100th Meeting for Oklahoma and Texas

OU-Texas: 2005
OU and Texas meet in the 100th renewal of the SBC Red River Rivalry. Played in the venerable Cotton Bowl, the game takes place amidst a most unique and energized setting, the State Fair of Texas. The two teams played six games in Dallas from 1912-1919, then settled on the location in 1929.

Sooner Gameday Central - Texas | Season Stats | Notes (PDF)

This marks the 77th consecutive year that the game as taken place in Dallas, which, according to Mapquest.com, is 189.9 miles from Norman, 196.7 miles from Austin.

This year, Oklahoma seeks its sixth-straight win over the Longhorns, a feat that would tie the school record in the series.

Golden Hat Trophy, Governor's Cup on the Line
The school that wins this game takes home the coveted Golden Hat Trophy, which resides each year with the most recent winner. The Governor's Cup also stays with the winner, but is in the possession of the state's highest elected official.

The Series
Overall: Texas leads, 55-39-5; At Dallas: Texas leads 43-35-5; At Norman: Texas leads, 3-1; At Austin: Texas leads, 7-2-1; At Oklahoma City: The series is tied 1-1. OU's Widest Margin of Victory: 65-13 in 2003; Texas' Widest Margin of Victory: 40-7 in 1941.

Series Notes
Oklahoma has won five straight games in the series (63-14 in 2000, 14-3 in 2001, 35-24 in 2002, 65-13 in 2003 and 12-0 in 2004) ... Oklahoma's longest winning streak in the series came from 1952-57 when Bud Wilkinson's teams reeled off six in a row ... Texas answered that streak by winning the next eight, one of two times it has had a string of victories that long in this series ... this marks the 55th time that at least one of the teams has entered this game with a national ranking ... the lower-rated team has prevailed 15 times in this series.

The Coaches
Oklahoma: Bob Stoops (Iowa 83), now in his seventh season with the Sooners, is 69-14 overall. He is 3-3 in bowls, 3-2 in January bowls, 2-2 in BCS games, 45-8 vs. the Big 12, 25-5 vs. the Big 12 South, 20-3 vs. the Big 12 North, 3-1 in the Big 12 title game, 25-6 vs. non-conference opponents, 38-2 at home, 20-7 on the road, 11-5 on neutral fields, 21-5 vs. ranked opponents and 5-1 vs. Texas.

Texas: Mack Brown (Florida State 74) is 74-19 in his eighth year at Texas, 160-93-1 in his 22nd year overall. He is 2-5 against Oklahoma, a school he served as offensive coordinator in 1984.

The Program
Oklahoma owns one of the most storied and accomplished traditions in all of college football ...
OU's all-time record is 751-287-53.
Seven national championships (1950, 1955, 1956, 1974, 1975, 1985, 2000).
Thirty-eight bowl appearances (No. 7 nationally) with 23 victories (No. 3 nationally).
Since WWII, Oklahoma is the most successful college football program with 506 victories.
OU's all-time winning percentage of .711 ranks No. 4 among Division I-A members.
From 2000 forward, OU leads the nation in victories with 62.

This Week's Opponent
Texas enters the game ranked No. 2 nationally.
The Longhorns have exceeded 50 points in three of their four games to date and have an average winning margin of 33 points.
UT ranks No. 1 in the nation in rushing offense at 310.00 yards per game so this contest will pit the nation's best rushing team against the third-best rushing defense squad. Texas also ranks No. 3 in scoring offense (46.75), No. 6 in pass efficiency defense (92.68), No. 7 in net punting (39.75) and pass defense (150.00), No. 8 in total offense (510.25) and No. 9 in punt returns (17.93).
Individually, Texas quarterback Vince Young ranks No. 11 in passing efficiency (161.73) and Aaron Ross ranks No. 9 in punt returns (19.15).

