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.