Sooner Report: OU Set For Intrastate Affair

Intrastate Matchup

Oklahoma and Tulsa will meet for the 27th time on the gridiron on Saturday, with the Sooners holding an 18-7-1 advantage. OU is a perfect 7-0 against Tulsa during the Bob Stoops' era, winning by an average of 37.3 points per game.

Nonetheless, Stoops and the Sooners are not overlooking their Week Two opponent. Stoops clearly has plenty of respect for Tulsa head coach Bill Blankenship and his program.

“Coach Blankenship and his staff do an outstanding job,” said Stoops. “I'm a big fan of Bill and all he does and the way he conducts his program and the way they play. They always play sound and disciplined. Going there this week, our main focus is not just on Tulsa, but on us trying to improve on the part of the game that we're able to.

“The big difference with Tulsa this year, (Dane) Evans, their quarterback had a great game the other night making some great throws and a lot of big plays in their passing game and he really performed well. It's exciting to see that win in overtime like that. Congrats to Coach Blankenship and their staff. That's a great start to the season. We'll be focused on getting better in our areas this week for Tulsa.”

The matchup benefits both programs in regards to keeping traveling costs down and both Norman and Tulsa's economy.

“It's great for the state, for our people, for Tulsa hopefully and you have a game that's close so the travel expenses for both teams wherever you're playing,” said Stoops. “It just works. It's close for fans in this area and again.

“I know we're always rooting for them, I know I do whenever they're playing somebody else and I want to see them do well. I think there's a lot of respect that goes both ways with these two teams.”

After sitting out last season's game, sophomore quarterback Trevor Knight is excited about the opportunity to match up with Tulsa this weekend.

“They are a solid defense,” said Knight. “They don't do a whole lot conceptually but they do what they do and they do it well. I'm ready to go up there. I didn't get to play against them last year. I was sick and banged up a little bit but I'm excited to get my first game against Tulsa and go up to their place and hopefully have a good game.”

Dominique Alexander

Family Feud

Saturday's game at Tulsa will be a homecoming for a number of Oklahoma players but will be extra special for sophomore linebacker Dominique Alexander, who will play against his older brother Derrick Alexander, a member of the Golden Hurricane.

Derrick is a junior, who starts at defensive end for Tulsa. Entering 2014, Derrick amassed 51 tackles, 9.5 sacks, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery.

Dominique is looking forward to the matchup and potentially getting the bragging rights over his older brother.

“It is going to be fun, bragging rights in the house,” said Dominique. “We are going to come out and win, though.

“I thought about going to play with my brother and stay at home but in the end (Oklahoma) is the best place for me.”

More T-Town Ties

Tulsa has proved to be a key recruiting area for the Sooner coaching staff, as a total of 12 Oklahoma players hail from the Tulsa metro area, with six different schools represented.

One of the freshman from Tulsa, Steven Parker a Jenks grad, is happy that he will be sharing the field on Saturday with teammates who were rivals back in high school.

“I just got reminded of that by Carson Meier and Jeffery Mead, they played for Tulsa Union, so it was pretty great," said Parker. "I am going to enjoy playing on that field again. It feels very good. I have known those guys for a while. We played basketball and football and all that stuff growing up together. Now that we are on the same team it just reunites the friendship.”

Player	Pos.	Year	High School
Dominique Alexander	LB	So.	Booker T. Washington
Cameron Cotton	S	Fr.	East Central
Caleb Gastelum	LB	Sr.	Home Schooled
J.P. Hughes	G	R-Jr.	Edison
Brandon Kitchens	S	R-So.	Jenks
Jeffery Mead	WR	Fr.	Union
Carson Meier	TE	Fr.	Union
Steven Parker	S	Fr.	Jenks
Alex Ross	RB	R-So.	Jenks
Jordan Smallwood	WR	R-Fr.	Jenks
Michael Tate	DE	R-Jr.	Bartlesville
Stanvon Taylor	CB	So.	East Central

Another notable reunion that will take place on Saturday is Tulsa assistant coach Calvin Thibodeaux will be coaching against his alma mater. Thibodeaux graduated from OU in 2006 after lettering for four seasons with the Sooners. Oklahoma won three Big 12 Championships and made four trips to BCS bowl games, including two to the national championship game during his career.

