa State, Missouri and Nebraska are vying to represent the North Division. The contest is slated for Dec. 4 in Kansas City's Arrowhead Stadium. Tickets are available through Ticketmaster.com or any Ticketmaster location.

Order Tickets Online - TicketMaster | Arrowhead Stadium Seating Chart

OKLAHOMA ... ONE OF COLLEGE FOOTBALL'S ELITE PROGRAMS
Seven national championships (1950, 1955, 1956, 1974, 1975, 1985, 2000), 38 conference titles and 37 bowl appearances, 23 of which resulted in a Sooner victory.
Oklahoma ranks No. 8 in all-time victories (745-284-53), No. 1 in victories since WWII (503) and No. 1 in victories since 2000 (53).
Oklahoma's all-time winning percentage of .711 ranks No. 4 nationally. The Sooners' .888 percentage since 2000 ranks No. 2 during that period.
Oklahoma ranks No. 7 in bowl appearances with 37 and No. 3 in bowl victories with 23.
The Sooners have produced 138 All-Americans (average of more than one per season over a 109-year history) and 51 national award winners, including four Heisman Trophy recipients. No school has produced more Butkus Award (four), Thorpe Award (three) or Nagurski Award (two) winners. Only Notre Dame (7) and Ohio State (6) have produced more Heisman winners (OU is tied with USC at four).

TIES WITH THIS WEEK'S OPPONENT
Two Sooners are going home when the team plays in Waco. C Vince Carter and CB Marcus Walker, both starters, both hail from Waco and Waco HS.

OU's MOST RECENT GAME
Oklahoma dominated Nebraska, 30-3, in Norman last Saturday night ...
Jason White completed 29-of-35 passes for 383 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions. Along the way, he broke his own school record (16) by completing 18 consecutive passes.
WR Travis Wilson notched career highs in receptions (9) and receiving yards (135). Wilson was one of 11 receivers to make a catch in the game. White's three TD tosses went to three different receivers.
Adrian Peterson played sparingly and saw his string of nine straight 100-yard rushing games (an NCAA freshman record) end with 15 carries for 58 yards.
The Huskers kicked a 39-yard field goal on the game's final play to narrowly avoid their first shutout in 112 games.

A Comparison of the Top Three BCS Teams

PLENTY RIDING ON THIS ONE
Aside from the obvious BCS implications, there is still plenty of motivation left in this game for a Sooner team that can add to several impressive milestones despite previously clinching a spot in the Big 12 title game ...
The Sooners are making a bid for their 19th undefeated regular season, their third under Bob Stoops.
Oklahoma hopes to complete a 17th season in which it is unbeaten AND untied.
A victory this week would give Oklahoma its 27th unblemished (no losses or ties) conference finish.

NOT CARBON COPIES, BUT 2004 AND 2000 HAVE SIMILARITIES
Oklahoma won its seventh national championship in 2000. While this season and that one are not mirror images, there are some similarities ...
Like 2000, this team is playing three of its last four games and its season finale on the road.
The site for the Big 12 title game is the same in 04 as it was in 00 -- Kansas City's Arrowhead Stadium.
The site for the BCS title game is the same in 04 as it was in 00 -- the FedEx Orange Bowl.
That 2000 club survived at Texas A&M by four points (this one won by seven). The 2000 team won by 10 at Kansas State (41-31), as did this one (31-21). The 2000 Sooners edged Oklahoma State in Stillwater by five points (12-7), this one was victorious by three (38-35). Perhaps most eerie of all is this -- the 2000 team defeated Texas Tech by a 27-13 count in Norman. The 2004 team won in the same location, 28-13.
Jason White took a snap against Nebraska. That's right, he took one in 2000 too -- the last one of the game, and he fumbled. This year, he strung together a school record 18 straight completions on his way to hitting 29-of-35 for 383 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions against the Cornhuskers. He also had one fumbled snap.
The 2000 team bounced back after losing one of its coordinators to a head coaching job -- Mike Leach, the offensive coordinator, to Texas Tech. This year's team lost its defensive coordinator when Mike Stoops left to take over the reins at Arizona. In both cases, the person who was installed to fill the void had ties with Youngstown, Ohio. Mark Mangino ascended to the offensive coordinator's job in 2000. He is a graduate of Youngstown State. Bo Pelini, a native of Youngstown, is the new face on defense this year.
The 2000 team came off a bowl loss in Louisiana in the previous season to an SEC opponent -- 27-25 to Ole Miss in the Independence Bowl (Shreveport). This team also comes off a bowl loss in Louisiana to an SEC foe -- 21-14 to LSU in the Sugar Bowl (New Orleans).
The 2000 team had a quarterback square in the middle of the Heisman race. Josh Heupel eventually finished second. This team has Jason White, who also is in the hunt for the coveted trophy after winning it last year.
The 2000 team averaged 4.8 touchdowns per game. So does this one.

