Big 12 Title Game Analysis

published in the McAlester News-Capital:

Big 12 Championship Analysis, Notes and Quotes:

Sooners Overcome Adversity; Defense Dominates

by: BRETT HILL

NCAA Correspondent

Arlington - Once again, Bob Stoops has done it. He has won his 7th Big 12 Championship in 12 years. The victory brings Stoops’ overall record in Big 12 Title Games to a whopping 7-1, the lone loss coming in 2003, a shocker by way of the Kansas State Wildcats. 

Even more impressive are some of the other feats that this 2010 Sooner team accomplished by beating the Nebraska Cornhuskers Saturday evening. OU now has 43 overall conference championships, which ties them with said Cornhuskers for the most conference championships in the Big 12 conference. The win also keeps Stoops in the 80% club of OU head Coaches, moving his overall win-loss record to 128-31 for a percentage of 80.5%, one of only two coaches to have won that high of a percentage of games. The only coaches higher than Stoops? Bud Wilkinson (82.6%) and Barry Switzer (83.7%), of course. 

The numbers behind this game were very interesting to say the least. In the first half, Nebraska outscored Oklahoma 20-17, but in the second half, OU scored 3 in the third quarter and 3 in the fourth as the Sooner defense was able to stop the Husker offense from getting into All-Big 12 placekicker Alex Henery’s range, and kept Nebraska from scoring the entire second half. OU also recorded 7 sacks in the game, something one of the Sooner defenders - senior defensive end Jeremy Beal - was very proud of, “The number of sacks we had [7-48 yards] that’s unheard of.”

Just like the Bedlam game a week ago, the number of third down conversions was alarming, this time, however, for different reasons. Instead of converting 16 of 24 attempts [near 60 percent] on third down against the Cowboys, the Sooner offense was an abysmal 1-for-16 on third down as their counterparts weren’t much better at 4-for-17. The Sooners were 2-4 on fourth down and Nebraska also converted 50% of their 4th down attempts going 1 for 2. And, staying defensive for a moment, the Sooners also recorded a season-high 14 tackles-for-loss, marking the third time OU has reached double digits this season, the previous two against Cincinnati and Missouri.

On the flip side of those defensive statistics, OU quarterback Landry Jones completed 23 of 41 passes for 342 yards for one touchdown and one interception. Jones broke one record the Huskers would have much rather kept in tact. Nebraska came into the Big 12 Championship riding a 29 game streak of not allowing an opposing player to account for 300 yards of total offense as Jones lit up a vaunted Husker secondary for 339 total yards. The last player to do that to Nebraska? Kansas quarterback Todd Reesing who, oddly enough, accounted for 339 total yards of offense against the Cornhuskers on Nov. 8, 2008.

Jones connected on five passes that went for more than 20 yards as well. He found freshman receiver Kenny Stills in two separate occasions for strikes of 49 and 30 yards in the second quarter, the former for Stills’ only score of the evening, the latter helping to set up Jones’ one yard QB sneak to tie the game at 17. 

Stills had a record-setting night receiving as he broke fellow teammate Ryan Broyles freshman record of receiving yards in a season, which now stands at 709 after his 83 yard night. His touchdown also put him second in touchdowns by a freshman all-time with 5. He only trails Broyles by 1, a record he sat in 2008. 

Landry Jones also had two other completions - both of them coming in the latter parts of the second half - that swung momentum in the Sooners’ favor, too.

In the third quarter, with around 8:00 remaining, Jones hit junior receiver Ryan Broyles for a 47 yard bomb that went to the Nebraska three yard line. That reception help set up placekicker Jimmy Stevens for a 20 yard field goal that tied the score at 20. Broyles would finish the night with three grabs for 61 yards. 

Jones’ other big completion - arguably his biggest completion of the season - came in the fourth quarter as the Sooners drove to take the lead for good from the Cornhuskers. 

On a second and ten play from the Husker 46, Oklahoma’s right guard Stephen Good whiffed on his block of Husker senior defensive tackle Jared Crick and was forced to take a 14 yard sack after staring down similar pressure from Crick on the previous play. 

OU then faced its longest play from scrimmage on a third and 24 from the OU 40, and fortunately for Jones, Coach Stoops opted to pull Good and replace him with the usual starter at right guard Gabe Ikard, who crashed Crick into left tackle Jarvis Jones. Crick rolled off Jones’ block, but tight end Trent Ratterree picked up Crick and kept him off Landry as he rolled to his left toward the sideline and found Cameron Kenney streaking across the middle of the field with Husker All-American cornerback Prince Amukamara providing blanket coverage. Jones’ pass was picture perfect for an on-the-run throw and Kenney was able to twist away from Amukamara’s initial tackle attempt and pick up extra yardage, gaining 23 of the 24 yards needed for the first down. 

When asked about Landry’s decision-making process - not forcing throws and throwing it away when he had to - Stoops said, “He did a great job of that. They [Nebraska] are in tight coverage most of the time, so, you know, if you’re throwing a ball off balance a little late, little behind, there is a great chance of it being tipped or intercepted.” He added, “So there are sometimes you’ve either got to eat it, throw it away or just give up on it. And he did a nice job in all those decision making times.”

Another main-stay of the OU offense, senior running back Demarco Murray, produced great yardage against a hard-nosed Nebraska defense. While some may have taken Murray’s numbers for granted - 17 rushes for 68 yards and 5 catches for 60 yards - since he almost always puts up big numbers, you might have a different take on Murray’s performance when you consider his answer to my questions after the game.

Keeping in mind that this was Murray’s first time to get to play in a Big 12 Championship game, I started by asking Murray to talk about winning the last Big 12 Championship, to which he replied, “It’s a great felling, you know, all the things we’ve been through this year and definitely me, just being a part of my senior year and being part of this last victory, this last Big 12 Championship, it’s a great feeling.”

I then asked him how exciting it was for him to be going back to a BCS bowl in his senior year. Murray replied, “Great, great. I mean, this is my first one [bowl game] that I’ve been able to play in and be a part of. And just like tonight, it was an awesome feeling, you know, the experience and the atmosphere was incredible for me and I just loved every moment.”

I ended by asking him if he felt good going into the game, keeping in mind the injury he sustained in the Bedlam game a week ago and after I noticed him seeming a little unsure of himself in pre-game warm-ups. Murray said, “No. I didn’t know if I was going to play until really the first series. I came out, warmed up, I didn’t feel good at all and I didn’t feel like I was ready mentally or physically and, you know, just talking to our training staff and coaches, they told me if I can do it then go. If not, you know, just step out and let Mossis [Madu] and Roy [Finch] carry the load, which, I have a lot of faith in those guys, but, I mean, I felt like they needed me out there and I played as hard as I can and as well as I could. Nothing was going to keep me out of this one.” 

The Sooner defense came up big in the second half of the game after allowing all 20 of Nebraska’s points in the first half. Junior starting middle linebacker Austin Box said of the defense, “Coming out early, I think we were a little tentative. They made some plays on us, not to take anything away from them. When the game got going and the defense settled in and started making some plays, we were playing our kind of defense.”

The two stars of the OU defense on the night were, without a doubt, junior linebacker Travis Lewis and senior defensive end turned defensive tackle Pryce Macon. Lewis finished the night with 6 total tackles, 2 fumble recoveries - his first and second recoveries of his career at OU -, 1 pass break-up and 1 interception. Macon ended his night with career bests in all categories as he totaled 5 tackles (all solo), 3 sacks for 21 yards, 5 tackles-for-loss for 24 yards lost and 2 forced fumbles. 

