Sooners Set for Texas on Saturday

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NORMAN, Okla. -- Oklahoma and Texas both carry national rankings heading into the 101st Red River Rivalry, but for the first time since 1999 both teams enter the game after a loss. OU dropped a last-second decision at Colorado, 27-24, while Texas lost to Kansas State in Austin by a 41-21 count. Oklahoma plays Texas on Saturday, Oct. 6 at 2:3o p.m. CT. ABC has the telecast.

The Series
Texas leads it by a 57-39-5 count and has won the last two. Prior to that, Oklahoma reeled off five straight win in the series. This series moved to Dallas on a permanent basis in 1929. In that time, the Longhorns have a 45-34-4 advantage.

The Coaches
Oklahoma: Bob Stoops (Iowa '83) is 90-20 in his ninth season with the Sooners. He is 4-4 in bowls, 3-3 in January Bowls, 2-3 in BCS games, 56-12 vs. the Big 12, 31-8 vs. the Big 12 South, 25-4 vs. the Big 12 North, 4-1 in the Big 12 title game, 33-8 vs. non-conference opponents, 50-2 at home, 26-109 on the road, 13-8 on neutral fields and 25-10 vs. ranked foes. He is 5-3 vs. Texas
Texas: Mack Brown (Florida State '74) is 97-23 in his 10th year at UT, 193-97-1 in 24 years overall.

OU-Texas Game Video |

OU Offense Video |

OU Defense Video |

OU Press Conference

The Program
• Oklahoma's all-time record stands at 772-293-53.
• The Sooners own seven national championships (1950, 1955, 1956, 1974, 1975, 1985, 2000).
• OU has 40 bowl appearances (No. 7 nationally) with 24 victories (No. 3 nationally).
• Oklahoma has won 40 conference titles.
• Since WWII, Oklahoma is the most success college football program with 528 victories.
• Some 142 All-Americans and four Heisman Trophy winners have come from the Oklahoma program.
• Oklahoma Football History & Tradition

More on the OU-Texas Series
Played in the venerable Cotton Bowl, this game takes place during the State Fair of Texas. The two teams played six games in Dallas from 1912-1919, then settled there in 1929 ...
• This marks the 79th 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.
• The school that wins this game takes home the Golden Hat Trophy, which resides each year with the winner. The Governor's Cup also stays with the winner, but is in the possession of the state's highest elected official.
• Overall: Texas leads, 57-39-5; At Dallas: Texas leads 45-35-5; 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.
• Oklahoma won five straight games in the series before dropping the last two contests ... this marks the 57th time that at least one of the teams has entered this game with a national ranking, the 33rd time that both were ranked ... the lower-rated team has prevailed 15 times.

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 ninth straight year, an Austinite appears on OU roster. QB Hays McEachern is one of the 10 Austin natives that have played for Oklahoma. McEachern is the son of Randy McEachern, a UT quarterback from 1977-78. His mother, Jenna, was a Longhorn cheerleader.

Close Shaves
Oklahoma's loss at Colorado last Saturday marked the fourth time in the last five Sooner setbacks that the game was decided on the game's final play: 2007 Colorado (CU field goal), 2007 Fiesta Bowl (Boise State TD), 2006 Oregon (blocked Oklahoma field goal attempt) and 2005 Texas Tech (TTU touchdown). Those four losses were by a total of seven points (27-24 at Colorado, 43-42 to Boise State, 34-33 at Oregon and 23-21 at Texas Tech), and all were away from Norman.

Sooners Digging the Long Ball
OU has 38 plays, offense and defense, of 20 yards or longer (not including special teams) ...
• Plays of 20-29 Yards -- Offense (16): 12 passes, four rushes. Defense (2): Two INT returns.
• Plays of 30-39 Yards -- Offense (4): One pass, three rushes. Defense (1): INT return.
• Plays of 40+ Yards -- Offense (13): Nine passes, four rushes. Defense (2): One INT, one FR.
Notes: Four Sooners have a rush of 41 yards or longer ... OU has a 53-yard FG from Garrett Hartley ... OU's opponents have 12 plays (10 passes) of 20+ yards ... OU's longest play was a 92-yard TD run by DeMarco Murray vs. Utah State ... he also had an 81-yard KOR at Tulsa.