STREAKS
Oklahoma has won its last 22 regular season games.
Including a pair of neutral site games against Texas, the Sooners have won nine straight regular season games away from Norman. That mark includes seven victories against Big 12 competitors.
OU has won its last 19 home games.

WHITE HOT
Jason White, who last year fell just four yards shy of OU's single season passing yardage record, has the career mark in his sights. He needs 227 yards to surpass Josh Heupel's total of 7,456. White's 2,513 yards this season rank No. 5 at OU and just 25 yards shy of the No. 4 spot currently held by Nate Hybl with 2,538 yards in 2002. Heupel's single season mark of 3,850 yards appears to be out of reach.
White has an active streak of 151 consecutive passes attempted without an interception, a span that covers four-plus games. In the four games since White last tossed a pick (at Kansas State, Oct. 16), he has connected on 89-of-140 passes (.636) for 1,285 yards with 15 touchdowns and, of course, no interceptions. It is interesting to note that two of those four games were on the road against ranked opponents.
White has at least three touchdown passes in five straight games, the longest such streak of his career, and in seven of the 10 games this season.
His 28 TD passes this season rank No. 3 for a season at OU behind his own mark of 40 last season and Josh Heupel's 33 in 1999.
QB comparison -- Jason White: 28 TDs, 4 INT, 165.7 pass efficiency (ranks No. 5 nationally), 2,513 passing yards. USC's Matt Leinart: 23 TDs, 5 INT, 150.9 pass efficiency, 2,348 passing yards.
White now has 74 career TD passes, shattering the previous school record of 53. White owns 10 of the 16 games in school history in which a QB had four or more TD passes.
Heupel is OU's career leader in completions (654) and attempts (1,025). White ranks No. 2 in completions (559) and attempts (893).
White is 25-3 as an Oklahoma starter. Those 25 victories tie Jimmy Harris (1954-56) for No. 3 on the OU career list. Steve Davis (1973-75) leads with 32 and Jamelle Holieway is second at 30. White is No. 6 among OU's starting quarterbacks with a career winning percentage of .893. One of White's losses is the 2001 Nebraska game. He started that contest, but left early with a knee injury.
White has completed 29 passes that covered at least 40 yards over his career. The previous best by an Oklahoma quarterback was 19 by Josh Heupel.
The Sooner quarterback is 47-of-80 on third down this season. His third-down throws by game look like this ... Bowling Green -- 7-12, 99 yds., 2 TDs, 1 Int.; Houston -- 7-7-0, 140 yds., 0 TD; Oregon -- 7-9-0, 119 yards, 0 TD; Texas Tech -- 5-9-0, 54 yds., 2 TD; Texas -- 5-10-1, 30 yds., 0 TD; Kansas State -- 4-9-0, 77 yds., 1 TD; Kansas -- 8-15-0, 95 yds., 1 TD; OSU -- 4-9, 107 yds., 2 TD; A&M 5-10, 72 yds., 1 TD; Nebraska -- 8-10, 136 yds., 0 TD.
On third-and-5 or less, White is 16-of-26 for 173 yards with 3 TD and 1 Int. On third-and-6 or more, White is 39-of-64 for 757 yards with 2 TD and 0 Int.
White has at least 15, 20+-yard throws on first, second and third down during this time span.
During the last two years, 11 different OU receivers have receptions of 20+ yards from White.