When Lewis intercepted Martinez in the end zone as the Huskers looked to go up 24-0 in the second quarter, he became tied with Sam Allen -  a linebacker in the Bud Wilkinson days at OU - for interceptions in a career by a linebacker with 8. Lewis’ pick couldn’t have come at a better time as the Sooner defense had allowed the Huskers to drive the length of the field after OU had just scored their first points of the game. The interception gave the Sooner offense the ball at the 20 and they were able to put together a drive of their own deep into Husker territory to set up a field goal from Jimmy Stevens to cut the Husker lead to 7.

Lewis was again in on a turnover on Nebraska;s next possession. Husker senior running back Roy Helu, Jr. took a 2nd and 11 hand off from Taylor Martinez and picked up 6 yards before OU corner back Demontre Hurst hit Helu, Jr. square in the forearm and forced the fumble that Lewis recovered. Two plays later, that turnover was also converted into points, this time a 1 yard plunge from Landry Jones to tie the score at 17.

Macon also came very close to tying an old OU record with his 5 tackles-for-loss. He now sits second in that category, 1 short of tying the 1994 record set by former New York Giant and 1st rounder Cedric Jones. 

Travis Lewis’ three takeaways were a career-best for him at OU and after the game, Lewis was still humble and a little critical of his play overall, saying, “They [Nebraska] gave me the opportunities and I took advantage of them. I missed a lot of tackles and I gave up some big plays. But we never gave up and kept fighting.”

Macon was also tight-lipped post-game side and it took a little prodding to get the 5th-year senior to open up to reporters afterwards. The people around him and his faith seem to have been great influences on him sticking out his career at OU that has seen him wait behind players like Gerald McCoy, Austin English, Jeremy Beal, Frank Alexander, et al. Coupled with injuries, Macon opened up about his time at OU, “I’m not going to say it’s been easy. But [my] parents wouldn’t let me quit, [my] friends wouldn’t let me quit. You know, I just kept grinding and God had a plan for me. I’m just glad that I stayed and stuck it out and kept fighting, because, hey, I couldn’t see this going any better than this.”

Coach Stoops echoed Macon’s comments when he said, “Pryce did a great job all year. We are proud of him. He’s been through a lot of adversity, some multiple injuries, but kept coming back, and he’s rewarded for it. He’s really played well here down the stretch. To play so well in the Big 12 Championship game is something that I’m sure he’ll remember forever.”

Other notable defenders on the night for the Sooners included team-leading tackler, safety Jonathan Nelson, who had 11 tackles and .5 tackles-for-loss(TFL). Sooner fan-favorite, defensive end/linebacker Ronnell Lewis, had 7 tackles, 1 sack for 5 yards and 1 TFL; Austin Box had 6 tackles, 1 TFL and a fumble recovery; Senior defensive end Frank Alexander added 6 tackles, too, 2 sacks for 13 yards, 4 TFL, and a forced fumble; Freshman safetyTony Jefferson only had 3 tackles on the night, but also recorded 1 sack and TFL for 9 yards lost; and fellow defensive backfield mate Demontre Hurst had 5 tackles, 1 forced fumble and 1 pass break-up that sealed the 23-20 victory for the Sooners. 

Even Coach Stoops made a key play, if you will, when he called a timeout mid-way through the fourth quarter. With 7:31 to play and trailing by 3, Nebraska faced a fourth and four from their own 37. Quarterback Taylor Martinez lined up as a gunner on the punt formation and went in motion to his left. As soon as he did, Coach Stoops immediately called for the timeout, a perfect call because as the center snapped the ball, the Husker punt team went into their fake-punt play. 

Coach Pelini was forced to punt the ball after the timeout as the Sooners lined up in a punt-safe formation to set up a return. Pelini was asked after the game if he would talk about the call and what he was thinking there, to which he responded, “No, I’m not talking about that. Next question.”

Pelini also made another decision that was questioned by the media afterwards. On the Huskers second to last possession, Nebraska possessed the ball at the OU 39 yard line. Defensive end Frank Alexander apparently made a game-saving play as it turns out when he sacked Martinez on third and 8 from the OU 39 for an 8 yard loss and caused a fumble that Martinez jumped on for an additional 3 yards lost, putting the ball on the 50 yard line. On the ensuing fourth down play, Alexander jumped offsides putting the ball on the 45 of OU, in range for a 62 yard field goal attempt. However, Coach Pelini decided to punt the ball anyways, a decision that could be one he regrets down the line and showed mixed feelings on after the game.

In regards to skip the field goal attempt, Pelini said, “You look back, I wish we would have. But we got the ball back, so, you know. If you kick it there and they have that kind of field position, the game’s over. I thought we could stop them. We did. We got the football back. Had an opportunity and didn’t make the most of it.”

Lastly, if the name Tony Jefferson is a bit vague to you, get to know the name as the freshman safety has shown flashes all year of being Coach Stoops next long-awaited answer to the “Roy-back” position, a phrase coined by coaching staff members in regards to former Sooner safety great and current Cincinnati Bengal Roy Williams. 

Make no mistake, Jefferson has made his share of blunders this year, missing some key tackles at critical points in games and letting receivers get behind him in coverage; but Saturday night, the young freshman made a play that many payers only dream about making. Fellow freshman and opposing quarterback Taylor Martinez had the Husker offense in perfect position to make a few quick plays and get his team in line for a game-tying field goal when they took over at their own 41 yard line after a Tress Way punt, but Jefferson put his stamp on the game at the 1:25 mark when he rushed through the Husker offensive line, untouched on a delayed blitz and sacked Martinez for a 9 yard loss. 

The Huskers were unable to pick up the 16 yards they needed to get a first down  and on 4th and 4 from the Nebraska 47, Demontre Hurst made his second game-defining play as he broke up his lone pass of the game, a pass from Martinez to receiver Brandon Kinnie that would have given Nebraska a first down and kept their drive alive. 

OU escorted Nebraska out of the conference with their 45th overall loss to the Sooners, making the all-time record between the two schools 45-38-3, including 6-4 in the Big 12 era with all 6 wins coming under Coach Stoops. OU also ends the final Big 12 Championship Game with a record setting comeback. The 17 point deficit the Sooners overcame was the second largest total ever by a team in the title game. 

This Sooner team has faced much adversity this season, especially away from Norman, Ok and the players and coaches took many criticisms for their struggles in losses to Missouri and Texas A & M. But after that loss in College Station, this team - especially on the defensive side of the ball - really woke up and began playing with a sort of passion and exuberance they had missed in the previous two losses. 

Credit it to junior linebacker Austin Box’s return to middle linebacker, credit it to Coaches making adjustments and going to the “50” front on defense, credit it to the players stepping up and making the plays necessary to get their team back to the Big 12 Title Game. Credit it to whomever you wish, the main idea here is that these Sooners were, as Travis Lewis said, “...with their backs against the wall...” and they persevered and came out champions once again. 

Now with offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson all but surely leaving the program to become the next head coach at the University of Indiana, we’ll see if the distraction of losing a coach will affect this group or if they will, as they have already proven they can do, fight back and overcome adversity one more time and win just their second Fiesta Bowl in school history against the Big East Champion UCONN Huskies. 

Big 12 Championsip Game Article

published in the McAlester News-Capital:

Sooners' win better late than never

ARLINGTON, TX — This past Saturday, Oklahoma Head Coach Bob Stoops and his Sooners entered into their 8th Big 12 Title Game appearance, and, after a rocky start that saw the Sooners dip into a 17 point deficit, fortunately for Oklahoma and Stoops, OU was able to walk away with an exhilarating 23-20 victory that literally came down to the last possession of the game.

From about the 8:50 mark on in the first quarter through half-time, the offenses for both teams came alive and scored the bulk of both team’s points in the contest. Other than that time frame, both team’s defenses took center stage and showcased a bevy of defensive talent in front of 78, 810 fans.

