Completed Event: Football versus Illinois State on August 30, 2025 , Win , 35, to, 3
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Football
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University of Oklahoma Athletics
Sooners Travel to South Florida for 'Canes
October 02, 2009 | Football
NORMAN, Okla. -- Oklahoma, fresh off a bye week, plays its first true road game of the season when it ventures to Miami to take on the Hurricanes Saturday night at Land Shark Stadium. ABC has the TV broadcast (in HD to fans living east of the Rockies) beginning at 8 p.m. ET (7 p.m. CT).
Miami dropped an ACC match-up at Virginia Tech last Saturday, 31-7. It was the Hurricanes' first loss of the season. The game was played in a downpour. Miami opened the season with three straight conference games. Oklahoma has yet to encounter a Big 12 Conference opponent.
Visit Sooner Gameday Central to view complete information for fans attending the game in Miami plus TV, radio and internet options for fans following the Sooners across the nation.
SoonerSports.com will again bring fans the Sooner Gameday Blog live from Land Shark Stadium on Saturday night. The feature provides 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.
The Series
The series is tied at 3-3. In Miami, the Hurricanes have a 2-1 advantage. The most recent game was on Sept. 8, 2007,when OU won 51-13 in Norman.
The Coaches
• Oklahoma: Bob Stoops (Iowa '83) is 111-25 in his 11th season. He is 72-14 vs. the Big 12, 39-10 vs. the Big 12 South, 33-4 vs. the Big 12 North, 6-1 in the Big 12 title game, 39-11 vs. non-conference opponents, 62-2 at home, 32-11 on the road, 17-12 on neutral fields, 33-13 vs. ranked opponents, 4-6 in bowls. He is 1-0 vs. Miami.
• Miami: Randy Shannon (Miami '89) is 14-14 in his third season at Miami. He is 0-1 vs. Oklahoma.
The Program
• Oklahoma's all-time record stands at 793-297-53 in 115 seasons. Since WWII, OU leads the nation with 557 victories.
• The Sooners have captured seven national championships (1950, 1955, 1956, 1974, 1975, 1985, 2000).
• OU has 42 bowl appearances (No. 7 nationally) with 24 bowl victories (No. 4 nationally).
• Oklahoma has 42 conference championships, including the last three Big 12 Conference crowns and six Big 12 titles overall (no other league member has more than two)
• OU has produced 148 All-Americans and five Heisman Trophy winners. Sooners have also won the Bednarik (1), Butkus (4), Walter Camp (4), Lombardi (3), Maxwell (2), Nagurski (2), O'Brien (3), (Outland (5), Tatupu (1), Thorpe (3) and Unitas (1) Awards.
• With 31, 10-win seasons, OU leads the nation in total number of years in which the team achieved double-digit victories.
• This is Oklahoma's best decade for total victories. In the 2000s, OU is 104-20-0 (.839) while the Sooners were 102-13-3 (.877) in the 1970s.
Oklahoma Football History & Tradition
This Week's Opponent: Miami Hurricanes
• Miami opens the season with perhaps the most rigorous schedule of any team nationwide. The Hurricanes opened with a 38-34 win at No. 18 Florida State, then notched a 33-17 victory over No. 14 Georgia Tech. UM absorbed its first loss last Saturday in a heavy rain at No. 11 Virginia Tech, 31-7.
• QB Jacory Harris has been impressive, completing 50-of-84 passes for 806 yards with five touchdowns and three interceptions. He's averaging 16.1 yards per completion. Harris has spread the passing yards around as four different receivers own at least seven catches and three already have a grab of at least 40 yards in length.
• The top ground gainer is Graig Cooper, who has carried 35 times for 179 yards and one touchdown.
• Miami's leading tackler is LB Colin McCarthy, who has 25 stops, including two for loss.
• Oklahoma owns a record of 28-5 against teams currently holding membership in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Ties With This Week's Opponent
• Miami Director of Athletics Kirby Hocutt was on the Oklahoma staff from 1998-2005 as director of development. He received his master's degree from OU in 2001. Hocutt played college football at Kansas State, where he played under Oklahoma Defensive Coordinator Brent Venables and Sooner Head Coach Bob Stoops.
• Miami running backs coach Tommie Robinson has ties to the state of Oklahoma. He was Oklahoma State's running backs coach in 2001.
• Both OU and Miami were coached by Howard Schnellenberger, now the head coach at Florida Atlantic. Schnellenberger was 41-16 at Miami from 1979-83. He was 5-5-1 in his lone season with OU, 1995.
Sooners in Miami
This will be Oklahoma's 19th game in Miami. Most of those resulted from the many years during which the old Big 8 Conference, of which OU was a member, had a tie to the Orange Bowl Classic.
• The Sooners' all-time record in Miami stands at 10-8.
• Oklahoma is 1-2 in the facility currently known as Land Shark Stadium. All three of those games were for the national championship, including last January's 24-10 loss to Florida. Bob Stoops' 2000 team won the national crown in this venue, 13-2, over Florida State.
OU-Miami, The Last Time
Oklahoma won 51-13 on Sept. 8, 2007, in Norman. Sam Bradford, playing in just his second college game, was 19-of-25 for 205 yards with five touchdowns and no interceptions. DeMarco Murray led the OU rushing attach with 64 yards on 15 carries. The Sooner roster contains six players who started in that game, Bradford, Brody Eldridge and Trent Williams on offense and Auston English, Gerald McCoy and Ryan Reynolds on defense.
OU Sets Home Win Streak
Oklahoma has won 26 straight home games, the longest current streak in the nation, and a school record. The current record was set with the win over Tulsa. The previous mark was set at 25 before loss in the 1953 season opener to Notre Dame, 28-21.