ADRIAN PETERSON ... 2004 A.D.
Adrian Peterson picked up the nickname A.D., from his father for his ability to go “all day” ...
He rushed for 100 yards in every game until the streak was snapped in game 10 when he did not start and played sparingly in a win over Nebraska due to in injury suffered in the previous game. For the season, he has 254 carries for 1,431 yards.
Peterson ranks No. 7 nationally in rushing yards (143.1).   He averaged 191.3 yards against the three ranked opponents OU has face.
He broke NCAA record for most consecutive 100-yard rushing games by a freshman with nine. The previous mark of eight was set in 1968 by New Mexico State's Ron “Po” James.
He tied the NCAA freshman record for reaching 1,000 yards in the fewest games (seven) with Emmitt Smith (Florida, 1987) and Marshall Faulk (San Diego State, 1991).
The NCAA record for most 100-yard games by a freshman is 10 by Wisconsin's Anthony Davis in 2001. A Badger also has the record for most rushing yards by a freshman. Ron Dayne had 1,863 in 1996.
Peterson has set an OU freshman rushing record with 1,431 yards. The previous mark was 1,184 by De'Mond Parker in 1996. The only other Sooner frosh to crack 1,000 yards were Marcus Dupree (1,144 in 1982) and Spencer Tillman (1,047 in 1983). The only other true frosh over 1,000 was Dupree.
Greg Pruitt reached 1,000 yards quicker than any other OU player when he got there in his sixth game in 1971. Aside from Peterson, the only other player to reach the figure in seven games was Steve Owens, who did it in both 1968 and 1969. He won the Heisman in 69. Joe Washington (1974) and Billy Sims (1978) made it in eight games.
With 1,431 yards, Peterson ranks No. 7 on OU's single season rushing chart. He trails No. 6 Steve Owens (1969) by 92 yards.
At his current pace of 152.6 rushing yards per game, Peterson would rack up 1,717 for the season. The Sooner single-season record is 1,896 by Billy Sims in 1978.
With nine 100-yard rushing games, he ranks No. 11 on OU's career list for 100-yard games (No. 4 for a season). The all-time leader is 1969 Heisman winner Steve Owens, who hit the century mark 23 times.
No other Sooner had ever gained 100 yards in even his first four games. Peterson is 9-for-9.
In 2002, Kejuan Jones set a school record for TD by a freshman with 14. Peterson has nine.
Peterson became just the second OU freshman to rush for 100 yards in his debut, and the first RB to do so. True freshman QB Kerry Jackson went for 109 yards on 10 carries against Utah State in 1972. Peterson is the fourth frosh running back to play under Stoops.

BARRY SWITZER MUST BE SMILING
Former OU coach Barry Switzer, the architect of one of the most potent rushing attacks in college football history, must be particularly fond of the Sooner ground game this season ...
Oklahoma has rushed for 200 yards in seven of 10 games this season, and 21 times under Bob Stoops.
This team has 432 rushing attempts. The previous season high for OU under Stoops was 314 in 1999.
This team's 4.7 yards per carry average is the best since the 1990 team averaged 5.0
This team's 204.3 rushing yards per game is the best mark by an OU team since 251.1 in 1991.
OU ranks No. 19 in the nation in rushing offense. In 2002, the best rushing season under Bob Stoops to date, the Sooners ranked No. 24 nationally. Their average that year was 190.6 yards per game.
Last season OU ranked No. 65 nationally in rushing offense with 146.7 rushing yards per game.
For the 59th time, two Oklahoma players exceeded 100 rushing yards in the same game when both Kejuan Jones and Adrian Peterson did so in the opener against Bowling Green. It was the third time it happened in Bob Stoops' six seasons.
There have been 17 games under Stoops in which OU had more rushing than passing yards. It has happened five times this season.

POSSESSION PROGRESSION
Still capable of the quick strike (OU has 11 scoring drives of less than two minutes this season), the Sooners have shown an ability to go on more sustained marches. This season's team has eight scoring drives of five-plus minutes. Last year's team had only five drives of that length in 14 games. The 2002 squad, which also played 14 games, had nine, and the 2001 team, which played 13 games, had six. The 2000 team had two and the 1999 squad had three.
This team's average possession time of 32:24 exceeds last year's 32:15, which stands as the best of the Stoops era. With the exception of 2002, which fell an average of just six seconds per game shy of the previous campaign, OU's possession time has increased each year under its current head coach.

DEFENSE CARVING NICHE' SANS AWARD WINNERS
Oklahoma lost the Bednarik (LB Teddy Lehman), Butkus (Lehman), Lombardi (DT Tommie Harris), Nagurski (CB Derrick Strait) and Thorpe (Strait) award winners from last year, but is performing well ...
Texas Tech, which sandwiched 70-point outings before and after its trip to Norman, and was averaging 38.0 ppg., when it ventured to Owen Field, managed just 13 tallies against OU and did not get its lone TD until the 4:50 mark of the fourth quarter. The Red Raiders did manage 369 passing yards, but that was 67.5 yards under their average.
Texas had scored in an NCAA-best 281 consecutive games until being blanked by Oklahoma, 12-0. UT came into its game with Oklahoma as the No. 6 scoring team in the nation at 41.5 yards per game. Longhorn RB Cedric Benson was the nation's leading rusher at 186.5 yards per game, but got just 92 against the Sooners.
Kansas State's Darren Sproles was had just 34 yards on 13 rushing tries and the Wildcats mustered just one net rushing yard as a team.
Against Kansas, the Sooners permitted just 72 rushing yards, while getting three takeaways, including a 28-yard fumble return for a touchdown -- OU's first defensive score of the year -- by Lance Mitchell.
OU ended the seven-game 100-yard rushing streak of OSU's Vernand Morency, who was limited to 93 against the Sooners, and held the Cowboys to 8-of-20 passing.
Sixteen of OU's 19 takeaways (84%) came over the last six games, all of which were against Big 12 foes. Texas A&M had just four turnovers through its first eight games, then had three against the Sooners.
Nebraska kicked a 39-yard field goal to avoid its first shutout in 112 games as OU won, 30-3.

