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University of Oklahoma Athletics
Game Notes: Oklahoma vs. Texas
October 10, 2008 | Football
NORMAN, Okla. -- Oklahoma and Texas enter the 103rd renewal of the AT&T Red River Rivalry with 5-0 marks. Both are 1-0 after
impressive league road wins last Saturday. OU rocked
Baylor, 49-17, while Texas dominated Colorado, 38-14.
The game kicks at 11 a.m. in a newly-expanded Cotton
Bowl with an overflow crowd of 92,000 on hand.
ABC will broadcast the game live to the nation with Brent Musberger calling the action and Kirk Herbstreit providing analysis. Lisa Salters will report from the Cotton Bowl sideline.
Visit Sooner Gameday Central to view complete information for fans attending the game in Dallas and TV, radio and internet options for fans following the Sooners across the nation.
SoonerSports.com will bring fans the Sooner Gameday Blog live from the Cotton Bowl on Saturday. The feature will provide reaction from the field as the game unfolds including observations from our staff, notes from the media relations staff in the press box and fan emails during the game.
• Under Stoops, OU 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, passing and receiving yards. Of the 81 basic offensive records at OU, 50 have been set on Stoops' watch.
• OU scored at least one TD in every game dating to Nov. 7, 1998.
• OU rushed for 200 yards 37 times under Stoops, 31 in the last five years.
• Also under Stoops, OU has 129 touchdowns of 25-plus yards and 256 scoring drives that took less than two minutes.
Since Sam
OU has played 19 games since Sam Bradford was named the starting QB. He missed nearly all of the Texas Tech game last season due to injury (out during second series). Here is a look at OU's offensive production in those other 18 games, in which the team has a record of 16-2, a Big 12 title and BCS Bowl appearance ...
• The Sooners averaged 39.2 points per game and eclipsed 50 points eight times.
• He averaged 3.1 touchdown passes/game, while completing 343-of-487 passes (.704) with 54 TDs and 11 INT.
• Oklahoma averaged 416.7 yards total yards per game.
• He threw for 300+ yards six times and 400+ once in an offense that also averaged 190.1 rushing yards.
• Threw multiple TDs in 16 games with five each against Miami (Fla.), Texas A&M, Cincinnati and Washington.
Iglesias Piles Up Yards
WR Juaquin Iglesias is one of the top all-around performers ever to wear a Sooner uniform ...
• His career total of 3,394 all purpose yards is 13th on the career list at Oklahoma.
• Iglesias has the nation's fifth-longest streak for receptions in consecutive games with 37. He trails Rice's Jarrett Dillard (41) and UNLV's Casey Flair (40).
Yakety Yac
OU receivers have 484 of 1,017 passing yards after the catch...
• Vs. UTC, 127 YAC. Manuel Johnson had 56 of his 120 in YAC.
• Vs. Cincinnati, 137 YAC. Ryan Broyles had 38 of 141 in YAC.
• Vs. Washington, 220 YAC. Broyles had 73 of his 85 in YAC.
• Vs. TCU, 213 YAC. Johnson had 132 of his 206 in YAC.
• Vs. Baylor, 202 TAC. Juaquin Iglesias had 63 of his 133 in YAC.
Touchdowns Germane to Jermaine
Jermaine Gresham needs one TD reception to set a new mark for OU tight ends. He has, including four in `08.
• Gresham is striking from longer distance in 2008. Last season, he averaged 13.8 yards per touchdown catch, but that figure has ballooned to 29.5 this season.
Three-Headed Running Game
DeMarco Murray, the starter, has 85 carries for 431 yards and five touchdowns. Chris Brown and Mossis Madu have a combined 119 tries for 499 yards and nine TDs. In the opener, Brown became the 66th player in school history to rush for 1,000 yards in a career. Murray became the 67th during the game at Washington.
The Line on the Line
At 6-5 (77.1 inches) and 302.8 pounds averaged on the two-deep, this is one of the biggest offensive lines in OU history. During the Stoops era this is the third-heaviest line. Last year's was the heaviest line at 316.6. By height, this is the third-tallest line under Stoops. The 2002 and 2003 lines both measured 77.2 inches.
• This line (two-deep) has combined for 160 starts, 230 games played.
• C Jon Cooper has the most plays this season among the line with 341. He's also tops in knockdowns with 55. Phil Loadholt has the highest overall grade for the season at 86% and he had the single-game high with 90% vs. Cincinnati. Loadholt has the top ground grade at 82% and is tied for the top pass grade with Cooper at 92%. The top knockdown figure was 15 by Cooper at Washington.
One-Liners
• OU is No. 1 in the nation in Red Zone Scoring (24-24) with 23 TD.