• Bob Stoops' teams are 61-2 at home and the Sooners have won 45 of their last 46 on Owen Field.
• Other long OU home streaks and the years they ended include 21 (1975), 20 (1957).
• Other long home streak under Stoops were 22, 19, 19.
• OU's all-time record at its current facility, which opened in 1923, is 344-78-15 (.804).
Oklahoma's Most Recent Game | Oklahoma 45, Tulsa 0
Recap | Statistics | Game Notes | Quotes | Blog | Photos | Highlights
Oklahoma notched its second consecutive win and its second consecutive shutout with a 45-0 triumph over previously unbeaten Tulsa ...
• In just his second career start, redshirt freshman quarterback Landry Jones threw six touchdown passes, an OU record and the second-highest total by a freshman in NCAA history.
• With its 26th consecutive home victory, Oklahoma established a school record. The previous mark of 25 had ended in the 1953 season opener.
• Oklahoma had six sacks in the game, its best total since also logging six against Alabama in 2002.
• Ryan Broyles established a career high with 11 receptions. That mark fell just one catch shy of the school record of 12 set by Juaquin Iglesias against Kansas in 2008.
• DE Jeremy Beal had his fifth career forced fumble in the game. He is tied for No. 5 on the school's career list in that category.
• Tulsa, which came into the game leading the nation in total offense, was shut out for the first time since its 2004 Navy game, a span of 65 games.
• DeMarco Murray had a 13-yard reception, the 50th of his career. He is one of five running backs in school history with at least that many receptions.
• Oklahoma ran its all-time record against the state's other two FBS programs to 96-23-8 and defeated Tulsa for the fifth straight time.
Non-Cons
Bob Stoops' teams are 39-11 against non-conference opponents, 33-5 in regular season non-league games.
Stoops' Mark Legendary
George Woodruff completed his first 10 years of coaching, all at Penn, in 1901 with 124 victories. That's the only 10-year start that exceeds the 109 games won by Bob Stoops, now in his 11th season at Oklahoma. ...
• All but two of Stoops' wins came against FBS programs.
• Thirty-two of Stoops' wins, nearly one-third, came against ranked opponents.
• Seventy-two of the victories came over Big 12 opponents, including 39 against the Big 12 South.
• Forty-nine Stoops wins occurred away from Norman.
Ambitious Scheduling | Future Schedules
Oklahoma has numerous marquee non-conference opponents coming up on future schedules ...
• Florida State (2010), at Florida State (2011)
• Notre Dame (2012), at Notre Dame (2013)
• Tennessee (2014), at Tennessee (2015)
• Ohio State (2016), at Ohio State (2017)
• LSU (2018), at LSU (2019).
• Under Bob Stoops, Oklahoma has already played Louisville, Notre Dame, North Carolina, Alabama (twice), UCLA (twice), Oregon (twice), Washington (twice), South Florida, Miami (Fla.) and Cincinnati in regular season contests.
Football Facilities Get Upgrade
The $15 million Phase IV of the Gaylord Family - Oklahoma Memorial Stadium was completed this summer and included the following ...
• A 9,000 square-foot football locker room, including grooming areas, cold-plunge hydrotherapy, and lounge.
• A 10,000 square-foot athletic training space.
• A 6,500 square-foot equipment room.
• A 4,000 square-foot team meeting room equipped with the latest technology, sound and video equipment and seating for more than 200 added to the more than 8,000 square feet of existing team meeting rooms.
• Expansion of and upgrades to the SoonerVision studio and production facilities.
Stoops Era Yielding Record Attendance
Oklahoma has drawn 5,183,778 fans for Bob Stoops' 64 home games (started in 1999) and all have been sold out.
• The Sooners are 62-2 on Owen Field under Stoops and have won 26 straight, a school record.
• The current string of sellouts is the second longest in school history, trailing a string of 69 from 1971-84.
• The average home attendance of 85,075 in 2008 was a school record. The top nine seasons for football attendance at Oklahoma came on Stoops' watch.
• The largest home crowd in school history was 85,646, on hand for the 2008 OU-Texas Tech game.
• Oklahoma has exceeded its listed seating capacity of 82,112 at Gaylord Family - Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in 38 consecutive home games.
• Oklahoma has played before sellout crowds in 111 of the 136 games (home, away, neutral) since Stoops became the head coach. During that time, a total of 9,897,438 (average of 73,314) have watched the Sooners. The figure should move above 10 million some time in the 2009 campaign.
Oklahoma Sets Attendance Records at Memorial Stadium
• Under Stoops, OU produced its career leader in passing and receiving, its No. 3 and No. 5 career rushers and school record holders for season rushing, passing and receiving yards.
• Of 82 offensive records at OU, 54 were set under Stoops.
• OU scored a TD in every game since Nov. 7, 1998.
• OU has rushed for 200 yards 42 times under Stoops, 36 in the last six years.
• Also under Stoops, OU has 143 touchdowns of 25+ yards and 290 scoring drives of 2:00 or less.
• OU is the highest scoring program in college football history. In 1,143 games, the Sooners have scored 30,557 points, or 26.7 per game. Michigan has 29,682 points in 1,207 games and Nebraska 29,598 in 1,204.
• Oklahoma returns its top seven rushers and two of its top three receivers from a year ago.
Keeping Up With Jones
With 81 passing attempts, Landry Jones already has more passing attempts than any other OU quarterback, other than Sam Bradford, had all of last season. Joey Halzle had 30 tries during the 2008 season.
• Jones' pass efficiency rating of 159.55 ranks No. 15 nationally.
Hardly a First
This marks the 19th time since 1954 that Oklahoma's starting QB has been injured and replaced by a back-up. It is the third time it has happened on Bob Stoops' watch.
