No. 5 Sooners Prep for 'Canes

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NORMAN, Okla. -- Oklahoma and Miami, both fresh from convincing season-opening victories, meet in an early-season intersectional classic on Saturday in Norman. ABC has the national telecast (check your local listings) beginning at 11 a.m. Central. The game is the 51st-consecutive sellout of the Stoops' era (every home game). 84,472 set a record for season openers last Saturday at Owen Field.

The Series
These two programs are meeting for the sixth time. After Oklahoma won the first two, Miami has reeled off three straight. They last met on New Year's Day of 1988 in Miami when the No. 2 Canes, took down the No. 1 Sooners in the Orange Bowl, 20-14. The two teams have split the previous two games in Norman

The Coaches
Oklahoma: Bob Stoops (Iowa `83) is 87-19 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, 30-8 vs. non-conference opponents, 48-2 at home, 25-9 on the road, 13-8 on neutral fields and 25-10 vs. ranked opponents.
Miami: Randy Shannon (Miami `89) is in his first season as the Hurricanes' head coach.

The Program
• Oklahoma's all-time record stands at 769-292-53.
• 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. n Since WWII, Oklahoma is the most success college football program with 525 victories.
• Some 142 All-Americans and four Heisman Trophy winners have come from the Oklahoma program.

This Week's Opponent
• Miami visits Oklahoma this weekend and represents the Sooner's first Atlantic Coast Conference opponent since North Carolina was here for the 2001 opener. OU won that game 41-27.
• The Hurricanes are under first-year head coach Randy Shannon. The UM grad was an assistant at the school from 2001 until assuming the top job after last season.
• Miami returns 17 starters from last year's team, which was 7-6.
• The Hurricanes opened with a 31-3 home win over Marshall last Saturday.

Ties with This Week's Opponent
• Miami defensive coordinator Tim Walton was the defensive backs coach at LSU in 2003 when the Tigers clipped OU, 21-14, in the BCS Championship Game (Sugar Bowl).
• Miami running backs coach Tommie Robinson was on the Oklahoma State staff in 2001.
• There are no Oklahomans on the Miami roster. The only Floridians playing for Oklahoma are defensive back Brett Bowers (Jacksonville) and linebacker Mike Reed (Vero Beach).
• Both OU and Miami were coached by Howard Schnellenberger, who's Florida Atlantic team will also be in the Sooner State Saturday taking on Oklahoma State. Schnellenberger was 41-16 at Miami from 1979-83. He was 5-5-1 in his lone season with OU, 1995.

The OU-Miami Programs
• They have combined for 12 national championships (OU 7, Miami 5).
• Since 2000, they have a combined record of 152-30 (OU 80-14, Miami 72-16). Oklahoma is No. 1 in that span for wins, while UM is No. 4.
• The two programs have produced six Heisman winners (OU 4, Miami 2).
• Three of the last seven Butkus Award winners (best linebacker) came from these two schools -- UM's Dan Morgan in 2000 and OU's Rocky Calmus (2001) and Teddy Lehman (2003).
• Each school had a recent double-digit NFL Draft day. Miami 11 in 2002, OU 10 in 2005.

The OU-Miami Series
• October 6, 1973 - No. 6 Oklahoma 24, No. 17 Miami 20
Oklahoma stormed from behind as QB Steve Davis posted 267 total yards, including 144 on the ground and two touchdowns. After OU took a 7-0 lead, Miami reeled of 20 unanswered points, the first of which came when Eldridge Mitchell intercepted a Davis pitch and ran it back 79 yards for the score. Miami was able to add one more touchdown and took a 20-7 lead at halftime. In the second half, Davis scored on a 13-yard run and tossed a 52-yard TD to Tinker Owens.

• September 26, 1975 at Miami - No. 1 Oklahoma 20, Miami 17
Elvis Peacock and Joe Washington had short touchdown runs and Tony DiRienzo booted two field goals as OU held off Miami. The Hurricanes posted 10 fourth-quarter points, but were stymied over the final 7:09. Miami had 289 yards of total offense to just 176 for the Sooners, but turned over the ball three times. The Sooners went on win their second National Championship in as many years, while Miami would end up unranked.

• October 19, 1985 - Miami 27, No. 3 Oklahoma 14
The outcome of the game was less important than what happened during the contest. After hitting his first six passes, OU's Troy Aikman was lost for the season with a broken leg. Freshman Jamelle Holieway was inserted at QB, the Sooners reverted to the Wishbone and set sail on national championship No. 6. Miami QB Vinny Testaverde completed 17-of-28 passes for 270 yards and two TDs to give Jimmy Johnson, who was 0-5 vs. Oklahoma while at Oklahoma State, a victory over the Sooners.

• January 1, 1987 at Miami - No. 2 Miami 20, No. 1 Oklahoma 14
A Sooner offense that led the nation in six categories was limited to 179 yards, but scored on a 29-yard fumblerooski by OG Mark Hutson in the fourth quarter. It wasn't enough. Miami's Steve Walsh completed 18-of-30 passes for 209 yards and two touchdowns. OU never led.