Both teams came out looking a little too amped up for this final meeting between the two schools for the foreseeable future. After 2 punts from OU and 1 from Nebraska, the Huskers took the ball at the Nebraska 34 yard line. Eleven seconds later, Roy Helu, Jr. was celebrating in the end zone after a 66 yard scamper right through the heart of OU’s front seven.

After yet another three-and-out by the OU offense, Nebraska would make what would prove to be yet another big play, this time on special teams. After a short 33 yard punt from the Sooners Tress Way, Husker return man Tim Marlowe ran for 17 yards on the return to the OU 42. Six yards later, Nebraska First-Team All-Big 12 place-kicker Alex Henery boomed a 53 yard field goal that would have been good from much longer if needed. At the 6:11 mark, Nebraska had a two possession lead, 10-0.

Oklahoma starting cornerback Demontre Hurst said, “We had some mistakes, gave up some big plays early in the game and we had to bounce back. We just kept our heads up and things turned out good,” when asked about his thoughts of the defense’s performance.

After back-and-forth punts that would move the ball game into the second quarter of play, OU quarterback Landry Jones would make his first mistake of the evening. On first and ten from the OU 22, Jones tossed a pass over the middle that was tipped and intercepted by Courtney Osborne and returned for 33 yards to the OU 12. Interestingly enough, more drama ensued at the end of the play as OU wide receiver Ryan Broyles appeared to have taken the ball away from Osborne, but Husker Coach Bo Pelini challenged the play and after review, the call of a takeaway by Broyles was overturned.

Two plays later, sophomore running back Rex Burkhead set up in the “wildcat” formation, took the shotgun snap and found tight end Kyler Reed for a 5 yard touchdown, his third touchdown pass this season on his third attempt, all coming in the last two weeks of play. With 12:14 left to play, the Huskers looked to be on cruise control as they stretched their lead to 17-0.

OU senior defensive end Jeremy Beal knew there was still hope for the Sooners, saying after the game, “We kept fighting, just kept on fighting. There was a lot of emotional waves and luckily we came back...”

The Sooners needed something, anything to go their way if they wanted to get back into the football game, and it did. Landry Jones took a 1st and 10 snap from the Nebraska 49 yard line and found Kenny Stills on a post pattern to the end zone for a 49 yard bomb that put OU on the scoreboard for the first time. With 11:02 left, the Huskers lead 17-7.

The Huskers came out on their next drive appearing to be ready to strike back at the Sooners and answer their score. But when Nebraska reached the OU 8 yard line, quarterback Taylor Martinez sat in the pocket a little too long and threw an errant pass into coverage in the end zone and was picked off by linebacker Travis Lewis.

“It all starts with our defensive line,” Lewis remarked when asked about the pick in the post-game presser. “They did a great job getting pressure on it [the play]. And they ran a route that we expected to come and kind of baited them [Martinez] into throwing it. He threw across his body, and these hands ain’t what they used to be, but God gave me the gift and I caught it.”

Defensive Coordinator Brent Venables had this to say of Lewis’ interception: “That’s a field goal at least [for Nebraska], if we don’t get that. It all ties together. We got pressure on the coverage and we got coverage in the secondary. We played with discipline tonight.”

Oklahoma would drive the ball 71 yards on 12 plays, eating up 4:24 off the clock and ended up settling for a 26 yard field goal by Jimmy Stevens from the Nebraska 9 yard line to take the score to 17-10. Oklahoma was within striking distance of the Huskers lead and the Sooner defense was ready to get their offense back out on the field to do just that before half-time.

On the Huskers next drive, running back Roy Helu, Jr. most likely was looking to grind out the clock and keep the Sooner offense off the field with only 2:35 remaining before half-time. However, on a second and eleven play from the Nebraska 19, Helu, Jr. rushed for 6 yards when OU cornerback Demontre Hurst hit the ball with his helmet, causing a fumble that was recovered by linebacker Travis Lewis at the Husker 31.

Landry Jones and company took the field looking for a quick strike score and the Sooners looked to freshman receiver Kenny Stills once again as he popped open down the field and grabbed what initially looked like his second score of the game. After an instant replay review, it was determined that Stills was down inside the one yard line, and, on the next play, quarterback Landry Jones punched in a 1 yard dive into the end zone to tie up the score at 17 all with just 1:37 left to play.

But the Cornhuskers were not quite finished with the second quarter. The Nebraska offense used a methodical running attack from Rex Burkhead and two pass completions from Taylor Martinez to set up place-kicker Alex Henery once again, this time from 42 yards out, putting the Huskers back on top heading into half-time, 20-17.

At the half, OU had out-gained Nebraska 277 yards to 213. Both quarterbacks had thrown an interception apiece, but Jones had a marked advantage on Martinez in the yardage department as he threw for 196 yards compared to only 78 for the Nebraska freshman.

A glaring sore spot for the OU defense was Rex Burkhead and Roy Helu, Jr. Oklahoma’s defense had little answer for running back duo as they gashed OU for 135 yards and a touchdown. Burkhead also added his 5 yard touchdown toss, but Helu, Jr. equalized things a bit with his 2nd quarter fumble that set up OU’s tying score.

The second half of play saw both sides defenses step up and play lights out. Oklahoma stepped up first on Nebraska’s opening drive when defensive end Pryce Macon sacked Martinez for a 4 yard loss that also forced a fumble that was recovered by junior linebacker Austin Box at the Nebraska 24. However, OU spoiled that early chance to knot the score up at 20 with 10:37 to play in the third as Jimmy Stevens missed a 24 yard attempt wide right from the Nebraska 7.

But redemption waited just around the corner for the Oklahoma place-kicker as Nebraska was unable to move the ball and punted back to OU. The Sooners drove 59 yards to the Nebraska 3 yard line, aided by a long pass from Jones to Ryan Broyles for 47 yards. Stevens connected on the 20-yarder, this time knotting the score up at 20 all with 7:04 left to play.

The defenses once again took center stage as both teams would trade punts twice, taking the game into the 4th quarter before either team made a substantial move. At the 11:31 mark, it was the OU defense that once again caused a fumble, which was again covered by Travis Lewis, the last turnover of the game for either team, and unfortunately for Coach Pelini, his team’s fourth of the game.

The Oklahoma offense took the field again, and after Landry Jones hit Demarco Murray on a pass play for 19 yards to the Nebraska 46, Jones made what looked to be a huge mistake two plays later. Jones dropped back on second and ten from the 46 and took a 14 yard sack from Husker All-Big 12 defensive lineman Jared Crick, backing the Sooners into their territory.

Redemption awaited on the very next play, and Jone’s cool demeanor came through in the clutch for OU. Facing third and 24, Jones remarkably found senior receiver Cameron Kenney - defended by All-American, All Big 12, and Jim Thorpe Award Finalist Prince Amukamara - for a 23 yard gain to set up a fourth and one attempt.

Jones made perhaps the biggest play of the game and that fourth and one when he once again found Kenney - guarded again by Amukamara - on a slant pattern for 11 yards, helping set up Jimmy Stevens on a 27 yard attempt that put the Sooners in the lead for the first time in the game, 23-20, with just 8:38 left to play.

When I asked him about his calm play at the end of the game, he responded in the typical, humble manner in which Jones has carried himself all season long, saying, “With the way our defense plays, our offense is never out of the game. I can’t say enough about what Nebraska’s defense does and it’s offense does,” never truly taking credit for the serenity he seems to bring to this Oklahoma team.

Coach Stoops, however, was ready to lend credence to Jones’ effectiveness in leading the offense, especially on the 3rd and 24 play, remarking, “He came up with some clutch throws under pressure a few times and on the run. Found some guys late that really made a difference. The one we had 3rd and 20-something, and he picked up all but maybe a yard of it. Then we pick up the first down after that, that was special.”