• OU ranks No. 4 nationally with 49.60 point/game, but the highest Sooner in individual scoring ranks No. 85th.
• Oklahoma's 19 touchdown passes have gone to six different receivers.
• OU has completed passes to 16 receivers, which ranks No. 3 nationally.
• Sam Bradford had logged career-high passing yardage in three straight games before settling for 372 vs. Baylor.
First to 30,000 Points
By points, Oklahoma is the highest scoring program in the history of college football. In 1,132 games, the Sooners have scored 30,025 points, an average of 26.5 per game. Chasing the Sooners are Michigan with 29,427 points in 1,198 games and Nebraska with 29,248 in 1,194.
• OU forced at least one turnover in 109 of Bob Stoops' 124 games and has at least one interception in 80 of the last 108; multiple picks in 34 of the last 79 outings.
• Oklahoma has nine shutouts under its current head coach. Opponents scored less than seven points 30 times and less than 14 in 57 games.
Sack Exchange Rate Good
Over the last two seasons, Oklahoma's defense has 44 (2.3/game) sacks while allowing only 18 (0.9/game). This season, that ratio is 17:5.
Weak Freak
A lot of attention was focused on the weakside linebacker spot during the preseason, but Travis Lewis has answered some of those questions in the early going. The redshirt freshman is second on the team with 41 tackles, 12 of which came against Cincinnati. He had 4.5 tackles for loss and 3.0 sacks in that game. The 12 tackles vs. UC rank No. 7 for a freshman at OU. The record of 19 was set by Brian Bosworth against Nebraska in 1984.
• Bosworth also has the freshman season tackle record at 133 followed by Darrell Reed with 90 and Kevin Murphy with 87. Reed and Murphy were defensive ends.
• Among linebackers, Lewis is already one of the best freshmen in Sooner history by tackles. Bosworth had his 133 followed by Rocky Calmus with 55, Chris Justice with 47 and then Dante Jones and Lewis with 41. Both Bosworth (twice) and Calmus won the Butkus Award as the nation's top linebacker.
Defensive Miscellany
• Oklahoma ranks No. 8 nationally for third-down defense. Opponents have converted just 21-of-76 for 27.6%.
• Oklahoma is No. 14 in the nation in Red Zone Defense with opponents scoring on just 9-of-14 trips. Four of those nine scores came in the form of field goals.
Takeaways a Group Project
In 2008, several Oklahoma players have gotten in on taking the ball away from the opponents ...
• Five different players have forced a fumble.
• Three players have fumble recoveries, although FS Lendy Holmes and CB Brian Jackson each have two.
• The four interceptions thus far by the Sooners have been made by four different players.
He's New, Sorta
First-year Sooner Mike Balogun was born Sept. 28, 1983, and is 24 years old. Former OU players C.J. Ah You (2006) and Billy Sims (1979) were 24 during their senior seasons. Players of that age were typical after WWII. Since that time, the oldest Sooner football player was DL Dick Passo, who was 26 when he played in 1968.
Push 'em Back
Oklahoma has 42 tackles for 175 yards in losses compared to just 25 for 85 by the Sooner opponents.
More Than Run Stoppers
Defensive ends and blitzers tend to be associated with the sack, but the Sooner interior has played a role in that statistic too. OU's four-man defensive tackle rotation has a combined total of 16.0 career sacks, and a DT has been credited with a full or have sack in three of three of the first four games.
Oklahoma's special teams under Bob Stoops...
• There have been 25 special teams TDs, including 19 in the last 67 regular season games. Those 19 came via five different kinds of plays -- 10 punt returns, two faked field goals, two blocked punts, four kickoff returns and a faked punt. Special teams also own one safety in that span.
• In total, OU has returned eight kickoffs and 14 punts for touchdowns on Stoops' watch (since 1999).
• The Sooners have blocked 21 kicks.
Many Happy Returns
Information on returns during the Stoops era ...
• Kickoff Returns --79- returns of 25 yards or more with eight touchdowns.
• Punt Returns -- 49 returns of 15 or more yards with 14 touchdowns.
• Interception Returns -- 69 returns of 10 or more yards with 20 touchdowns.
• Fumble Returns -- four returns of 15 or more yards with five touchdowns.
Oklahoma Led Nation in Kickoff Returns
Oklahoma is No. 14 in KOR average (29.86). OU led the nation for 2007 with an average of 28.27 yards per return ...
• The Sooners had 19 kickoff returns that covered at least 30 yards.
• Four different players had a return of more than 35 yards.
• All five players who returned kicks last season averaged at least 24 yards.
• DeMarco Murray ran 81 yards for a touchdown against Tulsa on the second kickoff return of his college career. His first came earlier in that same game. He then went for 91 yards and a touchdown against Baylor.
