Completed Event: Football versus Illinois State on August 30, 2025 , Win , 35, to, 3
Final
Football
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vs Illinois State
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University of Oklahoma Athletics
Game Notes: Oklahoma vs. TCU
September 26, 2008 | Football
NORMAN, Okla. -- After the first of two bye weeks, Oklahoma returns
to action when it hosts TCU on Saturday at 6 p.m. The
visiting Horned Frogs posted a 48-7 win over SMU last
week. This marks the final non-conference game of the
season for both teams.
FOX Sports Net has the telecast with Joel Meyers calling the game and Dave Lapham with analysis from the press box. Gary Reasons and Jim Knox will provide sideline features.
Visit Sooner Gameday Central to view complete information for fans attending the game in Norman and broadcast options for fans following the Sooners across the nation.
SoonerSports.com will debut a new Gameday Blog from the Owen Field sideline on Saturday. The feature will provide instantaneous 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, 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, 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 127 touchdowns of 25-plus yards and 254 scoring drives that took less than two minutes.
Since Sam
OU has played 17 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 16 games, in which the team has a record of 14-2, a Big 12 title and BCS Bowl appearance ...
• The Sooners averaged 38.8 points per game and eclipsed 50 points eight times times.
• He averaged 3.0 touchdown passes/game, while completing 301-of-422 passes (.713) with 48 TDs and 10 INT.
• Oklahoma averaged 404.3 yards total yards per game.
• He threw for 300+ yards four times in an offense that also averaged 199.3 rushing yards per game.
• Threw multiple TDs in 14 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 3,235 all purpose yards is 20th on the career list at Oklahoma.
• Iglesias has the nation's fifth-longest streak for receptions in consecutive games with 35. He trails Rice's Jarrett Dillard (40), UNLV's Casey Flair (39), Ball State's Dante Ball (37).
Touchdowns Germane to Jermaine
Junior tight end Jermaine Gresham needs just one touchdown reception to move into a tie for No. 2 on the all-time Sooner list and set a new mark for OU tight ends. He has 16 to date, including four this season.
• 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
Aside from Allen Patrick's 1,009 rushing yards last season. Reserves Chris Brown (611 yards) and DeMarco Murray (764 yards) combined for 1,375. Murray scored 13 TDs, Brown nine. In '08, Murray, the starter, has 46 carries for 312 yards and three touchdowns. Brown and Mossis Madu have s combined 75 attempts for 359 yards and six 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
With an average height of just over 6-5 (77.1 inches) and 302.8 pounds 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 veteran line (two-deep) has combined for 148 starts and 206 games played.
• Oklahoma ranks No. 8 in sacks allowed at 0.3/game.
One-Liners
• The Sooners are No. 1 in the nation in Red Zone Scoring (18-18)with 17 touchdowns and one field goal.
• OU ranks No. 1 nationally with 54.67 points per game, but the highest Sooner in individual scoring ranks No. 54.
• Oklahoma's 13 touchdown passes have gone to six different receivers.
• OU has completed passes to 16 different receivers, which is second nationally to Troy's 17.
Nearing 30,000 Points
By points, Oklahoma is the highest scoring program in the history of college football. In 1,130 games, the Sooners have scored 29,941 points, an average of 26.5 per game. Chasing the Sooners are Michigan with 29,380 points in 1,197 games and Nebraska with 29,201 in 1,193. OU's opponents have scored 13,961 tallies,12.4 per game.
• OU forced at least one turnover in 108 of Bob Stoops' 122 games and has at least one interception in 79 of the last 106; multiple picks in 33 of the last 77 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 39 (2.4) sacks while allowing only 15 (0.9). This season, that ratio is 12:1.
English Lesson
DE Auston English is 10th in the nation with 1.25 sacks per game picking up right where he left off in 2007 ...
• With 9.5 sacks, English tied with Torrance Marshall (1999) for the 14th-best single season total in school history. It was the second-best total in the Stoops era behind the 10 by Calvin Thibodeaux (2005) and Dan Cody (2004, 2003).
• English broke a non-weight-bearing bone in his right leg in the Texas A&M game. A rod was inserted and he missed the next three contests. He returned for the Big 12 Championship game and the Fiesta Bowl with the rod still in place.
