Game Primer: OU vs. Houston

Sunday, September 1

Norman

6:30 PM

University of Oklahoma

Houston

August 30, 2019 | Football

White Out Gameday Central Party at the Palace Salute to Rickey Dixon

4 Oklahoma

Houston

Sunday, Sept. 1 / 6:30 p.m. CT / Owen Field

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Game Notes

OPENING KICK

• No. 4/4 Oklahoma begins its 125th season of varsity football, and third under head coach Lincoln Riley, when it hosts Houston on Sunday at 6:30 p.m. CT at Gaylord Family — Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. The game, the only FBS contest of the day, will be televised nationally by ABC with Sean McDonough, Todd Blackledge and Holly Rowe announcing.

• Oklahoma is 95-23-6 all-time in season openers and 77-15-4 in home openers at Gaylord Family — Oklahoma Memorial Stadium, which opened in 1923. OU has won 13 straight home openers (last such loss was a 17-10 defeat vs. TCU in 2005).

• OU is the only program to win at least three straight Big 12 titles, and has done so twice (2006-08 and 2015-18). Its current streak of four straight outright league championships is the longest among Power Five programs since Alabama won five in a row from 1971 to '75 (Clemson is also riding a four-game outright streak [ACC]).

• This marks the 20th straight season the Sooners have been ranked in the preseason AP poll. They have been ranked seventh or better in 15 of the last 19 preseason polls. OU has also ended each of the last four seasons ranked in the AP top five (first time since 1971-76 under head coaches Chuck Fairbanks and Barry Switzer).

• Oklahoma is the only FBS program to rack up 16 seasons of double-digit wins since 2000. OU also leads all FBS programs with its 39 all-time 10-plus-win seasons, and with its 25 campaigns of at least 11 victories.

• OU is coming off a 12-2 season in which it won its fourth straight Big 12 championship and made its third College Football Playoff appearance in four years. The Sooners, who finished No. 4 in the final AP and coaches' polls, produced All-Americans in wide receiver Marquise Brown, quarterback Kyler Murray and offensive lineman Ben Powers (consensus).

• Houston went 8-5 in 2018 under former head coach Major Applewhite and finished 5-3 in the American Athletic Conference (three-way first-place tie in West Division). The Cougars started 7-1 but lost four of their last five, including a 70-14 decision to Army West Point in the Armed Forces Bowl. They are now coached by former West Virginia head coach Dana Holgorsen.

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RICKEY DIXON HALFTIME PRESENTATION

• Former OU safety great Rickey Dixon will be honored at halftime for his upcoming National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame induction in December. A consensus first-team All-American in 1987, Dixon was the recipient of the Jim Thorpe Award as the nation's best defensive back after leading the Big Eight Conference with nine interceptions (a single-season school record). The two-time first-team All-Big Eight pick guided the Sooners to four consecutive conference titles and two wins in four Orange Bowl berths. As a sophomore, Dixon played a key role in Oklahoma's 1985 national championship season, which culminated with a win over Penn State in the 1986 Orange Bowl. Dixon finished his career with 17 interceptions, which stood as a conference record for almost 20 years and rank as the second most in Oklahoma history. A member of the Big Eight All-Time All-Conference Team, he also tallied 170 tackles and 303 interception return yards while leading the Sooners to a 42-5-1 record during his four seasons.

• Also scheduled to attend the halftime ceremony honoring Dixon are fellow OU Hall of Famers Barry Switzer, Tom Brahaney, Tony Casillas, Keith Jackson, Steve Owens, Greg Pruitt, J.D. Roberts, Billy Sims, Clendon Thomas and Joe Washington, as well as family members representing Lee Roy Selmon and Jerry Tubbs.

FOR THE FANS

• Approximately two hours before each home game, head coach Lincoln Riley and the Sooners will disembark 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 take place at approximately 4 with the team arriving at approximately 4:15 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 Street to their locker room.

