Upcoming Event: Football versus UTEP on September 5, 2026
Football
vs UTEP
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University of Oklahoma Athletics
Game Primer: OU vs. UTEP
September 01, 2017 | Football
7 Oklahoma
UTEP
September 2 / 2:30 p.m. CT / Memorial Stadium / Norman
OPENING KICK
• No. 7/8 Oklahoma begins its 123rd season of varsity football, and first under rookie head coach Lincoln Riley, when it hosts UTEP Saturday at 2:30 p.m. CT.
• Oklahoma is 93-23-6 all-time in season openers and is 75-15-4 in home openers at Gaylord Family – Oklahoma Memorial Stadium, which opened in 1923. OU has won 11 straight home openers (last such loss was a 17-10 setback vs. TCU in 2005).
• Riley is the 22nd head coach in OU history. The program's first 21 coaches went 16-5 in their debut games. Ten of the 16 coaches who won their debut did so via shutout (V.L. Parrington in 1897, Mark McMahon in 1902, Fred Ewing in 1904, Bennie Owen in 1905, Lewie Hardage in 1932, Lawrence Jones in 1935, Dewey Luster in 1941, Jim Mackenzie in 1966, Chuck Fairbanks in 1967 and Bob Stoops in 1999).
• The Sooners are 24-1 all-time as the No. 7 team in the AP poll and have won their last eight games when holding that ranking.
• Oklahoma is looking to register its 15th season of at least 10 wins since the start of the 2000 campaign. The Sooners are the only FBS program to rack up 14 seasons of double-digit victories since 2000.
• OU is coming off an 11-2 season in which it won its final 10 games, captured a second straight Big 12 championship by going 9-0 in league play and claimed the Sugar Bowl title with a 35-19 win over Auburn in Bob Stoops' last year as head coach. The 10-game winning streak is the longest in the country entering 2017.
• UTEP posted a 4-8 record last year and went 2-6 in Conference USA (tied for fifth in West Division). After going 1-5 and averaging 15.7 points to start the season, the Miners went 3-3 to close the year while averaging 37.3 points a contest.
FOR THE FANS
• Two hours before each home game, head coach Lincoln Riley and the Sooners will disembark from the team buses immediately west of the intersection of Lindsey St. and Jenkins Ave. for the Walk of Champions. A pep rally, conducted by OU Spirit, will be held 15 minutes prior to the team's arrival. This week's pep rally will be at 12:15 p.m. with the team arriving at 12:30 p.m. Fans are encouraged to cheer on the team upon arrival and watch as Coach Riley and the squad walk the final yards west along Lindsey St. to their new locker room. Fans may begin lining up on Lindsey St. starting at 12:15.
• Sooner Fan Fest will be held in the Rhyne Hall parking lot directly east of McCasland Field House. It opens at 11 a.m. off Jenkins Ave. and concludes at 2 p.m. Fans will have the opportunity to meet Boomer and Sooner and have their photos taken with the Sooner Schooner, the mascots and members of the OU spirit squads at the OU Marketing trailer. Activities include a live band, a jumbotron showing games from around the country and interactive booths. Food will be available from the following food trucks: Midway Deli, The Meating Place, Let's Go Greek, Phill Me Up Cheesesteaks, That Pie Truck, Kona Ice and Dippin' Dots. And the Sooner Radio Network (flagship 107.7 The Franchise) will be broadcasting live from Fan Fest with Toby Rowland, Merv Johnson, Chris Plank, Ted Lehman and Rufus Alexander.
FIVE TOP STORYLINES
• Saturday's game will mark Oklahoma's first under a head coach other than Bob Stoops since Nov. 21, 1998. Stoops, who retired on June 7, is OU's all-time wins leader (190-48 [.798]), directed the Sooners to 10 Big 12 Conference titles in his 18 years, led to the program to a bowl game every season, won the 2000 national championship and produced 37 first-team All-Americans, 83 NFL Draft picks and two Heisman Trophy winners (Jason White in 2003 and Sam Bradford in 2008).
• The Sooners will be looking to extend their nation-leading 10-game winning streak. They haven't lost since a 45-24 home defeat at the hands of Ohio State last year (Sept. 17). OU's streak is its longest since winning 11 straight over the 2010 and '11 seasons. The last time it won 12 consecutive games was in 2004 (started 12-0 before losing in Orange Bowl).
• OU is 3-0 against UTEP and has outscored the Miners by a combined margin of 147-21 (49-7 average score). This will mark the third time UTEP has served as the Sooners' season-opening opponent (also in 2000 in Norman [55-14] and 2012 in El Paso [24-7]).
• Oklahoma is 20-0 all-time against teams currently in Conference USA. It owns 7-0 marks against North Texas and Rice and a 3-0 record against UTEP. OU has also registered wins over Louisiana Tech, Middle Tennessee and UAB.
