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10:52 p.m. | Final: OU 61, OSU 41
OU's media relations and internet services staff will be working late here in the press box in Stillwater to bring you all the coverage of Oklahoma's 61-41 win. We'll get you stats, quotes, notes and more as quickly as we can. As we look down on the field, OU's fans are serenading the players as they head for the locker room.
Recap |
Stats |
Notes |
Quotes |
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Video
10:47 p.m. | OU Moves to 11-1
Oklahoma defeats No. 11 Oklahoma State in Stillwater, 61-41, to improve to 11-1 on the season. Did you notice the sign behind Coach Stoops during Lisa Salters' post-game interview on the field? Basically, the scoreboard is OU's answer to Texas fans' flyover today in Stillwater. Now, the all-important BCS standings are all that stand in the way of Oklahoma advancing to Kansas City to play Missouri for another Big 12 Conference championship.
10:43 p.m. | Sooner Fans Celebrate
Oklahoma fans are now chanting "BCS, BCS" as the clock winds down on an apparent Sooner victory in Stillwater. It is indeed an impressive win on the road in a hostile environment. Hard for Texas Tech or Texas to point to a similar win on their resumes.
10:29 p.m. | Defense Steps Up
Linebacker Keenan Clayton notched a sack of Zac Robinson and the defense came up with a big stop to force OSU's first punt since the first quarter. You can really feel the momentum shift here in the press box. Perhaps Coach Venables had a few words for his "D" prior to that last OSU possession?
10:25 p.m. | Half a Hundred
This Oklahoma offense has now scored 50 or more points in its fifth consecutive game and eighth of the season. OU also has two other games with 49 and 45 points on the board.
10:23 p.m. | Don't Touch the Dial
I know, we all have remotes now, but the cliche is appropriate. Several of the media members here in the press box are shaking their heads and talking about being afraid to run to get a drink because they might miss 17 points.
10:20 p.m. | Another Drive
Oklahoma is moving the ball on OSU's defense with a great mix of accurate passes and power running. Once again, Gresham goes up for the ball with a big catch in the middle of Oklahoma State's defense. Here in the fourth quarter, the Sooner offense is swinging the ball from sideline to sideline and the defense is back on its heels.
10:14 p.m. | That Hurt
Oklahoma State gets a 90-yard kickoff return for a touchdown from Parrish Cox and OU's lead is once again back down to three points. It was just beginning to feel like Oklahoma was gaining control in this game prior to the special teams mistake.
10:12 p.m. | Boomer! Sooner!
The OU fans on both sides of the field are thundering "Boomer" and "Sooner" to each other as the home fans fall quiet and you can hear it in the press box. That was a big drive for the Sooners. Now, OU needs the defense to come up with a stop (or slow OSU's offense down a notch).
10:10 p.m. | Sam the Surgeon
Sam Bradford's accuracy is uncanny. He threads the ball in between defenders and hits the receiver in stride. Bradford's poise has to provide offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson with tons of confidence in this hostile atmosphere. Bradford just stuck a TD pass to Brody Eldridge with an OSU defender in his face.
10:04 p.m. | Back and Forth
This game has unfolded similar to the
2004 game here in Stillwater. Oklahoma takes the lead and OSU answers with a score of its own. If you remember, OSU missed a field goal at the end of the '04 game and the Sooners escaped with a 38-35 win.
9:48 p.m. | Heart of a Champion
I'm sure all of Sooner Nation's heart skipped a bead on that head-over-heals dive toward the end zone on third down. Just another example of Bradford putting the team ahead of himself. Thankfully he's alright, but let's hope we don't see something like that again.
9:40 p.m. | Are You Serious?
We just noticed on the television monitors up here in the press box that ABC has Mack Brown on the phone. We can't hear what they're saying, but we're guessing another politicking ploy for the Horns. Can the networks do them any more favors?
9:36 p.m. | Alexander's Return
Frank Alexander's fumble recovery return earlier in the quarter on OSU's two-point conversion try marked the first time Oklahoma had scored following a failed two-point conversion. Corey T. Ivy scored for OU on an anti-conversion following a failed California PAT in 1997.
9:34 p.m. | No For Two This Time
It may have made more sense for the Cowboys to go for two after this last touchdown than it did on the previous one, but they decided against the risk.
9:28 p.m. | "He's Slippery"
The latest phrase used to describe OSU quarterback Zac Robinson up here in the press box. An accurate description on this night, as the Sooners simply can't seem to chase him down.
9:24 p.m. | Bouncing His Way
Flashbacks to the
"Immaculate Reception" on that touchdown catch by Jermaine Gresham, which was tipped in the air by Manny Johnson. Gresham has benefited from more than one fortunate bounce tonight.
9:18 p.m. | Big Frank to the House
He doesn't get credit for six, but a big play for Mr. Alexander nonetheless on the two-point conversion return. We're doing some research to find out the last time that happened for the Sooners. We'll have that information to you as soon as we can.
9:12 p.m. | More on Gresham, Murray
A couple more first-half notes from the OU media relations staff:

With six first half receptions, Jermaine Gresham moved into second place among OU tight ends for receptions in a single season. He has 47 currently and trails Trent Smith with 66 (2001).