The Last Meeting
Oklahoma won last year's game by a 12-0 count for the 19th shutout in series history ...
Prior to the game, Texas had scored in an NCAA record 281 consecutive games. The Longhorns entered the game ranked No. 6 nationally in scoring offense.
Adrian Peterson rushed for 225 yards on 32 carries to pace a Sooner offense that racked up 36:02 of possession time. The Sooners finished with 301 yards on the ground.
Oklahoma's defense recovered three fumbles, logged three sacks and limited Texas to just 240 total yards (to 414 for OU).
A crowd of 79,587, the largest to ever witness the Red River Rivalry, was in attendance.

The Streak
A brief look at the last five games in this series, all Oklahoma wins ...
2000: Quentin Griffin rushed for a school record six touchdowns and the Sooners prevailed 63-14. The Sooners limited Texas to -7 rushing yards as they set sail on a national championship.
2001: Roy Williams' diving hit on Chris Simms resulted in an interception that Teddy Lehman picked off and returned one yard for the touchdown that locked up a 14-3 win. The game was Jason White's coming out party. He subbed for an injured Nate Hybl and hit 16-of-23 passes for 108 yards while rushing 12 times for another 38.
2002: Griffin starred again, this time with 248 rushing yards, in a 35-24 triumph. The Sooners wiped out a 17-11 deficit by going on a 24-0 scoring blitz between the 3:38 mark of the third quarter and the 3:02 mark of the fourth.
2003: Oklahoma set series records for most points and widest margin of victory in a 65-13 victory. OU completed 20-of-24 passes in the game for 363 yards, 190 of which went to Mark Clayton for a school record. Eventual Heisman Trophy winner Jason White threw only three second-half passes and did not play in the fourth quarter. CB Derrick Strait scored the first touchdown on a 30-yard interception return. He finished the game with 11 tackles, two fumble recoveries, three break-ups and the pick.
2004: See Last Meeting note above.

Streak Notes
Oklahoma scored first in four of the five games (exception was 2002) ... no player on the current OU roster has lost to Texas (Jason White was the only player on last year's team to suffer that fate) ... a couple of long non-interception streaks have been snapped -- OU's Nate Hybl had thrown 149 without a pick before giving up one in the 2002 game, while UT's Chance Mock had gone 107 straight before being intercepted by Derrick Strait in 2003 ... senior OU running back Kejuan Jones has scored a touchdown against Texas in each of his three seasons to date ... the Sooners have averaged 212.8 rushing yards per game during the streak ... OU has had a total offense advantage of 420.6 per game to 231.0.

Ties With This Week's Opponent
Texas head coach Mack Brown was Oklahoma's offensive coordinator in 1984.
Oklahoma co-defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach Bobby Jack Wright was on the Texas staff as an assistant coach from 1986-97.
For the seventh straight year, an Austinite appears on OU roster. Reserve QB Hays McEachern and WR Fred Strong are two of the 10 Austin natives who have played for Oklahoma. McEachern is the son of Randy McEachern, a UT quarterback from 1977-78.
Kellen Coleman, a sophomore student assistant in the OU Athletics Media Relations office, is the son of Lance Coleman, a Texas Ranger who serves as one of the main game day security guards for Longhorn coach Mack Brown. The younger Coleman was a high school classmate with Sooner QB/WR Paul Thompson at Leander, Texas.

Oklahoma's Most Recent Game
Oklahoma rolled over Kansas State, 43-21, in Norman last Saturday night ...
OU had an impressive 232 yards on the ground, a statistic made even more impressive by the fact that six different players carried the ball and none netted more than 67 yards. The top rusher was QB Rhett Bomar, who carried eight times for 67 yards, 42 of which came on one play.
RB Adrian Peterson went out with an ankle injury midway through the second quarter and did not return. OU head coach Bob Stoops said Peterson could have returned if needed. Kejuan Jones came off the bench to run for a pair of short touchdowns.
Bomar completed 12-of-22 passes for 119 yards and one touchdown with no interceptions.
A Sooner team that had committed nine turnovers over its first three games had none against the Wildcats. OU had 14 fumbles in those first three games (lost six), but had none against KSU.
Kansas State entered the game ranked No. 12 nationally in rushing offense, but picked up just 22 yards on 32 attempts against OU. Six QB sacks contributed to the figure, but three Wildcat running backs combined for 24 yards on 16 attempts.
Wildcat quarterback Allen Webb was 11-of-23 with two touchdowns and one interception.

