OU Set for Big 12 Championship Game

NORMAN, Okla. -- For the third year in a row and the fourth time in the last five, Oklahoma is playing for the Big 12 Conference Championship as the South Division's representative. The Sooners won the game in 2000 and 2002. This game features a rematch of that 2002 game, which Oklahoma won over Colorado, 29-7, in Houston's Reliant Stadium.

SEEKING 12
Oklahoma is seeking its 12th victory and hopes to reach that number for the fourth time in Bob Stoops' six years. To put that figure in perspective, Oklahoma won a total of 12 games in the three seasons prior to Stoops' arrival.

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

Notes (PDF)

THE SERIES
Oklahoma leads the series, 37-16-2, and owns a three-game winning streak against Colorado.

THE COACHES
Oklahoma: Bob Stoops (Iowa 83), now in his sixth season with the Sooners, is 66-11 overall. He is 3-2 in bowls, 3-1 in January bowls, 2-1 in BCS games, 43-8 vs. the Big 12, 25-5 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, 20-6 on the road, 10-4 on neutral fields and 21-4 vs. ranked opponents.

Colorado: Gary Barnett (Missouri 69) is 41-32 in his sixth year at Colorado.

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 (746-284-53), No. 1 in victories since WWII (504) and No. 1 in victories since 2000 (54).
Oklahoma's all-time winning percentage of .711 ranks No. 4 nationally. The Sooners' .908 percentage since 2000 ranks No. 1 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).

OU AND THE BIG 12 TITLE GAME
Oklahoma plays Colorado for the second time in this game after defeating the Buffaloes, 29-7, in the 2002 game at Houston's Reliant Stadium.
Seven of the 22 position starters who started that game in 02 are still on the Oklahoma team and six are likely starters in this contest.

OU's MOST RECENT GAME
Oklahoma steamrolled Baylor in its regular season finale at Waco, Texas, 35-0, on Nov. 20 ...
Adrian Peterson carried 32 times for 240 yards and a career-high three touchdowns.
Oklahoma's defense stymied Baylor with seven sacks, including three by Larry Birdine and two by Jonathan Jackson. Birdine also forced a fumble that Jackson recovered to set up the Sooners' first TD.
Baylor ventured into OU territory just two times during the game, once in each half. The Bears were unable to penetrate any deeper than the Sooner 44 in the second half.
For the first time this year, RB Kejuan Jones was OU's top receiver with five grabs for 46 yards.
True freshman K Garrett Hartley came out of his redshirt to make all four of his extra point kicks.

SOONERS CHASING CONFERENCE TITLE NO. 39
Oklahoma is seeking its 39th football conference championship.
Oklahoma and Nebraska are tied with two Big 12 crowns.
Including this game, Oklahoma has a league-best four appearances in the conference title game.

OU IN KC
This marks Oklahoma's third game in Kansas City and all have been for the Dr Pepper Big 12 Championship game. Both of the previous appearances were against Kansas State. The Sooners won in 2000, 27-24, and lost in 2003, 35-7.
There are two KC natives on OU's roster. LB Wayne Chambers is from Grandview, Mo.,
(Grandview HS) and DB Brandon Shelby is from Kansas City, Mo., (Rockhurst HS).

GOOD USE OF PREP TIME
When Oklahoma plays in the Big 12 title game, it will have been 14 days since the Sooners' most recent game. Including season openers, bye weeks, league championship games and bowls, OU has had more than the standard six days of preparation for 18 previous games during the Stoops era. The Sooners are 16-2 in those contests.

REGULAR SEASON RECAP
The Sooners completed their 19th undefeated regular season, their third under Bob Stoops.
Oklahoma finished off a 17th season in which it is unbeaten AND untied.
Oklahoma got 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 played 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). The 2000 team defeated Texas Tech by a 27-13 count in Norman. The 2004 team won in the same location, 28-13.
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 at Arizona. In both cases, the person who was installed to fill the void had ties with Youngstown, Ohio, Bob Stoops' home town. Mark Mangino, a Youngstown State grad, ascended to the offensive coordinator's job in 2000. Bo Pelini, a Youngstown native, is the new face on defense in 04.
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).