Knall Emerges at Punter
Mike Knall won the starting job in the 10th game (vs. Baylor) of the 2007 season and held it for the remainder of the season. Prior to that time he had been used mostly in short-yardage situations as the pooch punter ...
• True to his pooch-punting past, Knall has put eight of his 23 kicks this season inside the 20. For his career, 17 of 58 boots have been downed inside the 20.
Freshman Kicker
Redshirt freshman Jimmy Stevens is the team's placekicker. He is the first freshman to tackle that chore since Garrett Hartley did so in the Baylor game of 2004 (Nov. 20). Steven has been called upon for only one field goal this season, a 36-yarder that he converted against Cincinnati.
• Stevens has been victimized by a Sooner offense that is 24-of-24 in the Red Zone. He is just 1-of-1 on field goal attempts this season. The record for fewest FGs in a season at OU is zero on multiple occasions, most recently in 1962. There have been 10 seasons with single digit attempts, most recently eight in 1988.
Hold It
WR Carter Whitson, a walk-on, takes over as the team's holder. The sophomore played most of his high school career at Shawnee, Okla., before spending his senior season at Broken Arrow HS. He was a quarterback during his prep days. Whitson was the holder at Shawnee during his sophomore season.
• With redshirt freshman Jimmy Stevens at kicker, Whitson at holder and James Winchester as the long snapper, all three ball-handlers on placements are new this season.
• Freshman long snapper James Winchester is the son of former Sooner Mike Winchester, who lettered as a punter from 1984-86. Carolyn Winchester, a senior member of the OU women's basketball team, is James' sister.
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.
LB Jeremy Beal: Ten tackles against Cincinnati.
ABC will broadcast the game live to the nation with Brent Musberger calling the action and Kirk Herbstreit providing analysis. Lisa Salters will report from the Cotton Bowl sideline.
Visit Sooner Gameday Central to view complete information for fans attending the game in Dallas and TV, radio and internet options for fans following the Sooners across the nation.
SoonerSports.com will bring fans the Sooner Gameday Blog live from the Cotton Bowl on Saturday. The feature will provide reaction from the field as the game unfolds including observations from our staff, notes from the media relations staff in the press box and fan emails during the game.
 OU & Big
12 Game Notes (PDF) | OU
Depth Chart | 2008
OU Football Guide |  Video
Library
|
The Series
Texas leads the all-time series 57-40-5. Since the
Big 12 formed for the 1996 season, Oklahoma has won
seven games to the Longhorns' five.
The Coaches
Oklahoma: Bob Stoops (Iowa `83) is 102-22 in
his 10th season with the Sooners. He is 66-13 vs. the
Big 12, 36-9 vs. the Big 12 South, 28-4 vs. the Big
12 North, 5-1 in the Big 12 title game, 36-9 vs. non-conference
opponents, 57-2 at home, 29-11 on the road, 16-9 on
neutral fields, 29-11 vs. ranked opponents, 4-5 in
bowls, 3-4 in January Bowls and 2-4 in BCS games. He
is 6-3 against Texas.
Texas: Mack Brown (Florida State `74) is 108-25
in his 11th season at Texas. He is 4-6 vs. Oklahoma.
The Program
• Oklahoma's all-time
record stands at 784-295-53.
• The Sooners own seven
national championships (1950, 1955, 1956, 1974, 1975,
1985, 2000).
• OU
has 41 bowl appearances (No. 7 nationally) with 24
victories (No. 4 nationally).
• Oklahoma has won 41 conference titles.
• Since
WWII, Oklahoma is the most successful college football
program with 549 victories.
• Some 144 All-Americans
and four Heisman Trophy winners have come from the
Oklahoma program.
• OU leads the nation in 10-win seasons with 30 overall.
• Oklahoma's best decade for total victories
came in the 1970s when the Sooners were 102-13-3
(.877). In the 2000s, OU is 95-17-0 (.848).
• 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 80th 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, 57-40-5; At Dallas: Texas leads
45-36-5; 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.
• This marks the 58th time that at least one of the
teams has entered this game with a national ranking,
the 34th time that both were ranked.
• The lower-rated team has prevailed 15 times.
• This is the eighth time that the Sooners have brought
the No. 1-ranking into the game. The only time they
failed to protect that ranking was in 1963 when the
No. 2-ranked Longhorns won, 28-7.
• Oklahoma enters its match-up with Texas with an unbeaten,
untied mark for the 44th time, the 21st time with at
least three games played. There have been 23 times
in which both teams entered the game unbeaten and untied
(including 1902 when the game was Texas' season-opener).
The record in those games is 11-11-1.