Bradford Gets Passing Mark
Sam Bradford became Oklahoma's all-time leading passer with his 96 yards in the season opener, giving the junior a career total of 7,937 yards.
• Bradford eclipsed Jason White's mark of 7,922 yards, set from 1999-2004, with an 18-yarder to Brandon Caleb late in the first half. It was his last completion of the game.
• Bradford holds 14 school records at OU.
Well Received
With Juaquin Iglesias (Bears), Manuel Johnson (Cowboys) and Jermaine Gresham (injured) unavailable, much focus has been on the emergence of other pass catchers ...
• Ryan Broyles had 11 receptions vs. Tulsa, a career-high and the second-highest total in OU history. Over the last two games, Broyles has 18 catches for 283 yards and six touchdowns. He has 424 all-purpose yards during that span.
• Broyles ranks No. 1 nationally in scoring (14.0), No. 12 in receptions (7.3), No. 16 in receiving yards per game (103.0) and No. 17 in all-purpose yards (162.7).
• Against Tulsa, Brandon Caleb had five receptions for 104 yards and the first two touchdowns of his career.
• Caleb, a junior, entered the season with five catches for 52 yards and no TD. Thus far in 2009, he has 10 receptions for 175 yards and two TD.
The Sooners 'O' Nationally
Oklahoma ranks No. 8 in scoring offense (40.7/game), No. 12 in sacks allowed (.67/game) and No. 18 in passing efficiency (158.52)
Position Changes
Several players have either changed positions or worked in dual spots in pre-season drills ...
• Former linebacker Brandon Crow moved to fullback.
• RB Mossis Madu also took snaps at slot receiver.
• TE and H-back Brody Eldridge worked at center.
• Under Bob Stoops, OU's position changes have a history of working out well. Perhaps the most notable were Jammal Brown's move from defensive tackle to becoming the 2004 Outland winner at offensive tackle.
About the Offense in 2008
• OU scored a school record 99 TDs to clip the 80 in 2003.
• With 716 points, it was the highest scoring team in the modern era of college football. It also was the first in that span to score 60+ points in five consecutive games.
• It was the first team ever with a 4,000-yard passer (Bradford) and two 1,000-yard rushers (Chris Brown and DeMarco Murray).
• OU set a school record for first-half points with 55 at
• The Sooners went over 500 total yards 10 times, over 600 four times. The best total was 674 yards against Kansas, the most yardage by OU since piling up 829 against Kansas State in 1988.
Gresham Out for the Season
Jermaine Gresham did not play this season after season-ending knee surgery.
• The senior entered the 2009 season with 26 touchdown receptions, seven shy of the NCAA record of 33 set by Ibn Green of Louisville from 1996-99. Missouri's Chase Coffman holds the Big 12 mark at 30. Gresham already had more TD receptions and yards than any TE at Oklahoma. Gresham has 1,629 yards.
Trench Talk
OU is missing four starters from last year's o-line ...
• The four players who are not back started 148 games at OU. Three are in the NFL -- OT Phil Loadholt (Vikings), C Jon Cooper (Vikings) and OG Duke Robinson (Panthers).
• The returning OU offensive linemen entered the season 44 games played and 22 starts.
• OU returns two linemen with starting experience, tackle Trent Williams and guard Brian Simmons. Williams entered the season 20 career starts, 19 at right tackle and one at left tackle (2008 season opener).
• So far this season, eight different players have had starting assignments on the OU line.
• OU forced at least one turnover in 120 of Bob Stoops' 136 games and has at least one interception in 89 of the last 118; multiple picks in 42 of the last 89 outings.
• Oklahoma has 11 shutouts under its current head coach. Opponents failed to score more than seven points 31 times and scored less than 15 in 58 games.
Sooner "D" Nationally
Oklahoma's defense currently ranks No. 1 nationally against the rush (40.7/game), No. 1 in scoring defense (4.7/game), No. 1 in tackles for loss (11.3/game), No. 5 in total defense (223.3/game) and No. 21 in pass efficiency defense (96.99).
BTW TFL
The number is somewhat skewed by the record-tying total of 17 against Idaho State, but it's worth noting that Oklahoma is averaging 11.3 tackles for loss per game this season. Last year's team, averaged 7.6 per game.
• Seventeen Sooners have tackles for loss this season led by DT Gerald McCoy with 6.5. His average of 2.17 ranks No. 4 nationally.
Hush the Rush
Oklahoma ranks No. 1 nationally in rushing defense, giving up an average of 4.7 yards per game.
• Oklahoma limited Idaho State to -22 yards on 32 rushing attempts. That was the second-best rushing defense performance by the Sooners under Bob Stoops. The 2006 team limited Baylor to -48, mostly on five sacks. The Sooners had just two sacks vs. ISU.
• In the opener, BYU rushed 33 times for 28 yards.
Weak Freak
Travis Lewis enjoyed a banner redshirt freshman season at weak side linebacker. He led the team with 144 tackles, a figure that ranked No. 4 nationally.
• In this year's opener, Lewis enjoyed the seventh double-digit tackle game of his career with 13. He leads the team with 26 tackles.
• The sophomore still has his work cut out if he hopes to impact the career list at Oklahoma. Daryl Hunt owns that mark with 530 stops. To crack the top 10, Lewis would have to eclipse Lee Roy Selmon's total of 335.
Four Picks by Four Guys
Oklahoma's four pass interceptions this season have been made by four different players ... linebackers Keenan Clayton and Ryan Reynolds, cornerback Brian Jackson and safety Quinton Carter.
• Clayton is a converted safety who stays on the field in passing situations thus helping OU avoid the need to shuffle a nickel back into the game.