Coach Stoops had nothing but praise for his former player during Monday's press conference.

“Calvin, love him,” said Stoops. “He is a great young man and a very productive excellent player for us. He is he kind of guy you wish you had 100 of. He always has a smile on his face. His always positive and works hard. I am sure he is that way as a coach.

“He has done a great job there as a coach. Their guys play hard and play with great technique. He is young guy and he will have a great career in coach I am sure. I always knew Calvin had that kind of make-up.”

Darryl Williams

Offensive Line Impresses in Week One

The Sooners' most veteran unit lived up to expectations in the season opener, as the offensive line put in a strong showing during the week one win over Louisiana Tech. The front five paved the way for 436 yards of total offense without surrendering a single sack on Saturday.

Coach Stoops was pleased with the group's performance in the season opener.

“They played really well,” said Stoops. “I thought Ty (Darlington) directed traffic up there and did an excellent job. Our protection was great. Run blocking, we had bodies on bodies and it can still improve. That's exciting to see. I know we can improve from it, but they did a really good job.”

Darlington, who made just his second career start against Louisiana Tech, thought the offensive line played well but pointed out there is still plenty to improve upon.

“There's definitely some things we can do better and there's always some things in the first game that you're going to be able to improve on,” said Darlington. “They say the biggest improvement is between the first and second games, so hopefully we intend to show that this Saturday. We were pretty clean for the most part.”

Offering the highest praise for the unit was Louisiana Tech defensive end Houston Bates, a former All-Big Ten Honorable Mention selection at Illinois.

“Oklahoma's offensive line was really good, one of the best I've ever played against,” said Bates. “They were all technically and fundamentally sound, they were big, strong and physical. All the things you look for in an offensive line, that's what they were.”

Poll Position

Oklahoma did not move in the weekly AP and Amway Coaches polls after the first week of the season, coming in third in the Amway Coaches Poll and fourth in the AP Poll. OU garnered two first place votes in the Amway Coaches Poll and totaled 1,407 points, 25 behind second place Alabama and 49 more than fourth place Oregon.

AMWAY COACHES POLL

Team	Record	Points
1. Florida State	1-0	1541
2. Alabama	1-0	1432
3. Oklahoma	1-0	1407
4. Oregon	1-0	1358
5. Auburn	1-0	1289

In the AP Poll, Oklahoma registered 1,283 points for fourth place, 30 points behind third place Oregon and 97 ahead of fifth place Auburn. Sitting atop both polls is defending national champion Florida State.

AP POLL

Team	Record	Points
1. Florida State	1-0	1456
2. Alabama	1-0	1314
3. Oregon	1-0	1314
4. Oklahoma	1-0	1283
5. Auburn	1-0	1186

Blankenship Previews Sooners

Bill Blankenship, the fourth year head coach of the Golden Hurricane, addressed his program's upcoming matchup with the Sooners during his American Athletic Conference teleconference on Monday and noted the quality of OU.

“We realize they are one of the top teams in the country,” said Blankenship. “We certainly see it as a tremendous opportunity for them to come into our home.

“I think Oklahoma looked very dominant from the onset of the game and didn't seem to bat an eye during their opportunity to play against Louisiana Tech.”

The unit Tulsa's head coach was particularly impressed with after watching Saturday's game against Louisiana Tech was Oklahoma's front seven.

“They completely dominated the interior,” said Blankenship. “Their defense is very strong. They are built for that defense and that three man front. They do a great job of just controlling the area from tackle to tackle and allowing those linebackers to roam and make tackles.”

Gameday Info

Oklahoma will travel to Tulsa on Friday with kickoff set against the Golden Hurricane for 11 a.m. CT. The contest will be broadcast by ABC in Oklahoma markets. Other parts of the nation will be able to view the game on ESPN2. Please check your local listings. Sean McDonough (play-by-play), Chris Spielman (color analyst) and Todd McShay (sideline reporter) are scheduled to call the action.