With his 69 first-half kickoff return yards, Murray became the third Oklahoma player to eclipse the 1,000 yard mark in career kickoff return yards. He currently has 1,056, which ranks third all-time.
9:07 p.m. | Robinson on the Run
An observation from the sideline... the Oklahoma defensive front seemed to be getting pressure on OSU quarterback Zac Robinson on nearly every play during the second quarter. While the Sooners have yet to record a sack on the elusive Robinson, they have tallied three hurries on the stat sheet.
9:01 p.m. | Another Record for Bradford
Sam Bradford's 171 first half passing yards upped his single season total to 3,881, a new Oklahoma single season record. The previous best was Josh Heupel's 3,850 in 1999.
8:49 p.m. | Gresham Money
Oklahoma takes a 21-13 lead with 13 seconds left in the half as Bradford hits Jermaine Gresham in the end zone. That was an 80-yard march for the Sooners. The TD catch marked Gresham's 11th of the season and 23rd of his career. So far, Gresham leads all Sooner receivers with six catches for 59 yards.
8:40 p.m. | The Gresham Show
Gresham showed great concentration on both of the amazing sideline catches he hauled in during this drive. He nearly scored on that last catch. No. 18 is a huge target for Bradford down in the red zone.
8:39 p.m. | Penalties
Oklahoma holds a one-point lead despite being penalized six times for 58 yards. OSU has one penalty for 10 yards.
8:34 p.m. | Visitors
You won't hear any mention of "Oklahoma", "OU" or "Sooners" from the PA here in the stadium. We're simply referred to as the "visitors" as in "third down and six for the visitors".
8:29 p.m. | Salty in Stillwater
Anyone that was under the illusion that the Sooners would waltz into Stillwater and put up a huge score on OSU doesn't appreciate the recent history in this series. The last time OU won by more than 10 points here was back in 1994 (33-14).
8:23 p.m. | Speaking of Duos
How about defensive ends Frank Alexander and Jeremy Beal bringing the heat on that last play? OSU quarterback Zac Robinson
was lucky not to take a huge loss or give up a turnover.
8:21 p.m. | One-Two Punch
It's appropriate that Chris Brown bulled in for that last touchdown to match DeMarco Murray's opening-quarter TD. The two running backs may be the best duo in college football.
Mike Jones of the
Fort Worth Star-Telegram wrote a recent feature on the Sooner RBs. Since the Texas game "...Murray (492 yards) and Brown (548) have combined to gain 1,040 of OU's 1,299 rushing yards."
8:12 p.m. | Sooner Fans
Oklahoma's fans are divided into two camps along the extreme east end of the stands. The main scoreboard and video screen here inside the stadium are located on the face of Gallagher-Iba Arena -- nearly impossible to see from the visitor's seats. OU just scored on what is easily the most friendly end of the field.
8:04 p.m. | Tight Sidelines
OU has some of the tightest sidelines in all of college football at Owen Field but they're spacious compared to Lewis Field's setup. The fans directly behind Oklahoma's bench are practically on top of the players. It makes for a claustrophobic experience.
7:54 p.m. | Typical Bedlam
With a 7-3 count after the first quarter, it appears we're headed for another tight one in the Bedlam series. It should come as no surprise between these intrastate rivals.
7:49 p.m. | Battle in the Trenches
It's been talked about all week that tonight's game will be won at the line of scrimmage. So far, nothing has been easy for the Sooners, who have punted on three of four possessions. OU's only drive with points was aided by the short field after Franks' interception.
7:43 p.m. | Points Off Turnovers
A great note from Assistant Media Relations Director Cassie Gage: With Dominique Franks' first quarter interception and DeMarco Murray's touchdown on the ensuing possession, OU has converted 28 opponent turnovers into 18 touchdowns this year. A turnover has led to a touchdown in eight of 12 games.
7:41 p.m. | Great Bounce
Couldn't ask for much more on the punt by senior Mike Knall, who booted it 51 yards and got a fortunate bounce to pin the Cowboys at their own one-yard line.
7:32 p.m. | Buckling Down
The Sooner defense gave up a couple big plays on that last drive, but give them credit for buckling down and holding OSU to a field goal.
7:24 p.m. | Oklahoma State Great Honored
OSU's all-time leading rusher, Thurman Thomas, was honored during the break for his selection into the College Football Hall of Fame. Thomas was a two-time All-American and two-time Big Eight Conference offensive player of the year. He rushed for 4,595 yards in four years in Stillwater.
7:22 p.m. | Fulfilling a Prophecy?
We'll take credit for calling the score on OU's second possession, a 20-yard burst by DeMarco Murray. The sophomore running back now has eight touchdowns (four rushing and four receiving) in the last three games.
7:19 p.m. | Picking Off Where He Left Up
Dominique Franks has been a turnover machine as of late. His interception on OSU's first possession is the third turnover he has accounted for in the last four games. Franks had an interception vs. Nebraska and a fumble recovery, which he returned 39 yards for a touchdown, against Texas A&M.