• "Party at the Palace, Presented by Allstate" is OU's rebranded pregame event that will be held on the lawn immediately north of Gaylord Family - Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. It will begin three-and-a-half hours prior to kickoff each week (3 p.m. for Houston game) and will include many of the same fan-friendly activities and great food options the former "Sooner Fan Fest" did. Fans will have the opportunity to meet Boomer and Sooner and have their photo taken with the Sooner Schooner, the mascots and members of the OU spirit squads. The GoVision jumbotron, which shows other games across the country is back for 2019, as are the photo booth, face painter, balloon artists and inflatable football toss. Food will be available from trucks representing Midway Deli, The Meating Place and Whole Latte Pie. And the Sooner Radio Network (flagship 107.7 The Franchise) will be broadcasting live from Fan Fest from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. with crew members Toby Rowland, Merv Johnson, Teddy Lehman, Chris Plank, Gabe Ikard and Rufus Alexander on hand.

• Fans are encouraged to arrive at the stadium early to avoid gate delays with the enhanced screening policy that were implemented last season, including walk-through metal detectors. To help expedite screening, fans are also encouraged to not bring bags. Fans who do bring bags are required to adhere to the clear bag policy that was also instituted last year. The approved clear plastic tote size is a maximum of 12 inches x 6 inches x 12 inches. One-gallon clear plastic freezer bag are also permitted, as are non-transparent clutch wallets no larger than 4.5 inches by 6.5 inches. All bags are subject to search. New this year are ticket self-scanners at Gates 1, 7 and 10.

• The OU Athletics Department has moved to a smaller printed game program format for 2019 (5.5-by-8.5-inch playbill size) and is offering the 96-page publication for free to the first 20,000 fans through the stadium gates each home game.

KEY STORYLINES

• Oklahoma has won two more Big 12 championships over the last 20 years (12) than it has lost home games. OU is 113-10 (.919) at Gaylord Family – Oklahoma Memorial Stadium since the start of the 1999 season, with all 123 of those games sellouts. It is the best home winning percentage among Power Five schools over the last 20 seasons (Ohio State is next at .887). OU has outscored its opponents by an average of 43-17 in those games. No school has won more than two Big 12 titles since the Sooners won their first in 2000.

• This will mark the eighth straight year the Sooners have faced a Dana Holgorsen-coached team. OU went 7-0 against West Virginia with the current Houston coach at the helm of the Mountaineers program. It outscored WVU 329-228 in those contests (average of 47-33) and registered 56 points in 2016 and 59 in 2017 and '18.

• OU's game against Houston will be the Sooners' first-ever regular season game on a Sunday. It is the only FBS game scheduled for the day. Oklahoma's three previous Sunday football games occurred in bowls. OU beat Penn State in the Sugar Bowl on Dec. 31, 1972, and handled Virginia 48-14 in the Gator Bowl on Dec. 29, 1991, behind a stellar quarterback performance by current Sooners assistant coach Cale Gundy. The Sooners lost 21-14 to LSU in the Sugar Bowl on Jan. 4, 2004.

• A litany of distinguished Oklahoma Football alumni were products of the Houston area. The list of OU standouts who hailed from that area include the likes of RB Greg Pruitt (Houston; 1970-72), RB Joe Washington (Port Arthur; 1972-75), DE Darrell Reed (Cypress; 1984-87), DE Cedric Jones (Houston; 1992-95), RB Quentin Griffin (Humble; 1999-2002) and OLB/DE Ogbonnia Okoronkwo (Houston; 2014-17).

• Oklahoma has 43 Texans on its roster, including 10 from the Houston metro area: RB Todd Hudson (League City; Clear Springs HS), QB Jalen Hurts (Houston; Channelview HS), WR CeeDee Lamb (Richmond; Foster HS), S Jamal Morris (Houston; Fort Bend Bush HS), LB Kenneth Murray (Missouri City; Elkins HS), DL Kori Roberson (Manvel; Manvel HS), WR Devin Staton (Katy; Cinco Ranch HS), DL Marcus Stripling (Houston; Mayde Creek HS), S Delarrin Turner-Yell (Hempstead; Hempstead HS) and OLB David Ugwoegbu (Katy; Seven Lakes HS). OU defensive line coach Calvin Thibodeaux also hails from Houston (Westbury HS) and was a defensive graduate assistant at Houston from 2008-09.