The Real McCoy
A front runner for several national awards, defensive tackle Gerald McCoy, still just a junior, is the most experienced player on the defense with 26 career starting assignments, five more than Auston English.
• The Sooners intercepted Tim Tebow twice in last year's BCS title game and McCoy had one of those with a 12-yard return. Now, both of OU's starting defensive tackles have a career interception. Adrian Taylor picked off a Baylor pass in 2007 and ran it back 18 yards.
• McCoy leads this team with 6.5 tackles for loss. He now has 24 for his career or 42% of his 57 career stops.
Corner Conversation
Oklahoma introduced two new starting cornerbacks last season, but it was tough to tell. Brian Jackson finished as the team's No. 5 tackler (72) and had 10 pass deflections to go with three fumble recoveries and a pair of interceptions. Dominique Franks scored two touchdowns on returns and logged 42 tackles and 10 pass deflections, the latter of which tied with Jackson for the team lead.
The End(s)
Oklahoma's stable of defensive ends is truly an impressive group. Frank Alexander, Jeremy Beal and Auston English all have extensive starting experience ...
• The trio has combined for 67 career games played, 46 starts, 195 tackles, 58 tackles for 286 yards in losses and 31 sacks for 221 yards in losses.
• English is the only senior in the group. Alexander is a sophomore and Beal a junior.
Turnovers=Points
Last season, Oklahoma converted 22 of 34 takeaways into touchdowns, including two that the defense returned to the end zone. That conversion rate is .647.
• The Sooners turned a turnover into a touchdown in nine of 14 games last season.
• In this year's season opener against BYU, 10 of Oklahoma's 13 points came after Cougar turnovers. Thus far through the 2009 season, OU has nine takeaways. The team converted six of those into scores amounting to 38 points (conversion rate is .667).
Oklahoma's special teams under Bob Stoops ...
• There have been 26 special teams touchdowns, including 20 in the last 71 regular season games. Those 20 came via five different kinds of plays -- 11 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.
• OU has returned eight kickoffs and 15 punts for TDs.
• The Sooners have blocked 22 kicks.
Many Happy Returns
Information on returns during the Stoops era ...
• Kickoff Returns --90 returns of 25 yards+ with eight TD.
• Punt Returns -- 54 ret., of 15+ with 15 touchdowns.
• Interception Returns -- 78 ret., of 10+ yards with 21 TD.
• Fumble Returns -- five returns of 15+ yards with 7 TD.
Broyles Dangerous Returner
At 9.9 yards per punt return in 2008, Ryan Broyles had the best average by a Sooner since Antonio Perkins, one of the most prolific punt returners in NCAA history, averaged 12.1 in 2003. Broyles' longest return was a 68-yarder for a touchdown at Kansas State. He is averaging 11.5 this season.
2009 Return Specialists
• Dominique Franks and Ryan Broyles handle kickoff return duties this season. The pair combined for 30 kickoff returns last season (Broyles 24 for a 9.9-yard average and Franks six for a 5.8-yard average).
• DeMarco Murray led Oklahoma in kickoff returns last season with 28. He was injured on the opening kickoff of last season's Dr Pepper Big 12 Championship Game against Missouri.
Getting His Way at Punter
Tress Way, a kicker and punter, redshirted in '08 then won the punting job in August. He is averaging 43.5 yards on 14 punts with seven downed inside the 20 (only two touchbacks) and five of 50+ yards ...
• Way was called on to attempt a 54-yard field goal at the 1:28 mark of the fourth quarter in the BYU game, but the kick fell short. It was his first collegiate attempt.
• The second-team punter is WR Cameron Kenney. At Garden City (Kan.) CC last season, Kenney had a 47-yard punting average. He also converted 11-of-13 PATs and 8-of-9 FGs, including makes from 40, 41 and 52 yards. Kenney is also a receiver on the depth chart. OU has not a position player in a kicking role since DB Darrol Ray punted in 1978.
Got It Covered
Last season, OU opponents returned four kickoffs for TDs and averaged 23.8 per return. This year, there have been no TDs and the return average is a mere 18.0.
Stevens Back at Kicker
Sophomore Jimmy Stevens returns at placekicker and is on the watch list for the Lou Groza Award ...
• Stevens is 3-of-4 on field goals with the lone miss coming from 40 yards. He has made 15-of-16 PATs
• Stevens made 8-of-12 field goals last season with a long of 42 yards at Texas A&M. He set a school record with 94 point after touchdown conversions.
• Stevens ranked second on the team in points with 118. Chris Brown, with 21 touchdowns, scored 126 to lead the team. Brown became the first running back to lead the team in scoring since 2005 when Adrian Peterson did so with 14 touchdowns. Brown's TD total was the best by a Sooner since Billy Sims got 23 in 1979.
• The back-up for placements is punter Tress Way. Way is also the back-up for kickoffs.
• Matthew Moreland, who handled kickoffs last season, looks to be in that role again this season. Moreland had 121 kickoffs with 15 touchbacks and only two out of bounds last season. Way is Moreland's back-up.
Whitson Holding Steady
Wide receiver Carter Whitson is back for another year as the holder for place kicks. A quarterback for part of his high school career, Whitson is the first holder to serve in that role for back-to-back seasons.
• Whitson's back-up is quarterback John Nimmo, a steady golfing partner with Sam Bradford.
Snappy
Ben Hampton is in his second season of snapping for placements. He also is slated to handle the placements for punts this season.
• The back-up snapper is WR James Winchester, whose sister, Carolyn, wrapped up her eligibility with the OU women's basketball team last season. James and Carolyn's father, Mike, was a punter at OU and lettered from 1984-85.