• By winning percentage, Texas is No. 3 all-time
at 825-316-33 (.717) and Oklahoma is No. 4 at 784-295-53
(.710). Oklahoma has the most win in the 2000s
with 95. Texas is No. 3 with 90.
What's New at the Cotton Bowl?
The 2008 renovations, totaling some $50 million, include
the expansion of the seating capacity of the stadium
from 76,000 to 92,200, mostly through the complete
encircling of the second deck, new media and VIP facilities,
a new scoreboard and video screen, updated restrooms
and concession areas, lighting, utility and sound upgrades
and the replacement of all the stadium's seats.
• This game will probably produce the largest crowd
ever to see an Oklahoma game. The current high is 88,119
for the 1977 game at Ohio State. The Sooners won that
one, 29-28. The current record for the largest crowd
to see Oklahoma on a neutral field is 86,848 at the
2003 Rose Bowl. The Sooners prevailed in that game
over, 34-14, over Washington State.
• The record for the largest crowd to see the OU-Texas
game is 79,587, for the 2004 game won by Oklahoma,
12-0.
Ties With This Week's Opponent
• Texas head coach Mack Brown was OU's offensive
coordinator in 1984.
• Oklahoma assistant defensive coordinator and defensive
backs coach Bobby Jack Wright was on the Texas staff
as an assistant coach from 1986-97.
Last Year's Game | Oklahoma 28, Texas
21
Recap |
Stats | Notes | Quotes | 
Photos | Highlights
A pair of freshmen played key roles as No. 10 Oklahoma
defeated No. 19 Texas, 28-21. In an oddity, both teams
entered the game on losses, both upsets, for the first
time since 1999...
• The Sooners never trailed, but needed a 35-yard pass
from Sam Bradford to Malcolm Kelly with 10:42 remaining
to break a 21-21 tie and get the win. Oklahoma never
led by more than seven and the game was tied three
times.
• Bradford, playing in his first OU-Texas game, completed
21-of-32 passes for 244 yards with three touchdowns,
0 interceptions.
• Another freshman, RB DeMarco Murray, rushed 17 times
for 128 yards, including an electrifying 65-yard touchdown
run.
• TE Jermaine Gresham caught two passes for eight yards,
but both of those receptions went for touchdowns, one
from seven yards and another from one.
• DE Auston English logged a pair of sacks to lead
the defense. The top tackler for OU was Nic Harris
with 8.
• Oklahoma had 414 total yards,including 244 through
the air. Texas amassed 385 total with 324 through the
air.
Oklahoma's Most Recent Game | Oklahoma
49, Baylor 17
Stats
OU won its Big 12 opener at Baylor, 49-17, last Saturday
...
• Oklahoma scored on its first four possessions and
to take a 28-0 lead after one quarter. That equaled
the second-highest point total ever scored by an OU
team in Big 12 play.
• The first six Oklahoma touchdowns were scored by
six different players.
• Sam Bradford completed 23-of-31 passes for 372 yards
and two touchdowns. He also rushed for a TD (1 yard).
• Oklahoma established season highs in plays (92),
total yards (594), rushes (58), first downs (32) and
rushing touchdowns (5, tied).
• Juaquin Iglesias got his fifth career 100-yard game
with six grabs for 133 yards and one touchdown.
• DeMarco Murray rushed 26 times for 96 yards and a
pair of touchdowns.
• Oklahoma rushed 58 times and had only one negative
yard.
• LBs Keenan Clayton and Ryan Reynolds both had 14
tackles for a defense that held BU 17 points and 160
total yards under its averages.
• Oklahoma ran its all-time record against Baylor to
18-0, 9-0 at Waco.
Career Year
Here are the career-best performances turned in by
Oklahoma players thus far in 2008 (does not include
players in first year of eligibility) ...
• QB Sam Bradford 411 passing yards against TCU.
• QB Sam Bradford 29 completions against Cincinnati.
• QB Sam Bradford 38 passing attempts against Cincinnati.
• WR Manuel Johnson 206 receiving yards against TCU.
• WR Manuel Johnson nine receptions against UT Chattanooga.
• TE Jermaine Gresham 99 receiving yards against Washington.
• LB Keenan Clayton 14 tackles against Baylor.
• CB Brian Jackson five tackles against Washington.
• DT Adrian Taylor five tackles against TCU.
Oklahoma No. 1 at Being No. 1
By moving to the top spot in this week's poll,
Oklahoma has now been ranked No. 1 in the Associated
Press' Top 25 more weeks, 97, than any other
program in college football history. Notre Dame is
second on that list at 95. Ohio State is next with
93 followed by USC at 90.
• The Sooners have played 77 games while carrying the
No. 1 ranking. Their record in those games is 70-7,
including a 9-4 mark on neutral fields.