That score proved to be the last the Sooners would need in the game. The OU defense really tightened up and did not allow the Husker offense to get synced up again. Martinez would really struggle down the stretch, looking noticeably hobbled after a Frank Alexander sack from his defensive end position that pushed Nebraska out of field goal range with just over 3:00 minutes to play.

After Oklahoma had yet another three-and-out, Nebraska took over with 1:46 left on their own 41 yard line. The Huskers only needed about 20 yards to get into Alex Henery’s field goal range. The Sooner defense knew this and it was a true freshman from Chula Vista, Ca. that came through for OU in the clinch.

Martinez took a second and seven snap from his own 44, took three steps back, and before he could react, the aforementioned freshman, safety Tony Jefferson, came rushing in on a delayed blitz off the left side of the line and sacked Martinez a 9 yard loss back to the Husker 35, the last of the Sooners incredible 7 sacks during the game.

Martinez would hit receiver Brandon Kinnie for a 12 yard gain on third down, but OU cornerback Demontre Hurst sealed the victory on 4th and 4 from the Husker 47 as Martinez attempted a pass to Kinnie again, this time, however, his pass was deflected to the ground and Bob Stoops and Sooner fans could finally exhale and begin to enjoy not only the last Big 12 Championship game for the foreseeable future, but Stoops’ 7th in his 12 year tenure as the Sooners head man.

After the game, Hurst commented on his pass break-up at the end of the game, saying, “I was just anticipating. I knew where they were gonna go and I tried to make a good play. I made a good play...and we’re Big 12 Champions!”

Fellow defensive teammate and linebacker Austin Box shared in Hurst’s enthusiasm in having the defense make 2 stops at the end of the game, adding, “That’s huge. We knew with about three minutes left with their offense backed up, we’d have to make more stops to win the game. So we just trust in our defense, trust in our coaching and went out an executed and made the plays.”

ABC’s “Unrivaled Player of the Game” Travis Lewis wrapped things up in terms of the intensity of the defense on the night, stating, “We wanted it. We wanted this bad. This has been a long season. We have been tested in so many ways. We have been with our backs against the wall. We came out here and the defense totally dominated.”

Next up for Coach Stoops and the Sooners is a date on January 1, 2011 in Glendale, Arizona to play in the program’s 8th BCS game. Their opponent will be the Connecticut Huskies, who won the Big East Title Saturday evening when they defeated South Florida, 19-16.

Read Brett Hill’s blog at http://footballimp.blogspot.com or email him at brett_t_hill@hotmail.com. Check back on Tuesday for in-depth analysis of the final Big 12 Title Game from Arlington, with more notes, stats and quotes from both sides.

Big 12 Championship: Friday Afternoon with Oklahoma Coach Bob Stoops

At 3:30 today, Head Coaches Bo Pelini and Bob Stoops held press conferences with members of the national media inside the Dallas Cowboys stadium. The following are quotes from Head Coach Bob Stoops press conference this afternoon (quotes from Bo Pelini follow below):

Opening Statements... "We're, of course, as a team and program, really feel fortunate and excited to be in this position to compete for another Big 12 Championship. We're proud to represent Oklahoma in the south division; and playing another great tradition and program in Nebraska, with such a history in this game of competing for championships these two programs. Awful proud of Bo and his group of coaches, so many that I know that have had such an outstanding short career there, and to be back in this game again, we recognize it as a big challenge, of course. But exciting one and one we're really looking forward to being out here tomorrow night in this stadium and competing for another Big 12 Championship. So the team has had a great week of work, and we're really -- they'll be bussing down here shortly. They get in in the evening, and kind of our normal routine from here."


On what he saw out of Demarco Murray in Thursday's practice... "He looked good. He went through the entire practice and was feeling good afterwards. So that's all a positive sign. So we anticipate him being prepared and ready to go."


On the uncertainty of preparing against three capable quarterbacks with Taylor Martinez's health up in the air... "You take a little extra time and work on some of the stuff you've seen from Cody Green and Zac Lee. And we did that. A lot of it, some of it doesn't really matter. It's the same offense and a lot of the same plays. Other parts of it, particularly some of the passing game you work a little bit more and prepare for. That's what we've done, and hopefully we're ready for it."


On the one or two areas in where he has seen his team improve... "We are, in the last several weeks playing really consistently and confidently. I think a couple of the areas first would be mental mistakes, primarily defensively being aligned and in proper position. So much at a time some of the plays we had given up, not to take anything away, people take advantage of it when you're not disciplined to be doing what we're supposed to be doing. We've been very much better and very consistent about that in the last few weeks. Offensively I think two areas we've been, for the most part, balanced. We've been effective running the football and persistent running the football which has opened up a lot of big plays and passing for Landry Jones and his continued emergence as a special quarterback."


On if Jonathan Nelson [senior safety injured early on in the Bedlam Game] would be ready to go Saturday... "He's ready to go. He's practiced since Monday, and has been solid. And I never talk about any type of injuries if a guy's set to play. Just no matter what it is, I just don't think there is no sense in anyone targeting what his issues were."


On how much more confidence he has in Landry Jones going into this game as opposed to last year's game with Nebraska in Lincoln... "It's not even comparable. But I think the big reason is not only Landry's mindset, his experience, and the confidence that he's played with here in the last, you know, this whole year. I think more than that it's also a year ago knowing that everybody wants to dump it all on him. He wasn't supported very well. Look at the penalties we had in that game. Look at our banged up offensive line that we didn't have. Look at the receivers and dropped balls. It goes on and on. I thought to finish the year like we did, I thought our offensive coaches did a marvelous job piecing it together. We play Oklahoma State the last game of the regular season. We have one lineman walk-on left to play, to go in. If anybody's hurt he's got to play all the positions. We move our third team tight end to right tackle to play that game the day of the game. So in the end, we were just hanging on. It's not Landry's fault. In a lot of ways through all the different injuries and all, it was all we could do. He wasn't supported in a great way, but I still thought through the year he had a really good year for his situation."


On if he feels like the "people's champ" going into this game with Nebraska leaving the conference after this season... "I don't know. In the end maybe that's the case. I'll take it if that's the -- I'll take all the good vibrations I can get. But I'm not out there meaning out in the public, papers, reading, listening to news. I don't know if that's the case or not. I guess maybe I'm not the best one to ask that. I'm kind of in a cocoon, going to practice, getting ready for the game, so I'm not aware of it. But if that's the case, we'll take all the rooting and all the cheering from whoever wants to give it to us."


On what makes Nebraska's defense so good... "A number of things. They're coached well. They do a great job coaching. I know Bo has a hand in it. His brother Carl as coordinator and Mike Ekeler and those guys have done a great job. You see the discipline. They play physical. They've got excellent talent. When you look at their cover guys, you look at them up front with their toughness in their front four. So, all of it together they play an excellent scheme. They're well-schooled at it."

Big 12 Championship: Friday Afternoon with Nebraska Coach Bo Pelini

At 3:30 today, Head Coaches Bo Pelini and Bob Stoops held short pre-Big 12 press conferences. Both coaches seemed very relaxed and answered questions for about 20 minutes each. Pelini lead off the pre-game presser. The following are snippets of what coach Pelini had to say to members of national media:

Opening Statements... "I'm proud of our football team and how hard they've worked. You know, it's not easy. This a great conference. There's a lot of tremendous competition, and getting ourselves here and to win the North [Division] and I told our guys, you have earn your way to get a chance to play for a championship. We've done that, we understand that we're going to play a tremendous football team tomorrow night. A heck of a program that's well coached. It'll be a great challenge for our team, and that's the way it should be. You know, you should have to play the best [team] and that's the case. It should be a heck of a match-up, North versus South. We're looking forward to the challenge as is our football team. 