• September 27, 1986 at Miami - No. 2 Miami 28, No. 1 Oklahoma 16
Vinny Testaverde completed 21-of-28 passes for 261 yards and four touchdowns, including two to Michael Irvin. Oklahoma rushed for 186 yards, but lost two fumbles and two interceptions. It was the only loss OU suffered as it won the Big 8 title and crushed Arkansas in the Orange Bowl, 42-8. Miami missed a national championship when it dropped a 14-10 decision to Penn State in the Fiesta Bowl. Both OU and UM finished 11-1.

Oklahoma's Most Recent Game
Oklahoma roared past an out-manned North Texas team, 79-10, last Saturday in Norman ...
• Oklahoma used 64 players and scored its final points on a safety with 9:32 remaining in the game. OU's last three touchdowns came on an INT return and a pair of one-yard plunges.
• In his first start, QB Sam Bradford completed 21-of-23 passes for 363 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions. He tied Jason White's school record by completing 18 straight (his last 18). Bradford threw for 350 yards in the first half, the highest one-half total in school history (the previous mark of 313 was held by Bradford's coach, Josh Heupel).
• Redshirt freshman running back DeMarco Murray rushed for five touchdowns, the most by any OU player in a debut game. The single game record for most touchdowns is six. It was set by Quentin Griffin against Texas in 2000.
• The 79 points represented the second-highest total of the modern era for OU, topped only by the 82 scored against Colorado in 1980.
• Oklahoma had eight first-time starters against UNT, including the entire defensive front four.
the 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 48-2 at Gaylord Family - Oklahoma Memorial Stadium under Bob Stoops and has won its last 12 in a row there and 32 of its last 33. During Stoops's tenure, which included home winning streaks of 19 and 17 games, OU has registered six shutouts on Owen Field.
• The last 56 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 30-8 vs. non-league foes, 25-4 in regular season non-league games and 21-1 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 Yielding Record-Breaking Attendance
Oklahoma has drawn 3,989,501 for Bob Stoops' 50 home games (started in 1999).
• All 50 have been sold out and the Sooners have prevailed 48 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 85,313 for the `06 Texas Tech game was the largest ever to see a sporting event in the state of Oklahoma. 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 24 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 33 times, including 27 over the last five seasons.
• Also under Stoops, OU has 106 touchdowns of 25-plus yards and 227 scoring drives that took less than two minutes.
• 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
Three players competed through the spring and first three weeks of August before redshirt freshman Sam Bradford earned the starting QB job. His back-ups are junior Joey Halzle and true freshman Keith Nichol. Bradford is the 53rd QB at OU (dating back in records era to 1938) and the 20th to make his first start in an opener.
• 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.

Scoring or Shaving, Which Came First?
Including the safety registered by DE Alan Davis, 13 Sooners scored points in the season opener against North Texas. Only two of them were seniors -- running back Jacob Gutierrez, who scored the last touchdown, and kicker Garrett Hartley.
• Of the 17 players that had rushing, passing or receiving yards in the game, only two were seniors -- Gutierrez and TE Joe Jon Finley.
• The five offensive linemen that started the game were all juniors, while the backfield of QB Sam Bradford and DeMarco Murray were both redshirt freshmen. Murray would have been the sole leading rusher in the game if not for another redshirt freshman, Mossis Madu, who, like Murray, also rushed for 87 yards.

Century Mark Times Two
When Juaquin Iglesias (7-128) and Malcolm Kelly (4-118, 2 TD) both eclipsed the century mark for receiving yards in the opener, it marked just the fourth time in school history that it had happened. It was the second time during Bob Stoops' tenure.
• Kelly has 99 career receptions and is trying to become the 11th in school history to record 100. With 1,582 career receiving yards, he ranks No. 8 at OU, nine yards behind Stephen Alexander. The career leader in receptions and yards at Oklahoma is Mark Clayton, now of the Baltimore Ravens, who had 190 grabs for 3,241 yards. Kelly is No. tied for No. 5 in touchdown receptions with 14. Clayton is the leader there, too, with 31.

Tight End Tandem
Oklahoma features one of the top tight end tandems in the nation in 6-6, 261-pound Joe Jon Finley and 6-5, 263-pound Jermaine Gresham. Last season, the two combined to average 1.9 receptions per game. In the 2007 opener, they combined for four. Another tight end, Brody Eldridge, who often lines up as the H-back, is on the preseason list for the Mackey Award.

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 Oklahoma history. During the Stoops era (since 1999) this is the heaviest line. The 2004 line tipped the scales at 307.8 pounds. By height, this is the third-tallest line of the Stoops era. The 2002 and 2003 lines both measured 77.2 inches.
• 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).

About the Defense

• Oklahoma has forced at least one turnover in 95 of Bob Stoops' 106 games and has at least one interception in 71 of the last 93 games. The Sooners have multiple picks in 27 of their last 62 outings.
• Opponents completed 50 percent or more of their passes in less than half of their games against Stoops-coached OU teams -- 51 times in 106 games.
• Foes scored less than 14 points in 49 of the games.
• 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 53 games.
• 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. After game three, only one team exceeded its scoring average and none met their yardage number.