Washington Victory No. 100 for Coach Stoops
Oklahoma's 55-14 victory at Washington on Sept.
13, represented an historic milestone of 100 victories
for Sooner head coach Bob Stoops ...
• Stoops became the eighth-fastest coach to 100 victories
in NCAA history by doing so in 122 games, the same
number it took for former OU head coach Barry Switzer
to hit the mark. Another OU great, Bud Wilkinson, picked
up his 100th victory in game 111. He is No. 3 on the
list.
• Oklahoma is the only school in NCAA history to produce
four, 100-win coaches. The others are Bennie Owen (122-54-165
from 1905-26), Wilkinson (145-29-4 from 1947-63) and
Switzer (157-29-4 from 1973-88).
• Stoops is only the second coach in NCAA history,
and the first in the modern era, to win 100 games in
his first 10 seasons. His victory total, regardless
of what it is at season's end, will rank No.
2 in NCAA history for 10 seasons. Penn's George
Woodruff holds the mark at 124 wins. His 10th season
was 1901. Switzer is third on that list at 98.
• Stoops is one of three coaches with an average of
10 victories per season with at least 10 seasons of
coaching. The others were Tom Osborne (255 in 25 seasons
at Nebraska) and George Woodruff (142 in 12 seasons,
mostly at Penn).
• Stoops' teams are 102-22 with one national
title and five league crowns in 10 seasons (9+). In
the 10 years before he arrived in Norman, the OU football
fortunes had taken a rare dip. The program was 61-50-3
with no championships and only three bowl trips.
The Sooners Briefly
• OU was No. 4 in both of preseason polls. It marked
the 10th straight season that was ranked in the first
AP poll.
• Oklahoma was tabbed for a first-place finish in the
Big 12's South Division in a preseason polling
of league media. Defensive end Auston English was named
the league's preseason defensive player of the year.
• There are 27 players on this team with previous starting
experience. There were 34 in 2007, 10 in 2006.
• Last season, OU was 11-3 overall, 6-2 in the Big
12. The Sooners won their fifth Big 12 crown (second
straight) and 41st league title overall before advancing
to the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl.
• Three players from the `07 team left early
for the NFL: WR Malcolm Kelly (Redskins), LB Curtis
Lofton (Falcons) and DB Reggie Smith (49ers).
OU and the Big 12
• OU's all-time Big 12 regular season record
is 69-28, 74-29 if counting title games. Stoops is
61-12 in the regular season, 66-13 counting all. Before
he arrived, OU's Big 12 mark was 8-16.
• Oklahoma has won five Big 12 titles. That's
more than double any other league member.
New Video Board in Debut Season
• The board measures 113.5 feet wide by 32.5 feet
tall (3,689 square feet). The previous video board
space on the south end board was 36X21 (756 square
feet). It is thought that the new board is the fourth-largest
in the nation.
• The board is 16mm High Definition.
• Cost of the new board was $4.5 million.
• The project included a new sound system, the
extension of the ribbon boards on the upper decks and
a new Sooner Vision high definition control room, which
carried a price tag of $2 million.
Home Field Honchos
Bob Stoops' teams are 57-2 at Gaylord Family
- Oklahoma Memorial Stadium and have won their last
21 in a row there (longest current home field winning
streak in the nation), and 41 of their last 42. The
current streak is the longest under Stoops, who has
twice coached the Sooners to 19 straight wins at home,
and is tied for second-longest in school history. The
top mark at Oklahoma was 25, a string that ended in
1953. A streak of 21 ended in 1975 and another of 20
ended in 1957.
Marquee Matchups Await OU in Future
Non-conference games on future schedules include at
Miami (Fla.) in 2009, at Florida State (2011), Notre
Dame (2012), at Notre Dame (2013), Tennessee (2014),
at Tennessee (2015), Ohio State (2016), at Ohio State
(2017) and LSU in 2018 and 2019. Under Stoops, OU already
played Louisville, Notre Dame, North Carolina, Alabama
(twice), UCLA (twice), Oregon (twice), Washington (twice),
South Florida and Miami (Fla.) in regular season contests.
Stoops Era Yielding Record Attendance
Oklahoma has drawn 4,753,383 fans for Bob Stops' 59
home games (started in 1999)...
• All 59 have been sold out and the Sooners have
prevailed 57 times.
• Last year's average home attendance of
84,858 was the largest in school history. The top eight
seasons for OU home attendance have come on Stoops' watch.
• The crowd of 85,357 for the `07 Miami
game was the largest to see a sporting event in the
state of Oklahoma.
• OU has exceeded its listed capacity of 82,112
in 33 consecutive games.