On Oklahoma turning around since the Texas A & M game... "Well, I think when you -- you kind of watch their whole body of work when you're getting ready for a football team. To their credit, they've gotten better as the year has gone on. I don't know whether it was just about the A&M game. I think that you've watched them. I've seen them progress and get better week to week. To me that's the sign of a good football team and a well-coached football team. You expect that teams are going to be playing at their best, or should be playing at their best when you get to the end of the season. I think that is the case with OU. I think they have nice balance, and they're playing well in all phases of the game."

On Taylor Martine's performance in practice this week... "Taylor did well. You know, he was -- we limited his reps at times and thought he did some good things. I liked what I saw."

On the difference in coming into this game as opposed to the conference title game last year [against Texas]... "It's no different. I don't approach it -- I don't pay attention to who is an underdog and who is not an underdog. I don't even know who is favored to win this year. That is pretty irrelevant. In the end it's about going out there with the understanding that whoever wins the football game is going to earn it.

You have to do it on the field. You go out there and you compete, you try to execute your game plan the best you possibly can, and let the chips fall where they may. That has nothing to do with who people are predicting or not predicting is going to win the football game. It's going to be earned on the field, that's for sure."

On if his plan is to wait to decide who will be his starting quarterback Saturday... "It is."

On if he's seen anything that might change his mind... "I have a pretty good idea (laughing)."

On if he would wake up in the morning and decide... "I usually take a nap right before the game so....(laughing)"

On what he noticed about Oklahoma's offense coming in to the game... "Well, I think their offense, first of all, it's very well coached. I think that they have-- it always starts with the quarterback. I think he's a good decision maker, makes quick decisions, is very accurate. Their skill people are as good as you're going to play against, guys that can really make things happen with the ball. You're talking about Broyles and Murray, I mean, right across the board. They have guys that can run, they can make plays.

And they're well-coached. They play hard up front. They have good balance. He they pretty much can hurt you run and pass, and they do it out of a multitude of personnels and sets. They create a lot of problems for you defensively. You've got to be on point. You add to that the tempo they play with, and the amount of plays they run at you, they put stress on you from the beginning for four quarters. I guess that's what you're after if you're coaching offense. I mean, they put a lot of stress on you defensively."

On if he could take anything from the game last year in which the Huskers beat Oklahoma and picked off Landry Jones 5 times... "No, not really. Like I said, we executed well. We had some things go our way last year. There is a combination of things. But today he's a different football player, Landry is a different football player now than he was at that time. They're a different offense, we're different defensively, the personnel, lot of things. So obviously they're going to look at that game. We looked at that game. There are a lot of things that you can take from it, but it's not going to have any impact on what happens tomorrow night."

On whether past issues in officiating [especially the Texas A & M game] has weighed on his and/or his team's mind... "No, sometimes I think that stuff is blown out of proportion. You know what, let's face it, coaches aren't perfect. There's never been a referee that's been perfect. It's human error. And things happen. It's an emotional game. It's a competitive game. Things happen. I think I said it a couple weeks ago, it's not a personal thing. You don't hold a grudge or anything else. Things happen. I do know this. Everybody that walks out there coaches, referees, players, administration, everybody's trying to do the best job they possibly can. But it's human error comes in and nobody's perfect. No one's ever going to be perfect. You move on. You move forward. You've got to accept all of those things as part of the game.

If you want to win, you want to win championships, you want good things to happen, you have to overcome human error on a lot of different levels."

Big 12 Title Game Preview

2010 Big 12 Title Game: Story Lines Abound

Sooners Seek 8th Conference Title

Arlington- After the Oklahoma Sooners thrilling victory in this year’s 105th meeting of Beldam in Stillwater, Bob Stoops and his troops will march south to Arlington, Texas to play in what will be the last Big 12 Championship Title Game under the current league of teams. This will be Stoops’ eighth appearance in the title game in his twelve years as the Sooners head man. He is 7-1 all time in conference championship games, his only loss coming in 2003 when Kansas State knocked off the then number 1 ranked Sooners.

Since then, Stoops has gone on to be, without a doubt, the best coach in getting his players ready to enter play in the conference championship game. Since that loss in 2003, Oklahoma has captured the crown in 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008. The 2010 title game will feature an Oklahoma versus Nebraska match-up for just the second time in Stoops’ career, something not lost on the head coach in Norman. 

"I guess I have to say something, of course, the tradition and history of this rivalry is second to none. You look at the number of years it expands and the times we've met over the years in the Big 8 Conference and the Big 12 Conference where we've met when there have been championship implications on this game,” Stoops said in his presser on Tuesday. “[It is] One of the most special rivalries in all of football. It's really fitting that the last time we're in the conference together to have, I like to say, one more go at it. It's really kind of exciting for everybody."

Also fitting is the number of conference championships each school holds respectively. Nebraska has captured 43 conference titles, whereas Oklahoma is right behind the Huskers with 42. Fitting in that the Sooners can match - perhaps - their most storied rival outside of Texas in the game Saturday with a win. 

Another interesting aspect of this game is both head coaches are no strangers to one another. Head Coach Bo Pelini has prior knowledge of the Sooner staff, as they do him due to the time he served as co-defensive coordinator under Stoops in the 2004 season before moving on to LSU and eventually Nebraska. Stoops and both Bo and Carl Pelini grew up in Youngstown, Ohio and attended Cardinal Mooney High School. To say there is an intertwined nature of their relationship would be an understatement. 

And, as Stoops jokingly commented Tuesday, Carol Stoops might have other allegiances during the title game tilt. “Carl lived for I don't know how many months with my wife and I at Kansas State in Manhattan. My wife considers him like a brother. She might be halfway rooting for him. I'm kidding."

Earlier this week, the All-Big 12 Coaches and AP award winners were released and, as usual, many Sooner and Husker players donned the 2010 list. There will be several head-to-head match-ups between All-Big 12 conference selections for bragging rights and bravado Saturday as well. The Coaches Defensive Player of the Year, Nebraska defensive back Prince Amukamara, will try to do what only one team - the Texas Longhorns - has done to Oklahoma AP First Team All-Big 12 wide receiver Ryan Broyles and hold him to 5 catches and under 50 yards receiving, Broyles’ lowest outputs in both categories this season. The Nebraska offense will also have their hands full in trying to protect the quarterback as AP All-Big 12 Player of the Year, defensive end Jeremy Beal, will go up against a Husker offensive line that includes AP and Coaches First Team right guard Ricky Henry. 

Nebraska freshman linebacker Lavonte David, voted the AP Defensive Newcomer of the Year, will also have his hands full in dealing with AP and Coaches First Team kick returner/running back Demarco Murray. Lastly, Oklahoma’s lone All-Big 12 First Team offensive lineman, senior right tackle Eric Mensik, will have to help battle Husker senior defensive tackle Jared Crick, as he attempts to get to Sooner quarterback and AP All-Big 12 second teamer Landry Jones. 

A major point of contention Saturday - for both teams - will be the health and availability of the Husker’s AP Big 12 Offensive Newcomer of the Year, freshman quarterback Taylor Martinez. And, unless you haven’t watched college football this season, you have seen, read and/or heard of the myriad of controversies surrounding the volatile quarterback and his head coach. 

The most memorable moment so far came in the Huskers last loss in College Station to Texas A & M. Multiple reports said that after Martinez was injured in the first half of the game with the Aggies, he was taken into the medical room for evaluation. After the game, it was reported that Martinez retrieved his cell phone and texted his father and did not return to the sideline in a mannerly time. 