7:17 p.m. | Rare Occurrence
With a three-and-out on the first possession, OU's offense failed to score on its
opening possession for just the second time all season. The one time OU failed to score on its first drive (against Kansas), it scored on its second.
7:14 p.m. | Crowd a Factor
OU opens the game with the ball, and the OSU crowd is fired up. Safe to say the noise level had an impact on the false start penalty on the first play from scrimmage. We're expecting it to be raucous all night.
7:12 p.m. | Weather Report
Since we don't have Gary England here to give us the weather forecast, and because we've gotten a few fan emails about it, here's a quick weather report: It's a cool 45 degrees for kickoff, no wind and dark skies (we're guessing partly cloudy, since that's the safe call and what it's been most of the day).
7:02 p.m. | Let's Roll
Countdown to kickoff is under 10 minutes. It's senior night for the Cowboys, and those festivities are going on right now. Both team's will be making their entrance shortly. Are you ready? Be loud and cheer the Sooners on to victory wherever you are. There are championships on the line.
6:58 p.m. | Sound Proof
We're not only shut off from the elements, but it's pretty much sound proof up here in the press box as well, so it's going to be tough to tell exactly how loud it is in the stadium. We'll have to wait for a report from Jason Matheson when he comes up between quarters.
6:47 p.m. | Off to the Locker Rooms
Both teams just headed off to their respective locker rooms for some final words from the coaches. Still a few gaps with empty seats here at Boone Pickens Stadium. Still too early to tell if OSU got rid of those 10,000 or so tickets they still had remaining earlier this week. The sections on the far northeast and southeast corners of the stadium are packed in crimson.
6:41 p.m. | ESPN Insiders
From Associate Media Relations Director Jared Thompson: "At the time Lee Corso was in Stillwater picking the Sooners to win tonight, the OU women's basketball team was touring ESPN's master control room in Bristol, Conn., where the feed is produced and directed live as it goes out to millions of televisions worldwide. OU's weekend-long presence on the ESPN family of networks ends Sunday night, when the
women meet No. 1 UConn at 7:15 on ESPN."
6:33 p.m. | You Are Looking Live
Words you'll perhaps hear from ABC's Brent Musburger a little later, but first we wanted to point you to a
live webcam we stumbled upon via the Boone Pickens stadium site while doing some research on our last post. Follow along as the stadium fills in, but don't count on the webcam being live for the game. I'm sure OSU is forced to black it out as soon as the ABC television broadcast begins.
6:27 p.m. | Directionally Challenged
Excuse us if we are a little directionally challenged throughout the night. The field here at OSU runs west to east, rather than the traditional north-south orientation. Boone Pickens Stadium is one of only a handful of major stadiums in the country that runs east-west. It takes some getting used to.
6:21 p.m. | Politicking in Full Force
Meanwhile, the politicking for Texas has been in full force. Throughout the day, a plane has been flying over Stillwater with the message: "Texas 45, OU 35: Settled on a Neutral Field." Apparently the burnt orange faithful are quite worried.
6:18 p.m. | Big 12 South Scare
I'm sure most of you out there were a little on edge watching Texas Tech struggle against Baylor. Thankfully, the Red Raiders pulled out a 35-28 victory, keeping the Sooners' Big 12 championship hopes alive. Now let's just take care of business tonight in Stillwater.
6:11 p.m. | Welcome to Stillwater
Hey Sooner fans! We just got set up in the press box at the newly renovated Boone Pickens Stadium. It's quite impressive, and we're anticipating another electric atmosphere. The OSU student section is filling up in the northwest corner, and the Pride of Oklahoma is filing in at the northeast corner.
There's already a strong contingent of crimson clad faithful holding down the east end of the stadium.
6:05 p.m. | No. 3 Oklahoma at No. 11 Oklahoma
State
Welcome to the SoonerSports.com Gameday Blog. Throughout
the day, you can view commentary from our staff, observations
from Stillwater, notes from the
media relations staff in the press box plus
fan
emails and reaction during the game.
The No. 3 Sooners finish the regular season on the
road at No. 11 Oklahoma State in the Bedlam Game. ABC
has the national telecast at 7 p.m. and ESPN's College
Gameday will be on site.
Sooner
Gameday Central |
Boomer
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Football
Video Library
Oklahoma owns a 79-16-7 advantage in the all-time series
with Oklahoma State and has won the last five meetings
between the in-state rivals. Recent history, however,
has included a string of tight games in Stillwater.
Watch every snap of the past five games:
Oklahoma 49, Oklahoma State 17
November 24, 2007 | Norman, Okla. | Attendance: 85,238
Complete
Game Video
Oklahoma 27, Oklahoma State 21
November 25, 2006 | Stillwater, Okla. | Attendance:
42,819
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Oklahoma 42, Oklahoma State 14
November 26, 2005 | Norman, Okla. | Attendance: 84,875
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Oklahoma 38, Oklahoma State 35
October 30, 2004 | Stillwater, Okla. | Attendance:
48,837
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Oklahoma 52, Oklahoma State 9
November 1, 2003 | Norman, Okla. | Attendance: 84,027
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