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 33 yards to surpass Josh Heupel's total of 7,456. White's 2,707 yards this season rank No. 4 at OU. Heupel's single season mark of 3,850 yards appears to be out of reach.
White has an active streak of 183 consecutive passes attempted without an interception, a span that covers five-plus games and dates back to the Kansas State game, Oct. 16. Since then, he has connected on 108-of-172 passes (.628) for 1,479 yards with 17 touchdowns and, of course, no interceptions. Two of those five games were on the road vs. ranked foes.
White has at least three touchdown passes in seven of the 11 games this season.
His 30 TD passes this season rank No. 3 for a season at OU behind his own mark of 40 in 2003 and Josh Heupel's 33 in 1999.
QB comparison -- Jason White: 30 TDs, 4 INT, 162.3 pass efficiency (ranks No. 6 nationally), 2,707 passing yards. USC's Matt Leinart: 28 TDs, 5 INT, 157.5 pass efficiency, 2,748 passing yards.
White now has 76 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 both with 578 and 925, respectively.
White is 26-3 as an Oklahoma starter. Those 26 victories rank No. 3 on the OU career list. Steve Davis (1973-75) leads with 32 and Jamelle Holieway (1985-88) is second at 30. White is No. 6 among OU's starting quarterbacks with a career winning percentage of .897. One of White's losses is the 2001 Nebraska game. He started that contest, but left early with a knee injury. He is trying to become only the fifth quarterback to take OU through a entire season undefeated. The others are Josh Heupel (2000), Steve Davis (1974), Jimmy Harris (1955, 1956) and Darrell Royal (1949).
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 QB is 52-of-88 on third down this season. His third-down throws 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; Baylor -- 5-8, 57 yds., 1 TD.
On third-and-5 or less, White is 19-of-29 for 207 yards with 3 TD and 1 Int. On third-and-6 or more, White is 41-of-69 for 780 yards with 3 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” ...
One of college football's most durable backs with a nation-leading 286 rushing attempts.
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. Bounced back to get No. 10 at Baylor. For the season, he has 286 carries for 1,671 yards.
Peterson ranks No. 7 nationally in rushing yards (151.9).   He averaged 191.3 yards against the three ranked opponents OU has faced.
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).
Tied the NCAA record for most 100-yard games by a freshman at 10 with Wisconsin's Anthony Davis in 2001. Another Badger, Ron Dayne, has the record for rushing yards by a freshman with 1,863 in 1996.
Peterson set an OU freshman rushing record. 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.
Peterson ranks No. 4 on OU's single season rushing chart. He trails No. 3 Greg Pruitt (1972) by 89 yards. Peterson is No. 4 in rushing attempts (286) for a season at Oklahoma just one behind Quentin Griffin's 287 in 2002.
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 10, 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 12.
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.

STREAKS
Oklahoma has won its last 23 regular season games.
Including a pair of neutral site games against Texas, the Sooners have won 10 straight regular season games away from Norman. That mark includes eight victories against Big 12 competitors.
OU has won its last 19 home games.

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 11 games this season, and 22 times under Bob Stoops.
This team has 479 rushing attempts. The previous season high for OU under Stoops was 314 in 1999.
This team's 4.9 yards per carry average is the best since the 1990 team averaged 5.0
This team's 213.2 rushing yards per game is the best mark by an OU team since 251.1 in 1991.
OU ranks No. 16 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 18 games under Stoops in which OU had more rushing than passing yards. It has happened six times this season.