What happened next unfolded for the entire nation to see on the sidelines as Pelini became irate, screaming at Martinez, poking him in the chest with his finger, noticeable angered by something the quarterback had done. After re-watching the scene that ensued between the two, and a little help from lip readers, it becomes pretty easy to tell that the two clearly weren’t seeing eye to eye to say the least.

The following day when the Huskers returned to Lincoln, rumors swirled that Martinez was quitting the team, and, after some calming of the waters - on whose side we do not know - Martinez was still on the team, but did not play in Nebraska’s last home game, a rivalry bout with Colorado, ruled out with a right ankle injury. 

If Martinez can’t go, back-up Cody Green will likely get the nod to start the game, with senior Zac Lee backing him up. However, Green likely would not see the field 100% of the time as Pelini has shown a propensity for going to the wildcat formation with sophomore running back Rex Burkhead when Green has started and/or played in place of the injured Martinez. Pelini has also alluded that he may opt to play Martinez and Green if need be, so what’s to come from the Nebraska offense is yet to be determined. 

Oddly enough, Martinez’s health seems to be somewhat of a non-issues to Stoops’ team if senior safety and All-American Quinton Carter is representative of the attitude of the defense as he replied Tuesday to questions of how the defense would game plan not knowing who would start at quarterback for the Huskers, “I don't think it [the game plan] changes at all. We still prepare the same way. Their offense won't change at all, I don't think, just because their quarterback was hurt. They still have been winning games with different quarterbacks."

With so many memorable games between these two storied programs, Saturday’s game may be the penultimate match-up between the programs as Nebraska is scheduled to leave the conference. Earlier in the week, a plan for the teams to play a home-and-home series in 2020-2021 is being considered by both schools, a series that would see new players and could have similar levels of hype the 2010 Big 12 Conference Championship Game is receiving.

The Sooners lead all-time in their storied rivalry with Nebraska at 44-38-3. The two teams met last season in Lincoln, NE where a defensive battle ensued and saw Pelini, Ndamukong Suh and the Huskers prevail with a 10-3 victory. Oklahoma’s Landry Jones - then only a red-shirt freshman filling in for the injured Sam Bradford - tossed 5 interceptions and hampered any real chance the Sooners had at taking home a win. Conversely, the two schools also met in the 2006 Big XII championship game in Kansas City, MO where OU captured its 4th conference crown.

The 2010 season has been much more favorable to these young Sooners compared to their 8-5 season in 2009, especially in regards to Jones as of late. After opening the season on a 4 game win streak this year, defeating all of their out-of-conference opponents, the Sooners took the Red River Rivalry for the first time in 2 years and Oklahoma would jump out to the early number 1 spot in the initial BSC rankings. 

However, stumbling blocks awaited the Sooners in Columbia, MO. and College Station, TX. as the Sooners would drop road games to Mizzou and Texas A & M, giving way to a barrage of questions surrounding the Sooners inability to play consistently on the road and defeat highly ranked teams. 

Now, with wins under their belts against a resurgent Baylor team and a top 10 ranked Oklahoma State squad - both of which were on the road - Stoops and his staff can now focus on being back in that familiar territory of playing for a conference championship. Landry Jones has shown miles of improvement since a lackadaisical outing against Texas A & M and the offensive and defensive lines have progressed into solid groups capable of controlling the line of scrimmage against top-end competition. 

After his team’s 8th straight victory over their in-state rivals, Coach Stoops had the following to say about Saturday’s title game tilt with the Cornhuskers: “What would be more fitting though and how exciting to be able to pair up against Nebraska - not that it’s exciting to play them, they’re an excellent football team - but the tradition there and the history between Nebraska and Oklahoma and with them departing from us, to have one more go at it’s really pretty exciting and special.”

Lastly, Coach Stoops commented on having to play a conference championship game while other teams are able to have their seasons completed. “If you're not in the top one, two or three in the National Championship picture, for instance there have been many other years that we've been looking at the National Championship game after this. So that team that you're going to see won't be playing. They're sitting at home relaxing while you have this huge game in front of you. You don't like it and you think why in the world are we doing this?” Stoops said. “In these kind of years, it's exciting as heck. It's what you want, you really look forward to it and it's a special environment to play in. The players are excited, the fans are. These kind of years you really love it so it's a kind of catch 22 depending on the year you're having."

As Oklahoma State found out last week, a relaxed and excited Coach Stoops isn’t exactly what you would like to see coming into a game of this magnitude. Could Stoops be taking steps back to fans and media being ready to give him back the monicker of “Big Game Bob”? That’s yet to be determined and in all likelihood, Stoops will not only have to win this final conference title game, but also the Fiesta Bowl that would await a victorious Sooner team. 

I for one believe that these Sooners are peaking at the right time in their season and the youngsters that have made some mistakes along the way at losses to Missouri and Texas A & M have vastly matured in their last two road games. If  Landry Jones can keep his interceptions to under 2 and the defense can wreak havoc on whichever quarterback or wildcat running back the Huskers throw at them, I see Coach Stoops carrying back his 8th Big 12 Conference Championship. It would mean that in even numbered years since 2000, the Sooners would have won every title game. My prediction: OU 34, Nebraska 13.

For more, check out my blog at http://footballimp.blogspot.com Saturday evening for my commentary and thoughts during the game or email me at: brett_t_hill@hotmail.com with any questions. 

Bedlam 2010 Post Game

Bedlam 2010: Sooners Take Care of Cowboys in 4th, Silence Critics 

Norman - Bob Stoops entered the 2010 Bedlam Rivalry game with thoughts of advancing to his 8th Big XII conference championship game. After one of the more thrilling Bedlam games - surely the most entertaining fourth quarter of a Beldam game ever - and after the BCS moved OU up from the number 13 spot to number 9, Oklahoma will meet up, one last time, with what many fans consider to one of OU’s true rivals, the Nebraska Cornhuskers. 

After their exciting win over the Cowboys last Saturday, Stoops and his players were extremely jovial and ebullient, prepared for the challenge of getting back to the conference title game, but still relishing proving their critics wrong in picking the upstart Pokes to record their first win against them under the supervision of Mike Gundy. 

Perhaps junior linebacker Travis Lewis said it best after the game. When asked about the performance of his team, Lewis replied, “Hopefully we've silenced all the doubters. We just beat two great teams [Baylor and OSU] on the road so that just goes out to all our players. We're mentally tough, we came here, we did what we needed to do and we got the win."

When asked about the game living up the hype building up to the 7:00 kick, Stoops said, “I really sensed all week that our players were really anxious about it [Bedlam] and looking forward to it, to be in this moment.” Stoops added, “We knew coming in here [Stillwater] we’d have to play well to have an opportunity to win. I’m excited about our team and how we did that. I was so pleased at how we performed offensively and made big plays in the fourth quarter when we had to have them.”

And, as many like to ponder before the game, there usually is that player that comes into a game like Bedlam, flying under the radar and has a break out performance or one that may surprise fans and help their team seal a victory for their team. Little did anyone guess that player for Oklahoma would be much maligned placekicker Jimmy Stevens.

Now, if you feel that Stevens wasn’t quite worth that high of praise, consider first that in the post-game press conference, Stoops first mentioned the play of Stevens, saying “Jimmy Stevens got the first game ball when we got in there [the locker room]. I told him he was the biggest difference in the game making all his kicks the way he did.” Now consider that without Stevens’ field goals, the Sooners would be sitting at home in Norman this weekend. The unassuming kicker that took the brunt of many criticisms over the past two seasons has begun the process of redeeming himself with his performance over the last two games, recording at least 15 points in each.

There were plenty of other notable performers in the Bedlam game as well, starting with Landry Jones record outing as he tied Heisman Winner Sam Bradford with 468 passing yards in a single game. Landry set himself apart among all other quarterbacks in Sooner history, becoming the only Oklahoma QB to record two 400+ yard passing games in a season.