Oklahoma Picks Up Win. No. 750
The win over Tulsa was the 750th all-time for Oklahoma. The Sooners' all-time record now stands 751-287-53. OU is one of just eight schools with 750 victories. With 1,091 games played, the Sooners are just nine away from 1,100. Nineteen other schools have played 1,100 games.

Sooners Eclipse Three Million in Attendance Under Stoops
Oklahoma has sold out all 40 home games of Bob Stoops' tenure and during the Tulsa game the total number of fans during that period exceeded three million. The total stands at 3,144,409 for an average of 78,610. That figure is misleading because recent expansion moved the capacity to 82,112. That figure has been exceeded in 15 straight games.

Early Games Illustrate Changing of the Guard
Twelve players made the first start of their Oklahoma career this season. Last season, over a 13-game schedule, a grand total of 10 players made their first career start at OU. The numbers are typical of the changes that are taking place this season ...

The TCU Game
Seven defensive players made their first career start.
Thirteen freshmen (eight true, five redshirt) played.
The starting offensive players in last season's finale had a combined 301 starts. The offensive starters in the 05 opener had a combined 130. The offensive line that started in the Orange Bowl last season at 188 career starts compared to just 68 for the group that started this year's opener.

The Tulsa Game
Eighteen first-year players saw action. Of those, 16 were freshmen, including 10 true.
Four of the five starting offensive linemen were in their first game at that particular position. Only Chris Bush, who had two previous starts at right guard (one in 03 and another in 04) was in a spot he had previously held. The offensive line that started against TU had a combined 41 career starts, down some 27 from the opener.
Three freshmen linemen played, including RT Branndon Braxton in his first career start.
CB D.J. Wolfe was OU's leading tackler with 12. At the same time last year he was a reserve running back.
OU's leading rusher and receiver was a sophomore (Adrian Peterson), the QB was a redshirt freshman (Rhett Bomar), the P was a sophomore (Cody Freeby), the K was a sophomore (Garrett Hartley), the leading tackle was a sophomore (D.J. Wolfe) and three of the four sacks were made by players who either weren't here last season or were playing offense in 2004.

The UCLA Game
Three true freshmen started in the game in RT Branndon Braxton, WR Malcolm Kelly and SS Reggie Smith. To put that in perspective, only four true freshmen even played for OU all of 2004.
Of the 15 players who had statistics on offense or in returns, 10 have at least two years of eligibility remaining, as did the leading tacklers Demarrio Pleasant and Darien Williams (both had 10), both of whom are sophomores.

The Kansas State Game
Four true freshman started, including both safeties -- Reggie Smith (FS) and Nic Harris (SS). Harris responded with seven tackles and one sack in his first career start. Smith had an interception and a 14-yard return. In the third quarter, with OU leading 33-15, the Sooners faced a third-and-seven at their own 19. The offense came out in a three-receiver set and all three were true freshmen -- Malcolm Kelly, Manuel Johnson and Juaquin Iglesias. Rhett Bomar, a redshirt freshman himself, hit Iglesias for 18 yards.

Nothing Average About the New Linemen
By physical stature, this is the biggest group of offensive lineman to join the OU program under Bob Stoops. The average size of the Sooners' first-year o-linemen is 6-5, 305. Ben Baressi is 6-5, 282; Branndon Braxton 6-6, 300; George Robinson 6-6, 330 and Jesse White 6-5, 282. Add defensive interior newcomers DeMarcus Granger (6-2, 320) and Brian Simmons (6-5, 305) and there are five incoming players who tip the scales at better than 300 pounds.