CeeDee Lamb

SOONERS CELEBRATING 125TH SEASON

• The 2019 Oklahoma football campaign marks the 125th in the program's illustrious history, and the Sooners will celebrate that colorful and accomplished past throughout the fall. The "125" logo will be featured on the backs of helmets and on Owen Field during the 2019 season, as well as on various fan merchandise and apparel. The OU Athletics Department is also planning a variety of content, collectibles and activities that will honor the Sooners' storied past.

• In their first 124 years, the Sooners own an 896-325-53 (.724) record, good for the fifth-best winning percentage nationally during the period, and have posted only 13 losing seasons.

SERIES WITH HOUSTON

• Oklahoma owns a 2-1 all-time record against Houston. In the first meeting on Dec. 26, 1981, Barry Switzer's Sooners posted an easier-than-anticipated 40-14 Sun Bowl victory in El Paso, Texas. MVP Darrell Shepard, who began his career at Houston, scored two touchdowns against his former team. OU scored 30 fourth-quarter points to turn a close contest into a rout. Freshman Fred Sims rolled up 181 yards rushing in the game after running for 179 during the regular season.

• The second meeting — a 63-13 OU win — occurred in Norman on Sept. 11, 2004. Jason White threw for 257 yards and two touchdowns on 14-of-18 passing, while Antonio Perkins tied the NCAA record with his eighth career punt return for a score. Following a 3-yard touchdown run by Jackie Battle on Houston's opening drive, No. 2-ranked OU scored TDs on each of its first seven possessions to take a 49-7 halftime lead. Adrian Peterson ran for 117 yards and two scores on the day, while Mark Clayton caught five passes (all third-down conversions) for 122 yards and Travis Wilson added a pair of TD catches.

• In the 2016 season opener, No. 3 OU scored on three of its first four possessions to take a 17-13 lead but was held without a point on its next seven series in a 33-23 loss to No. 15 UH in the AdvoCare Texas Kickoff at NRG Stadium in Houston. Baker Mayfield completed his first 11 pass attempts and finished 24 of 33 (73 percent) for 323 yards and two touchdowns, and the Sooners outgained Houston 6.6 yards per play to 5.1. But OU committed two turnovers to UH's one and the Cougars controlled the clock (35:06 time of possession to 24:54) in handing the Sooners their first season-opening loss since 2009.

SCOUTING THE COUGARS

• Houston is in its first season under head coach Dana Holgorsen. A familiar face to the Sooners, Holgorsen spent the last eight years as head coach at West Virginia, where he posted a 61-41 record. Prior to taking over at WVU, he was offensive coordinator at Oklahoma State (2010), offensive coordinator at Houston (2008-09) and co-offensive coordinator at Texas Tech (2005-07).

• The Cougars went 8-5 overall and 5-3 in the American Athletic Conference last season, reaching the Armed Forces Bowl where they fell to Army, 70-14. Among Houston's wins was a 57-36 victory over No. 20 USF in October.

• Quarterback D'Eriq King accounted for 3,656 yards of total offense in only 11 games last season. He completed 219 of 345 passes for 2,982 yards and 36 touchdowns against just six interceptions, and rushed for 674 yards and 14 TDs on 111 carries before getting injured. The Houston offense averaged 43.9 points and 512.5 total yards per game (295.5 passing and 217.1 rushing). Running back Patrick Carr led the team with 868 rushing yards, an average of 66.8 per game. Each of Houston's top three receivers return in 2019. Marquez Stevenson (75 catches, 1,019 yards, nine TDs), Keith Corbin (40 catches, 691 yards, 10 TDs) and Courtney Lark (35 catches, 539 yards, five TDs) all averaged at least 50 receiving yards per game last year.

• Defensively last year, Houston allowed 37.2 points and 496.5 total yards per contest (275.5 passing and 220.9 rushing), and generated 24 turnovers (14 interceptions, 10 fumble recoveries). Safety Gleson Sprewell is UH's top returning tackler from a year ago. He totaled 81 stops and led the team with three interceptions. Defensive linemen Leroy Godfrey and Payton Turner each tallied 42 stops and combined for 10 tackles for loss. The Cougars lost seven of their 10 leading tacklers from last season.