NOT SHARING WELL WITH OTHERS
Oklahoma has committed just 10 turnovers this season. In each of the last two years, OU committed just 17 turnovers to establish the current school season record. Eight of this year's miscues belong to the offense and two to special teams.
The Sooners rank No. 12 in the NCAA with a +1.0 turnover margin per game. OU has 21 takeaways -- seven interceptions, 14 fumble recoveries.
Over the last three seasons, Oklahoma has averaged one turnover every 67 plays, while averaging 75.5 plays per game.
The four interceptions this year (in 338 passing attempts) are the fewest by an Oklahoma team since the 1954 team, which attempted just 88 passes, had three.
With six fumbles lost, this team has the same number posted for the season by the 02 and 03 teams.

POSSESSION PROGRESSION
Still capable of the quick strike (OU has 12 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 nine scoring drives of five-plus minutes. Last year's team had only five 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 32:26 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.
OU has the possession time advantage in nine of 11 games thus far. In five of the games, the Sooners had at least a five minute edge. The widest was 12:04 against Texas.
Oklahoma has 19 scoring drives this season that used at least 10 plays. The biggest monsters were 17-play marches against Houston and Baylor.
The Sooners have 19 scoring drives that covered at least 80 yards. The longest were a 97-yarder against Oregon, a 93-yarder against Baylor, a 91-yarder against Kansas and a 90-yarder against Oregon.

TRUE FROSH TRIVIA
If RB Adrian Peterson, CB Marcus Walker and K Garrett Hartley all start it will mark the first time that OU has started three true freshmen in a game. There have been seven times in which three or more freshmen started, but in four of those instances all were redshirt freshmen. In three other years, there was one redshirt and two true freshmen. In 1984, the two true freshman starters were TE Keith Jackson and RB Lydell Carr. In 1985, they were QB Jamelle Holieway and RB Anthony Stafford. In 2001, the true freshmen C Vince Carter and DT Tommie Harris. The 84 team started the most freshmen Jackson, Carr, and redshirt freshman Darrell Reed, Troy Johnson and Brian Bosworth.

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.
Oklahoma logged seven sacks against Baylor, which was surrendering just 2.5 per game, and handed the Bears their only shutout of the season, 35-0. Only twice during the game did BU move into Sooner territory, once in each half, but never deeper than the 44 in the second frame.

THE THREE SACKATEERS
Oklahoma's trio of defensive ends, starters Dan Cody and Jonathan Jackson, and reserve Larry Birdine, have menaced opposing offenses this season ...
The trio has 24 of the team's 35 sacks. Cody leads with nine (-57), followed by Jackson with eight (-55) and Birdine, who has yet to start a game, with seven (-34). These three also have 27 quarterback hurries, led by Cody's 12 and Birdine's 11.
Cody leads the team with 15 tackles for loss. Jackson and Birdine are tied for second along with linebacker Lance Mitchell with 10.
Mel Kiper, Jr., currently has Cody rated No. 5 on his draft board, No. 1 among defensive linemen.

VENUE VINDICATION
Bob Stoops' 11 losses have occurred in 11 different stadiums. His OU teams have never lost twice at the same site under its current head coach.

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 ...
Has a string of 25 consecutive games with at least one reception.
Clayton has eight career multi-touchdown reception games.
He averages one touchdown every 7.2 receptions.
This season, 342 of his 749 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-eight of Clayton's 53 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.

SHARING THE RECEIVING WEALTH
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 four average at least 20 yards per game.
Four players -- Mark Bradley, Mark Clayton, Kejuan Jones and Travis Wilson -- have led OU in receiving yards this season.
Clayton tops OU with 54 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 1,164 yards. There have been 19, 1,000-yard receivers at OU, eight on Bob Stoops' watch.
Including Clayton, Jones and Peoples, 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, Travis Wilson, is trying to join the group. He's currently at 859.

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 five 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 (5.5), Travis Wilson at 5.7 (12 TDs in 68 touches) and Mark Clayton at 7.8 (227 touches and 29 scores).