Sooner Extremes
Tallest: Willie Roberts, TE (6-7); Shortest: David Robinson, WR (5-6); Heaviest: George Robinson, OL (330); Lightest: David Robinson, WR (156); Oldest: Willie Roberts, TE (born Feb. 10, 1981); Youngest: Juaquin Iglesias, WR (born Aug. 22, 1987).

OU Brand Among the Nation's Most Popular
The Collegiate Licensing Company, an Atlanta-based company that represents more than 200 colleges and universities, has announced its top-selling entities for the most recent fiscal year and the OU brand ranks No. 5 nationally, the highest ranking ever for the Sooners. North Carolina topped the list followed by Michigan, Texas, Georgia and Oklahoma. The top 10 was rounded out by Notre Dame, Tennessee, Florida, LSU and Alabama, respectively. A portion of the proceeds from the Sooner marks benefit an endowment for Bizzell Library on the OU campus.

About the Sooner Offense
Under Bob Stoops, OU has produced its career leader in passing and receiving, while also turning out the fourth-leading rusher in school history and the school record holder for single season rushing yards.
Oklahoma has scored at least one touchdown in 84 consecutive games dating back to Nov. 7, 1998.
Under Stoops, OU has rushed for 200 yards 24 times, including 19 over the last four seasons.
Also under Stoops, OU has 86 TDs of 25+ yards and 201 scoring drives that lasted less than two minutes.

Peterson Goes Over 2,000 Yards
Soph RB Adrian Peterson crossed over the 2,000 yard mark for his career vs. Tulsa, when be bolted for 220 against the Golden Hurricane. Peterson now has 2,317 yards for his career ...
Peterson had 51 yards through one quarter and a half when he left the game with an ankle injury. He could have returned, but OU coaches rested him for the remainder of the game. He had a 22-yard TD run before retiring.
The Tulsa game was the fourth 200-yard game (his fourth-highest total) and his fourth three-touchdown game. His 32 carries tied for his third-highest total, but with two receptions, the 34 touches ranked second. He had 36 touches (all rushes) against Kansas State last season.
Last season, Peterson carried 339 times for 1,925 yards. His attempts ranked No. 1 in the nation, while his net yards was No. 3.
During the off-season he had surgery on his left shoulder, which precluded his participation in spring practice.
Peterson set a single season rushing record at OU in 2004, surpassing the previous best of 1,896 yards by Billy Sims in 1978.
Peterson eclipsed Ron Dayne's (1,863) NCAA single season mark for a freshman. Peterson set other NCAA freshman standards for consecutive 100-yard games (nine) and 100-yard games (11). He tied (Emmitt Smith, Florida, 1987 and Marshall Faulk, San Diego State, 1991) the record for reaching 1,000 yards the fastest by a frosh by doing so in the seventh game.
Peterson averaged 164.0 yards vs. the four ranked foes in 2004.
He gained 100 yards in 11 of 13 games as a frosh and has done so in 12 of 17 games during his career.
He had the highest finish in the Heisman voting ever by a freshman (second) and was the first freshman to be named a finalist for the Doak Walker Award. He also was a finalist for the Maxwell.

Two X 2,000
With Kejuan Jones (2,129) and Adrian Peterson (2,317) both over 2,000 career rushing yards, it marks the first time since 1987 that OU has two backs over that figure on the same roster. Lydell Carr finished with 2,910 and Jamelle Holieway with 2,713 that year. It also happened in 1986 when Carr and Spencer Tillman both eclipsed 2,000.
It's also interesting to note that both Jones and Peterson figure to continue their respective ascensions up the career rushing touchdown list at OU. Jones is tied at No. 7 with Steve Davis with 34. Peterson has 21 in 17 games. He needs just nine to crack the top 15.