• Oklahoma has played before sellout crowds in
103 of Stoops' 124 games. A total of 9,143,052,
or an average of 73,734, has seen those games.
• Oklahoma Sets Attendance Records at Memorial Stadium
 |
About the Offense |
• Under Stoops, OU 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, passing and receiving yards. Of the 81 basic offensive records at OU, 50 have been set on Stoops' watch.
• OU scored at least one TD in every game dating to Nov. 7, 1998.
• OU rushed for 200 yards 37 times under Stoops, 31 in the last five years.
• Also under Stoops, OU has 129 touchdowns of 25-plus yards and 256 scoring drives that took less than two minutes.
Since Sam
OU has played 19 games since Sam Bradford was named the starting QB. He missed nearly all of the Texas Tech game last season due to injury (out during second series). Here is a look at OU's offensive production in those other 18 games, in which the team has a record of 16-2, a Big 12 title and BCS Bowl appearance ...
• The Sooners averaged 39.2 points per game and eclipsed 50 points eight times.
• He averaged 3.1 touchdown passes/game, while completing 343-of-487 passes (.704) with 54 TDs and 11 INT.
• Oklahoma averaged 416.7 yards total yards per game.
• He threw for 300+ yards six times and 400+ once in an offense that also averaged 190.1 rushing yards.
• Threw multiple TDs in 16 games with five each against Miami (Fla.), Texas A&M, Cincinnati and Washington.
Iglesias Piles Up Yards
WR Juaquin Iglesias is one of the top all-around performers ever to wear a Sooner uniform ...
• His career total of 3,394 all purpose yards is 13th on the career list at Oklahoma.
• Iglesias has the nation's fifth-longest streak for receptions in consecutive games with 37. He trails Rice's Jarrett Dillard (41) and UNLV's Casey Flair (40).
Yakety Yac
OU receivers have 484 of 1,017 passing yards after the catch...
• Vs. UTC, 127 YAC. Manuel Johnson had 56 of his 120 in YAC.
• Vs. Cincinnati, 137 YAC. Ryan Broyles had 38 of 141 in YAC.
• Vs. Washington, 220 YAC. Broyles had 73 of his 85 in YAC.
• Vs. TCU, 213 YAC. Johnson had 132 of his 206 in YAC.
• Vs. Baylor, 202 TAC. Juaquin Iglesias had 63 of his 133 in YAC.
Touchdowns Germane to Jermaine
Jermaine Gresham needs one TD reception to set a new mark for OU tight ends. He has, including four in `08.
• Gresham is striking from longer distance in 2008. Last season, he averaged 13.8 yards per touchdown catch, but that figure has ballooned to 29.5 this season.
Three-Headed Running Game
DeMarco Murray, the starter, has 85 carries for 431 yards and five touchdowns. Chris Brown and Mossis Madu have a combined 119 tries for 499 yards and nine TDs. In the opener, Brown became the 66th player in school history to rush for 1,000 yards in a career. Murray became the 67th during the game at Washington.
The Line on the Line
At 6-5 (77.1 inches) and 302.8 pounds averaged on the two-deep, this is one of the biggest offensive lines in OU history. During the Stoops era this is the third-heaviest line. Last year's was the heaviest line at 316.6. By height, this is the third-tallest line under Stoops. The 2002 and 2003 lines both measured 77.2 inches.
• This line (two-deep) has combined for 160 starts, 230 games played.
• C Jon Cooper has the most plays this season among the line with 341. He's also tops in knockdowns with 55. Phil Loadholt has the highest overall grade for the season at 86% and he had the single-game high with 90% vs. Cincinnati. Loadholt has the top ground grade at 82% and is tied for the top pass grade with Cooper at 92%. The top knockdown figure was 15 by Cooper at Washington.
One-Liners
• OU is No. 1 in the nation in Red Zone Scoring (24-24) with 23 TD.
• OU ranks No. 4 nationally with 49.60 point/game, but the highest Sooner in individual scoring ranks No. 85th.
• Oklahoma's 19 touchdown passes have gone to six different receivers.
• OU has completed passes to 16 receivers, which ranks No. 3 nationally.
• Sam Bradford had logged career-high passing yardage in three straight games before settling for 372 vs. Baylor.
First to 30,000 Points
By points, Oklahoma is the highest scoring program in the history of college football. In 1,132 games, the Sooners have scored 30,025 points, an average of 26.5 per game. Chasing the Sooners are Michigan with 29,427 points in 1,198 games and Nebraska with 29,248 in 1,194.
|
About the Defense |
• OU forced at least one turnover in 109 of Bob Stoops' 124 games and has at least one interception in 80 of the last 108; multiple picks in 34 of the last 79 outings.