RILEY'S FAST START

• The Football Bowl Subdivision's youngest head coach (33) at the time of his hiring, Lincoln Riley was named the Oklahoma's 22nd head man on June 7, 2017, and quickly set school records for wins by a first-year head coach (12) and victories in his first two seasons (24). No one at any school in the last 125 years (since Penn's George Woodruff in 1892-93) has won more games in his first two seasons as a college head coach. In addition to his 24-4 record, Riley has won two Big 12 titles, participated in two College Football Playoffs and has produced seven first-team All-Americans, two Heisman Trophy winners and two No. 1 overall NFL Draft picks in his two years as OU's head coach. He will turn 36 on Sept. 5.

THREE OU DEFENSIVE COACHING DEBUTS

• Lincoln Riley announced in January the addition of three defensive coaches to his staff in Alex Grinch (coordinator and safeties), Roy Manning (cornerbacks) and Brian Odom (inside linebackers).

• Grinch arrived at OU after serving the 2018 season as co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach at Ohio State. He made his mark in three years (2015-17) as defensive coordinator and secondary coach at Washington State when he took the Cougars from a 99th-ranked unit in total defense the year before he arrived (442.3 ypg) to a 16th-ranked unit in his third season (323.3 ypg). WSU also improved from 127th in pass defense (296.6 ypg) to ninth (170.9 ypg).

• Manning and Odom were on staff at Washington State with Grinch. Manning served the 2018 season as outside linebackers and special teams coach at UCLA, while Odom spent the last two seasons as outside linebackers coach at Missouri. Odom was an OU running back and special teams player in 2000 (redshirted when Sooners won a national championship) and '01.

• Assistant head coach Ruffin McNeill, who served as OU's defensive tackles coach last season before being named interim defensive coordinator in early October, will coach outside linebackers in 2019, while Calvin Thibodeaux will coach the defensive line.
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WELCOME BACK

• Oklahoma returns 16 players (not including specialists) who started at least five games last year (12 on defense and four on offense). Fourteen of those 16 started at least seven games and nine started at least 10 contests (five on defense and four on offense). OU also welcomes back long snapper Kasey Kelleher and holder Connor McGinnis.

• The four returning offensive starters are junior tight end Grant Calcaterra (11 starts), redshirt sophomore center Creed Humphrey (12 starts), junior wide receiver CeeDee Lamb (13 starts; 26 career) and junior running back Trey Sermon (12 starts; 15 career).

• The 10 returning defensive players who made at least seven starts last year are junior safety Robert Barnes (8 starts; 9 career), junior cornerback Tre Brown (8 starts; 9 career), redshirt senior defensive linemen Neville Gallimore (13 starts; 24 career) and Kenneth Mann (13 starts), senior linebacker Caleb Kelly, senior cornerback Parnell Motley (8 starts; 21 career), junior linebacker Kenneth Murray (14 starts; 28 career), junior defensive back Tre Norwood (14 starts; 19 career), sophomore defensive lineman Ronnie Perkins (7 starts) and sophomore defensive back Brendan Radley-Hiles (11 starts). Norwood is expected to miss the season due to an injury sustained during August camp.

HURTS NAMED STARTING QB

• After a competitive battle during August camp, head coach Lincoln Riley announced Aug. 19 that senior Jalen Hurts will be OU's starting quarterback for the season opener against Houston. Redshirt freshman Tanner Mordecai will be his backup, and freshman Spencer Rattler will be third on the depth chart.

• A graduate transfer from Alabama who arrived at OU in January, Hurts follows in the footsteps of OU Heisman Trophy winners Baker Mayfield (2017) and Kyler Murray (2018). He started 14 games in each of the Crimson Tide's 2016 and 2017 seasons, and saw action in 13 games in 2018. He played in three College Football Playoff National Championships and helped Alabama to the 2017 national title. UA went 41-3 in his three seasons in Tuscaloosa.