Bomar Sooner
Rhett Bomar's first college start came against Tulsa when he completed 5-of-13 passes for 42 yards and two interceptions. He rushed six times for -13 yards in playing wire-to-wire in a 31-15 win. Since then, the numbers look much different ...
He has now attempted 51 consecutive passes without an interception.
Over the last two games, he is 32-of-51 (.627) for 380 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions.
He has rushed for a touchdown in each of the last two games. Prior to leading OU in rushing with 67 yards on eight carries against Kansas State, he rushed 13 times for 28 at UCLA. In those two games, he had 21 totes for 95 yards, an average of 4.5 yards per attempt.
He has seven rushes of more than 10 yards (one vs TCU, one vs. Tulsa, 4 vs. UCLA and one vs. KSU) , including a 42-yarder against Kansas State. That eclipsed his previous long rush of 28 yards against TCU.

Rushing QB Returns at Oklahoma
Only twice during the last two seasons (2003, 2004) did a starting Sooner quarterback have rushes of 10 or more yards. Jason White picked up 10 yards against Texas in 2003 and then had a 12-yard jaunt against USC last season. White finished in positive rushing numbers just five times over those two seasons (once in 03 and four times in 04). Bomar has had a positive rushing number in three of four games to date. In White's defense, before being slowed by two knee surgeries, he was a dangerous runner. He rushed 12 times for 117 yards at Kansas in the 2001 game. Two weeks later he suffered the first of two knee injuries during a game at Nebraska.
That 2001 Kansas game stood as the most recent time that a Sooner quarterback had led the team in rushing for a game until Bomar's 67 yards topped OU in this year's Kansas State tilt.
Bomar has rushed for touchdowns in back-to-back games, a first at OU since Nate Hybl did it against Air Force and North Texas in 2001.

Frosh Starter at QB
They're rare. Not since Jake Sills in 1998 has a freshman started at quarterback for Oklahoma. Like Rhett Bomar, Sills was a redshirt freshman.

One Touchdown Pass, but ...
While it's true that Oklahoma has just one touchdown pass this season (Rhett Bomar to Joe Jon Finley vs. Kansas State), the air game has played a significant role in other OU trips to the end zone ...

The UCLA Game
Bomar completed passes of 10 and 18 yards to the Bruin 16 before running to the end zone from there.

The Kansas State Game
Bomar hit Finley on a 17-yard throw that took the ball to the KSU three. Kejuan Jones ran into the end zone on the next play.
Bomar found Travis Wilson on a 24-yard play that took the ball to the Wildcat four. Jones scored on a two-yard rush two plays later.

Geez, Mr. Wilson
Travis Wilson is closing in on a number of milestones ... he is just two receptions away from 100 for his career, nine receptions away from OU's career top 10 and 99 yards away from OU's career top 10 ...
In the opener, Wilson led OU with five receptions for 52 yards. Seventeen of those yards after the catch.
He had seven catches for 103 yards at UCLA. He also rushed twice for 61 yards, including a 56-yard TD.
Against Kansas State, he caught five passes for 68 yards and returned one kickoff for 34.
Wilson logged 30 receptions for 345 yards and five touchdowns over his first two seasons before erupting in his junior campaign with 50 catches for 660 yards and the 11 scores.

Versatility in the Trenches
The Oklahoma offensive linemen have played a number of positions during the respective careers ...
LG Davin Joseph has 27 starts at right guard, three at left tackle and one at left guard.
RG Chris Bush has five starts at left guard, five at right guard and two at center.
C Chris Chester has one start at right guard and three at center. Incidentally, he's the only offensive lineman on the team with a touchdown. That came on a fake field goal at Missouri in 2002 when he caught a pass from holder Matt McCoy. During that time, Chester was a reserve tight end.
OT Chris Messner started the 2003 Alabama game at left tackle, then got the nod at right tackle in this year's season opener.

About the Sooner Defense
OU has forced at least one turnover in 73 of Bob Stoops' 83 games and has at least one interception in 54 of the last 70 games. OU has multiple picks in 17 of its last 42 outings.
Opponents completed 50% of their passes in less than half of their games against Stoops-coached teams -- 40 times in 83 games.
Foes scored less than 14 points in 47 of the 83 games.
OU has eight shutouts under its current coach. During that same period, the opponents failed to score more than seven points 25 times.

