Oklahoma Battles Bruins at Rose Bowl

Sooner Gameday Central - UCLA | Game Notes (PDF) | Depth Chart

NORMAN, Okla. -- Oklahoma and UCLA complete a two-game series that started in Norman in 2003 when the Sooners visit the Bruins on Saturday.

The game is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. CT (12:30 p.m. in California) with ABC Sports televising live to a regional audience.

Saturday marks OU's first trip to the Rose Bowl since it won the 2003 Rose Bowl game (2002 season) with a 34-14 triumph over Washington State. This is the second of four straight home games for the Bruins.

View Sooner Gameday Central for complete broadcast information including ABC's regional map, Sirius Satellite Radio, Sooner Sports Network affiliates, live internet audio, live stats and O-Zone webcasts.

The Polls
Oklahoma is No. 17 in the USA Today Coaches Poll, No. 21 in the Associated Press Poll.

OU at the Rose Bowl and in California
This is Oklahoma's 13th trip to the state of California for the purpose of a football game ... the Sooners have won seven of those previous trips.
This is Oklahoma's third appearance in the Rose Bowl. The Sooners defeated UCLA in that facility in 1990 (34-24) and triumphed in the 2003 Rose Bowl game against Washington State (34-14).
This will be Oklahoma's seventh game in the Los Angeles area. The other four were against USC at the Coliseum.

The Series
Overall: OU leads 3-0-0, At Norman: OU leads,2-0-0; At Los Angeles: OU leads 1-0; OU's Widest Margin of Victory: 38-3 in Norman in 1986 and 59-24 in Norman in 2003.

Series Notes
One of these teams has been ranked every time the two have met and OU has been ranked going into each of the three previous meetings ... the Sooners held the No. 1 ranking in both 1986 and 2003 when the two played ... the 1986 game featured No. 1 against No. 4.

The Coaches
Oklahoma: Bob Stoops (Iowa 83), now in his seventh season with the Sooners, is 68-13 overall. He is 3-3 in bowls, 3-2 in January bowls, 2-2 in BCS games, 44-8 vs. the Big 12, 25-5 vs. the Big 12 South, 19-3 vs. the Big 12 North, 3-1 in the Big 12 title game, 25-5 vs. non-conference opponents, 37-2 at home, 20-6 on the road, 11-5 on neutral fields, 21-5 vs. ranked opponents and 1-0 vs. UCLA.

UCLA: Karl Dorrell (UCLA 86) is 14-13 in his third season at UCLA, but 2-0 for the first time. He is 0-1 against Oklahoma.

The Program
Oklahoma owns one of the most storied and accomplished traditions in all of college football ...
OU's all-time record is 750-286-53.
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 505 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 61.

This Week's Opponent
UCLA is 2-0 with victories over San Diege State (44-21) and Rice (63-21).
The Bruins are balanced with 222.0 rushing yards per game and 241.5 passing yards. UCLA has out-scored its opponents 45-7 in the second period.
RB Maurice Drew is averaging 9.5 yards per carry and 104.5 yards per game.
QB Drew Olson has completed 28-of-40 passes for three touchdowns with no interceptions. His favorite target is Mercedes Lewis, who has nine grabs for 158 yards.
LB Spencer Havner leads UCLA with 14 tackles. He also has one interception for 27 yards (he had one in the 2003 game
Norman in 03 and he returned that one 72 yards).

The Last Meeting
These two teams last played on Sept. 20, 2003 in Norman with Oklahoma prevailing, 59-24.
The game is best remembered for three punt returns for touchdowns by OU's Antonio Perkins. The feat set an NCAA record, as did his punt return yardage of 277.
Only one of the five players who scored for OU in that game returns -- Travis Wilson caught a 12-yard TD pass in that contest. Of all of the game statistics, only 12 are still on the active Sooner roster. Conversely, the Bruins return running back Maurice Drew, who scored two touchdowns in that game (one on a 91-yard kickoff return), and quarterback Drew Olson, who completed 18-of-34 passes for 144 yards wtih no touchdowns and two interceptions. Drew rushed five times in that game for 41 yards.