Miami dropped an ACC match-up at Virginia Tech last Saturday, 31-7. It was the Hurricanes' first loss of the season. The game was played in a downpour. Miami opened the season with three straight conference games. Oklahoma has yet to encounter a Big 12 Conference opponent.
Visit Sooner Gameday Central to view complete information for fans attending the game in Miami plus TV, radio and internet options for fans following the Sooners across the nation.
SoonerSports.com will again bring fans the Sooner Gameday Blog live from Land Shark Stadium on Saturday night. The feature provides 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.
The Series
The series is tied at 3-3. In Miami, the Hurricanes have a 2-1 advantage. The most recent game was on Sept. 8, 2007,when OU won 51-13 in Norman.
 OU, Miami & Big 12 Game Notes | OU Depth Chart | 2009 OU Football Guide
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The Coaches
• Oklahoma: Bob Stoops (Iowa '83) is 111-25 in his 11th season. He is 72-14 vs. the Big 12, 39-10 vs. the Big 12 South, 33-4 vs. the Big 12 North, 6-1 in the Big 12 title game, 39-11 vs. non-conference opponents, 62-2 at home, 32-11 on the road, 17-12 on neutral fields, 33-13 vs. ranked opponents, 4-6 in bowls. He is 1-0 vs. Miami.
• Miami: Randy Shannon (Miami '89) is 14-14 in his third season at Miami. He is 0-1 vs. Oklahoma.
The Program
• Oklahoma's all-time record stands at 793-297-53 in 115 seasons. Since WWII, OU leads the nation with 557 victories.
• The Sooners have captured seven national championships (1950, 1955, 1956, 1974, 1975, 1985, 2000).
• OU has 42 bowl appearances (No. 7 nationally) with 24 bowl victories (No. 4 nationally).
• Oklahoma has 42 conference championships, including the last three Big 12 Conference crowns and six Big 12 titles overall (no other league member has more than two)
• OU has produced 148 All-Americans and five Heisman Trophy winners. Sooners have also won the Bednarik (1), Butkus (4), Walter Camp (4), Lombardi (3), Maxwell (2), Nagurski (2), O'Brien (3), (Outland (5), Tatupu (1), Thorpe (3) and Unitas (1) Awards.
• With 31, 10-win seasons, OU leads the nation in total number of years in which the team achieved double-digit victories.
• This is Oklahoma's best decade for total victories. In the 2000s, OU is 104-20-0 (.839) while the Sooners were 102-13-3 (.877) in the 1970s.
Oklahoma Football History & Tradition
This Week's Opponent: Miami Hurricanes
• Miami opens the season with perhaps the most rigorous schedule of any team nationwide. The Hurricanes opened with a 38-34 win at No. 18 Florida State, then notched a 33-17 victory over No. 14 Georgia Tech. UM absorbed its first loss last Saturday in a heavy rain at No. 11 Virginia Tech, 31-7.
• QB Jacory Harris has been impressive, completing 50-of-84 passes for 806 yards with five touchdowns and three interceptions. He's averaging 16.1 yards per completion. Harris has spread the passing yards around as four different receivers own at least seven catches and three already have a grab of at least 40 yards in length.
• The top ground gainer is Graig Cooper, who has carried 35 times for 179 yards and one touchdown.
• Miami's leading tackler is LB Colin McCarthy, who has 25 stops, including two for loss.
• Oklahoma owns a record of 28-5 against teams currently holding membership in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Ties With This Week's Opponent
• Miami Director of Athletics Kirby Hocutt was on the Oklahoma staff from 1998-2005 as director of development. He received his master's degree from OU in 2001. Hocutt played college football at Kansas State, where he played under Oklahoma Defensive Coordinator Brent Venables and Sooner Head Coach Bob Stoops.
• Miami running backs coach Tommie Robinson has ties to the state of Oklahoma. He was Oklahoma State's running backs coach in 2001.
• Both OU and Miami were coached by Howard Schnellenberger, now the head coach at Florida Atlantic. Schnellenberger was 41-16 at Miami from 1979-83. He was 5-5-1 in his lone season with OU, 1995.
Sooners in Miami
This will be Oklahoma's 19th game in Miami. Most of those resulted from the many years during which the old Big 8 Conference, of which OU was a member, had a tie to the Orange Bowl Classic.
• The Sooners' all-time record in Miami stands at 10-8.
• Oklahoma is 1-2 in the facility currently known as Land Shark Stadium. All three of those games were for the national championship, including last January's 24-10 loss to Florida. Bob Stoops' 2000 team won the national crown in this venue, 13-2, over Florida State.
OU-Miami, The Last Time
Oklahoma won 51-13 on Sept. 8, 2007, in Norman. Sam Bradford, playing in just his second college game, was 19-of-25 for 205 yards with five touchdowns and no interceptions. DeMarco Murray led the OU rushing attach with 64 yards on 15 carries. The Sooner roster contains six players who started in that game, Bradford, Brody Eldridge and Trent Williams on offense and Auston English, Gerald McCoy and Ryan Reynolds on defense.
OU Sets Home Win Streak
Oklahoma has won 26 straight home games, the longest current streak in the nation, and a school record. The current record was set with the win over Tulsa. The previous mark was set at 25 before loss in the 1953 season opener to Notre Dame, 28-21.
• Bob Stoops' teams are 61-2 at home and the Sooners have won 45 of their last 46 on Owen Field.
• Other long OU home streaks and the years they ended include 21 (1975), 20 (1957).
• Other long home streak under Stoops were 22, 19, 19.
• OU's all-time record at its current facility, which opened in 1923, is 344-78-15 (.804).