Outstanding wide receiver Ryan Broyles continues to tear up Sooner records and is positioning himself to make a run at becoming perhaps the most prolific wideout ever to grace a Big XII field. With his touchdown grab in Bedlam, Broyles took sole possession of 4th place all-time in the Big XII with 34. He trails former Cowboy wideout Rashaun Woods by 8 scores, and, if he decides to return for his senior campaign, Broyles will almost assuredly become the conference’s all-time receiver.

Broyles was noticeable excited about his team’s victory Saturday as they proved their doubters wrong saying, “Coming in here [Stillwater], being an underdog - we really didn’t fell that, but the media did - it’s a good feeling to be on the winning end.”

Running back Demarco Murray - despite a knee injury that saw him exit the game in the second half, not to return, rushed himself over the 1,000 yard mark for the season making him the 8th Sooner to rush for over 1,000 yards in the last nine years. 

Sooner safety Quinton Carter recorded two interceptions in the first half of the game giving him 4 for the year and 8 for his career. It was Carter’s first game with multiple interceptions. He was rewarded on Monday by the American Football Coaches Association, being selected to first team All-American Honors, making him OU’s 151st All-American honoree. He is the first defensive back to be selected under Stoops since Jim Thorpe Award Winner Derrick Strait in 2003. 

Lastly, senior wide receiver Cameron Kenney had his best outing ever as a Sooner, recording 6 catches for 141 yards and two touchdowns, earning him a “helmet-sticker” from Reece Davis on ESPN’s College Football Final late Saturday night. After the game, Kenney said, “It’s definitely one of the best games I’ve played in, just because everyone came together as a team.”

 Tight end James Hanna also had a career day, catching 4 balls for 130 yards and the final touchdown of the game that sealed the victory for OU, sending them on to the conference title game.

The Sooner defensive front seven was also a point of emphasis for Stoops after the game. OU held All-American running back Kendall Hunter to just over 50 yards rushing - his lowest total of the season. “I thought the tackling was really good,” Stoops said, “I thought their [the defense] positioning and discipline in playing their spots was really solid and I’m sure some of the 5-0 stuff was different than what we’ve done in the past,” alluding to defensive coordinator Brent Venables use of a 5-0 defensive front, sometimes known as the “Oklahoma Defense” utilized in ways to help stuff opposing team’s running attacks. 

Traditionally this season, the Sooners offense and defense has struggled to put together positive plays and hold opposing offenses out of the end zone. OU’s 23 points in the final frame of Bedlam was by far their most in any outing this season. And, while the defense did allow 17 points to the Cowboys in the second half, the offense’s 4th quarter outing proved to be the difference.

Look for the Sooners to be highly motivated to take this final conference title game. For one, when the critics start to pile on to Coach Stoops and his players, one might argue he takes that criticism personally, and, as evinced by the last two games, Stoops and his staff have taken those criticisms and literally shut them up. Also, if there is one point of emphasis for Coach Stoops, it’s the utter importance of winning the conference crown. If they take the win Saturday, the Sooners will - in all likelihood - be accepting an invitation to play in the Fiesta Bowl for the third time 5 years. Check back later for a Big XII Championship Game Preview and my prediction of the title game. 

Bedlam 2010

Sooners Claim Bedlam Victory, Await BCS

Stillwater - On a chilly, late November evening in Stillwater, OSU Cowboys head coach Mike Gundy sought his first Bedlam victory as the man at the controls for the Pokes. A win would mean many things for OSU. As already mentioned, it would give Gundy his first Bedlam victory, would give the Cowboys their first ever Big XII south division title and title game berth, would send the team to Arlington to seek revenge against their only loss thus far to the Nebraska Cornhuskers, give the program their first ever 11 win season in the history of the football program and, among others, give the Cowboys just their seventh victory at Stillwater against the Sooners in 48 attempts. 

On the other side of the ball, Bob Stoops and his Sooner team would be looking for their  10th win this season and extend their dominance of the recent series to 8 straight victories regardless of venue. The Sooners also played for a berth in what will be the last Big XII championship game the current conference will hold. The Sooners also looked to extend their overall series lead of 80-17-7 in this 105th meeting of the two in-state rivals. 

The story lines abounded as the two teams waited all day to face one another: Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit and Lee Corso graced the Stillwater campus for ESPN’s College Gameday earlier in the day; Justin Blackmon’s ankle injury in the Kansas game a week earlier had many Cowboy and Sooner fans clamoring about the nation’s yardage and touchdown leader for wide receiver’s talking; Mike Holder’s ticket policy of not selling single-game tickets to the match-up ate up local airways; OU’s recent road woes were still a point of contention for both sides even though the Sooners beat up on Big XII south division foe Baylor the previous week; whether or not linebacker Austin Box and running back Roy Finch would be able to play; and the list goes on and on. 

A crowd of 51,164 showed up to T. Boone Pickens stadium to watch the 2010 edition of this game and the 105th Bedlam game ended up being nothing short of an up-and-down roller coaster of emotions for both schools and their fans, one that will surely be ranked as one of the most memorable match-ups between the two rivals in the all-time series.

After opening 3-and-outs by both offenses, the Sooners drew first blood at the 6:50 mark as they marched 82 yards in just over 3 minutes to score on a 6 yard touchdown run by freshman fullback Trey Millard. 

With 4:57 remaining in the first quarter, Sooner quarterback Landry jones stepped up and attempted to simply throw away a pass and get the Sooners to a 4th down to punt. But OSU senior defensive tackle Chris Donaldson applied the pressure, causing the ball to float and was intercepted by soph. cornerback Brodrick Brown. A Jeremy Smith 28 yard run to the OU 8 set up OSU’s first score of the game, a 23 yard Dan Bailey field goal. 

OSU would then commit their first turnover with 47 seconds to go in the first quarter as freshman safety Tony Jefferson tipped Weeden’s pass and senior safety Quinton Carter intercepted the ball and returned it to the OSU 31. OU would take that drive into the opening moments of the second quarter and score on a 2 yard pass from Jones to junior wide receiver Ryan Broyles. At the 13:29 mark, OU led 14-3 and looked to be taking control of the game.

On the ensuing possession for the Cowboys, Weeden retreated away from pressure by junior linebacker Austin Box and lazily tossed a pass over the middle that was intercepted again by Quinton Carter. Weeden looked noticeable hobbled after the play and OU looked to put a nail in the coffin of the Pokes; however, after the Sooners gained a mere 3 yards on the following two plays from scrimmage, Landry Jones once again tossed an interception, this time to freshman linebacker Shaun Lewis who returned the pick 52 yards for a touchdown, cutting into the Sooner lead 14-10. 

The Sooners got a little help in their next drive from the OSU defense as the Cowboys held OU to a 4th and 10 at their 35 yard line. After OU took a 5 yard delay of game penalty, OSU freshman cornerback Justin Gilbert was called for roughing punter Tres Way, giving the Sooners a fresh set of downs at the Poke 25. Jones hooked up with senior wideout Cameron Kenney for passes of 16 yards to the Cowboy 8 and 6 yards for the Sooners third touchdown of the game. With 6:44 remaining, the Sooners lead was extended to 11, 21-10.

After an OSU 3-and-out and punt, poke cornerback Brodrick Brown would make the best defensive play to date in the 2010 college football season. On first and ten from the   Cowboy 42, Landry Jones rolled out of the pocket and once again looked to throw the ball into the sidelines and set up the Sooners for a second down play. Jones’ pass came out flat and the 5’ 8” Brown leaped from in-bounds toward the Sooner bench and tipped the ball back into the field of play where Shaun Lewis awaited the ally-oop and intercepted Jones once again, returning the ball to the Sooner 48. 