Ties With This Week's Opponent
There is one Californian on the Oklahoma roster -- C Chris Chester (Tustin).
OU alums James Garner and Ed Harris, who went on to acting fame in Hollywood, are among those who may be in attendance on Saturday.

Oklahoma's Most Recent Game
Oklahoma downed Tulsa, 31-15, last Saturday in Norman before a crowd of 83,877 ...
OU fell behind 9-7 with 5:36 remaining in the third, but was back in front with 4:16 left in the same frame.
Adrian Peterson keyed the win with 32 rushes for 220 yards and three touchdowns (1, 1, 41). The 41-yard burst, a bruising run that included three broken tackles, came on an important fourth-and-one play. Had the Sooners failed on that play, Tulsa woud have had the ball and three minutes remaining on the short end of a 17-15 score.
Oklahoma had all 13 of its passing attempts in the first half. It was the first start for redshirt freshman quarterback Rhett Bomar, who went wire to wire. He hit 5-of-13 for 42 yards with two interceptions.
CB D.J. Wolfe keyed the defense with 12 tackles, one fumble forced and one sack.
For the second straight week, Clint Ingram had an interception. He returned this one 48 yards for a touchdown with just three seconds remaining.

Sooners Pick Up Win. No. 750
The win over Tulsa was the 750th all-time for Oklahoma. The Sooners' all-time record now stands 750-286-53. OU is no one of just eight schools with 750 victories. With 1,089 games played, the Sooners are just 11 away from 1,100. Nineteen other programs have played 1,100 games.

OU and the Pac 10
This is becoming commonplace. For the fourth straight season, Oklahoma is playing a member of the Pacific 10 Conference. In the 2002 season, the Sooners played Washington State in the Rose Bowl (34-14), then in 2003, OU prevailed in Norman over UCLA (59-24). Last season, Oklahoma whipped Oregon in Norman (31-7) before bowing to USC in the Orange Bowl (55-19).
Next season, OU will face two Pac 10 foes when it hosts Washington and travels to Oregon.
Oklahoma holds a 20-13-1 mark against teams from the Pac 10.

Early Games Illustrate Changing of the Guard
Eighteen first-year players saw action in last week's game against Tulsa. Of those, 16 were freshmen, including 10 true freshmen.
Nine players have made their first career start this season, including seven on defense in the opener. Three offensive players made their first career start in the second game and another, Chris Chester, made his first start at the center position.
Thirteen freshmen (eight true, five redshirt) played in the Sooners' opener.
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.
In the Tulsa game, 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.
Against Tulsa, three freshmen lineman played, including right tackle Branndon Braxton, who was making his first career start.
CB D.J. Wolfe was OU's leading tackler against Tulsa with 12. This time last year he was a reserve running back.
Against Tulsa, OU's leading rusher and receiver was a sophomore (Adrian Peterson), the quarterback was a redshirt freshman (Rhett Bomar), the punter was a sophomore (Cody Freeby), the placekicker 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.

See You in September
Oklahoma is 20-1 during the month of September under Bob Stoops. Over the last 27 seasons, the Sooners have had a losing record just twice in September -- 1996 and 1982.

Non-Cons
Oklahoma won 16 of its last 17 regular season games against non-conference opponents. Bob Stoops is 24-5 vs. non-league foes, 21-2 in regular season non-league games and 17-1 in non-conference home games.

Sooners Eclipse Three Million in Attendance Under Stoops
Oklahoma has sold out all 39 home games of Bob Stoops' tenure and during the Tulsa game the total number of fans exceeded three million. The total stands at 3,059,908 for an average of 78,459. That figure is misleading because recent expansion moved the capacity to 82,112. That has been exceeded in 15 straight games.

