Sooners, Bears, Jayhawks, Tigers to meet the media: Day two at Big 12 media days gets underway at the top of the hour (9:00 AM) from Irving, Texas. Team representatives from Oklahoma, Baylor, Kansas and Missouri are scheduled today. Live streaming coverage is available at Big12Sports.com.
Today - Full Schedule * Missouri: Head Coach Gary Pinkel, LB Sean Weatherspoon, NT Jaron Baston, OG Kurtis Gregory (approx. 9:00 AM) * Baylor: Head Coach Art Briles, Defensive Coordinator Brian Norwood, QB Robert Griffin III, FS Jordan Lake, LB Joe Pawelek, C J.D. Walton (9:45 AM) * Kansas: Head Coach Mark Mangino, QB Todd Reesing, WR Kerry Meier, DE Max Onyegbule (10:30 AM) * Oklahoma: Head Coach Bob Stoops, QB Sam Bradford, DT Gerald McCoy, TE Jermaine Gresham (11:15 AM)
Big 12 media preseason poll has Oklahoma, Texas tied for 1st place: Nebraska was predicted to win the North division while Oklahoma and Texas tied for the top spot in the South in the 2009 Big 12 Football Preseason Poll, voted on by media representatives who cover the Conference. Texas compiled 17 first-place votes in the South compared to 15 for Oklahoma, however both finished with 174 cumulative points. Oklahoma State was picked third ahead of Texas Tech, Baylor and Texas A&M. OU, UT and TTU finished tied for the top spot in the South last season. The Sooners won the tiebreaker to compete in the Championship game and captured their third-consecutive and sixth overall Big 12 title. (Big 12 Sports PR)
2009 Big 12 Football Media Preseason Poll North Division 1. Nebraska (17) 172 2. Kansas (12) 164 3. Missouri (3) 124 4. Colorado 100 5. Kansas State 81 6. Iowa State 33
South Division 1. Texas (17) 174 1. Oklahoma (15) 174 3. Oklahoma State 130 4. Texas Tech 89 5. Baylor 75 6. Texas A&M 33 first-place votes in parentheses
Oklahoma defeats Missouri 62-21: After a week of defending its reputation and fighting off the relentless Texas spin, Oklahoma had plenty of motivation entering Saturday night's Big 12 championship game. "We have to go out there and prove something to everyone," Sooners quarterback Sam Bradford told reporters during a Tuesday news conference.With its 62-21 trouncing of No. 19 Missouri on a frigid night before an announced crowd of 71,004 at Arrowhead Stadium, No. 4 Oklahoma proved plenty and probably clinched a berth in the national championship game Jan. 8 against No. 2 Florida (12-1) when the Bowl Championship Series standings are released Sunday evening, according to Jerry Palm, an independent B.C.S. analyst. (More at NYTimes.com)
Bradford to have surgery Sunday: Sam Bradford will have surgery on Sunday, but not before he leads No. 2 Oklahoma into battle against No. 20 Missouri on Saturday.OU coach Bob Stoops said during a press conference Friday afternoon that his star quarterback — a leading candidate for the Heisman Trophy — has been "working through it this week. We have a splint prepared for him that he's operated with through the week wonderfully. Haven't had any issues with it. He feels good with it and should be even better than a week ago, in that we have a plan for, and he has something to brace it. "He's able to operate under center and do everything that we normally do." (Tulsa World)
Sooners defeat Tigers with fake field goal: Oklahoma can now look forward to playing Texas, although it may be a while before the Sooners shake the memory of Brad Smith. Smith, Missouri's redshirt freshman quarterback, had the third-ranked Sooners on the run all game long. Oklahoma needed a touchdown on a fake field goal with 6:33 left to escape with a 31-24 victory Saturday night. Smith carried 26 times for 213 yards -- a record for Missouri quarterbacks -- and two touchdowns. He also threw for 178 yards and a score, accounting for 391 of the Tigers' 449 yards. "Brad Smith, just an incredible performance,'' Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops said. (ESPN.com)
Shields leads Oklahoma past Missouri: Larry Shields, a sophomore, scored two touchdowns today, one on a 65-yard punt return, in leading Oklahoma to a 13-3 victory over Missouri. The victory, Oklahoma's fifth without defeat in the Big Eight Conference, set the stage for next week's championship meeting between Oklahoma and undefeated Nebraska. (NY Times)
Oklahoma pulls away late to win 41-31 against Missouri: After Oklahoma wide receiver Malcolm Kelly's 17-yard reception in the second quarter against No. 11 Missouri, the homecoming crowd of 85,041 here erupted with its loudest cheer of the Sooners' gritty 41-31 victory. Saturday night's roar wasn't for the catch, but in celebration of Kentucky's upset of top-ranked Louisiana State, which was announced after the play with 3 minutes 46 seconds remaining in the first half. "I had no idea what they were cheering about," Oklahoma defensive end Auston English said. The merriment represented optimism that sixth-ranked Oklahoma could potentially make the Bowl Championship Series title game, which seemed unlikely two weeks ago after the Sooners, ranked No. 3 at the time, lost at unranked Colorado. (New York Times - Stats)