THAT'S TIGHT
Oklahoma's tight ends have four touchdown receptions this season, three over the last two games ... by three different players. James Moses and Joe Jon Finley both caught a scoring pass at Texas A&M, the Willie Roberts tacked on another against Nebraska. For the year, OU's tight ends have 17 receptions for 164 yards.

CLAYTON ECLIPSES 200, 3000
Mark Clayton used the Oregon game to establish his eighth school record. He moved to 173 career receptions to eclipse the previous mark of 169 held by Quentin Griffin (Clayton is now at 195). At Texas A&M, he recorded both his 200th career reception and 3,000th career receiving yard. Clayton is the only 2003 Biletnikoff finalist returning in 04 ...
Clayton has eight career multi-touchdown reception games.
He averages one touchdown every 7.4 receptions.
This season, 330 of his 714 receiving yards have come after the catch.
The OU leader with 14, 100-yard receiving games, he obliterated the previous mark of four by Eddie Hinton (1966-68).
Twenty-six of Clayton's 51 receptions this season have resulted in first downs for the Sooners.
Clayton, in his first career game as OU's full-time punt returner, ran 50 yards for a touchdown at Oklahoma State. The play came on just his fourth career punt return attempt. He's averaging 14.4 ypr.

PLENTY OF FOOTBALLS TO GO AROUND
A look at OU's receiving corps ...
Seventeen different Sooners have a reception this season and nine have at least one TD grab.
Nine Sooners have a reception of at least 20 yards and five average at least 20 yards per game.
Three players -- Mark Bradley, Clayton and Wilson -- have led OU in receiving yards this season.
Clayton tops OU with 51 receptions, but had the outright lead in catches in just five games.
Will Peoples crossed over the 1,000-yard mark for career receiving yards in the game against Kansas. He now has 1,043. Earlier this season, Brandon Jones hit 1,000-yards. Jones now has 1,154 yards. There have been 19, 1,000-yard receivers at OU, eight on Bob Stoops' watch.
Including Mark Clayton's career total of 3,079 receiving yards, OU now has three 1,000-yard receivers on this team. In 2002, the Sooners had four 1,000-yard receivers on the same team (WR Antwone Savage, WR Curtis Fagan, TE Trent Smith and RB Quentin Griffin). This, however, does represent the first time that OU has had three 1,000-yard pass catchers that all line up at receiver positions. A fourth could join the group if Travis Wilson can put together a strong finish. He's currently at 836.

MARK II
Mark Clayton gets a lot of the receiving attention, but another Mark, Mark Bradley, is getting plenty of notice too ...
All seven of his touchdown receptions have come over the last four games as have 293 of his 379 yards.
The holder for placements, he also covers punts and kicks and has four special teams tackles.
Bradley scored a touchdown on his first career rushing attempt (51-yard reverse) in the win over Houston this season. Earlier in his career, he scored a TD on his first career KOR (100 yards at Iowa State, 2003) and on his first career passing attempt (17 yards to Mark Clayton vs. Oklahoma State, 2003). Bradley did not score a TD on his first career reception, but did on his fifth (39 yards at Iowa State, 2003). The senior is the son of former Sooner QB Danny Bradley, who lettered at from 1981-84.
Bradley is 2-of-2 passing in his career. Both throws went to Mark Clayton. They totaled 47 yards and resulted in one touchdown.
Over his career, Bradley has one touchdown every 3.8 times he touches the ball (42 touches and 11 TDs, not including holds for placements). Others who have a high scoring ratio are Brandon Jones with 76 touches and 14 TD (5.4), Travis Wilson at 5.6 (12 TDs in 67 touches) and Mark Clayton at 7.7 (224 touches and 29 scores).

BOOMING BALANCE
Oklahoma had 214 rushing yards and 213 passing yards against Oregon. That's fairly typical of the season. OU has 2,593 (56%) passing yards and 2,043 (44%) rushing yards. Those figures are somewhat mindful of the 2002 season when the Sooners finished the 14-game slate with 2,828 passing yards and 2,668 rushing yards.
This team has flip-flopped a couple times in having more passing or more rushing yards. The last time OU had more rushing yards than passing for a season was in 1998, the year before Bob Stoops arrived.
Despite the improved rushing game, Oklahoma still averages 30.4 passing attempts per game.