LAUDING THE LINE
It has been a banner offensive year with a 1,000-yard rusher and just four sacks surrendered ...
RT Jammal Brown is a finalist for the Outland Trophy and C Vince Carter is a candidate for the finals in the Rimington Award.
Brown leads the team in knockdowns with 125 and has not allowed a sack or hurry all season.
Carter tops the line in plays with 678. He has just three missed assignments, a team-low that is tied with guard Davin Joseph.
Carter carries the top season grade on OU's stringent scale at 83%. Joseph is next at 82% followed by Brown at 81%.

THAT'S TIGHT
Oklahoma's tight ends have four touchdown receptions this season, three over the last three games ... by three different players. James Moses and Joe Jon Finley both caught a scoring pass at Texas A&M, then Willie Roberts tacked on another against Nebraska. For the year, OU's tight ends have 27 receptions for 225 yards.

BOOMING BALANCE
Oklahoma had 214 rushing yards and 213 passing yards against Oregon. That's fairly typical of the season. OU has 2,792 (54%) passing yards and 2,345 (46%) 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 30.7 passing attempts per game.

THIS FERGIE GETTING PHAT
P Blake Ferguson has a 42.0-yard punting average, but those figures fail to tell the entire story ...
Twenty-one of his 44 punts have been downed inside the 20.
All but 15 traveled 40+ yards, and of the 15 that did not, 12 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 19 of his 44 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 returned to his punt return chores against Baylor with one try for -2 yards..

POLL TOLL
Oklahoma is 62-12 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 105 weeks followed by Miami at 83 and Oklahoma at 81. OU is No. 4 all-time in total weeks in the poll with 618. Michigan leads with 707, followed by Notre Dame 686, then Ohio State 671.
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 28,422. In addition, OU's margin of victory, 15,324 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 1,085.

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 66 of 77 games.
OU has 43 of its 51 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.

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 79 consecutive games dating back to Nov. 7, 1998.
Under Stoops, OU has rushed for 200 yards 22 times, including 17 over the last four years.
Under Stoops, Oklahoma has 84 touchdowns of 25 yards or longer and 196 scoring drives that lasted less than two minutes.

THE DEFENSE IN BRIEF
Oklahoma has forced at least one turnover in 69 of the last 77 games (Stoops' tenure) and has at least one interception in 50 of the last 65 contests. OU has had multiple interceptions in 17 of the last 37 games.
Opponents have a 50% completion rate just 36 times in the last 77 tilts.
Foes have scored less than 14 points in 46 of Stoops' 77 games.
Under Stoops, the Sooners have eight shutouts. Opponents failed to score more than seven points in 24 of the 77 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 .857 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%).

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 65 games, spent 65 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.

INDIVIDUAL PLAYER NOTES
LB Rufus Alexander: No. 3 on the team with 66 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 and at Baylor ... forced a fumble at Baylor, which the offense converted into OU's first touchdown ... 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.

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 29 career touchdown catches and 33 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 ... has boomed 38 of 68 kickoffs for touchbacks this season ... over the last two seasons, the junior has 84 touchbacks after logging only nine as a freshman ...one of three finalists for last year's Groza Award.

P Blake Ferguson: Enjoying his best season at OU... brother of former OU punter Jeff Ferguson.

K Garrett Hartley: Came out of his redshirt at Baylor and made all four of his PAT kicks ... also booted two of four kickoffs for touchbacks.

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: Two sacks each vs. Houston, Oklahoma State and Baylor.

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 three games.

RB Kejuan Jones: 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 ...led OU in receiving with five catches for 46 yards at Baylor.

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: 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 six of the last seven 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 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 missed the four games before returning to start against Nebraska.

RB Adrian Peterson: Rushed for 100 yards in first nine games season ... a workhorse, he's averaging 26.0 rushing attempts per game.

FS Brodney Pool: Led the team in interceptions last year with seven ... this team's leading tackler with 84 ... 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 403 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 46 career starts, tops on this team.

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.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

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