Oklahoma a Bunch of Sellouts
When the game at Tulsa sold out, it marked the 92nd to do so in Bob Stoops' 110 games as the OU head coach. During those nine years, 7,941,559 fans have been in attendance for Sooner games. Some 83.6% of Stoops' games sold out as compared wtih 83.7 (136-of-190) for Barry Switzer and 37.1% (66-of-178) for Bud Wilkinson. All 52 home games on Stoops' watch sold out with a total of 4,159,261 witnessing those contests. That current string of sellouts is the second-longest in school history trailing a string of 69 straight from the historic 1971 to 1984.

Miscellany
• OU opponents are 19-of-82 on third down for 23.1%. OU is 26-of-57 for 45.6%.
• OU opponents have 28 more pass attempts than the Sooners with three fewer completions.
• OU ran between 69 and 73 total plays in its first four games, then had only 46 snaps at CU.
• OU and its foes are separated by four penalties thus far -- 32 for OU, 36 for the opposition.
• Rushing thus far -- OU 202 attempts for 1,127 yards; opponents 182 for 338.
• Due in part to a quick-strike offense, OU is at a 10:32 deficit in time of possession.
• Oklahoma has 10 turnovers as opposed to 12 by the opponents. OU scored 59 points (8 TD, 1 FG) off the turnovers, the opponents have 30 (3 TD, 3 FG).

Oklahoma's Most Recent Game
Oklahoma watched a 24-7 lead evaporate as Colorado ralled to win at Boulder, 27-24 ...
• CU's Kevin Eberhart made a 45-yard field goal on the game's final play.
• OU's D.J. Wolfe picked off two passes. It marked the eighth time in the last six years that a single Sooner tallied more than one pick in a game.
• Four Oklahoma defenders had career highs in tackles -- Curtis Lofton (18), Ryan Reynolds (15), Reggie Smith (13) and Nic Harris (10).
• Colorado's Hugh Charles rushed 24 times for 110 yards, while CU quarterback Cody Hawkins completed 22-of-36 passes for 220 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions.
• OU's Allen Patrick carried 18 times for 96 yards and had a 34-yard touchdown run.
• Sam Bradford had his first sub-.500 completion percentage of the season (8-of-19). He threw one touchdown pass and two interceptions, his first multiple interception game.
• TE Joe Jon Finley had the longest reception of his career, a 43-yarder.
• The loss snapped a five-game winning streak for Oklahoma over Colorado.
• After going three games with no touchdowns, Juaquin Iglesias, the team's leading receiver, caught one six-pointer at Colorado and now has three over the last two games.
• For the first time this season Malcolm Kelly did not have a reception.

Sooners Briefly
• Oklahoma was tabbed for a second-place finish in the Big 12's South Division in a preseason polling of league media. Defensive back Reggie Smith was named the league's preseason defensive player of the year.
• There are 34 players on this team with previous experience as a starter for OU. That's up from 10 from the same time last season.

Sooner Stuff
• Oklahoma is 50-2 at Gaylord Family - Oklahoma Memorial Stadium under Bob Stoops and has won its last 14 in a row there and 34 of its last 35. During Stoops's tenure, which included home winning streaks of 19 and 17 games, OU has registered six shutouts on Owen Field.
• The last 60 Oklahoma games have been televised. A very small number of those were carried on a pay-per-view or tape-delayed basis, but the vast majority were either over the air or on cable through widely recognized networks.
• Oklahoma has played exclusive Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly I-A) opposition since Bob Stoops' opener in 1999 (a 49-0 win over I-AA Indiana State). The entire 2007 schedule is comprised of FBS competition.

Stoops Era Attendance
Oklahoma has drawn 4,159,261 for Bob Stoops' 52 home games (started in 1999).
• All 52 have been sold out and the Sooners have prevailed 50 times.
• Last year's average home attendance of 84,561 was the largest in school history. The top seven seasons for OU home attendance have come on Stoops' watch.
• The crowd of 85,357 for this year's Miami game is the largest in school history. The 84,472 for this year's North Texas game was the largest ever for an OU opener
• OU has exceeded its listed capacity of 82,112 in 26 consecutive games.