THIS FERGIE GETTING PHAT
Oklahoma P Blake Ferguson has a 42.2-yard punting average, but those figures fail to tell his story completely ...
Nineteen of his 40 punts have been downed inside the 20.
All but 13 traveled 40+ yards, and of the 13 that did not, 10 were caught or downed inside the 20.
He has 10 boots that covered at least 50 yards including one of 54, four of 55 and three of 58.
Only 16 of his 40 punts have been returned, and those 13 averaged just 4.5 yards.

PERK TIES NCAA RECORD
Antonio Perkins tied the NCAA record for punt returns for TD when he registered No. 8 against Houston. Perkins already is the NCAA record holder for punt returns for touchdowns in a game (3 vs. UCLA in 2003) and season (4 in 2003), and he set the punt return yardage record with 277 vs. UCLA last season. The Lawton, Okla., native shares the career mark former Texas Tech player Wes Welker. Perkins also tied another NCAA record for combined kicks (kickoffs and punts) returned for touchdowns even though all of his are of the punting variety. Perkins was injured in the Texas game, then missed the next four contests until returning to start at cornerback vs. Nebraska. He has not yet returned to his punt return chores.

DiCARLO'S GOT YOUR “BACK”
To date, Trey DiCarlo has boomed 36 of 66 kickoffs for touchbacks. Over the last two seasons, the junior has 82 touchbacks after logging only nine as a freshman.

POLL TOLL
Oklahoma is 61-12 when carrying the No. 2 ranking, including a 24-3 mark at home.
Oklahoma has the third-longest active streak in the Associated Press' rankings. Michigan tops that list at 104 weeks followed by Miami at 82 and Oklahoma at 80. OU is No. 4 all-time in total weeks in the poll with 617. Michigan leads with 706, followed by Notre Dame 686, then Ohio State 670.
The AP poll debuted in 1936. OU and Notre Dame are tied for the most weeks spent at No. 1 with 95 each. Ohio State is next at 74 followed by Miami at 69 and Florida State at 61.
Oklahoma has been ranked among the AP's top 10 in every week but one since Oct. 6, 2000. That one exception saw the Sooners dip to No. 11 prior to defeating Arkansas in the Cotton Bowl at the end of the 2001 season. That win vaulted them back into the top 10.

HOME FIELD HONCHOS
Oklahoma is 36-1 at home under Bob Stoops. The Sooners have won their last 19 home games, including five over ranked opponents. That's the longest home streak under Stoops exceeding the previous best of 17. During the current streak, OU has ...
averaged 45.1 points per game to just 11.3 for the opponents.
won every game by double digits.
eclipsed 50 points seven times, 60 points four times and 70 points once.
notched two shutouts and another four games in which the opponent did not score a TD.

SOONERS CONCLUDE ANOTHER PERFECT NON-CONFERENCE SEASON
Since Bob Stoops arrived in 1999, no Big 12 team has had a better winning percentage in regular season non-conference games than Oklahoma. The Sooners are 21-1. That number of victories and winning percentage (.955) are tops during that stretch in the Big 12.
OU has won its last 18 regular season games vs. non-league foes.
Including post-season games, Stoops is 24-3 vs. non-league foes, 17-0 at home.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL'S MOST PROLIFIC SCORING PROGRAM
No college program has scored more points than Oklahoma's 28,387. In addition, OU's margin of victory, 15,289, ranks No. 2 behind Michigan. Oklahoma is 102nd (out of 117) in points surrendered at 13,064. Not bad for a team that ranks No. 26 in games played at 1,084.

THE STOOPS ERA IN BRIEF
A look at Bob Stoops' first five seasons ...
OU won the 2000 national championship, four Big 12 South crowns and two Big 12 titles.
Oklahoma has spent 22 weeks at No. 1.
Two of the longest winning streaks in OU history -- a 20-game streak from 2000-01 and a 14-game streak from 2002-03.
OU has set or tied 64 school records.
Oklahoma has played in five bowls. Never had an OU coach taken even his first three teams to bowls. Prior to Stoops' arrival, OU had gone four straight years without a bowl, and had not played in one of what is now a BCS game since the 1988 Orange Bowl (1987 season). Stoops, in his second season, led OU to the 2001 Orange Bowl (2000 season).
OU has had a double-digit lead in 65 of 76 games.
OU has 42 of its 50 Big 12 victories under Stoops and just seven of its 23 losses.
An OU player has finished among the top seven in the Heisman voting three times -- Jason White No. 1 in 2003, Roy Williams No. 7 in 2001 and Josh Heupel No. 2 in 2000.
Sixteen All-Americans, two AP Players of the Year (Heupel, White), two Nagurski Award winners (Williams, Derrick Strait), two Thorpe Award winners (Williams, Strait), two Butkus Award winners (Rocky Calmus, Teddy Lehman), one Bednarik Award winner (Lehman), one Lombardi Award winner (Tommie Harris) and one Tatupu Award winner (J.T. Thatcher). OU has had a Butkus finalist in each of the last four years and a Lombardi finalist in the last three.