• Freshmen CeeDee Lamb and Kenneth Murray are expected to start at receiver and inside linebacker, respectively, Saturday. If Lamb starts, he'd be just OU's third true freshman receiver to do so in a season opener (Kenny Stills in 2010 and Trey Metoyer in 2012). Murray would become the first OU true freshman in 42 years to start a season opener at inside linebacker. Daryl Hunt was the last to do it in 1975, and went on to earn first-team All-America honors in 1977 and '78. Since Hunt, only four true frosh have started at inside linebacker for the Sooners in any game: Tyrell Peters in 1993, Rocky Calmus and Michael Delaney in 1998, and Dominique Alexander in 2013.
SOONERS DOMINANT AT HOME
• Oklahoma has won more Big 12 championships over the last 18 years (10) than it has lost home games. OU is 101-9 (.918) at Gaylord Family – Oklahoma Memorial Stadium since the start of the 1999 season, with all 110 of those games sellouts. It is the best home winning percentage among Power 5 schools over the last 18 seasons (Ohio State is next at .882).
NOTING OU'S 10-GAME WINNING STREAK
• Since losing 45-24 to No. 3 Ohio State on Sept. 17 last season, Oklahoma has rattled off 10 straight victories, good for the nation's longest streak.
• The Sooners have outscored their last 10 opponents by 185 points (an average of 18.5) and have outgained them by an average of 136.3 yards. On the ground, OU is outgaining teams by an average of 88.7 yards (254.3-165.6) during the streak.
• Dating back to Oct. 1, 2016, (OU's first win of the streak), the Sooners rank first nationally in completion percentage (72.1), passing TDs (34), TD percentage (12.0 percent of passes), efficiency rating (203.5; next highest is 185.3 and next highest Power 5 is 173.4), yards from scrimmage (5,776) and yards from scrimmage per game (577.6; next most is 560.1).
• OU ranks second nationally and leads all Power 5 schools since Oct. 1, 2016, with 60 touchdowns from scrimmage and 63 touchdowns overall. OU also leads all Power 5 schools and ranks third nationally with 465 points and 46.5 points per game.
• Quarterback Baker Mayfield has completed 72.9 percent of his passes over the last 10 games (average of 317.2 yards) with 33 TDs and just six interceptions. Dating back to Oct. 1 (and among QBs with at least 100 pass attempts), Mayfield ranks first nationally in pass completion percentage, passing touchdowns, yards per pass attempt (11.6), touchdown percentage (12.1 percent of passes) and efficiency rating (206.0; next closest is 194.8; next closest Power 5 QB is 175.5).
SCOUTING UTEP
• UTEP is led by fifth-year head coach Sean Kugler, who returned to his alma mater in December of 2012. Since Kugler's arrival, the Miners have posted a 18-31 record, including a 7-6 mark in 2014 that represented the program's first winning season since 2005. Kugler has coached two All-Americans at UTEP, two first-team All-Conference USA players, five second-team All-C-USA players, nine honorable mention All-C-USA players and 161 C-USA All-Freshman players.
• The Miners are coming off a 4-8 2016 in which they went 2-6 in conference play. After winning the season opener against New Mexico State, UTEP endured a five-game losing streak before righting the ship with a five-overtime victory over UTSA and a 3-3 mark to close the year.
• UTEP returns five offensive starters from a year ago, led by senior left guard Will Hernandez, who earned second-team All-America honors from the AP last season and was also named to the outlet's second team in the preseason this year.
• Hernandez is one of three starters along the offensive line returning in 2017, and they'll be providing protection for junior quarterback Ryan Metz. Metz threw for 1,375 yards and 14 touchdowns a year ago on 64.7-percent passing while registering four interceptions. The biggest hole for the team could be at running back, where it must replace the program's all-time leading rusher in Aaron Jones. A fifth-round draft pick by the Green Bay Packers in April, Jones accounted for 1,773 of the team's 2,226 rushing yards a year ago.
• Leading the UTEP defense is senior linebacker Alvin Jones, who was named to the Preseason All-Conference USA Team, along with Hernandez. Jones led the Miners with 93 tackles last year and is one of seven starters returning on defense.
SERIES WITH THE MINERS
• Oklahoma is 3-0 all-time with UTEP, outscoring the Miners by a combined 147-21 (49-7 average score). In Norman, OU is 2-0 in the series and has outscored UTEP by a 123-14 count.
• OU and UTEP last met in 2012, a 24-7 season-opening victory for the Sooners in El Paso. Damien Williams ran for 103 yards on 10 carries, a performance that was highlighted by a 65-yard touchdown run with three minutes left in the fourth quarter to seal the win. Also aiding the offense was Kenny Stills, who caught six passes for 121 yards and another score. The Sooners' defense held UTEP to no offensive points (blocked punt returned for a score), 48 passing yards and 255 total yards.
• The last meeting in Norman came in the third game of the 2002 season and resulted in a 68-0 Oklahoma win. The Sooners recorded 549 yards of offense, but the defense was just as responsible for the the program's largest victory margin in 13 years. OU registered five takeaways, two of them interception returns for scores (a 50-yarder by Antonio Perkins and a 45-yarder by Michael Hawkins). Nate Hybl threw for 278 yards and two touchdowns while Quentin Griffin ran for 108 yards and two scores.