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 leads the team with 25 tackles, 12 of which came against Cincinnati. He had 2.5 tackles for loss and 2.0 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.
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 30 tackles for 121 yards in losses compared to just 14 for 34 by the Sooner opponents.
Rip and Run
Bob Stoops' teams have been notorious for their interception return yardage. The 2007 team was among OU's best in that department ....
• Oklahoma had 19 interceptions for 346 interception return yards and three touchdowns. That yardage total ranked No. 3 since Stoops became the head coach. The 2002 team put up a ridiculous 516 return yards on 24 interceptions. The 2000 National Champions notched 369 return yards, also on 24 picks.
• The 2007 OU defenders touched the ball 70 times (5.4 times per game) with 42 PBUs, 19 interceptions and nine fumble recoveries. To put that in perspective, opposing teams have just 46 touches in 27 break-ups, 11 fumble recoveries and eight interceptions.
• OU averaged 18.0 yards on INT/FUM returns with five TDs to tie the school record set in 1956, 2000 and 2001.
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 has a combined total of 13.0 career sacks.
Stoops Era Staple: Run Defense
Last season, six opponents rushed for 66 or fewer yards. 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.
Oklahoma's special teams under Bob Stoops ...
• There have been 25 special teams TDs, including 19 in the last 66 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 --78 returns of 25 yards or more with eight TD.
• Punt Returns -- 49 returns of 15 or more yards with 14 TD.
• Interception Returns -- 69 returns of 10 or more yards with 20 TD.
• Fumble Returns -- four returns of 15 or more yards with five TD.
Oklahoma Led Nation in Kickoff Returns
Oklahoma is No. 5 in kickoff return 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 ...
• Finished the season with 24 punts for an average of 43.7. He unleashed a 66-yarder, the longest of the season for OU, against Missouri in the Big 12 Championship game.
• In his five starting assignments, he averaged 42.2 yards per punt and was under 40 yards in just one game (39.5 vs. Baylor).
• His best game was the Missouri tilt with four punts for a 49.5-yard average.
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).
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 Ben Hampton as the long snapper, all three ball-handlers on placements are new this season. Hampton held at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M junior college for two seasons before transferring to Oklahoma. Derek Shaw, the holder the last two seasons, is recovering from an off-season injury.
• Long snapper James Winchester, a freshman, 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.
DT Cory Bennett: Leads DTs in games played with 41 ... had a sack at Washington.
FOX Sports Net has the telecast with Joel Meyers calling the game and Dave Lapham with analysis from the press box. Gary Reasons and Jim Knox will provide sideline features.
Visit Sooner Gameday Central to view complete information for fans attending the game in Norman and broadcast options for fans following the Sooners across the nation.
SoonerSports.com will debut a new Gameday Blog from the Owen Field sideline on Saturday. The feature will provide instantaneous 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
OU leads it, 6-4, although TCU has won four of
five in Norman. Five of these teams' 10 meetings
took place prior to 1950.
The Coaches
Oklahoma: Bob Stoops (Iowa '83) is 100-22 in
his 10th season with the Sooners. He is 65-13 vs. the
Big 12, 35-9 vs. the Big 12 South, 28-4 vs. the Big
12 North, 5-1 in the Big 12 title game, 35-9 vs. non-conference
opponents, 56-2 at home, 28-11 on the road, 16-9 on
neutral fields, 28-11 vs. ranked opponents, 4-5 in
bowls, 3-5 in January Bowls and 2-4 in BCS games. He
is 0-1 vs. TCU.
TCU: Gary Patterson (Kansas State '83) is 66-25
in his eighth season as TCU's head coach.
The Program
• Oklahoma's all-time
record stands at 782-295-53.
• 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 547 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
Football History & Tradition
This Week's Opponent
• TCU was picked for a third-place finish (out of nine)
in the preseason Mountain West Conference poll behind
BYU and Utah, respectively.