HEAD COACH BOB STOOPS
History is one tough customer at Oklahoma. The tradition, so rich and so long-standing, is as daunting as it is impressive. To be among the best at Oklahoma is to be among the best in college football.

Such dramatics are lost on Bob Stoops. The Sooner head coach befriended the would-be albatross of OU's successful past from his first day on campus and remains steadfastly focused on tomorrow and the championship it holds.

It falls then to long-time observers and experts of the game to define Stoops' impact. Rarely have the pundits had it so easy.

Under Stoops, Oklahoma has won 64 games, spent 64 consecutive weeks in the national rankings, played in five bowl games, three of the BCS variety, and captured two Big 12 crowns. On a playing field leveled by scholarship limits and parity, this era stares down the Oklahoma standard and does not blink.

The achievement is so brilliant that it dulls the memory of what Stoops inherited. When he arrived in Norman, the proud Sooner program was five years removed from a winning record; four from bowl play. Those atypical days of angst are so forgotten now that they might as well be categorized with the land rush and dust bowl.

Stoops has been characterized as a grounded family man, brilliant big-game coach, relentless recruiter, disciplined leader and a person with uncommon perspective. His success emanates from a disciplined style true to his roots in the Steel Valley of Ohio, but he is far from inflexible. The principles to which he holds are the tried and true axioms of the sport ... mixed with cutting edge strategy and an appreciation for the calculated risk.

During his time, OU has produced recordsetting passers and receivers, a 1,000-yard rusher, suffocating defense and special teams units that rank among the most dynamic in the land. The Sooners have been nothing if not versatile.

The son of a coach, Stoops was a four-year starter at Iowa. He began his coaching career in 1983 as a volunteer in the Hawkeye program under Hayden Fry. He worked through the ranks until he became co-defensive coordinator at Kansas State (1991-95).

With the Wildcats, he played a key role in their impressive turnaround. During his final four seasons there, K-State was 35-12 with three bowl appearances.

Eventually, he left for Florida and a three-year stint as Steve Spurrier's defensive coordinator. In 1996, he was part of a national championship team. It was with the Gators that the spotlight found Stoops and made him one of the hottest names in the profession. His hiring at Oklahoma was one for the ages.

THE OFFENSE IN BRIEF
Oklahoma scored a school record 601 points last season. It also accomplished an OU first by exceeding 50 points in four straight games. School bests also were established in passing yards (4,109), first downs (314), interception avoidance (0.22), turnovers (17/tied), turnovers per game (1.2/tied) and touchdown passes (43).
Other spots claimed by the 2003 team on school record lists ... No. 2 in completions (349), No. 2 in plays (1,018), No. 9 in yards/play (6.0), No. 2 in total yards (6,152), No. 8 in yards per game (439.4), No. 4 in points/game (42.9), No. 4 in completions/game (21.3), No. 4 in passing attempts (480), No. 4 in pass attempts/game (34.3), No. 4 in passing yards/game (293.5) and No. 3 in comp., percentage (62.3).
Under Stoops, OU has produced its career leader in passing and receiving, while also turning out the fourth-leading rusher in school history.
OU has scored at least one TD in 78 consecutive games dating back to Nov. 7, 1998.
Under Stoops, OU has rushed for 200 yards 21 times, including 16 over the last four years.
Under Stoops, Oklahoma has 84 touchdowns of 25 yards or longer and 195 scoring drives that lasted less than two minutes.

THE DEFENSE IN BRIEF
Oklahoma has forced at least one turnover in 68 of the last 76 games (Stoops' tenure) and has at least one interception in 50 of the last 64 contests. OU has had multiple interceptions in 17 of the last 36 games.
Opponents have a 50% completion rate just 35 times in the last 76 tilts.
Foes have scored less than 14 points in 45 of Stoops' 76 games.
Under Stoops, the Sooners have seven shutouts. Opponents failed to score more than seven points in 23 of the 76 games.
The NCAA charts five major defensive categories -- scoring defense, total defense, rushing defense, passing defense and pass efficiency defense. OU has been top 25 in all five for four consecutive years.
Oklahoma had at least 20 interceptions in four straight years (2000-03). Never before had OU strung together three seasons with 20 picks.