This Corps Living Up to Standard at Linebacker U.
With four previous winners (Brian Bosworth - 1984-85, Rocky Calmus (2001) and Teddy Lehman (2003), no school has won the prestigious honor more than Oklahoma). This year's trio of Clint Ingram (SLB), Zach Latimer (MLB) and Rufus Alexander (WLB) is living up to the tradition. Ingram and Alexander are on the Watch List for this year's Butkus award ...
Ingram, who missed the UCLA game with an injury, had one interception in each of the first two games -- a 23-yarder against TCU and a 48-yarder for a touchdown against Tulsa.
Ingram has a knack for the ball. In his career, he has two interceptions, two fumbles caused, two fumbles recovered (against Texas last season, he caused and recovered a fumble on the same play) and four pass deflections. Not bad for a guy with 13 career starts.
Latimer made his first career start against TCU. The junior responded with 15 tackles, including 11 that were solo. Latimer entered the game with 12 career tackles.
Latimer came back with another nine against Tulsa and is second on the team with 32.
Alexander is the team's top tackler with 33.
Alexander, who had seven tackles for loss in his career heading into the Tulsa game, logged four against the Golden Hurricane.
He has 109 career tackles and eclipsed the century mark with six at UCLA.
He has four pass break-ups and one fumble recovery.

Dvoracek Returns
DT Dusty Dvoracek is back after being dismissed from the 2004 squad. Dvoracek is a former All-Big 12 performer and CoSIDA Academic All-District selection. In 2003, he was credited with 40 tackles, including seven sacks and 16 TFL. All three of those numbers were tops among an OU interior line for that included Tommie Harris, the Lombardi Award winner and a first-round draft choice of the Chicago Bears. Dvoracek suffered a torn left biceps in the 2005 spring game and missed most of the August workouts. On August 26 he was voted a team captain.
Had four tackles at UCLA, three for loss. He logged a 10-yard sack despite the fact that the Bruin lineman was flagged for holding him on the play.

In the Nic of Time
FS Nic Harris, a true freshman, got his first career start against Kansas State. He responded with seven tackles and one sack.

Six Sacks vs. Cats
Oklahoma had six sacks in last week's win over Kansas State. That was a figure exceeded only once by last year's team. The 2004 squad tallied seven at Baylor. It was the eighth time in Stoops' tenure that OU had six or more sacks in a game.

Which End is Up?
OU is now minus half of its anticipated two-deep at defensive end. Larry Birdine was lost during the August drills with a torn left biceps muscle. John Williams went down with a torn left ACL against TCU. Both are expected to miss the rest of the season.

Special Teams Stuff
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 42 regular season games. Those 15 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.
In this year's opener, OU did not block a kick or return one for a TD, but did get a big play when Jason Carter tackled the TCU punter. The Sooners converted the play into a field goal.
Against Kansas State, Jacob Gutierrez tipped a punt that traveled just eight yards.

Many Happy Returns
OU special teams under Bob Stoops ...
Kickoff Returns -- There have been 33 returns of 25 yards or more with five TDs.
Punt Returns -- There have been 38 returns of 15 or more yards with 13 TDs.
Interceptions -- There have been 50 returns of 10 or more yards with 12 TDs.
Fumbles -- Three returns of 15 or more yards with three touchdowns.

Got it Covered
Oklahoma led the Big 12 in kickoff coverage last season, allowing just 15.7 yards/return, and started similarly this season. Through four games, OU's foes average just 12.9 yards/KOR.
Oklahoma also was stingy on punt returns last season. Sooner opponents brought back 21 punts for an average of 4.2 yards per return. The longest covered just 18 yards (Houston). At UCLA this season, Maurice Drew entered the game as the nation's leading returner, but managed just one attempt for five yards. For the season, Sooner opponents have just four returns on 24 punts for an average of 4.2 yards per return.