• Hurts led the Crimson Tide to a 26-2 record in his 28 starts over the 2016 and 2017 seasons. One of his appearances in 2018 came in the SEC Championship when he replaced injured starter Tua Tagovailoa and rallied UA to a 35-28 win after it trailed 28-21 when he entered the game in the fourth quarter. Hurts threw a 10-yard pass with 7:08 left to tie the game at 28 and ran for a 15-yard score with 1:04 remaining for the game's final points.

• From Channelview, Texas, Hurts owns the Alabama quarterback career record with 23 rushing touchdowns and ranks second in school history with 1,976 career rushing yards and 71 touchdowns responsible for. He amassed 7,602 yards of total offense and threw for 48 touchdowns, both good for third place in UA history.

• In his debut season of 2016, Hurts was named SEC Freshman of the Year, a freshman All-American by ESPN and USA Today and a finalist for the Manning Award. He completed 62.8 percent of his passes for 2,780 yards and 23 touchdowns against nine interceptions. He also ran for an Alabama quarterback-record 954 yards (5.0 per carry) and 13 TDs. In the second game of the season, Hurts became the first UA freshman quarterback to start a game under head coach Nick Saban, and he went on to start each of the next 27 contests. The Crimson Tide won its first 14 games in 2016 before falling to Clemson in the CFP National Championship, 35-31.

• Hurts' 2017 sophomore season saw him complete 154 of 255 pass attempts (60.4 percent) for 2,081 yards and 17 touchdowns versus just one interception. He rushed for 855 yards (5.6 per carry) and eight scores, and was named a Davey O'Brien Award semifinalist. Hurts registered three games of at least 100 rushing yards and was named offensive MVP in Alabama's 24-6 win over Clemson in the CFP Semifinal at the Allstate Sugar Bowl.

• Last season, Hurts played in 13 games, completing 51 of his 70 passes (72.9 percent) for eight touchdowns with two interceptions, good for a 196.7 passing efficiency rating. He also ran for 167 yards (4.6 per carry) and two TDs.

NO LITTLE LAMB

• A preseason All-Big 12 selection and a preseason first-team All-American by The Athletic, junior wide receiver CeeDee Lamb will look to continue his ascent on OU's charts this season. The Richmond, Texas, product has 111 catches for 1,965 yards and 18 touchdowns in his two years as a Sooner. His 18 TDs already rank 10th in school history and he needs eight more to move into the top three.

• Last year, Lamb, who has started 26 of his 28 career games, caught 65 passes for 1,158 yards, the sixth-highest yardage total in single-season school history. He caught at least one touchdown pass in seven consecutive games and finished with a team-high 11 TD grabs. If he repeats his 65-catch performance this year, he would move into sixth place on OU's all-time receptions list (would give him 176).

• Lamb was the only player in the country last year with multiple receptions of 80 yards. He registered an 86-yard catch against Baylor and an 82-yard grab vs. Kansas State, both for scores. He also caught an 82-yard TD pass as a freshman against Tulane.

• Also a 2019 preseason AP second-team All-American as an all-purpose player, Lamb ranked eighth nationally in 2018 with his 8.2 yards per punt return.

MURRAY PRIMED FOR BIG SEASON

• Junior linebacker Kenneth Murray, who ranked second in the Big 12 and 13th nationally last season with his 155 total tackles (most by a Sooner since Curtis Lofton had 157 in 2007), was named 2019 Preseason Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year by media who cover the league.

• Murray registered nine games of double-digit tackles last season as a second-team All-Big 12 performer, including three contests of at least 15 stops (28 vs. Army [most by an FBS player since at least 2000], 17 vs. Baylor and 15 vs. Alabama in CFP Semifinal at the Orange Bowl).

• Murray, who has started all 28 games his first two years in Norman, has 20.0 career tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks. His fumble recovery against Oklahoma State last season with the game tied at 41 helped OU post a 48-47 win.
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OFFENSE HAS ROLLED UNDER RILEY

• Oklahoma owns the nation's most productive offense since the start of the 2015 season, which was Lincoln Riley's first year as OU's offensive coordinator. Riley called plays as the program's offensive coordinator and continues to as head coach.