THE SPECIAL TEAMS IN BRIEF
A look at special teams notes from Bob Stoops' era as OU's head coach ...
There have been 22 special teams TDs, including 15 in the last 41 regular season games. Those 14 came via five different kinds of plays -- nine punt returns, two faked field goals, a blocked punt, a kickoff return and a faked punt. The special teams also own one safety.
OU has returned five kickoffs and 13 punts for touchdowns.
The Sooners have blocked 18 kicks.

MANY HAPPY RETURNS
During the Stoops era ...
Kickoff Returns -- There have been 30 returns of 25 yards or more with five touchdowns.
Punt Returns -- There have been 37 returns of 15 or more yards with 13 touchdowns.
Interceptions -- There have been 48 returns of 10 or more yards with 11 touchdowns.
Fumbles -- Three returns of 15 or more yards with three touchdowns.

STADIUM STUFF
Phase II was completed in the off-season. The $7 million project has centered in three areas -- fan amenities on the upper levels of the west side, remodeling of the Santee Lounge and bricking the north, south and center portions of the west side. Also, the facing of the press box was re-designed with new images and a listing of the program's accomplishments.
The capacity of the stadium is up from 81,207 last season to 82,112 this season.
The stadium seats 2.3% of the state's population. Of the 27 states with at least 3 million residents, none houses a greater percentage of the state's population for college football.
The playing surface was replaced over the off-season ... grass type: Tiff-Sport (Bermuda sod grown in San Antonio, Texas), square footage: 79,000, quantity of sand: 2,500 tons.

TEXAS VICTORY PUTS STOOPS AT 60
Oklahoma head coach Bob Stoops picked up his 60th victory with the Sooners' win over Texas. That win came in his 71st game at OU. Bud Wilkinson also reached his 60th Sooner triumph in his 71st game. The only Oklahoma coach to reach that milestone faster was Barry Switzer, who got his 60th win in his 67th outing.
Stoops had his team at 5-0 for a fifth consecutive season. No other coach in OU history has managed that feat. Wilkinson reached that record in four straight years.
Stoops dislikes the comparison due to the disparity in total games played, but it is worth mentioning that his .855 winning percentage is tops at OU. Switzer won at an .837 clip (190 games), while Wilkinson's rate was .826 (178 games).

DID YOU KNOW?
Oklahoma had the highest graduation rate among the eight schools that played in last year's BCS games (65%).

INDIVIDUAL PLAYER NOTES
LB Rufus Alexander: No. 2 on the team with 61 tackles ... career-high 10 stops vs. Texas ... nine tackles at Kansas State ... six stops, all solo, at OSU ... team-high eight tackles at A&M.

LB Gayron Allen: Big 12 Defensive Defensive Player of the Week after logging eight tackles and one interception (10-yard return) vs. Nebraska.

DT Remi Ayodele: Got his first OU start vs. Kansas, then made another against Nebraska.

CB Eric Bassey: Started as the team's SS in 2002, then was a back-up corner last season ... one of the team's fastest players, he had a 34-yard interception for touchdown against UCLA last season and a 45-yard fumble return for TD vs. Alabama in 2002.

DE Larry Birdine: Second on the team with 10 QB hurries ... career-high three sacks at Texas A&M ... playing extensively as the third defensive end.

WR Mark Bradley: Son of former OU QB Danny Bradley, he threw a TD pass last season ... ran 51 yards for a TD on a reverse against Houston ... three TD grabs, one shy of school record, for 128 yards at Oklahoma State.

OT Jammal Brown: The right tackle had the top grade on the line last season ... a bright pro prospect ... ranks fourth on the team with 37 career starts.

OL Chris Bush: One of the team's most versatile linemen, he could see significant snaps at
center and guard ... has eight career starts, including six this season, one at right guard and the others at left.

C Vince Carter: Was a finalist for the Rimington Award last season.

WR Mark Clayton: Of the three finalists for last year's Biletnikoff Award, he is the only one returning (other two were Larry Fitzgerald and Mike Williams) ... has 28 career touchdown catches and 32 career starts ... 61-yard TD grab vs. Kansas.

DE Dan Cody: Was one of six finalists for last season's Hendricks Award ... said Bowling Green QB Omar Jacobs, “That No. 80 is a monster” ... leads the team in sacks with nine and in hurries with 11 ... three sacks at Kansas State ... eight of his sacks came over the last six games.

DT Lawrence Dampeer: Recovered a fumble at Kansas State ... picked off a pass and returned it 31 yards against Kansas.

K Trey DiCarlo: Set NCAA record with 74 PAT last season ... had a string of 59 consecutive PAT makes snapped in win over Bowling Green ... made 8-of-15 field goals this season ... made 43-of-58 in his career ... one of three finalists for last year's Groza Award.

