Completed Event: Football versus Illinois State on August 30, 2025 , Win , 35, to, 3

September 27, 2007 | Football
|
NORMAN, Okla. -- Oklahoma opens defense of its Big 12 Conference championship Saturday when it visits Colorado. The Sooners, who drubbed Tulsa, 62-21, on Sept. 15, are on the road for a second straight week. The Buffaloes are celebrating homecoming this week after blanking Miami (O.) last week, 42-0. TV coverage will be provided by FSN beginning at 11:30 a.m. MT (12:30 p.m. CT).
The Series
Oklahoma leads it, 40-16-2, including a 16-8-2 advantage
in Boulder. The Sooners have won the last five meetings
in this series. Last season, OU prevailed in Norman,
24-3. Oklahoma's last trip to Boulder came in
2003 when the then-top-ranked Sooners won 34-20.
The Coaches
Oklahoma: Bob Stoops (Iowa '83) is 90-19 in his
ninth season with the Sooners. He is 4-4 in bowls,
3-3 in January Bowls, 2-3 in BCS games, 56-11 vs. the
Big 12, 31-8 vs. the Big 12 South, 25-3 vs. the Big
12 North, 4-1 in the Big 12 title game, 33-8 vs. non-conference
opponents, 50-2 at home, 26-9 on the road, 13-8 on
neutral fields and 25-10 vs. ranked opponents.
Colorado: Dan Hawkins (UC-Davis '84) is 4-10
in his second year at CU, 96-35-1 as a college coach.
|
The Program
Oklahoma's all-time record stands at 772-292-53.
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
This Week's Opponent
• Colorado is 2-2 after last week's 42-0 whitewashing
of Miami (O.). CU opened with a 31-28 overtime win
over Colorado State (at Denver) before dropping a 33-14
decision at Arizona State and a 16-6 home verdict to
Florida State.
• Freshman QB Cody Hawkins, the head coach's
son, has the starting job as a redshirt frosh.
• The Buffs scored 35 of their 93 points in the first
quarter when then own a 35-7 advantage.
• Colorado was the last team to rush for 300 yards
on OU (314 on 10/16/93) and the last team to return
a punt for a touchdown against the Sooners (Jeremy
Bloom 80 yards, 12/7/02).
Ties with This Week's Opponent
• There are two Coloradoans on the Oklahoma roster
-- C Jon Cooper (Fort Collins) and LT Phil Loadholt
(Fountain). Tulsa product WR Alvin Barnett plays for
CU.
• OU defensive ends coach Chris Wilson was defensive
line coach at Colorado from 2000-04.
Sooners Digging the Long Ball
OU has 33 plays, offense and defense, of 20 yards or
longer (not including special teams) ...
• Plays of 20-29 Yards -- Offense (15): 11 passes,
four rushes. Defense (1): One INT return.
• Plays of 30-39 Yards -- Offense (3): One pass, two
rushes. Defense (0): None.
• Plays of 40+ Yards -- Offense (12): Eight passes,
four rushes. Defense (2): One INT, one FR.
Notes: Four different Sooners have a rush of 41 yards
or longer ... OU has a 53-yard field goal from Garrett
Hartley ... OU's opponents have nine plays of
20+ yards, all passes ... OU's longest play was
a 92-yard TD run by DeMarco Murray vs. Utah State ...
he also had an 81-yard kickoff return against Tulsa.
Road Warriors
After starting the season with three straight home
games, Oklahoma is away from Norman for three straight
games -- at Tulsa, at Colorado and vs. Texas at Dallas.
That scheduling twist hasn't happened since Bob
Stoops' first season, 1999, when the Sooners
played at Louisville, at Notre Dame and against Texas
at Dallas.
4-and-Oh
Oklahoma is 4-0 for the sixh time under Bob Stoops
and for the 30th time in the history of the program.
It wasn't until its sixth season of play (1900)
that OU played as many as four games in one season.
No-nonsense in Non-Conference
For the sixth time in Bob Stoops' nine seasons
at Oklahoma the Sooners finished the regular season
portion of their non-conference schedule unbeaten.
Only once has OU lost more than one regular season
non-league game under its current coach.
Oklahoma a Bunch of Sellouts
When the game at Tulsa sold out last week, it marked
the 92nd to do so in Bob Stoops' 109 games as
the Oklahoma head coach. During those nine years, 7,897,528
fans have been in attendance for Sooner games. Some
84.4% 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. .
Miscellany
• Oklahoma is 6-4 in Big 12 openers, 6-1 under Bob
Stoops
• OU opponents are 13-of-63 on third down for 20.6%.
OU is 25-of-48 for 52.1%.