• TCU is one of only two programs (the other is Oklahoma
State) to win a game against a Bob Stoops-coached Oklahoma
team in Norman. The unranked Horned Frogs upset the
No. 5 Sooners,17-10, on Sept. 3, 2005 (season opener
for both teams). OU has not lost a home since that
encounter. That 2005 Sooner team went on to an 8-4
finish. The 2005 TCU club finished 11-1. Oklahoma had
a 19-game home field winning streak at the time of
that game. The current mark of 20 is the best under
Bob Stoops.
• This is a two-game contract. Oklahoma will return
the game in 2012 at Amon G. Carter Stadium in Fort
Worth.
Ties With This Week's Opponent
• TCU running backs coach Justin Fuente was an Oklahoma
quarterback in 1997-97 before transferring to Murray
State to complete his career. Fuente played for OU
against TCU in the 1996 game, which TCU won, 20-7.
Oklahoma's Most Recent Game | Oklahoma
55, Washington 14
In its first road game of the season, Oklahoma torched
Washington, 55-14 ...
• OU scored on five of its seven first-half possessions
and built a 34-0 lead by intermission. The lead to
41-0 before UW cracked the scoring column.
• Bradford completed 18-of-21 passes for 304 yards
with five touchdowns and no interceptions. He also
rushed for a one-yard TD, the first of his career.
• Chris Brown (13-107) and DeMarco Murray (16-100)
became the first OU duo to exceed 100 yards on the
road since Quentin Griffin (126) and Reggie Skinner
(116) at Iowa State in 1999.
• The game marked the most points scored by OU on the
road since scoring 62 in its 62-21 win over Tulsa in
2007. The game also marked the largest margin of victory
on the road since OU's 53-7 win over Iowa State
in 2003.
• Oklahoma eclipsed 500 total yards for the second
straight game with 591 yards (592 yards vs. Cincinnati).
• With two TD receptions Jermaine Gresham moved is
tied for the most ever by a Sooner tight end -- 16.
• Oklahoma held a home team to a first-half shutout
(34-0) for the first time since defeating Baylor 35-0
in 2004.
• CB Brian Jackson led the defense with two fumble
recoveries, one fumble forced and five tackles.
• Oklahoma scored 50 points for the eighth time since
Sam Bradford was named starting quarterback, a span
of 17 games. Saturday's game also marked the
24th time in Bob Stoops tenure at OU to eclipse 50
points.
Washington Victory No. 100 for Coach Stoops
The 55-14 victory at Washington represented an historic
milestone of 100 victories for Oklahoma's 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 in 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 100-22 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
during that period with no championships.
Oklahoma's Most Recent Game
Oklahoma blasted Cincinnati in Norman last Saturday,
52-26. It was a Bearcat squad that went 10-3 in 2007,
was ranked No. 17 in the final 2007 AP poll and trotted
out 16 returning starters, including nine seniors on
defense ...
• Oklahoma scored on its first two possessions and
never trailed.
• Sam Bradford completed 28-of-39 passes for 395 yards
and five touchdowns with two interceptions. His completions
and yardage figures were career bests, while his touchdown
total tied his best. One of Bradford's interceptions
first glanced off a Sooner receiver.
• WR Ryan Broyles enjoyed the best debut game ever
for an Oklahoma receiver in both catches and yards.
The redshirt freshman caught seven passes for 141 yards
and one touchdown.
• RS freshman linebacker Travis Lewis, playing in just
his second game, registered a team-high 12 tackles
to go with 2.5 tackles for 16 yards in losses and a
pair of sacks for -14.
• OU's defense played better than the final score
might indicate. The Bearcats scored one touchdown on
a kickoff return and another on the game's final
play. UC managed just 87 yards on 29 rushing attempts.
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, LB Curtis Lofton and
DB Reggie Smith.
Decade of Dominance
Oklahoma's best decade in terms of total victories
came in the 1970's when the Sooners were 102-13-3
(.877). In the 2000's, OU is 93-17-0 (845).
Post-Bye Week Success
During Bob Stoops' tenure, Oklahoma is 10-1 in
regular season games that follow bye weeks.
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 56-2 at Gaylord Family
- Oklahoma Memorial Stadium and have won their last
20 in a row there, and 40 of their last 41. The current
streak is the longest under Stoops, who twice coached
the Sooners to 19 straight wins at home. The current
streak is tied for third-longest in school history.