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 82 consecutive games dating back to Nov. 7, 1998.
Under Stoops, OU has rushed for 200 yards 23 times, including 18 over the last four seasons.
Also under Stoops, OU has 85 touchdowns of 25 yards or longer and 197 scoring drives that lasted less than two minutes.

Peterson Goes Over 2,000 Yards
Sophomore running back Adrian Peterson crossed over the 2,000 yard mark for his career against Tulsa, when be bolted for 220 against the Golden Hurricane. Peterson now has 2,208 yards for his career ...
The Tulsa game was the fourth 200-yard game (his fourth-highest total) and his fourth three-touchdown game. His 32 carries tied tie for his third-highest attempts total, but with two receptions on top of that, the 35 touches ranked second. He had 36 touches (all rushes) against Kansas State last season.
He currently ranks No. 8 nationally with 141.5 yards per game.
Last season, Peterson carried 339 times for 1,925 yards. His number of attempts ranked No. 1 in the nation, while his net total 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 Oklahoma in 2004, surpassing the previous best of 1,896 yards by Billy Sims in 1978.
Peterson also eclipsed the NCAA single season mark for a freshman. Ron Dayne had the previous best at 1,863 yards.
Peterson set other NCAA freshman standards for consecutive 100-yard games (nine) and 100-yard games (11). He tied the record for reaching 1,000 yards the fastest by doing so in the seventh game. He now shares the record with Emmitt Smith (Florida, 1987) and Marshall Faulk (San Diego State, 1991).
He gained 100 yards in 11 of 13 games as a frosh and has done so in 12 of 15 games during his career.
He was the first freshman ever to be named a finalist for the Doak Walker Award.
Peterson averaged 164.0 yards vs. the four ranked foes on the 2004 schedule.

Two X 2,000
With Kejuan Jones (2,082) and Adrian Peterson (2,208) both over 2,000 career rushing yards, it marks the first time since 1987 that OU has two backs over that figure. 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.

Wilson on the Radar
Despite Mark Clayton's shadow, Travis Wilson carved out his own niche last season and launched himself for 2005 with a pair of touchdown grabs in the Orange Bowl ...
In the opener, Wilson led OU with five receptions for 52 yards. Seventeen of those yards after the catch.
Last season he led the Sooners with 11 touchdown receptions. He has 16 for his career, 15 shy of the school record set by Clayton.
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
LG Davin Joseph has 27 starts at right guard, one at left tackle and one at left guard. Chris Bush has five starts at left guard, three at right guard and two at center. Chris Chester has one start at right guard and another at center. 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.

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.

About the Sooner Defense
OU has forced at least one turnover in 72 of Bob Stoops' 81 games and has at least one interception in 53 of the last 69 games. OU has multiple picks in 17 of its last 41 outings.
Opponents completed 50% of their passes in less than half of their games against Stoops-coached teams -- 39 times in 81 games.
Foes scored less than 14 points in 47 of the 81 games.
OU has eight shutouts under its current coach. During that same period, the opponents failed to score more than seven points 25 times.

Making Clint's Day
SLB Clint Ingram, a senior, has 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.

Taking the Position that it Doesn't Matter on Position
Two of Oklahoma's top four tacklers are playing new positions this season. CB D.J. Wolfe, the third-leading tackler with 13 (12 vs. Tulsa), was a running back last season,while SS Lewis Baker, the fourth-leading tackler with 11, was a linebacker.

Big Zach Attack
MLB Zach 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 leads the team with 24.

Raising the Ruf
Junior WLB Rufus Alexander toiled in obscurity as a freshman then had a major breakout season as a sophomore. Alexander had two total tackles and a fumble caused as a freshman while playing in one game as a reserve. As a soph, he unseated returning starter Gayron Allen to get the nod in 10 of the 13 contests and finished with 74 tackles, the third-highest total on the team. That figure is tops among those returning for 2005.
Alexander and strongside mate Clint Ingram were recently named to the preseason watch list for the Dick Butkus Award, which goes annually to the nation's top linebacker. 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.
Alexander, who had seven tackles for loss in his career heading into last Saturday's game against Tulsa, logged four against the Golden Hurricane.
Alexander with 10 tackles in the opener and 11 in game two now needs just three to reach 100 for this career.