Oklahoma's Most Recent Game | Oklahoma 45, Tulsa 0
Recap | Statistics | Game Notes | Quotes | Blog | Photos | Highlights
Oklahoma notched its second consecutive win and its second consecutive shutout with a 45-0 triumph over previously unbeaten Tulsa ...
• In just his second career start, redshirt freshman quarterback Landry Jones threw six touchdown passes, an OU record and the second-highest total by a freshman in NCAA history.
• With its 26th consecutive home victory, Oklahoma established a school record. The previous mark of 25 had ended in the 1953 season opener.
• Oklahoma had six sacks in the game, its best total since also logging six against Alabama in 2002.
• Ryan Broyles established a career high with 11 receptions. That mark fell just one catch shy of the school record of 12 set by Juaquin Iglesias against Kansas in 2008.
• DE Jeremy Beal had his fifth career forced fumble in the game. He is tied for No. 5 on the school's career list in that category.
• Tulsa, which came into the game leading the nation in total offense, was shut out for the first time since its 2004 Navy game, a span of 65 games.
• DeMarco Murray had a 13-yard reception, the 50th of his career. He is one of five running backs in school history with at least that many receptions.
• Oklahoma ran its all-time record against the state's other two FBS programs to 96-23-8 and defeated Tulsa for the fifth straight time.
Non-Cons
Bob Stoops' teams are 39-11 against non-conference opponents, 33-5 in regular season non-league games.
Stoops' Mark Legendary
George Woodruff completed his first 10 years of coaching, all at Penn, in 1901 with 124 victories. That's the only 10-year start that exceeds the 109 games won by Bob Stoops, now in his 11th season at Oklahoma. ...
• All but two of Stoops' wins came against FBS programs.
• Thirty-two of Stoops' wins, nearly one-third, came against ranked opponents.
• Seventy-two of the victories came over Big 12 opponents, including 39 against the Big 12 South.
• Forty-nine Stoops wins occurred away from Norman.
Ambitious Scheduling | Future Schedules
Oklahoma has numerous marquee non-conference opponents coming up on future schedules ...
• Florida State (2010), at Florida State (2011)
• Notre Dame (2012), at Notre Dame (2013)
• Tennessee (2014), at Tennessee (2015)
• Ohio State (2016), at Ohio State (2017)
• LSU (2018), at LSU (2019).
• Under Bob Stoops, Oklahoma has already played Louisville, Notre Dame, North Carolina, Alabama (twice), UCLA (twice), Oregon (twice), Washington (twice), South Florida, Miami (Fla.) and Cincinnati in regular season contests.
Football Facilities Get Upgrade
The $15 million Phase IV of the Gaylord Family - Oklahoma Memorial Stadium was completed this summer and included the following ...
• A 9,000 square-foot football locker room, including grooming areas, cold-plunge hydrotherapy, and lounge.
• A 10,000 square-foot athletic training space.
• A 6,500 square-foot equipment room.
• A 4,000 square-foot team meeting room equipped with the latest technology, sound and video equipment and seating for more than 200 added to the more than 8,000 square feet of existing team meeting rooms.
• Expansion of and upgrades to the SoonerVision studio and production facilities.
Stoops Era Yielding Record Attendance
Oklahoma has drawn 5,183,778 fans for Bob Stoops' 64 home games (started in 1999) and all have been sold out.
• The Sooners are 62-2 on Owen Field under Stoops and have won 26 straight, a school record.
• The current string of sellouts is the second longest in school history, trailing a string of 69 from 1971-84.
• The average home attendance of 85,075 in 2008 was a school record. The top nine seasons for football attendance at Oklahoma came on Stoops' watch.
• The largest home crowd in school history was 85,646, on hand for the 2008 OU-Texas Tech game.
• Oklahoma has exceeded its listed seating capacity of 82,112 at Gaylord Family - Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in 38 consecutive home games.
• Oklahoma has played before sellout crowds in 111 of the 136 games (home, away, neutral) since Stoops became the head coach. During that time, a total of 9,897,438 (average of 73,314) have watched the Sooners. The figure should move above 10 million some time in the 2009 campaign.
Oklahoma Sets Attendance Records at Memorial Stadium
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About the Sooner Offense |
• Under Stoops, OU produced its career leader in passing and receiving, its No. 3 and No. 5 career rushers and school record holders for season rushing, passing and receiving yards.
• Of 82 offensive records at OU, 54 were set under Stoops.
• OU scored a TD in every game since Nov. 7, 1998.
• OU has rushed for 200 yards 42 times under Stoops, 36 in the last six years.
• Also under Stoops, OU has 143 touchdowns of 25+ yards and 290 scoring drives of 2:00 or less.
• OU is the highest scoring program in college football history. In 1,143 games, the Sooners have scored 30,557 points, or 26.7 per game. Michigan has 29,682 points in 1,207 games and Nebraska 29,598 in 1,204.
• Oklahoma returns its top seven rushers and two of its top three receivers from a year ago.
Keeping Up With Jones
With 81 passing attempts, Landry Jones already has more passing attempts than any other OU quarterback, other than Sam Bradford, had all of last season. Joey Halzle had 30 tries during the 2008 season.
• Jones' pass efficiency rating of 159.55 ranks No. 15 nationally.
Hardly a First
This marks the 19th time since 1954 that Oklahoma's starting QB has been injured and replaced by a back-up. It is the third time it has happened on Bob Stoops' watch.
Bradford Gets Passing Mark
Sam Bradford became Oklahoma's all-time leading passer with his 96 yards in the season opener, giving the junior a career total of 7,937 yards.
• Bradford eclipsed Jason White's mark of 7,922 yards, set from 1999-2004, with an 18-yarder to Brandon Caleb late in the first half. It was his last completion of the game.