The top mark 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 4,668,225 fans for Bob Stops' 58
home games (started in 1999)...
• All 58 have been sold out and the Sooners have prevailed
56 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 32 consecutive games.
• Oklahoma has played before sellout crowds in 102
of Stoops' 122 games. A total of 9,020,749, or
an average of 73,940, has seen those games.
• Oklahoma Sets Attendance Records at Memorial Stadium
 |
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, 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 127 touchdowns of 25-plus yards and 254 scoring drives that took less than two minutes.
Since Sam
OU has played 17 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 16 games, in which the team has a record of 14-2, a Big 12 title and BCS Bowl appearance ...
• The Sooners averaged 38.8 points per game and eclipsed 50 points eight times times.
• He averaged 3.0 touchdown passes/game, while completing 301-of-422 passes (.713) with 48 TDs and 10 INT.
• Oklahoma averaged 404.3 yards total yards per game.
• He threw for 300+ yards four times in an offense that also averaged 199.3 rushing yards per game.
• Threw multiple TDs in 14 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 3,235 all purpose yards is 20th on the career list at Oklahoma.
• Iglesias has the nation's fifth-longest streak for receptions in consecutive games with 35. He trails Rice's Jarrett Dillard (40), UNLV's Casey Flair (39), Ball State's Dante Ball (37).
Touchdowns Germane to Jermaine
Junior tight end Jermaine Gresham needs just one touchdown reception to move into a tie for No. 2 on the all-time Sooner list and set a new mark for OU tight ends. He has 16 to date, including four this season.
• 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
Aside from Allen Patrick's 1,009 rushing yards last season. Reserves Chris Brown (611 yards) and DeMarco Murray (764 yards) combined for 1,375. Murray scored 13 TDs, Brown nine. In '08, Murray, the starter, has 46 carries for 312 yards and three touchdowns. Brown and Mossis Madu have s combined 75 attempts for 359 yards and six 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
With an average height of just over 6-5 (77.1 inches) and 302.8 pounds 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 veteran line (two-deep) has combined for 148 starts and 206 games played.
• Oklahoma ranks No. 8 in sacks allowed at 0.3/game.
One-Liners
• The Sooners are No. 1 in the nation in Red Zone Scoring (18-18)with 17 touchdowns and one field goal.
• OU ranks No. 1 nationally with 54.67 points per game, but the highest Sooner in individual scoring ranks No. 54.
• Oklahoma's 13 touchdown passes have gone to six different receivers.
• OU has completed passes to 16 different receivers, which is second nationally to Troy's 17.
Nearing 30,000 Points
By points, Oklahoma is the highest scoring program in the history of college football. In 1,130 games, the Sooners have scored 29,941 points, an average of 26.5 per game. Chasing the Sooners are Michigan with 29,380 points in 1,197 games and Nebraska with 29,201 in 1,193. OU's opponents have scored 13,961 tallies,12.4 per game.
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About the Defense |
• OU forced at least one turnover in 108 of Bob Stoops' 122 games and has at least one interception in 79 of the last 106; multiple picks in 33 of the last 77 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 39 (2.4) sacks while allowing only 15 (0.9). This season, that ratio is 12:1.
English Lesson
DE Auston English is 10th in the nation with 1.25 sacks per game picking up right where he left off in 2007 ...
• With 9.5 sacks, English tied with Torrance Marshall (1999) for the 14th-best single season total in school history. It was the second-best total in the Stoops era behind the 10 by Calvin Thibodeaux (2005) and Dan Cody (2004, 2003).
• English broke a non-weight-bearing bone in his right leg in the Texas A&M game. A rod was inserted and he missed the next three contests. He returned for the Big 12 Championship game and the Fiesta Bowl with the rod still in place.
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 leads the team with 25 tackles, 12 of which came against Cincinnati. He had 2.5 tackles for loss and 2.0 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.
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 30 tackles for 121 yards in losses compared to just 14 for 34 by the Sooner opponents.
Rip and Run
Bob Stoops' teams have been notorious for their interception return yardage. The 2007 team was among OU's best in that department ....
