Sooners Battle Oregon on Saturday

NORMAN, Okla. -- Oklahoma hosts the final non-conference opponent of the 2004 season this Saturday when the Oregon Ducks of the Pac 10 land in Norman. Kickoff is slated for 2:30 p.m. at Owen Field with the game televised by ABC.

OU dispatched Houston last Saturday, 63-13, and defeated Bowling Green in the season-opener, 40-24, to bring a 2-0 record and No. 2 national ranking into the contest with the Ducks. Oregon suffered a 30-24 loss to the visiting Indiana Hoosiers last weekend in Eugene and stand at 0-1 on the young season. The Ducks dropped out of the latest polls with the loss.

THE GAME
Oklahoma (2-0) looks to go undefeated in regular season non-conference play for a fifth consecutive season when it hosts Oregon (0-1). The Sooners are also rolling at home with 15 straight wins on Owen Field. The latest in that string came last Saturday when OU steamrolled Houston, 63-13. Oregon, which lost its opener to Indiana, 30-24, last Saturday, is going on the road for the first time this season.

Sooner Gameday Central | OU Quotes | Oregon's Game Notes

THE POLLS
OU is No. 2 in the Associated Press and ESPN/USA Today Coaches polls. Oregon, which previously held a No. 25 ranking, is not listed in this week's poll.

THE SERIES
OU leads the series, 4-0, with all four meetings played in Norman. The Sooners won 6-0 in 1958, 17-0 in 1966, 68-3 in 1972 and 62-7 in 1975. Oklahoma was ranked No. 1 in 58, No. 2 in 1972 and No. 1 in 1975. Oregon has not been ranked at the time of any of the previous meetings and OU also was unranked for the 66 game.

THE COACHES
Oklahoma: Bob Stoops (Iowa 78), now in his sixth season with the Sooners, is 57-11 overall. He is 3-2 in bowls, 3-1 in January bowls, 2-1 in BCS games, 34-7 vs. the Big 12, 20-5 vs. the Big 12 South, 15-3 vs. the Big 12 North, 2-1 in the Big 12 title game, 23-3 vs. non-conference foes, 32-1 at home, 16-6 on the road, 9-4 on neutral fields and 18-4 vs. ranked opponents. Oregon's Mike Bellotti (UC-Davis 73) is 75-35 in his 11th season at Oregon. He owns an overall mark of 96-60-2 in 16 seasons as a head coach.

SPECIAL EVENTS
Pregame - OU Merit Scholar presentation.
Special Event - Observance of Bizzell Library's 75th anniversary.
Giveaway - 10,000 Pinwheels courtesy of OG&E.
Halftime: Salute of the OU Women's Basketball team for its Big 12 Championship.

OKLAHOMA ... ONE OF COLLEGE FOOTBALL'S ELITE PROGRAMS
Oklahoma's football program owns a remarkable list of accomplishments ...
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 (738-284-53), No. 1 in victories since WWII (494) and No. 1 in victories since 2000 (49).
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).

ABOUT THE OPPONENT
Oregon scored a knockout on the statistical sheet, but still absorbed a 30-24 loss to Indiana last Saturday in Eugene, Ore. The Ducks had 495 total yards to just 198 for the Hoosiers, but lost four fumbles and three interceptions, while also surrendering a 98-yard kickoff return. Indiana jumped to a 20-0 lead and the four scoring drives that led to that advantage amounted to just 15 plays and 61 yards ...
The Ducks return 16 starters (8 offense, 6 defense, 2 specialists) from an 8-5 team that finished third in the Pac-10 last season. UO dropped a 31-30 decision to Minnesota in the 2003 Sun Bowl.
Oregon is 11-23-1 vs. teams currently holding membership in the Big 12 Conference (7-8 vs. Colorado, 0-1-1 vs. Kansas, 0-1 vs. Missouri, 1-5 vs. Nebraska, 0-4 vs. Oklahoma, 1-4 vs. Texas and 2-0 vs. Texas Tech). The Ducks' last game against a Big 12 foe came in the 2002 Fiesta Bowl (end of 2001 season) when they popped Colorado, 38-16.