About the Offense

• Under Stoops, Oklahoma has produced its career leader in passing and receiving, while turning out the No. 3- and No. 4-ranked rusher in school history and the school record holder for single-season rushing.
• OU has scored at least one touchdown in every game dating back to Nov. 7, 1998.
• Under Stoops, OU has rushed for 200 yards 35 times, including 29 over the last five seasons.
• In the Stoops era, OU has 116 TD of 25+ yards and 238 scoring drives of less than 2:00.
• OU's 2006 team missed perfect offensive balance by just 202 yards (2,682 passing, 2,480 rushing). The 2005 team missed it by just one yard and the 2003 squad was off by only 160.

Bradford Has Special Ties to OU and State
Sam Bradford earned the starting job in August ...
• Bradford is a certified Cherokee Indian. His great, great grandmother (father's side) was Susie Walkingstick. Oklahoma is home to more Native Americans (250,000+) than any other state.
• Bradford's father, Kent, was an offensive lineman at OU. He lettered in 1977 and 1978.
• Bradford completed his last 18 passes of the North Texas game and his first four against Miami. That string of 22 straight broke Jason White's school record of 18 and challenged the NCAA record of 24 set by Tennessee's Tee Martin. Bradford came back to hit his last 10 against Miami and his first 11 versus Utah State for a string of 21 in a row.

National Numbers
Oklahoma's offense has vaulted itself to the upper echelon of the NCAA statistical categories ...
• No. 3 in scoring with 54.0 per game.
• No. 1 in passing efficiency at 191.9.
• No. 10 in total offense with 495.8 yards per game.
• No. 5 in sacks allowed at .60 per game.
• No. 14 in rushing offense with 225.4 yards per game.
• No. 26 in passing offense with 270.4 yards per game.
• Sam Bradford is No. 1 in passing eff. (194.4), DeMarco Murray is No. 9 in scoring (10.8) and Curtis Lofton is No. 11 in tackles (11.6) and Juaquin Iglesias is No. 22 in all-purpose yards (158.6) and No. 25 in receiving yards (91.8).

Keen on Juaquin Iglesias
• He entered the season with 60 career receptions for 804 yards and four touchdowns. Through four games of 2007, he has 29 grabs for 459 yards and three scores. His longest reception coming into this season was 37 yards. He already has four for longer distances in '07.
• Career high eight receptions vs Utah State and Tulsa. His 142 yards and two TD at Tulsa were both career bests too.
• He's averaging 26.4 yards per kickoff return with a long of 44.
• Iglesias' 793 all-purpose yards are 350 more than the next highest figure on the team.

Tight End Tandem
OU features tight ends Joe Jon Finley (6-6, 261) and Jermaine Gresham (6-5, 263). Last season, the two combined to average 1.9 receptions/game. Thus far in '07, they're averaging 4.2. In 2006, the tight ends had four touchdown grabs. In 2007 they already have four.

O-Line of Historical Proportions
With an average height of nearly 6-5 (76.6 inches) and 322.4 pounds this is one of the biggest offensive lines in OU history. During the Stoops era (since 1999) this is the heaviest line. By height, it is the third-tallest line of the Stoops era. The 2002 and 2003 lines both measured 77.2 inches. By weight it is the second-heaviest in the country to Texas Tech.
• At 6-8, Phil Loadholt is tied as the tallest football player on record at Oklahoma, and the tallest starter. The only previous player at 6-8 was Chris Watkins, recruited in 1988 from Amarillo (Texas) HS. Watkins lettered in 1991, but never started. There have been 17 OU players at 6-7 (for research, only measurements from a player's final season at Oklahoma were used).
• Oklahoma has surrendered just two sacks, which is tied for second nationally, but is tied for No. 1 among teams with four games played.