P Blake Ferguson: Enjoying his best season as a Sooner... brother of former OU punter Jeff Ferguson.

RB Donta Hickson: Posted a 25-yard touchdown run against Oregon ... missed the Texas Tech game with an injury.

LB Clint Ingram: One of the team's most physical players, something he proved on special teams over the last couple seasons ... made his first career start against Bowling Green ... recovered two fumbles and forced one against Texas ... four or more tackles in four of the last five games.

DE Jonathan Jackson: Has seven sacks, including two each vs. Houston and Oklahoma State.

WR Brandon Jones: Eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark for career receiving yards in the win over Texas Tech ... 69-yard TD grab vs. Kansas ... at least one catch in every game this season ... four special teams tackles over the last two games.

RB Kejuan Jones: Led OU with 925 rushing yards last season ... played behind Quentin Griffin in 02 and was the team's short yardage back ... set career highs with 32 carries and 148 yards in the opener ... string of eight straight games with at least one TD ended against Oregon ... missed the Texas Tech game with an injury ... 49 yards vs. OSU was his best in the last four weeks.

OG Davin Joseph: Gifted, experienced lineman who was one of the nation's top wrestlers back in his HS days ... missed Houston game with an injury ... played a few snaps at RT at Kansas State.

DT Lynn McGruder: Co-Big 12 Sportsman of the Year with Mark Clayton for his role in assisting victims in a serious automobile accident in the summer of 03 ... season-high four tackles, including two for loss, against Texas.

MLB Lance Mitchell: Played in three games last season before going down with a season-ending knee injury ... team's top tackler in 2002 with 124 ... led the Sooners in the opener with nine tackles ... two sacks against Houston ... two PBU passes against Texas Tech ... 28-yard fumble return for TD and game-high 11 tackles vs. Kansas ... three TFL at A&M, including a nine-yard sack.

TE Bubba Moses: TD receptions vs Oregon and A&M ... career-long grab of 40 yards at A&M.

SS Donte Nicholson: Top returning tackler after posting 90 last season as the Big 12's Defensive Newcomer of the Year ... season-high 11 tackles vs. Oregon ... his two sacks have resulted in 19 yards in losses ... picked off just the second interception yielded by A&M's Reggie McNeal and returned it 32 yards.

CB Chijioke Onyenegecha: Career-high seven tackles and a key forced fumble at A&M.

DT Carl Pendleton: Started five of the last six games -- missed the Kansas game with an injury ... season-high four tackles vs. Texas.

WR Will Peoples: Has 15 career starts at receiver ... became the 19th 1,000-yard career receiver at OU when he crossed that mark against Kansas.

CB/RS: Antonio Perkins: Has eight career punt returns for touchdowns ... has 12 punt returns of 40 yards or longer in his career ... graduated in May with a degree in criminology/sociology and is presently attending graduate school ... injured vs. Texas, he then missed the next four games before returning to start against Nebraska.

RB Adrian Peterson: Rushed for 100 yards in first nine game season ... a workhorse, he's averaging 25.4 rushing attempts per game.

FS Brodney Pool: Led the team in interceptions last year with seven ... this team's leading tackler with 74 ... broke up two passes against Kansas and has a team-high nine for the season ... two interceptions against Texas Tech.

WR Jejuan Rankins: Reminds many of teammate Mark Clayton ... caught 33 balls last season in his first year on the field for OU ... 56-yard KOR set up OU's first touchdown vs. Houston.

LS Jacob Rice: No errant snaps in 392 career tries.

FB J.D. Runnels: Rock steady player who is assignment strong ... great blocker ... touchdown grab against Texas Tech ... career-long 28-yard reception at Kansas State ... career-high three receptions vs. Nebraska (21 yards).

DB Brandon Shelby: Per snaps played, he is one of the most effective players on the team ... Made All-Big 12 HM in 2002 with no starts ... has three career blocked kicks ... had an interception and a career-high nine tackles in the win over Texas Tech, his lone start of the season.

OT Wes Sims: A fixture on the left side with 45 career starts.

QB Paul Thompson: Ran a 4.4 40 in fall testing and brings multiplicity to the quarterback position.

CB Marcus Walker: Came out of his redshirt at A&M ... five tackles in first start vs.Nebraska.

QB Jason White: 2003 winner of the Heisman and O'Brien Awards ... will graduate in December with a degree in sociology.

WR Travis Wilson: Leads the team in TD receptions with eight, which ties for third in OU history ... had two scoring grabs against Texas Tech and Kansas State ... streak of 12 straight games with a reception ended at OSU ... set career highs with nine receptions and 135 receiving yards against Nebraska ... over the last two games, he has 14 receptions for 186 yards and one touchdown.

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