• Oklahoma had 19 interceptions for 346 interception return yards and three touchdowns. That yardage total ranked No. 3 since Stoops became the head coach. The 2002 team put up a ridiculous 516 return yards on 24 interceptions. The 2000 National Champions notched 369 return yards, also on 24 picks.
• The 2007 OU defenders touched the ball 70 times (5.4 times per game) with 42 PBUs, 19 interceptions and nine fumble recoveries. To put that in perspective, opposing teams have just 46 touches in 27 break-ups, 11 fumble recoveries and eight interceptions.
• OU averaged 18.0 yards on INT/FUM returns with five TDs to tie the school record set in 1956, 2000 and 2001.
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 has a combined total of 13.0 career sacks.
Stoops Era Staple: Run Defense
Last season, six opponents rushed for 66 or fewer yards. 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.
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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 66 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 --78 returns of 25 yards or more with eight TD.
• Punt Returns -- 49 returns of 15 or more yards with 14 TD.
• Interception Returns -- 69 returns of 10 or more yards with 20 TD.
• Fumble Returns -- four returns of 15 or more yards with five TD.
Oklahoma Led Nation in Kickoff Returns
Oklahoma is No. 5 in kickoff return 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 ...
• Finished the season with 24 punts for an average of 43.7. He unleashed a 66-yarder, the longest of the season for OU, against Missouri in the Big 12 Championship game.
• In his five starting assignments, he averaged 42.2 yards per punt and was under 40 yards in just one game (39.5 vs. Baylor).
• His best game was the Missouri tilt with four punts for a 49.5-yard average.
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).
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 Ben Hampton as the long snapper, all three ball-handlers on placements are new this season. Hampton held at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M junior college for two seasons before transferring to Oklahoma. Derek Shaw, the holder the last two seasons, is recovering from an off-season injury.
• Long snapper James Winchester, a freshman, 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 100 games (100-22), 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 |
DT Cory Bennett: Leads DTs in games played with 41 ... had a sack at Washington.
LB Austin Box: Missed opener with arthroscopic surgery on left knee.
QB Sam Bradford: See notes on offense's page.
OT Branndon Braxton: Used primarily at right tackle, but also spent part of the preseason working at guard..
RB Chris Brown: Three touchdowns in the opener ... nearly one-third (31%) of his career rushes have resulted in a touchdown or first down -- 258 carries with 64 first downs, 16 touchdowns.
WR Quentin Chaney: Over the last two bowl games, he combined for eight receptions for 166 yards and two TDs.
FB Matt Clapp: A player to watch after a very good redshirt season ... in the best condition of his playing career.
LB Keenan Clayton: Has converted from strong safety to strong side linebacker.
C Jon Cooper: His 32 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: Knocked down three passes in the opener, the second start of his career ... INT vs. Cincy.
DT DeMarcus Granger: Led OU's defensive tackles with 3.5 sacks last season ... injured left foot at Washington.
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 16 deflections.
DB Lendy Holmes: Worked at both secondary position in August before settling at safety ... INT vs. Cincy.
WR Juaquin Iglesias: See notes on offense and special teams pages.
WR Manuel Johnson: Only current Sooner receiver who has a career reception, rush and pass completion.
P Mike Knall: Was one punt shy of the 25 points necessary to count officially, but had it counted, his 43.7-yard average would have rated as the second-best in school history.
OT Phil Loadholt: Thirteen pounds lighter than last season -- 350 to 337.
LB Travis Lewis: Tied for or had the outright lead in tackles in each of the first two games.
RB Mossis Madu: Scored two touchdowns at Washington.
DT Gerald McCoy: Quick tackle looking to parlay Freshman All-America status into more national honors.
RB DeMarco Murray: OU's leading rusher has been over century mark twice this season.
LB Ryan Reynolds: Only Sooner who had started an OU game at linebacker prior to the season opener ... eight tackles vs. Cincinnati.
OG Duke Robinson: Consensus All-American last season.
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.
Sooner Football With Brent Venables - 9/7/25
Sunday, September 07
FB Highlights: OU 24, Michigan 13
Saturday, September 06
Brent Venables Postgame vs Michigan
Saturday, September 06
Ben Arbuckle Postgame vs Michigan
Saturday, September 06