About the Defense

• OU has forced at least one turnover in 99 of Bob Stoops' 110 games and has at least one interception in 73 of the last 96. There have multiple picks in 29 of their last 66 outings.
• Opponents completed 50% or more of their passes in less than half of their games (54-of-110) against Stoops' teams.
• Oklahoma has nine shutouts under its current head coach. Opponents failed to score more than seven points 28 times and scored less than 14 in 54 games.
• OU has given up just 74 points through its first five games, the second-lowest total for that span during the Stoops era. The 2004 squad gave up just 57 tallies over its first five.
• Last season, only two of the 14 opponents reached their scoring average in games against Oklahoma and just two were able to exceed their average total yardage figure.

Defense Surging in NCAA Rankings
• No. 3 in tackles for loss at 10.4 per game.
• No. 7 in rushing defense at 67.6 yards per game.
• No. 6 in total defense at 263.6 yards per game.
• No. 5 in sacks at 3.8 per game.
• No. 11 in scoring defense at 14.8.
• No. 31 in pass efficiency defense at 109.5.
• No. 41 in pass defense at 196.0 yards per game.
• Curtis Lofton ranks No. 11 in tackles (11.6), Ryan Reynolds No. 20 in tackles for loss (1.5) and Auston English No. 30 in sacks (0.80).

A History of Great Defense
Oklahoma consistently ranks among nation's best in the key NCAA statistics of total defense and scoring defense. Here is a look at those Sooner rankings under its current head coach ...
2006: No. 16 in total defense (287.1), No. 20 in scoring defense (17.3)
2005: No. 13 in total defense (306.7), No. 37 in scoring defense (23.1)
2004: No. 13 in total defense (299.0), No. 11 in scoring defense (16.8)
2003: No. 3 in total defense (259.6), No. 5 in scoring defense (15.3)
2002: No. 10 in total defense (293.1), No. 6 in scoring defense (15.4)
2001: No. 4 in total defense (262.8), No. 4 in scoring defense (13.8)
2000: No. 8 in total defense (278.9), No. 7 in scoring defense (16.0)
1999: No. 39 in total defense (344.4), No. 16 in scoring defense (18.4)

English Lesson
Sophomore defensive end Auston English redshirted after his true freshman season, but is back from that year away from competition in a big way. He leads the Sooners in sacks with four and in tackles for loss with seven.

Paper of Plastic?
Oklahoma is averaging 3.8 sacks per game. That average over a 12-game schedule would amount to 47 sacks. The school record of 48 was set in 1986.

Touchy, Feely Defense
OU defenders have touched the ball 28 times with 16 PBUs, nine interceptions and three fumble recoveries. OU is averaging 19.8 yards on INT/fumble returns with three touchdowns.

Stoops Era Staple: Run Defense
Eighteen times, Bob Stoops-coached Oklahoma teams have held opponents under 40 rushing yards in a game. Four times the total has resulted in negative yards. Last season, thanks in part to five sacks, the Sooners limited Baylor to -48 yards on the ground. That was the best single-game rushing defense performance by any team in the nation in 2006 and the best by an Oklahoma team during the Stoops Era.
• OU has ranked no worse than 23rd in national rushing defense over the last seven seasons. Three times in that span it ranked among the top 10 and six times it was among the top 20.

About the Special Teams

Oklahoma's special teams under Bob Stoops ...
• There have been 25 special teams TD, including 18 in the last 59 regular season games. Those 18 came via five different kinds of plays -- 10 punt returns, two faked FGs, two blocked punts, three kickoff returns and a faked punt. Special teams also own one safety in that span.
• In total, OU has returned six kickoffs and 14 punts for TDs on Stoops' watch (since 1999).
• The Sooners have blocked 20 kicks.

Hartley Showing Off Big Leg
Garrett Hartley, who made a 53-yard field goal vs. Utah State, is averaging 67.9 yards per kickoff (ball lands at the two yard line) with nine touchbacks in 45 attempts. To put that in perspective, opposing kickers average 61.0 yards per kickoff with one touchback.
• Opposing teams are averaging just 20.0 yards per return after Hartley's kickoffs. OU is averaging 28.5 yards per kickoff return.
• Hartley tied a school record when he made 11 point after touchdown kicks in the opener.
• Hit a 28-yard field goal at Colorado had has now made 15 of his last 16.