• Bradford holds 14 school records at OU.
Well Received
With Juaquin Iglesias (Bears), Manuel Johnson (Cowboys) and Jermaine Gresham (injured) unavailable, much focus has been on the emergence of other pass catchers ...
• Ryan Broyles had 11 receptions vs. Tulsa, a career-high and the second-highest total in OU history. Over the last two games, Broyles has 18 catches for 283 yards and six touchdowns. He has 424 all-purpose yards during that span.
• Broyles ranks No. 1 nationally in scoring (14.0), No. 12 in receptions (7.3), No. 16 in receiving yards per game (103.0) and No. 17 in all-purpose yards (162.7).
• Against Tulsa, Brandon Caleb had five receptions for 104 yards and the first two touchdowns of his career.
• Caleb, a junior, entered the season with five catches for 52 yards and no TD. Thus far in 2009, he has 10 receptions for 175 yards and two TD.
The Sooners 'O' Nationally
Oklahoma ranks No. 8 in scoring offense (40.7/game), No. 12 in sacks allowed (.67/game) and No. 18 in passing efficiency (158.52)
Position Changes
Several players have either changed positions or worked in dual spots in pre-season drills ...
• Former linebacker Brandon Crow moved to fullback.
• RB Mossis Madu also took snaps at slot receiver.
• TE and H-back Brody Eldridge worked at center.
• Under Bob Stoops, OU's position changes have a history of working out well. Perhaps the most notable were Jammal Brown's move from defensive tackle to becoming the 2004 Outland winner at offensive tackle.
About the Offense in 2008
• OU scored a school record 99 TDs to clip the 80 in 2003.
• With 716 points, it was the highest scoring team in the modern era of college football. It also was the first in that span to score 60+ points in five consecutive games.
• It was the first team ever with a 4,000-yard passer (Bradford) and two 1,000-yard rushers (Chris Brown and DeMarco Murray).
• OU set a school record for first-half points with 55 at
• The Sooners went over 500 total yards 10 times, over 600 four times. The best total was 674 yards against Kansas, the most yardage by OU since piling up 829 against Kansas State in 1988.
Gresham Out for the Season
Jermaine Gresham did not play this season after season-ending knee surgery.
• The senior entered the 2009 season with 26 touchdown receptions, seven shy of the NCAA record of 33 set by Ibn Green of Louisville from 1996-99. Missouri's Chase Coffman holds the Big 12 mark at 30. Gresham already had more TD receptions and yards than any TE at Oklahoma. Gresham has 1,629 yards.
Trench Talk
OU is missing four starters from last year's o-line ...
• The four players who are not back started 148 games at OU. Three are in the NFL -- OT Phil Loadholt (Vikings), C Jon Cooper (Vikings) and OG Duke Robinson (Panthers).
• The returning OU offensive linemen entered the season 44 games played and 22 starts.
• OU returns two linemen with starting experience, tackle Trent Williams and guard Brian Simmons. Williams entered the season 20 career starts, 19 at right tackle and one at left tackle (2008 season opener).
• So far this season, eight different players have had starting assignments on the OU line.
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About the Sooner Defense |
• OU forced at least one turnover in 120 of Bob Stoops' 136 games and has at least one interception in 89 of the last 118; multiple picks in 42 of the last 89 outings.
• Oklahoma has 11 shutouts under its current head coach. Opponents failed to score more than seven points 31 times and scored less than 15 in 58 games.
Sooner "D" Nationally
Oklahoma's defense currently ranks No. 1 nationally against the rush (40.7/game), No. 1 in scoring defense (4.7/game), No. 1 in tackles for loss (11.3/game), No. 5 in total defense (223.3/game) and No. 21 in pass efficiency defense (96.99).
BTW TFL
The number is somewhat skewed by the record-tying total of 17 against Idaho State, but it's worth noting that Oklahoma is averaging 11.3 tackles for loss per game this season. Last year's team, averaged 7.6 per game.
• Seventeen Sooners have tackles for loss this season led by DT Gerald McCoy with 6.5. His average of 2.17 ranks No. 4 nationally.
Hush the Rush
Oklahoma ranks No. 1 nationally in rushing defense, giving up an average of 4.7 yards per game.
• Oklahoma limited Idaho State to -22 yards on 32 rushing attempts. That was the second-best rushing defense performance by the Sooners under Bob Stoops. The 2006 team limited Baylor to -48, mostly on five sacks. The Sooners had just two sacks vs. ISU.
• In the opener, BYU rushed 33 times for 28 yards.
Weak Freak
Travis Lewis enjoyed a banner redshirt freshman season at weak side linebacker. He led the team with 144 tackles, a figure that ranked No. 4 nationally.
• In this year's opener, Lewis enjoyed the seventh double-digit tackle game of his career with 13. He leads the team with 26 tackles.
• The sophomore still has his work cut out if he hopes to impact the career list at Oklahoma. Daryl Hunt owns that mark with 530 stops. To crack the top 10, Lewis would have to eclipse Lee Roy Selmon's total of 335.
Four Picks by Four Guys
Oklahoma's four pass interceptions this season have been made by four different players ... linebackers Keenan Clayton and Ryan Reynolds, cornerback Brian Jackson and safety Quinton Carter.
• Clayton is a converted safety who stays on the field in passing situations thus helping OU avoid the need to shuffle a nickel back into the game.
The Real McCoy
A front runner for several national awards, defensive tackle Gerald McCoy, still just a junior, is the most experienced player on the defense with 26 career starting assignments, five more than Auston English.