OU in the NCAA Stats
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)

Very Hands-On
Last year, Oklahoma defenders touched the ball 93 times in the form of 61 pass deflections, 18 interceptions and 14 fumble recoveries. Over a 14-game schedule, a Sooner defensive player touched the ball an average of 6.6 times per game and claimed 2.3 takeaways per game.
• Players who accounted for 13 of the team's 18 interceptions last season return for 2007. The same is true for 11 of the 14 fumble recoveries.

Stoops Era Staple: Run Defense
Nineteen 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.

Secondary Improvement was Primary
Oklahoma made substantial improvement in the defensive secondary as a young group from 2005 remained relatively young in 2006, but much more experienced. In 2007, 10 of the 11 defensive backs who saw action, including six of the seven who drew starts, return. The only one who is not back is Jason Carter, who started one game last season. Here are some examples of how the defensive backs improved from 2005 to 2006 ...
• In 2005, Oklahoma defensive backs accounted for 23 of 47 pass break-ups, or 48%. In 2006, that number jumped to 35 of 61 for 57%. In 2005, the Sooner secondary had six of the team's 13 interceptions for 46%. In 2006, it had 14 out of the 18 for 78%.

About the Special Teams

Oklahoma's special teams under Bob Stoops ...
• There have been 24 special teams TD, including 17 in the last 55 regular season games. Those 17 came via five different kinds of plays -- 10 punt returns, two faked FGs, two blocked punts, two kickoff returns and a faked punt. The 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.

Leg Weary
K Garrett Hartley tied a school record when he made 11 extra point kicks in the opener (11-of-11), but he also kicked off 12 times, which means he had 23 kicks during the game.
• Hartley averaged 68.1 yards on 12 kickoffs. The average kick landed at the two. He had three touchbacks, and enough hangtime that North Texas averaged a mere 13.7 yards/return.

Many Happy Returns
Information on returns during the Stoops era ...
• Kickoff Returns -- 50 returns of 25 yards or more with six TD.
• Punt Returns -- 45 returns of 15 or more yards with 14 TD.
• Interception Returns -- 60 returns of 10 or more yards with 18 TD.
• Fumble Returns -- Three returns of 15 or more yards with three TD.

Got-R-Covered
• Over the last three seasons, Oklahoma's average rank in NCAA kickoff return coverage was No. 10. Oklahoma's "worst" season-ending national ranking in that category came in 2005 (No. 15). The 2004 team ranked No. 4. Last season, the Sooners ranked 13th and gave up just 17.4 yards per return. The longest return by an opponent was 34 yards. Prior to Bob Stoops' arrival, opposing teams had averaged at least 22 yards per kickoff 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 the long kicks and averaged 41.0 yards on 51 attempts. He had a long of 75 yards and another of 72. Nine of his kicks traveled at least 50 yards and he spread those long boots 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 three career makes of 50 yards or longer. His long last season was 46 yards, which he accomplished twice.

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 87 games (87-19), been ranked for 119 weeks in the AP Poll (69 consecutive at one point) and 118 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 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.

DT Cory Bennett: In the rotation in the deep defensive line ... started the 2005 opener.

OT Branndon Braxton: Started the opener at RT.

FB Matt Clapp: Listed a back-up at fullback.

P Michael Cohen: Handles long punting situations for OU ... averaged 43.5 yards on two punts in the opener.

DT Steven Coleman: In the four-man rotation in the inside positions.

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

DE Auston English: Played sparingly in 2005, then redshirted the following season ... got his first career start against North Texas and responded with four tackles and one sack.

TE Joe Jon Finley: Has added 41 pounds since coming to OU ... excellent hands.

DT DeMarcus Granger: Got his first career start in the opener.

TE Jermaine Gresham: Three grabs for 64 yards and a touchdown vs. North Texas.

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 in the opener.

DB Nic Harris: Starter at FS, he returned an interception 24 yards for a TD vs. North Texas.

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

DB Lendy Holmes: Started at WR, moved to CB and is now a safety.

WR Juaquin Iglesias: Team highs with seven grabs for 128 yards vs. North Texas.

WR Manuel Johnson: One catch for five yards in the opener.

WR Malcolm Kelly: Brilliant in the North Texas game with four grabs for 118 yards and two TD.

P Mike Knall: Handles short field punting situations ... one punt vs. North Texas for 34 yards and it was inside the 20.

LB Curtis Lofton: Career high 11 tackles vs. North Texas.

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

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.

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

RB Allen Patrick: Could have played in the opener, but was held out ... suffered a sprained right ankle early in the August drills.
LB Ryan Reynolds: Got his first career start against North Texas and finished with three tackles and one sack.

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.

WR Adron Tennell: Silky smooth back-up to Malcolm Kelly, he had three catches for 35 yards against North Texas.

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

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.

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.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

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