Many Happy Returns
Information on returns during the Stoops era ...
• Kickoff Returns -- 58 returns of 25 yards or more with seven TD.
• Punt Returns -- 48 returns of 15 or more yards with 14 TD.
• Interception Returns -- 64 returns of 10 or more yards with 19 TD.
• Fumble Returns -- four returns of 15 or more yards with four TD.

Got-R-Covered
• Over the last three seasons, OU's average rank in NCAA KO return coverage was No. 10. The 2005 team was No. 15 and the 2004 team was No. 4. Last season, the Sooners ranked No. 13. Prior to Bob Stoops' arrival, opposing teams averaged at least 22 yards/KO return in five straight seasons. Since he arrived, the best opposing average was 18.9 in 2001.
• OU has ranked among the top 10 in punt return defense in five of the last seven seasons. Last season, the team ranked No. 9 at 4.2 yards per punt return. The longest punt return by an opposing player was 14 yards. The 2006 campaign marked the third in a row in which the Sooners held their opponents to less than 5.0 yards per punt return.

Two-Headed Punter
Oklahoma used two punters last season and both return ...
• Michael Cohen handled long kicks and averaged 41.0 yards. He had a long of 75 yards and another of 72. Nine of his kicks traveled at least 50 yards and he spread those over six games.
• Mike Knall kicked on a short field and averaged 39.7 yards per boot with nine of his 11 tries downed inside the 20. He had only one touchback.

Sooners Have Hart-ley
K Garrett Hartley was one of three finalists for the Lou Groza Award and is on the watch list for that award again this year ...
• Hartley was 19-of-20 on field goals and 49-of-50 on PATs in 2006. His lone field goal miss was a blocked kick at Oregon. He kicked off 78 times with 31 touchbacks.
• His field goal made percentage of .950 was tops in the nation among kickers with at least 10 makes. He made his last 11 attempts of the season.
• Hartley ranked No. 20 nationally in field goals made per game with 1.36 and was No. 21 in scoring with 7.57 points per game.
• Hartley made a career-high four field goals at Oregon.
• Hartley has four career makes of 50 yards or longer. His long last season was 46 yards, which he accomplished twice.

Oklahoma 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 88 games (88-19), been ranked for 120 weeks in the AP Poll (69 consecutive at one point) and 1198 in the USA Today Coaches Poll, played in seven 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 record-setting passers and receivers, three 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 58 academic honorees, 53 All-Big 12 players, 22 All-Americans and 32 NFL draft choices.

Stoops has won a total of 10 national coach of the year awards and has been consensus Big 12 Coach of the year in three times.

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) during Bill Snyder's rein.

With the Wildcats, he played a key role in an 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.

Individual Player Notes

LB Lewis Baker: One of the top special teams contributors and the wedge-breaker on kickoffs ... started against Miami and had five tackles ... season tackle high of six at Colorado.

DT Cory Bennett: Started vs. Miami and Tulsa.

OT Branndon Braxton: Three starts at right tackle thus far.

P Michael Cohen: Handles long punting situations for OU ... has averaged at least 42.0 yards in each game thus far ... top average at Colorado with 43.7 at Colorado.

DT Steven Coleman: Started against Utah State ... tackle high of three at Tulsa ... has four career sacks for 49 yards in losses, an average of 12.3 yards per sack.

C Jon Cooper: The starter at center, he is the most experienced of OU's linemen.

DE Alonzo Dotson: Got his first career start against Miami and logged one of OU's two sacks.

DE Auston English: Leads the team with four sacks ... four tackles in three of the four games.

TE Joe Jon Finley: Has added 41 pounds since coming to OU ... TD grab vs. Utah State ... career long reception of 43 yards at Colorado.

DT DeMarcus Granger: Four starting assignments thsu far.

TE Jermaine Gresham: Had a career-high eight receptions vs. Miami and one of those went for a touchdown.

RB Jacob Gutierrez: Went over 500 career rushing yards in the North Texas game.

QB Joey Halzle: Was 4-of-5 for 40 yards with no interceptions while playing a back-up role vs. UNT ... threw his first career TD pass when he hit Adron Tennell on 61-yarder against Miami.