TIES WITH THIS WEEK'S OPPONENT
Oklahoma running backs coach Cale Gundy and Oregon secondary coach John Neal coached together at Alabama-Birmingham. Gundy was there from 1995-98 as quarterbacks and then running backs coach. Neal was there from 1995-2002 as secondary and recruiting coordinator and then defensive coordinator.
Oklahoma linebacker Lance Mitchell and Oregon offensive lineman Nick Steitz were high school teammates at Los Banos HS in Los Banos, Calif. Both were seniors in 1999.
There are no Oregonians on the Oklahoma roster nor are there any Oklahomans on the Oregon roster. In fact, the only Oregonian ever to play at OU was Ivan Preston, a wingback from Milwaukie, Oregon's Mount Union HS. He was on the Sooners' 1944 squad.

OU's MOST RECENT GAME
Oklahoma roared to a 63-13 win over Houston in Norman last Saturday. The Cougars scored on their first possession, then saw the Sooners reel off 63 unanswered points ...
When Houston jumped ahead it marked just the seventh home game of Bob Stoops' tenure (33 home game in all) that the Sooners had trailed at any point during the contest.
Big plays were the order of the evening for the Sooners ... Jejuan Rankins had a 56-yard kickoff return (non-scoring), Mark Bradley rushed 51 yards for a touchdown on a reverse, Antonio Perkins had a 41-yard punt return for a touchdown, Jason White fired a 40-yard touchdown strike to Brandon Jones, Adrian Peterson (38) and D.J. Wolfe (31) both had long non-scoring runs and receivers Mark Clayton (39), Will Peoples (28) and D.J. Wolfe (27) all had lengthy non-scoring receptions.
The 583 yards of total offense rated as the third-highest total of the Bob Stoops era.
Oklahoma defeated a team from Texas for the 19th time in its last 20 tries including 14 in a row in Norman.
Oklahoma tied its second-highest scoring first half in school history with 49 points. The record for most points in a first half is 52 (Rice 78) and the record for most points in either half is 55 (Kansas State 42).
Oklahoma's average starting field position got its seven first-half drives was its own 46. The Sooners scored touchdowns on six of those possessions.
A crowd of 84,280, the second-largest in OU history, witnessed the game. The record in the expanded stadium was set the previous week against Bowling Green at 84,319.
DT Carl Pendleton made his first career start.

PERK TIES NCAA RECORD
Antonio Perkins tied the NCAA record for punt returns for touchdowns 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 with Wes Welker, also a native Oklahoman (Oklahoma City), who finished his career at Texas Tech last season. By the way, 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.

CLAYTON CLOSING IN
With seven school records already in his position, Mark Clayton is bearing down on No. 8. The senior needs just three receptions to eclipse Quentin Griffin's career mark of 169.
With 167, Clayton already owns the best total ever by a Sooner receiver. He passed tight end Trent Smith to claim the No. 2 spot.

WHITE SURPASSES 5,000 ... TWICE
In the Houston game, QB Jason White surpassed 5,000 yards in career passing yardage. He now has 5,212, which is No. 3 at Oklahoma behind Josh Heupel (7,456) and Cale Gundy (6,686). White surpassed 5,000 career total yards in the opener against Bowling Green and now has 5,325 in that category, also good for No. 3 behind Heupel (7,522) and Gundy (6,923).

WHITE THEN AND NOW
A look at Jason White compared with the same time of last season's Heisman Trophy year ...
2003 (North Texas, Alabama): 44-70-1, 5 touchdowns, 507 yards, 11.5 yards per completion.
2004 (Bowling Green, Houston): 35-49-1, 5 touchdowns, 495 yards, 14.1 per completion.