Unfortunately for the Cowboys, their offense could not produce any points after committing 2 offsides penalties and punted the ball back to the Sooners. After a 3-and-out by OU, the Cowboys took the ball at their own 41. Weeden took a a first down snap and hit a streaking Justin Blackmon on a 45 yard pass to set up the Pokes at the 14. Three plays later, freshman running back Jeremy Smith scored from 2 yards out to take the score to 21-17 with 1:08 to play in the half. 

The Sooners offense was not quite done and after a short kickoff, a 20 yard pass to Cameron Kenney, 3 more passes for 18 yards and a final 18 yard strike to junior tight end James Hanna, OU kicked their first field goal of the game from 29 yards out by Jimmy Stevens. As the teams entered halftime, OU held a touchdown lead 24-17.

At halftime, OSU was winning the turnover battle 2-3 as Weeden tossed two ints while Jones had three. One area that glaring stood out for the entire game was offensive plays. At half, OU had 60 snaps while OSU’s offense tallied almost half of those with 32. OU racked up 267 yards, while the Pokes managed just 164. Another area of concern for the Cowboys were third down conversions. Bill Young’s defense allowed OU to convert 8 of 14 third down attempts while OSU was only able to convert on 2 of 8 chances. 

Despite his 3 interceptions, Landry Jones did have 2 touchdown passes and racked up 195 yards on 20 completions. Brandon Weeden’s numbers weren’t quite as good at the half as he completed only 10 passes for 114 yards, 2 interceptions and no touchdowns. Perhaps the biggest surprise was the inability of the Cowboys to get any type of running game going. All-American candidate Kendall Hunter had 13 yards on 6 rushes. Conversely, Demarco Murray had 51 yards rushing on 11 attempts and added 4 receptions for 28 yards. 

When the second half opened, the Cowboy offense opened up with a nice rhythm and balance, driving 80 yards in 8 plays, scoring on a 20 yard pass from Weeden to junior receiver Josh Cooper, tying the game 24 all with 11:54 to play. 

The remainder of the 3rd quarter saw Tres Way and Quinn Sharp take center stage as the two punters exchanged 4 punts while both team’s offenses tried to get back on track to take the lead. It wasn’t until OU received Sharp’s punt at their own 19 yard line that the Sooners decided to wake up and put together a drive for points.

OU converted 4 third downs on the drive that started at the 3:55 mark of the third quarter. With 14:25 left in the final frame, Jones missed on two consecutive passes to freshman receiver Kenny Stills and Jimmy Stevens kicked his second field goal to take the lead 27-24.

The Pokes offense had no answer for the Sooner score and punted the ball back which the Sooners drove down the field 64 yards in 15 plays, chewing up 5:18 seconds of clock, hitting on a 31 yard field goal from Stevens. OSU had to put points on the board soon, but the Sooners defense would step up and make a play on the Pokes’ first play on the drive. 

Brandon Weeden took his first down snap form the 25 yard line and looked to pass right. What he failed to see was soph. linebacker/defensive end Ronnell Lewis stepping into the pocket. Lewis tipped Weeden’s pass high in the air and junior middle linebacker Austin Box dove and intercepted the ball at the OSU 18. But once again, the Sooners had to settle for another field goal from Stevens, this time from 26 yards out. With 5:53 left in the game, the Sooners led by nine, 33-24.

When OSU received the following kickoff, Bedlam - as most fans of this rivalry know it - finally began. From their own 34 yard line, the Cowboys saw their trio of offensive stars step up and make plays for the first time in the game. Weeden went 5-for-5 on the drive for 45 yards, Kendall Hunter busted loose for a 21 yard scamper, and Justin Blackmon caught his first touchdown of the game - a 15 yard strike - with 4:06 left in the game, cutting the lead for OU to 2, 33-31.

T. Boone Pickens stadium was rocking as the Pokes kicked off to the Sooners. After senior running back Mossis Madu rushed for a 2 yard loss and Landry Jones missed a pass to Ryan Broyles, the Cowboy fans had good reason to be optimistic. But, on third and twelve  from their own 14 - remember I said third down conversions were huge for the Cowboy defense - Landry Jones dropped back and found Cameron Kenney across the middle of the field and Kenney did the rest, rumbling 86 yards to put the Sooners up 40-31. 

With 3:03 remaining, most thought OU’s defense would get to face an onslaught from the Cowboy’s offense, but no one in Stillwater could have anticipated that, on the ensuing kickoff, freshman returner Justin Gilbert would return the kick 89 yards for a touchdown, taking the score back to only a 2 point deficit, 40-38.

Once again, the Sooners’ offense took the field to try and ice the game. OU appeared to be ready to do just that as their first play from their own 20 saw Madu rush for 4 yards. OSU spent their second timeout of the game and at the 2:44 mark, the Sooners lined up in what looked like a running formation. The Cowboys bit hard on Jones’ fake to Demarco Murray and tight end James Hanna ran right past the OSU linebackers and secondary, untouched, as Jones hit him perfectly in stride and Hanna turned on the jets, outrunning Johnny Thomas en route to a 76 yard score. After just 2 plays in 17 seconds,  OU had finally put the game away at 47-38. 

OSU would put together one last drive with Weeden hooking up with receivers Bo Bowling and Josh Cooper for a total of 37 yards with Hunter adding a 3 yard rush to set up a 34 yard Dan Bailey field goal for what would be the last score of the game. Bailey’s following on-side kick was recovered by OU’s Ryan Broyles and the Sooners wrapped up the 105th meeting of Bedlam 47-41.

It took a while, but the final 5 minutes of Bedlam helped the game live up to the billing of one of the best games in the 105 year history of the series. A total of 40 points, 355 yards of offense and an 89 yard kickoff return were all fielded in the last quarter alone. Landry Jones tied a school record for passing yards in a game with 468 and the soph. quarterback ended up with 4 touchdown passes on the night. Demarco Murray added 121 all-purpose yards on the night as receivers Cameron Kenney, who broke out for his best game of his short career at OU grabbing 6 passes for 141 yards and 2 scores, and Ryan Broyles, who caught 9 balls for 82 yards and a score, aided in Jones onslaught. Tight end James Hanna racked up 130 yards as well on just 4 catches and the score that sealed the victory for the Sooners.

Maybe the most impressive performance of the night came from OU’s defensive game as the front seven - of whom received major criticism from a number of media outlets leading up to the game - completely shut down OSU’s all-conference running back Kendall Hunter, holding him to 57 yards rushing and only one pass catch for 4 yards. The secondary and linebackers also put up a strong performance intercepting Weeden 3 times and consistently pressuring the 27-year-old into tough throws. 

With the win, the Sooners once again force a three-way tie for the Big XII south division title. And, just like in the 2008 season, the team with the highest BCS ranking would make it in to the championship game, so long as there is more than one spot separating the top two teams. With OU currently ranked 13th in the BCS and Texas A & M at 17, and with teams ahead of OU - namely, Boise State, Oklahoma State and Alabama - losing this Thanksgiving weekend, one would think that the last Big XII championship game of the current conference would be one last meeting between another storied rival of the Sooners as they will face the Nebraska Cornhuskers. 

The Cowboys end their regular season at 10-2 and now await bowl assignment next Sunday. Depending on what the Sooners accomplish in the Big XII championship game, the Cowboys could be looking at a short trip to the Cotton Bowl and/or the Alamo Bowl. The Sooners look to play themselves into another Fiesta Bowl berth where the Sooners have not won since a Christmas Day, 41-7 drubbing of Wyoming in the 1976 game when Barry Switzer was at the helm of the Sooners. But, first things first, the North division champion Cornhuskers await the Sooners in Dallas Cowboy Stadium in Arlington, Tx next Saturday for the final championship game of this conference.