Dvoracek Returns
DT Dusty Dvoracek is back after being dismissed from the 2004 squad. OU head coach Bob Stoops reinstated Dvoracek, a senior, in January. 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 tackles for loss. 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 returned to the team for the 2005 spring drills but suffered a torn left biceps and missed most of the August workouts. On August 26 he was voted a team captain.

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 41 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.

Many Happy Returns
OU special teams under Bob Stoops ...
Kickoff Returns -- There have been 30 returns of 25 yards or more with five TDs.
Punt Returns -- There have been 37 returns of 15 or more yards with 13 TDs.
Interceptions -- There have been 49 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, allowing just 15.7 yards per return, and started similarly this season when the Sooners allowed TCU just 14.5 yards on two returns. Through two games, OU's foes average just 14.3 yards per kickoff return
In last year's Big 12 title game, Colorado returned six Sooner kicks, but passed the 20 only once (22). The average CU field position after an OU kickoff was its own 17.
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).

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.

Hartley Off to Good Start
Garrett Hartley, Oklahoma's kicker, got off too a good start. He made a 21-yard field goal. He also missed one, but that attempt was a 50-yarder into the wind.
Hartley kicked off three times in the opener. Two were returned for an average of 14.5 yards and TCU's best starting position after those returns was its own 15.
So far this season, Hartley has had six full kickoffs (does not include squibs) and his average is 64.6 yards. That means the ball lands or is caught at the half yardline..

Rice Trumps all the Streaks
Most of the streaks relating to starts and games played relate to those individuals who play a position on offense or defense. Jacob Rice, the long-snapper and a former standout tight end and defensive end at Norman High, trumps all of those streaks as he enters his senior season. He has been in his role as a starter for each of the last 43 games.

Dennison a Special Teams Stud
Russell Dennison, a senior fullback, has 34 special teams tackles over his career (18 in 2003, seven in 2003, eight in 2004 and one in 2005). Dennison also has played linebacker during his career at Oklahoma.

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 both games this far -- 11 vs. Tulsa, 10 vs. TCU ... four tackles for loss and a sack against Tulsa.

DT Remi Ayodele
Starting tackle who moved up the depth chart from second to first team last spring.

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 ... one of the fastest players on the team.

QB Rhett Bomar
Worked in a back-up role in the opener, then started and played the entire game vs. Tulsa.

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.

WR Quentin Chaney
Tallest receiver on the team at 6-5.

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 34 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
Considered perhaps OU's best athlete at the position, he added 21 pounds in the off-season ... got his first career start against Tulsa when the Sooners opened in double tight ends..

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
Strength, elusiveness and size remind many of Quentin Griffin ... 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).

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 who averaged 6.1 yards on 10 attempts last season.

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
.
RB Kejuan Jones
Might be the most accomplished back-up back in the country with 2,082 career rushing yards on just nine starts ... missed most of the August practices with a sprained foot.

OL Davin Joseph
Started the opener at left tackle then moved to left guard for game two ... 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 is OU's top tackler on the season with 24.

TE James Moses
Goes by the nickname “Bubba” ... 11 of his 15 career starts came last season.

DT Carl Pendleton
Started eight games last season as a redshirt freshman.

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

LB Demarrio Pleasant
Played in all 13 games last season ... versatile enough to play multiple spots in the LB corps.

WR Jejuan Rankins
Perhaps OU's most elusive receiver after the catch, he might also see duty as a kick returner.

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.

WR David Robinson
Smallest player on the team, he can be a handful to tackle ... candidate to play in the slot.

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

DB Reggie Smith
True frosh who has played both corner and safety in practice, but is now settled in at strong safety.

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

QB Paul Thompson
Junior signal-caller, who redshirted last season ... was Jason White's back-up in 2003.

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 is making a push for a starting job at 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.