ANOTHER EARLY DEPARTURE
Jason White played just one series into the second half of last week's game against Houston, thus continuing a trend of early departures in his career. Last season, he finished just three games, while sitting out the equivalent of five quarters and 12 minutes ...
He missed the last 10:36 of Saturday's game and watched OU offense take another 33 snaps after he went to the bench.
Over the last two seasons, White's time on the bench due to large Sooner leads now amounts to one hour and 38 minutes. That's six full quarters (three halves) and eight more minutes of another period.

WHITE CHASES TD MARK
Jason White has 51 career TD passes, just two behind Josh Heupel. Heupel started all 25 games in his career. White has played in 29 games with 20 starts.

FIRST THINGS FIRST FOR BRADLEY
Oklahoma receiver Mark Bradley scored a touchdown on his first career rushing attempt in Saturday night's 63-13 win over Houston. The 51-yard reverse came after taking a pitch from fellow receiver Mark Clayton. Earlier in his career, Bradley scored a touchdown on a his first career kickoff return attempt (100 yards at Iowa State last season) and on his first career passing attempt (17 yards to Clayton vs. Oklahoma State last season). Bradley did not score a touchdown on his first career reception, but he did on his fifth a 39-yarder at Iowa State last season. Bradley, a senior, is the son of former Sooner quarterback Danny Bradley, who lettered at OU from 1981-84. The younger Bradley began his college career at Arkansas-Pine Bluff before transferring to Oklahoma.

2004 A.D.
Adrian Peterson picked up the nickname A.D., during his illustrious high school career. The initials stand for “Always Dangerous.” To date, the same might be said of his college career. Peterson is the first freshman in Oklahoma history to rush for 100 yards in each of his first two games. Two other Sooners reached 100 yards in their first two games, but neither were freshmen. The others were junior RB Waymon Clark and sophomore QB Steve Davis, both in 1973. Peterson had 25 attempts for 117 yards against Houston and 17 attempts for 100 yards against Bowling Green.

SOONERS GETTING CARRIED AWAY
A closer look at Oklahoma's rushing to date ...
Both Adrian Peterson have 41 rushing attempts this season. Both also have three touchdowns, which means Peterson may challenge Jones' school freshman record of 14.
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.
Against Bowling Green, OU had more rushing yards (258) than passing (238) for the 13th time in the Stoops era.
Adrian Peterson became just the second OU freshman to rush for 100 yards in his debut, and the first running back 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.
Oklahoma has rushed for 200 yards in 17 games under Stoops including the first two games of this season.

THESE GUYS ARE THE BACK-UPS?
When Tommy Grady came in and connected on 8-of-9 passes against Houston, it was just more of the same from Oklahoma's back-up quarterbacks. Not a single reserve quarterback has completed less than 50% of his passes for a season during the Stoops era. Between Paul Thompson last year and Grady this year, the second-stringers are a combined 27-of-36 for 274 yards with three touchdowns and one interception.

SCARY SCORING
Oklahoma set a school record with 601 points last season. With one less regular season game on this year's slate, eclipsing that feat will be tough, although the 04 Sooners are giving it a try. Last season, the two-game scoring total was 57. This year, it's 103.

POLL TOLL
Oklahoma is ranked No. 2 in both polls ...
Oklahoma is 53-12 when carrying the No. 2 ranking, including a 21-3 mark at home. The Sooners are 36-4 vs. unranked opponents when listed at No. 2. Ranked OU teams are 308-27-3 against unranked teams all-time.
Oklahoma has the third-longest active streak in terms of consecutive weeks in the Associated Press' rankings. Michigan tops that list at 96 followed by Miami at 74 and Oklahoma at 72.
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 32-1 at Gaylord Family - Oklahoma Memorial Stadium under Bob Stoops. The Sooners have won their last 15 home games, including five over ranked opponents. The longest home winning streak under Stoops was 17. During the current streak, OU has ...
averaged 48.5 points per game to just 12.5 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 three games in which the opponent did not score a TD.

