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.