Sooners Get a Freeby
Sophomore Cody Freeby, is in his first season at Oklahoma's punter.
The left-footer also is the holder for Garrett Hartley's placements.
In his first game, Freeby averaged 38.3 yards on eight punts with three downed inside the 20 and no touchbacks. Only one of his punts was returned and that one went for 10 yards.
Against Tulsa, when he averaged 50.0 yards on five kicks, his 70-yarder was the first by a Sooner to cover that distance since Jeff Ferguson got off 71-yarder at Air Force in 2001.
At UCLA, he averaged 45.6 yards on five punts and allowed the then-nation's leading returner, Maurice Drew, just one attempt for five yards.
Against Kansas State, only two of his six boots were returned for a total of two yards.

Sooners Have Hart-ley
Garrett Hartley, Oklahoma's kicker, has been especially impressive with his kickoffs ...
So far this season, Hartley has had 13 full kickoffs (does not include squibs) and his average is 63.8 yards. That means the ball lands or is caught at roughly the one and one-half yardline. He had five touchbacks against KSU. Opponents are averaging just 12.9 yards per return.
Hartley is 4-of-6 on field goals this season. His misses were a 50-yarder against TCU and a 32-yarder at UCLA. He made a career-long 40-yarder against Kansas State.

Rice Trumps all the Streaks
Jacob Rice, the long-snapper and a former standout tight end and defensive end at Norman High, trumps all the starts and games played streaks. The senior has been in his role as a starter for each of the last 44 games.

Dennison a Special Teams Stud
Russell Dennison, a senior fullback, has 35 special teams tackles over his career (18 in 2003, seven in 2003, eight in 2004 and one in 2005).

Individual Player Notes
DE C.J. Ah You
Transfer from Snow Junior College... played one season at BYU ... logged first career OU sack vs. Tulsa.

LB Rufus Alexander
Double digit tackles in two -- 11 vs. Tulsa, 10 vs. TCU ... four tackles for loss and a sack against Tulsa ... fumble recovery vs. Kansas State.

DT Remi Ayodele
Started the first three games of the season.

SS Lewis Baker
Spent his first two seasons trying to gain weight, then converted from linebacker to strong safety last spring ... career-high eight tackles against Tulsa.

CB Eric Bassey
Has also played strong safety during his career ... first start of the season came against Kansas State.

QB Rhett Bomar
Worked in a back-up role in the opener, then took over as the starter prior to the second game.

DE Larry Birdine
Lost for the season with a torn left biceps muscle suffered during preseason camp.

C Chris Bush
Started the opener at center, then moved to right guard for game two.

DB Jason Carter
Accomplished special teams player ... sacked TCU's punter to set up a field goal.

OL Kelvin Chaisson
One of the most experienced players on the team, he starts at left guard.

DT Steven Coleman
Working in a back-up role, but is part of a four-man rotation ... three tackles vs. Tulsa.

FB Russell Dennison
Has also played linebacker at OU ... logged 35 special teams tackles during his career.

DT Dusty Dvoracek
Former All-Big 12 player who figures to be a mainstay in the Sooner defensive front.

TE Joe Jon Finley
Added 21 pounds in the off-season ... got his first career start against Tulsa when the Sooners opened in double tight ends ... started the last two games and had three grabs for 41 yards at UCLA ... five catches over the last two games ... four-yard TD grab vs. Kansas State.

P Cody Freeby
Left-footer is in his first season as OU's punter ... also holds for placements ... averaged 50 yards on five punts against Tulsa including the first 70-yarder by a Sooner since 2001.

RB Jacob Gutierrez
Won an award from the United Way and the Junior League of Norman last spring for his community service ... gained 11 yards on this first career rushing attempt (vs. TCU) ... tipped a punt against Kansas State ... nine carries for 32 yards against the Wildcats.

FS Nic Harris
Got his first career start (FS) against KSU and responded with a team-high seven tackles and one sack.

K Garrett Hartley
Shed his redshirt in the 04 regular season finale and made a 29-yard FG in the BCS title game ... has switched from No. 32 to No. 10.

RB Donta Hickson
Speedy reserve averaged 6.1 yards on 10 attempts in 04 ... four rushes for 30 yards vs. Kansas State.