GREAT SLATE
Oklahoma's 11-game schedule includes nine opponents who were in bowls last season. The foes were 87-57 (.604) in 03. The non-conference foes were 26-14 (.650). That rates as the nation's 12th-toughest non-league slate. Four OU opponents won 10 or more games last year.

NON-CONFERENCE SUCCESS TOPS AMONG BIG 12
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 20-1 during that time. That number of victories and winning percentage (.952) are tops during that stretch in the Big 12. Here is more on the Sooners' non-league success ...
OU has won its last 17 regular season games vs. non-league foes.
Bob Stoops is 23-3 vs. non-league foes, including the post-season, and 16-0 in non-conference home games.

HOME IS WHERE THE GAMES ARE
Oklahoma is playing its first four games at home for just the third time in its history. The other two seasons in which that happened were the 2000 National Championship year and 1995, Howard Schnellenberger's lone campaign with the Sooners. As a matter of fact, those are the only other instances in which OU played four straight home games during the same season.

SEE YOU IN SEPTEMBER
Oklahoma is 18-0 during the month of September under Bob Stoops. Over the last 25 seasons, the Sooners have had a losing record just twice in September -- 1996 and 1982.

THE STOOPS ERA IN BRIEF
A look at Bob Stoops' first five seasons ...
OU won the 2000 national championship, three 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 62 school records.
Oklahoma has played in five bowl games. 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 58 of 68 games.
OU has 33 of its 41 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.
16 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 various school record lists ... No. 2 in completions (349), No. 2 in plays (1,018), No. 9 in yards per play (6.0), No. 2 in total yards (6,152), No. 8 in yards per game (439.4), No. 4 in points per game (42.9), No. 4 in completions per game (21.3), No. 4 in passing attempts (480), No. 4 in pass attempts per game (34.3), No. 4 in passing yards per game (293.5) and No. 3 in completion 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 70 consecutive games dating back to Nov. 7, 1998.
Under Stoops, OU has rushed for 200 yards 17 times, including 12 over the last four years.
Under Stoops, Oklahoma has 73 touchdowns of 25 yards or longer and 184 scoring drives that lasted less than two minutes.

THE DEFENSE IN BRIEF
Oklahoma has forced at least one turnover in 61 of the last 68 games (Stoops' tenure) and has at least one interception in 46 of the last 56 contests. OU has had multiple interceptions in 15 of the last 28 games.
Opponents have a 50% completion rate just 30 times in the last 68 tilts.
Foes have scored less than 14 points in 41 of Stoops' 68 games.
Under Stoops, the Sooners have six shutouts. Opponents failed to score more than seven points in 20 of the 68 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 seasons.
Oklahoma has had at least 20 interceptions in four straight years (a total of 88 during that span). 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 21 special teams TDs, including 14 in the last 37 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 12 punts for touchdowns.
The Sooners have blocked 17 kicks.
OU has recovered its only onside kick attempt last season (at Colorado).

MANY HAPPY RETURNS
During the Stoops era ...
Kickoff Returns -- There have been 29 returns of 25 yards or more with five touchdowns.
Punt Returns -- There have been 34 returns of 15 or more yards with 12 touchdowns.
Interceptions -- There have been 45 returns of 10 or more yards with 11 touchdowns.
Fumbles -- Three returns of 15 or more yards with three touchdowns.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL'S MOST PROLIFIC SCORING PROGRAM
No college program has scored more points than Oklahoma's 28,084. In addition, OU's total margin of victory, 15,160, ranks No. 2 behind Michigan. Oklahoma is 102nd (out of 117) in points surrendered at 12,940. Not bad for a team that ranks No. 26 in games played at 1,076.

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 football program's accomplishments.
The capacity of the stadium is up from 81,207 last season to 82,112 this season.
The stadium can seat 2.3% of the state's population. Of the 27 states with at least three million residents, none can house a greater percentage of the state's population in a college football venue.
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.

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 57 games, spent 57 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.