• Oklahoma has nine shutouts under its current head coach. Opponents scored less than seven points 30 times and less than 14 in 57 games.
Sack Exchange Rate Good
Over the last two seasons, Oklahoma's defense has 44 (2.3/game) sacks while allowing only 18 (0.9/game). This season, that ratio is 17:5.
Weak Freak
A lot of attention was focused on the weakside linebacker spot during the preseason, but Travis Lewis has answered some of those questions in the early going. The redshirt freshman is second on the team with 41 tackles, 12 of which came against Cincinnati. He had 4.5 tackles for loss and 3.0 sacks in that game. The 12 tackles vs. UC rank No. 7 for a freshman at OU. The record of 19 was set by Brian Bosworth against Nebraska in 1984.
• Bosworth also has the freshman season tackle record at 133 followed by Darrell Reed with 90 and Kevin Murphy with 87. Reed and Murphy were defensive ends.
• Among linebackers, Lewis is already one of the best freshmen in Sooner history by tackles. Bosworth had his 133 followed by Rocky Calmus with 55, Chris Justice with 47 and then Dante Jones and Lewis with 41. Both Bosworth (twice) and Calmus won the Butkus Award as the nation's top linebacker.
Defensive Miscellany
• Oklahoma ranks No. 8 nationally for third-down defense. Opponents have converted just 21-of-76 for 27.6%.
• Oklahoma is No. 14 in the nation in Red Zone Defense with opponents scoring on just 9-of-14 trips. Four of those nine scores came in the form of field goals.
Takeaways a Group Project
In 2008, several Oklahoma players have gotten in on taking the ball away from the opponents ...
• Five different players have forced a fumble.
• Three players have fumble recoveries, although FS Lendy Holmes and CB Brian Jackson each have two.
• The four interceptions thus far by the Sooners have been made by four different players.
He's New, Sorta
First-year Sooner Mike Balogun was born Sept. 28, 1983, and is 24 years old. Former OU players C.J. Ah You (2006) and Billy Sims (1979) were 24 during their senior seasons. Players of that age were typical after WWII. Since that time, the oldest Sooner football player was DL Dick Passo, who was 26 when he played in 1968.
Push 'em Back
Oklahoma has 42 tackles for 175 yards in losses compared to just 25 for 85 by the Sooner opponents.
More Than Run Stoppers
Defensive ends and blitzers tend to be associated with the sack, but the Sooner interior has played a role in that statistic too. OU's four-man defensive tackle rotation has a combined total of 16.0 career sacks, and a DT has been credited with a full or have sack in three of three of the first four games.
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About the Special Teams |
Oklahoma's special teams under Bob Stoops...
• There have been 25 special teams TDs, including 19 in the last 67 regular season games. Those 19 came via five different kinds of plays -- 10 punt returns, two faked field goals, two blocked punts, four kickoff returns and a faked punt. Special teams also own one safety in that span.
• In total, OU has returned eight kickoffs and 14 punts for touchdowns on Stoops' watch (since 1999).
• The Sooners have blocked 21 kicks.
Many Happy Returns
Information on returns during the Stoops era ...
• Kickoff Returns --79- returns of 25 yards or more with eight touchdowns.
• Punt Returns -- 49 returns of 15 or more yards with 14 touchdowns.
• Interception Returns -- 69 returns of 10 or more yards with 20 touchdowns.
• Fumble Returns -- four returns of 15 or more yards with five touchdowns.
Oklahoma Led Nation in Kickoff Returns
Oklahoma is No. 14 in KOR average (29.86). OU led the nation for 2007 with an average of 28.27 yards per return ...
• The Sooners had 19 kickoff returns that covered at least 30 yards.
• Four different players had a return of more than 35 yards.
• All five players who returned kicks last season averaged at least 24 yards.
• DeMarco Murray ran 81 yards for a touchdown against Tulsa on the second kickoff return of his college career. His first came earlier in that same game. He then went for 91 yards and a touchdown against Baylor.
Knall Emerges at Punter
Mike Knall won the starting job in the 10th game (vs. Baylor) of the 2007 season and held it for the remainder of the season. Prior to that time he had been used mostly in short-yardage situations as the pooch punter ...
• True to his pooch-punting past, Knall has put eight of his 23 kicks this season inside the 20. For his career, 17 of 58 boots have been downed inside the 20.
Freshman Kicker
Redshirt freshman Jimmy Stevens is the team's placekicker. He is the first freshman to tackle that chore since Garrett Hartley did so in the Baylor game of 2004 (Nov. 20). Steven has been called upon for only one field goal this season, a 36-yarder that he converted against Cincinnati.