DB Nic Harris: Starter at FS, he returned an interception 24 yards for a TD vs. North Texas ... season-high seven tackles and a half sacka t Tulsa ... career-high 10 tackles at Colorado.

K Garrett Hartley: Tied a school record with 11 PATs vs. North Texas ... four-year starter.

DB Lendy Holmes: Interceptions against North Texas and Tulsa.

WR Juaquin Iglesias: Team highs with seven grabs for 128 yards vs. North Texas ... three kickoff returns for 110 yards, the ninth-highest yardage total in school history, against Miami ... eight catches for 123 yards and a 35-yard TD run vs. Utah State ... eight receptons for 142 yards and two touchdowns at Tulsa.

WR Manuel Johnson: One catch for five yards in the opener ... had his first career pass attempt and completion against Miami when he hit Malcolm Kelly on a 25-yarder.

WR Malcolm Kelly: Brilliant in the North Texas game with four grabs for 118 yards and two TD ... four catches for 102 yards and three touchdowns against Miami ... six catches for 81 yards and two TD vs. Utah State.

P Mike Knall: Handles short field punting situations ... had both of OU's punts vs. Utah State ... two punts downed in side the 20.

LB Curtis Lofton: Career high 14 tackles at Tulsa. had 12 tackles vs. Utah State and a 45-yard interception return for a TD ... leading tackler for OU with 42 after entering the season with a career total of 40 ... career-high 18 tackles at Colorado -- third straight game with a career high.

RB Mossis Madu: Tied DeMarco Murray for rushing honors against North Texas with 87 yards (1 TD) on nine attempts ... rushed for a touchdown at Tulsa.

QB Hays McEachern: Holder on OU placements.

RB DeMarco Murray: Scored five touchdowns against North Texas, all via rushing, to set an OU record for most TDs in a debut game ... led OU with 15 rushes for 64 yards vs. Miami ... four rushes for 100 yards, including a 92-yard TD (third-longest in OU history) vs. Utah State ... rushed for two touchdowns and returned a kickoff 81 yards for another at Tulsa.

QB Keith Nichol: True Freshman was the No. 3 QB against North Texas when he rushed once for eight yards ... also saw action against Utah State.

RB Allen Patrick: Could have played in the opener, but was held out ... carried seven times for 47 yards against Miami ... carried eight times for 113 yards and a 69-yard TD vs. Utah State ... season best 145 yards and two touchdowns at Tulsa ... also had a career-long reception of 20 yards in that game ... narrowly missed a 100-yard rushing game when he had 18 rushes for 96 yards at Colorado.

LB Ryan Reynolds: Got his first career start against North Texas and finished with three tackles and one sack ... six tackles vs. Miami ... nine stops, three for loss, vs. Utah State ... interception and 12-yard return at Tulsa ... career-high 15 tackles at Colorado.

OL Duke Robinson: Versatile sophomore who could play guard or tackle ... starter at LG.

CB Reggie Smith: In first full year at corner ... preseason Big 12 Defensive POY ... also punt returner ... 61-yard fumble return for a touchdown against Miami ... has three career touchdowns.

WR Adron Tennell: Silky smooth back-up to Malcolm Kelly, he had three catches for 35 yards against North Texas ... 61-yard touchdown reception from Joey Halzle against Miami.

CB Marcus Walker: Has battled back from two shoulder surgeries to become on of the top corners in the Big 12 ... broke up two passes against Miami.

FS Darien Williams: Slowed by leg injury after a productive 2006.

DE John Williams: Got his first career start in the opener ... was sidelined in 2005 by a knee injury and in 2006 by illness ... forced the fumble that Reggie Smith returned 61 yards for a touchdown against Miami ... out for season after suffering torn Achillies tendon at Tulsa.

CB D.J. Wolfe: Moved to strong safety during preseason drills and was so impressive that he won the starting job ... two interceptions for 61 yards at Colorado.

FB Dane Zaslaw: The former linebacker is now in his second season as a fullback ... got his first career touchdown on a nine-yard reception against Miami.

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