• The Sooners intercepted Tim Tebow twice in last year's BCS title game and McCoy had one of those with a 12-yard return. Now, both of OU's starting defensive tackles have a career interception. Adrian Taylor picked off a Baylor pass in 2007 and ran it back 18 yards.
• McCoy leads this team with 6.5 tackles for loss. He now has 24 for his career or 42% of his 57 career stops.
Corner Conversation
Oklahoma introduced two new starting cornerbacks last season, but it was tough to tell. Brian Jackson finished as the team's No. 5 tackler (72) and had 10 pass deflections to go with three fumble recoveries and a pair of interceptions. Dominique Franks scored two touchdowns on returns and logged 42 tackles and 10 pass deflections, the latter of which tied with Jackson for the team lead.
The End(s)
Oklahoma's stable of defensive ends is truly an impressive group. Frank Alexander, Jeremy Beal and Auston English all have extensive starting experience ...
• The trio has combined for 67 career games played, 46 starts, 195 tackles, 58 tackles for 286 yards in losses and 31 sacks for 221 yards in losses.
• English is the only senior in the group. Alexander is a sophomore and Beal a junior.
Turnovers=Points
Last season, Oklahoma converted 22 of 34 takeaways into touchdowns, including two that the defense returned to the end zone. That conversion rate is .647.
• The Sooners turned a turnover into a touchdown in nine of 14 games last season.
• In this year's season opener against BYU, 10 of Oklahoma's 13 points came after Cougar turnovers. Thus far through the 2009 season, OU has nine takeaways. The team converted six of those into scores amounting to 38 points (conversion rate is .667).
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About the Sooner Special Teams |
Oklahoma's special teams under Bob Stoops ...
• There have been 26 special teams touchdowns, including 20 in the last 71 regular season games. Those 20 came via five different kinds of plays -- 11 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.
• OU has returned eight kickoffs and 15 punts for TDs.
• The Sooners have blocked 22 kicks.
Many Happy Returns
Information on returns during the Stoops era ...
• Kickoff Returns --90 returns of 25 yards+ with eight TD.
• Punt Returns -- 54 ret., of 15+ with 15 touchdowns.
• Interception Returns -- 78 ret., of 10+ yards with 21 TD.
• Fumble Returns -- five returns of 15+ yards with 7 TD.
Broyles Dangerous Returner
At 9.9 yards per punt return in 2008, Ryan Broyles had the best average by a Sooner since Antonio Perkins, one of the most prolific punt returners in NCAA history, averaged 12.1 in 2003. Broyles' longest return was a 68-yarder for a touchdown at Kansas State. He is averaging 11.5 this season.
2009 Return Specialists
• Dominique Franks and Ryan Broyles handle kickoff return duties this season. The pair combined for 30 kickoff returns last season (Broyles 24 for a 9.9-yard average and Franks six for a 5.8-yard average).
• DeMarco Murray led Oklahoma in kickoff returns last season with 28. He was injured on the opening kickoff of last season's Dr Pepper Big 12 Championship Game against Missouri.
Getting His Way at Punter
Tress Way, a kicker and punter, redshirted in '08 then won the punting job in August. He is averaging 43.5 yards on 14 punts with seven downed inside the 20 (only two touchbacks) and five of 50+ yards ...
• Way was called on to attempt a 54-yard field goal at the 1:28 mark of the fourth quarter in the BYU game, but the kick fell short. It was his first collegiate attempt.
• The second-team punter is WR Cameron Kenney. At Garden City (Kan.) CC last season, Kenney had a 47-yard punting average. He also converted 11-of-13 PATs and 8-of-9 FGs, including makes from 40, 41 and 52 yards. Kenney is also a receiver on the depth chart. OU has not a position player in a kicking role since DB Darrol Ray punted in 1978.
Got It Covered
Last season, OU opponents returned four kickoffs for TDs and averaged 23.8 per return. This year, there have been no TDs and the return average is a mere 18.0.
Stevens Back at Kicker
Sophomore Jimmy Stevens returns at placekicker and is on the watch list for the Lou Groza Award ...
• Stevens is 3-of-4 on field goals with the lone miss coming from 40 yards. He has made 15-of-16 PATs
• Stevens made 8-of-12 field goals last season with a long of 42 yards at Texas A&M. He set a school record with 94 point after touchdown conversions.
• Stevens ranked second on the team in points with 118. Chris Brown, with 21 touchdowns, scored 126 to lead the team. Brown became the first running back to lead the team in scoring since 2005 when Adrian Peterson did so with 14 touchdowns. Brown's TD total was the best by a Sooner since Billy Sims got 23 in 1979.
• The back-up for placements is punter Tress Way. Way is also the back-up for kickoffs.
• Matthew Moreland, who handled kickoffs last season, looks to be in that role again this season. Moreland had 121 kickoffs with 15 touchbacks and only two out of bounds last season. Way is Moreland's back-up.
Whitson Holding Steady
Wide receiver Carter Whitson is back for another year as the holder for place kicks. A quarterback for part of his high school career, Whitson is the first holder to serve in that role for back-to-back seasons.
• Whitson's back-up is quarterback John Nimmo, a steady golfing partner with Sam Bradford.
Snappy
Ben Hampton is in his second season of snapping for placements. He also is slated to handle the placements for punts this season.
• The back-up snapper is WR James Winchester, whose sister, Carolyn, wrapped up her eligibility with the OU women's basketball team last season. James and Carolyn's father, Mike, was a punter at OU and lettered from 1984-85.
Sooner Gameday - 9/5/25
Friday, September 05
Coaches Corner - 9/4/25
Thursday, September 04
My First Game: OU Football vs Illinois State
Wednesday, September 03
Sooner Magic Moments: 1976 Orange Bowl vs Michigan
Wednesday, September 03