• Stevens has been victimized by a Sooner offense that is 24-of-24 in the Red Zone. He is just 1-of-1 on field goal attempts this season. The record for fewest FGs in a season at OU is zero on multiple occasions, most recently in 1962. There have been 10 seasons with single digit attempts, most recently eight in 1988.
Hold It
WR Carter Whitson, a walk-on, takes over as the team's holder. The sophomore played most of his high school career at Shawnee, Okla., before spending his senior season at Broken Arrow HS. He was a quarterback during his prep days. Whitson was the holder at Shawnee during his sophomore season.
• With redshirt freshman Jimmy Stevens at kicker, Whitson at holder and James Winchester as the long snapper, all three ball-handlers on placements are new this season.
• Freshman long snapper James Winchester is the son of former Sooner Mike Winchester, who lettered as a punter from 1984-86. Carolyn Winchester, a senior member of the OU women's basketball team, is James' sister.
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Oklahoma Head Coach Bob Stoops |
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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 102 games (102-22), nine bowl games, six of the BCS variety, had one string of 88 consecutive appearances in the AP poll and captured five Big 12 crowns (the next highest total in the league is two). 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, born Sept. 9, 1960, 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, five 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 more than 60 academic honorees, 62 All-Big 12 players, 24 All-Americans and 36 NFL draft choices.
Stoops has won a total of 10 national coach of the year awards and has been Big 12 Coach of the year three times.
This is one of the finest coaches in the history of one of college football's most storied traditions.
The son of a coach, Stoops was a four-year starter at Iowa. He began his coaching career in 1983 as a volunteer in the Hawkeye program under Hayden Fry. He worked through the ranks until he became co-defensive coordinator at Kansas State (1991-95) 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 is widely known for countless hours
of charitable work, most of which is directed towards
children, 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.
Head
Coach Bob Stoops | OU
Coaching Staff
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Notes on the Sooners |
LB Jeremy Beal: Ten tackles against Cincinnati.
DT Cory Bennett: Leads DTs in games played with 42 ... sacks vs. Washington and TCU.
OT Branndon Braxton: Used primarily at right tackle, but also spent part of the preseason working at guard ... missed Baylor game with an injury.
RB Chris Brown: Three touchdowns in opener ... nearly one-third (30%) of his career rushes have resulted in a touchdown or first down -- 283 carries with 68 first downs, 18 touchdowns.
WR Ryan Broyles: Seven grabs for 141 yards and one TD in his debut against Cincy ... two TDs at Washington.
WR Quentin Chaney: Over the last two bowl games, he combined for eight receptions for 166 yards and two TDs.
FB Matt Clapp: Primarily a blocker, he has four rushes and three pass receptions this season.
LB Keenan Clayton: Converted from SS safety to SLB ... career-high 14 tackles at Baylor.
C Jon Cooper: His 34 career starts lead the team ... anchors a veteran offensive line.
TE Brody Eldridge: All-Big 12 fullback last season despite the fact that he had no carries.
DE Auston English: Had 4.0 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks in the opener.
CB Dominique Franks: Leads Sooners with five passes broken up ... INT vs. Cincy.
DT DeMarcus Granger: Injured left foot at Washington and is yet to return.
TE Jermaine Gresham: Leads the team with four touchdown receptions, three of which covered at least 22 yards.
QB Joey Halzle: Hit 21-of-41 for 291 yards in a back-up role at Texas Tech last season, 14-of-16 in `08 opener.
DB Nic Harris: Six career interceptions and 17 deflections.
DB Lendy Holmes: Worked at CB and S before settling at the latter ... INT vs. Cincy ... two FR vs. TCU.
CB Brian Jackson: Forced on fumble and recovered two at Washington.
WR Manuel Johnson: Only current Sooner receiver who has a career reception, rush and pass completion.
P Mike Knall: Eight punts inside the 20 so far.
OT Phil Loadholt: Thirteen pounds lighter than last season -- 350 to 337.
LB Travis Lewis: The redshirt freshman is the team's leading tackler with 33.
RB Mossis Madu: Scored two touchdowns at Washington.
DT Gerald McCoy: Named to Allstate AFCA Good Works Team.
RB DeMarco Murray: OU's leading rusher has been over 100 yards twice in `08 ... 96 yards and 2 TD at Baylor.
LB Ryan Reynolds: Only Sooner who had started an OU game at LB prior to `08 ... 10 tackles vs. TCU, 14 vs. Baylor.
OG Duke Robinson: Consensus All-American last season.
DT Adrian Taylor: Career-high five tackles and two sacks against TCU.
OG Brandon Walker: Had the highest overall grade of all OU offensive lineman last season (80%).
OT Trent Williams: Starter at right tackle since starting the opener at left tackle.
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