• Since the start of the 2015 season, OU ranks first nationally in points per game (45.3; next most is 41.9), total offense (559.3; next most is 526.5), touchdowns from scrimmage (308; next most is 287), pass efficiency rating (189.5; next best is 160.3), completion percentage (69.2; tied) and yards per pass attempt (10.7), and is fifth in passing offense (328.2) and 11th in rushing offense (231.1).

• In 54 games since the start of the 2015 season, OU has registered at least 500 yards of total offense 40 times, including in 30 of the last 38 outings, topped the 600-yard mark on 20 occasions and gone over 700 yards six times. Similarly, OU has scored at least 30 points in 48 of 54 games since Riley's arrival, at least 40 points 36 times, at least 50 points 22 times and at least 60 points seven times.

• The Sooners have registered at least 700 yards of offense 12 times in their history, and six of those occasions have come since the start of the 2015 season: 854 at Texas Tech in 2016; 785 at Oklahoma State in 2017; 773 vs. Tulsa in 2015; 710 at Kansas in 2015; 702 vs. Kansas State in 2018; 702 vs. Oklahoma State in 2018.

GOING FOR BIG 12 FIVE PEAT

• If Oklahoma wins the 2019 Big 12 title, it will mark the program's fifth straight league crown. The last time the Sooners won at least five consecutive conference championships was 1972-80 under head coaches Chuck Fairbanks (1972) and Barry Switzer.

• OU is the only program to win three straight Big 12 titles, and it has done so twice (also from 2006-08). Baylor (2013-14) is the only other program to win two Big 12 championships in a row.

• The last Power Five program to win five straight outright league titles was Alabama (SEC) from 1971 through 1975.

EXTRA POINTS

• Oklahoma is 33-10-2 all-time against teams currently in American Athletic Conference. Twenty-eight of the 45 games have come against Tulsa (OU is 20-7-1 in that series). Other AAC teams to beat the Sooners are Houston (OU leads 2-1), SMU (OU leads 5-1-1) and Temple (1-1). Oklahoma's most recent game against an AAC team was in 2017 against Tulane (a 56-14 win in Norman).

• OU and Houston ranked first and fifth nationally last year by averaging 48.4 and 43.9 points per game. The Sooners also led the country with their 570.3 yards per contest while the Cougars ranked seventh at 512.5 per outing.

• The Sooners have won more Big 12 titles the last four seasons (four) than they have lost games against Big 12 opponents (35-3 record).

• OU committed 13 turnovers each of the last two years. That's the second-lowest total in school history (11 in 2008).

• Oklahoma is 33-3 (.917) in regular season Big 12 play the last four years, which coincides with Lincoln Riley's arrival at OU. Oklahoma State ranks second during that period (23-13; .639), TCU and West Virginia third (22-14; .611) and Texas fifth (19-17; .528).

• In the four years since Riley has been OU's offensive play-caller, the Sooners have scored 73 offensive touchdowns of 40-plus yards. That's an average of 18.3 per season and 21 more than the Power Five program with the next most during that span (Clemson has 52).

• Redshirt junior receiver Lee Morris has 23 career catches and 10 have gone for touchdowns. The 43-percent touchdown rate ranks first in school history among players with at least 20 receptions. Eight of Morris's 21 receptions last year resulted in a score.

• OU has scored at least 50 points 22 times since the start of the 2015 season, most in the nation.

• Oklahoma has scored at least 30 points in 36 of its last 38 games (29 and 28 in the other two). It has won 35 of those 38 contests.

• OU ranked fourth nationally last year by converting 51.7 percent of its third-down plays and ranked 11th by converting 66.8 percent (9 of 14) of its fourth-down plays.

• The Sooners' 2019 starting offensive line logged a combined 156 career starts by season's end. This year's offensive line has combined for 12 career starts (all by center Creed Humphrey last season).

• When OU plays at UCLA in week three, the Sooners will be looking to extend their true road winning streak to 21 games. That would tie as the second-longest such streak nationally in the post-World War II era. The Sooners won 25 consecutive true road games from 1953-58 under Bud Wilkinson, and Alabama won 21 in a row from 1970-75. OU's current 20-game streak is tied with Miami, Fla. (1984-88) and Ohio State (2012-16).