• OU opponents have 11 more pass attempts than the
Sooners with 17 fewer completions.
• OU ran between 69 and 73 total plays in its first
four games. The foes ranged from 59 to 73.
• OU and its foes are separated by just one penalty
thus far -- 29 for OU, 30 for the opposition.
• Rushing thus far -- OU 175 attempts for 1,009 yards;
opponents 136 for 177.
Oklahoma's Most Recent Game
Oklahoma blew past Tulsa's Golden Hurricane,
62-21, at Tulsa on Friday, Sept. 21 ...
• Oklahoma was behind for the first time this year
when TU scored on its first possession, then the Sooners
reeled off 21 unanswered points and were never headed
again.
• Sam Bradford was intercepted on the first drive of
the game, but completed 16-of-22 passes for 244 yards
with three touchdowns.
• WR Juaquin Iglesias equalled his career high with
eight receptions. They went for a career-high 142 yards
and two touchdowns.
• Allen Patrick led a running game that averaged 6.2
yards per carry by netting 145 yards and two touchdowns
on 19 attempts.
• RB DeMarco Murray scored three TD, two via the rush
and one on an 81-yard kickoff return.
• LB Curtis Lofton paced the defense with a career-high
14 tackles. LB Ryan Reynolds got his first career interception
and Lendy Holmes added his second of the season.
• OU logged six sacks in the game and limited TU to
44 net rushing yards on 36 attempts. The Golden Hurricane
threw for 354 yards, completing 23-of-37.
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 59 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.
• Bob Stoops is 33-8 vs. non-league foes, 27-4 in regular
season non-league games and 23-1 in non-conference
home games.
• 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 |
National Numbers
Oklahoma's offense has vaulted itself to the
upper echelon of the NCAA statistical categories ...
• No. 1 in scoring with 61.5 per game.
• No. 2 in passing efficiency at 209.5.
• No. 3 in total offense with 562.3 yards per game.
• No. 3 in sacks allowed at .50 per game.
• No. 7 in rushing offense with 252.3 yards per game.
• No. 16 in passing offense with 310.0 yards per game.
• Sam Bradford is No. 2 in passing eff. (215.5), DeMarco
Murray is No. 6 in scoring (13.5) and Juaquin Iglesias
is No. 11 in receiving yards (111.0) and No. 15 in
all-purpose yards (181.8).
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 27 grabs for 444 yards and two scores.
His longest reception coming into this season was 37
yards. He already has four for longer distances in '07.
• Career high eight receptions in each of last two
games. His 142 yards and two TD at Tulsa were both
career bests too.
• He's averaging 26.6 yards per kickoff return
with a long of 44.
• Iglesias' 727 all-purpose yards are 323 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 4.8. 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 |
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)
Paper of Plastic?
Oklahoma is averaging 4.0 sacks per game. That average
over a 12-game schedule would amount to 48 sacks, which
would match the school record of 48 set in 1986.
Touchy, Feely Defense
OU defenders have touched the ball 21 times with 11
PBUs, seven interceptions and three fumble recoveries.
OU is averaging 17.6 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 |
Hartley Showing Off Big Leg
Garrett Hartley, who made a 53-yard field goal vs.
Utah State, is averaging 67.8 yards per kickoff (ball
lands at the two yard line) with nine touchbacks in
40 attempts. To put that in perspective, opposing kickers
average 60.6 yards per kickoff and have no touchbacks.
• Opposing teams are averaging just 18.9 yards per
return after Hartley's kickoffs. OU is averaging
29.6 yards per kickoff return.
• Hartley tied a school record when he made 11 point
after touchdown kicks in the opener.
Many Happy Returns
Information on returns during the Stoops era ...
• Kickoff Returns -- 56 returns of 25 yards or
more with seven TD.
• Punt Returns -- 47 returns of 15 or
more yards with 14 TD.
• Interception Returns -- 62
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 |
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 |
DT Cory Bennett: Got a start against Miami and Tulsa.
OT Branndon Braxton: Started in games one and three.
P Michael Cohen: Handles long punting situations for OU ... has averaged at least 42.0 yards in each game thus far.
DT Steven Coleman: Started against Utah State ... tackle high of three at Tulsa.
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 the Sooners' two sacks.
DE Auston English: No. 13 nationally 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.
DT DeMarcus Granger: Starting assignments vs. North Texas, Utah State and Tulsa.
TE Jermaine Gresham: Eight 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..
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.
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.
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.
OL Duke Robinson: Versatile sophomore who could play guard or tackle ... starter at LG.
CB Reggie Smith: In his first full year at corner ... preseason Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year ... also a kick and 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.
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.