2016 REVIEW: BIG 12 AND SUGAR BOWL CHAMPS
• Oklahoma rebounded from a 1-2 start in 2016 by winning all nine of its Big 12 games to claim a second straight league title, and capped the season with a 35-19 Sugar Bowl victory over Auburn. OU, which finished the year No. 3 in the USA Today Coaches Poll and No. 5 in the AP Poll, became the first Big 12 team to go 9-0 in regular season conference play.
• The Sooners boasted arguably the best offense in the country, leading the nation in passing efficiency rating (FBS record 193.79) and pass completion percentage (.706), while ranking second in total offense (554.8 ypg), third in scoring offense (43.9 ppg), fourth in third down conversion percentage (.515), 12th in passing offense (318.0 ypg) and 18th in rushing offense (236.8 ypg).
• Oklahoma is the highest scoring football program of all-time, and only three Sooner teams ever averaged more points than its 43.9 per game last season. OU's 7.5 yards per play in 2016 rank as second most in school history (the 1971 team averaged 7.6).
• With 86 yards against Auburn in the Sugar Bowl, junior running back Samaje Perine became OU's career rushing leader. Perine, who declared for the NFL Draft following the season, finished his career with 4,122 rushing yards to break Billy Sims' former school record of 4,118. Perine rushed for 49 TDs in his career and averaged 6.0 yards per carry.
• Maligned for first half of the season, Oklahoma's defense was much stronger the final six games of the year. In OU's first seven contests, opponents averaged 36.7 points and 475.9 yards. Over the last six outings, the Sooners held foes to an average of 19.7 points and 380.8 yards. OU, which led the Big 12 in opponent pass completion percentage (.547), held each of its last four opponents to sub-50-percent passing (those four teams, all ranked, combined to complete 45.6 percent of their pass attempts vs. the Sooners [57-of-125]).
• Receiver Dede Westbrook became OU's first unanimous All-American since 2004 (offensive tackle Jammal Brown and running back Adrian Peterson) when he was named to the first team by each of the five official All-America squads (AFCA, AP, FWAA, Sporting News and Walter Camp Foundation).
• Baker Mayfield and Westbrook each were national award winners in 2016. For the second year in a row, Mayfield won the Burlsworth Trophy, given to the nation's best player who began his career as a walk-on. Westbrook became OU's first winner of the Biletnikoff Award, presented to the nation's outstanding receiver. Mayfield and Westbrook were each Heisman Trophy finalists, with the quarterback finishing third and the receiver fourth.
WELCOME BACK
• Not including specialists, the Sooners return 16 players who started at least six games last year (nine on offense, seven on defense). Nine other position players who started at least one game a year ago (five offense, four defense) are also back. In addition, OU returns its placekicker, punter, long snapper and holder.
• OU welcomes back its statistical leaders in passing yards (Baker Mayfield; 3,965), passing TDs (Mayfield; 40), sacks (Ogbonnia Okoronkwo; 9.0), tackles for loss (Okoronkwo; 12.0) and pass breakups (Jordan Thomas; 17).
EXTRA POINTS
• The last time Oklahoma hosted UTEP in a home opener was in 2000, when the Sooners prevailed 55-14. OU went 13-0 that season and won the national championship.
• OU back-up quarterback Kyler Murray was rated this month by MaxPreps as the best high school signal-caller of the last decade. Murray, a redshirt sophomore who transferred from Texas A&M following the 2015 season, was a consensus five-star recruit out of Allen (Texas) High School and earned national-player-of-the-year honors from Gatorade, MaxPreps, Parade and USA Today following his senior year in 2014.
• Head coach Lincoln Riley will turn 34 next week (Sept. 5). He is the youngest FBS head coach.
• Four of OU's top six single-game total offense yardage figures since 2000 have come the last two seasons with Riley as offensive coordinator (1 – 854 at Texas Tech in 2016; 2 – 773 vs. Tulsa in 2015; 4 – 710 at Kansas in 2015; 6 – 684 vs. Iowa State in 2015).
• Of all active FBS players with at least 11 career TD receptions, Mark Andrews has the best TD-to-catch ratio at 28.0 percent (14 TDs on 50 catches). The next closest players are Boise State's Cedrick Wilson and San Diego State's Mikah Holder (11 TDs on 56 catches; 19.6%).
• Since the first year of the Big 12 in 1996, OU has claimed 10 league titles and is followed by Texas (three), Baylor, Kansas State and Nebraska (two each), and Colorado, Oklahoma State, TCU and Texas A&M (one each).
• Since former head coach Bob Stoops arrived at OU in 1999, the Sooners lead all Power 5 conference programs in wins (190) and points scored (8,912).
• OU has had at least four players selected in each of the last 10 NFL Drafts. LSU (also 10) is the only other school that can make that claim.
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