OKLAHOMA INDIVIDUAL PLAYER NOTES
LB Gayron Allen: Returning starter on the weakside ... played sparingly in the first two games due to Bowling Green's spread offense.

LB Rufus Alexander: Saw extensive action in the opener and responded with seven tackles, one fumble forced and one quarterback hurry ... had a forced fumble in his first career start (Houston).

DT Remi Ayodele: Two sacks against Houston.

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: Three tackles and two hurries in the opener, then a sack in game two.

WR Mark Bradley: Big, dangerous athlete, who will also be in his first year as the holder for placements ... son of former OU QB Danny Bradley, he threw a touchdown pass last season.

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 30 career starts.

OL Chris Bush: One of the team's most versatile linemen, he could see significant snaps at
center and guard ... has five career starts, including this year's Houston game.

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) ... already holds seven OU receiving records and needs just three catches to set the mark for most in a career ... has 25 career touchdown catches and 25 career starts.

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” ... is being used as an extra tight end in OU's jumbo set.

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 4-of-5 field goals this season with his lone miss from 47 yards (bounced off the upright) ... made 37-of-47 in his career ... one of three finalists for last year's Groza Award.

DT Dusty Dvoracek: Had a great off-season in the weight room and is playing at 300 pounds for the first time ... OU's nominee for the National Football Foundation's Scholar-Athlete Award ... recovered a fumble vs. Houston.

P Blake Ferguson: Brother of former OU punter Jeff Ferguson, he owns a career average of 40.3 yards with 32 kicks of 50+ yards and 36 inside the 20 in two seasons (128 punts) ... strong in the opener with two kicks for an average of 45.0.

RB Donta Hickson: Reserve back who had 131 of his 306 career rushing yards in last season's win over Texas A&M.

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.

Jonathan Jackson: Team leader in quarterback hurries over the last two seasons with 26 in 03 and 18 in 02 ... nearly one-fourth of his career tackles have been for loss.

WR Brandon Jones: Leads team with 17.2 yards per reception ... diving effort in the end zone resulted in a 40-yard TD reception against Houston.

RB Kejuan Jones: Led OU with 925 rushing yards last season ... played behind Quentin Griffin in 02 and was the team's very effective short yardage back ... set career highs with 32 carries and 148 yards in this year's opener ... scored a TD in eight straight games.

OG Davin Joseph: Gifted and experienced lineman who was one of the nation's top wrestlers back in his high school days ... missed the Houston game with an injury.
LB Zach Latimer: A defensive end earlier in his career, he is emerging as a strong candidate for playing time at linebacker.

DT Lynn McGruder: Figures to join the starting line-up in the spot previously held by Tommie Harris ... 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.

MLB Lance Mitchell: Played in three games last season before going down with a season-ending knee injury ... was the team's top tackler in 2002 with 124 ... led the Sooners in the opener with nine tackles ... two sacks against Houston.

TE Bubba Moses: Hoping to get the starting nod at the competitive tight end spot ... most experienced of those vying for the job.

SS Donte Nicholson: Top returning tackler after posting 90 last season as the Big 12's Defensive Newcomer of the Year.

WR Will Peoples: Has 14 career starts at receiver ... needs 91 receiving yards to reach 1,000 for his career.

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.

LB Demarrio Pleasant: Will play a lot of snaps after redshirting last season ... impressive in August workouts.

FS Brodney Pool: Led the team with interceptions last year with seven ... eight stops in the opener, then a team-high seven in game two.

CB Jowahn Poteat: In the battle for the corner job opposite Antonio Perkins.

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 335 career tries.

TE Willie Roberts: At 6-7, he is tied for team honors (with Tommy Grady) as the team's tallest player. In the fray for the starting TE job.

FB J.D. Runnels: Rock steady player who is assignment strong ... also a good receiver as evidenced by 17 career receptions.

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.

OT Wes Sims: A fixture on the left side with 36 career starts.

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

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

WR Travis Wilson: Perhaps the team's most physical receiver, he caught four touchdown passes last season ... got his first this season against Houston.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

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