LB Clint Ingram
Had interceptions in both of the first two games ... returned the pick vs. Tulsa 48 yards for a touchdown ... eight tackles and an interception (23 yards) vs. TCU ... missed UCLA game with injury.

RB Kejuan Jones
Might be the most accomplished back-up back in the country with 2,177 career rushing yards on just 11 starts ... missed most of the August practices with a sprained foot ... started at UCLA ... two rushing touchdowns vs. Kansas State.

OL Davin Joseph
Started the opener at left tackle then moved to left guard for game two and was back at left tackle for game three ... spent the first three years of his career at right guard.

LB Zach Latimer
Had 15 tackles in his first career start (vs. TCU) and has been solid all season.

TE James Moses
Goes by the nickname “Bubba” ... 11 of his 17 career starts came last season.

DT Carl Pendleton
Started eight games last season as a redshirt freshman then drew a start this year against Kansas State.

RB Adrian Peterson
Used sparingly in the preseason as coaches took time to look at other running backs.

LB Demarrio Pleasant
Started at SLB in place of the injured Clint Ingram at UCLA ... can play multiple spots in the LB corps.

WR Jejuan Rankins
An elusive receiver after the catch, he also is the team's punt returner ... 26-yard return vs. Kansas State.

LS Jacob Rice
Reliable long snapper now in his fourth season in that role (no bad snaps thus far).

TE Willie Roberts
Tallest Sooner at 6-7, he also added nine pounds during the off-season.

FB J.D. Runnels
Devastating lead blocker ... averaged a little more than one reception per game over the last two seasons.

DB Reggie Smith
SS got his first career start at UCLA and also had four kickoff returns for 97 yards, including a long of 43 ... first career interception came against Kansas State (14 yards) ... he also had a 37-yard kickoff return in that game.

DE Calvin Thibodeaux
Missed most of last season after suffering a knee injury at Kansas State.

QB Paul Thompson
Redshirted last season ... was Jason White's back-up in 2003 ... now splitting time at receiver ... two catches for 21 yards against Kansas State in his first game at WR.

DB Marcus Walker
Starting corner in the last two games of 04, then had off-season shoulder surgery ... missed spring ball, then dislocated his opposite shoulder (left) in August, which forced him to miss several days.

DB Darien Williams
Excelled in the spring and started first three games at free safety.

DE John Williams
Had a sack vs. TCU, but then was lost for the season in the same game with a torn left ACL.

WR Travis Wilson
A combination of speed and power, he led Oklahoma with 11 touchdown receptions last season ... seven grabs for 103 yards at UCLA ... also in that game, he carried twice for 61 yards including a 56-yard touchdown dash ... five catches for 68 yards against Kansas State and one kickoff return for 34 yards.

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 the observers and experts of the game to define Stoops' impact. Rarely have the pundits had it so easy.

Under Stoops, Oklahoma has won 69 games (69-14), spent 69 consecutive weeks in the national rankings, played in six bowl games, four of the BCS variety, and captured three Big 12 crowns. His 2000 team won the national championship. On a playing field leveled by scholarship limits and parity, this era stares down the Oklahoma standard and does not blink.

The achievement 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 mentioned 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, two 1,000-yard rushers, suffocating defense and special teams units that rank among the most dynamic in the land. Every facet has been impacted.

His players have snagged 16 national awards, including the 2003 Heisman Trophy won by Jason White. There have been 49 academic honorees, 43 All-Big 12 players, 21 All-Americans and 13 NFL draft choices.

Stoops has won a total of 10 national coach of the year awards and has been Big 12 Coach of the year in three of his six campaigns in Norman.

This is one of the finest coaches in the history of one of college football's most storied traditions.

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.

Stoops, who was born Sept. 9, 1960, in Youngstown, Ohio, graduated from Iowa in 1983 with a degree in marketing. He and his wife, Carol, have three children: daughter, Mackenzie, and twin sons, Drake and Isaac.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

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