OU-Missouri kickoff set for 5:30 FSN: The Oklahoma-Missouri football game on October 13 will kick at 5:30 p.m. from Owen Field. The game will be broadcast by FOX Sports Net (FSN). FSN televised the season opener against North Texas and the conference opener at Colorado. (SoonerSports PR)
Sooners get past Tigers: A swarming Oklahoma defense made life difficult on Chase Daniel and No. 23 Missouri, leading to a road win for the Sooners. Paul Thompson threw two touchdown passes, Allen Patrick rushed for 162 yards and No. 19 Oklahoma scored all of its points off Missouri's mistakes in a 26-10 victory Saturday. ''Opportunistic, I guess,'' Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops said. ''I don't know that this should be a surprise because we've been playing this way for several weeks now.'' The Sooners (6-2, 3-1 Big 12) won for the first time this season away from Norman, Okla., and snapped Missouri's eight-game home winning streak. After a 6-0 start, the Tigers (7-2, 3-2) have lost two of three. (AP/SoonerSports.com)
Kelly fastest to 1,000 receiving yards: Passed the 1,000-yard benchmark in career receiving yards in his 19th career game, quicker than any other OU player in history (Antwone Savage, 21). Kelly entered the game with 995 career receiving yards and finished with 1,035. He sits 18th on OU's all-time list in the category, five yards behind Jarrail Jackson. It took Kelly 13 games to reach 500 receiving yards, but just six to double that figure. (Oklahoma Notes) Oklahoma-Texas A&M set for 7:00 Kickoff: ABC announced Saturday night that the Oklahoma at Texas A&M game scheduled for next Saturday, Nov. 4, will kickoff at 7 p.m. The network said last week that it would choose between a morning and evening starting time. It eventually settled on the latter. This will mark the second straight week that OU has appeared on ABC. The Sooners will take a three-game winning streak to College Station, Texas. The most recent of those victories came Saturday at Missouri when OU prevailed over the No. 23 Tigers, 26-10. It was MU's first loss at home this season. (SoonerSports PR)
Peterson visits MO. youth team: Injured running back Adrian Peterson visited with a youth football team from St. Charles, Mo., before the game, and the 10- and 11-year-olds were starstruck. As the Sooners stretched, Peterson and running backs coach Cale Gundy walked to the north end zone to greet the Mid River Eagles, who are coached by former Missouri player Derrick Miller. Peterson shook hands and told the kids to stay focused and mind their studies. Gundy extolled Peterson to the Eagles as the Sooners' hardest worker. When he walked away, the Eagles' quarterback smiled and shouted, "Remember the Eagles!" "That was really cool of him to come down here and do that," said Miller. (Tulsa World)
Stoops pleased despite fumble: Coach Bob Stoops had high praise for his offense on a drive that resulted in no points. After Lendy Holmes smothered a pass on fourth-and-goal, OU took over at the 1 with 44 seconds left in the third quarter. The Sooners drove 68 yards in 10 plays and ate 4:43 off the clock. The drive ended when Thompson fumbled at the OU 42. "I was pumping them up on the sideline," Stoops said. "That's a heck of a drive and a big part of the game." (Dallas Morning News)
This one is for him: A memorable moment for the Sooners came with 5:02 left in the third quarter Saturday, when Quentin Chaney caught a 15-yard touchdown pass. "I ran the route, saw the ball coming, caught it and just made sure I stayed low," said Chaney, the sophomore from Booker T. Washington. "I felt a man on my back and pushed and got in that end zone." After the catch, Chaney found Malcolm Kelly, the receiver he replaced on the play. "The touchdown, I dedicated it to Malcolm," Chaney said. "His grandfather passed away earlier this week. He's kind of having a rough time. (Tulsa World)
Where's the Mizzou fans? Saturday's paid attendance was announced at 62,045. Despite the hype produced the weekend's only game between two teams ranked in the Associated Press top 25, the crowd still fell short of Faurot Field's 68,349 capacity. Nearly 1,600 more fans showed up last week when Missouri hosted Kansas State in the rain. (NewsOK.com)
Pendleton leaving the Sooners football team after the season: Sooner defensive tackle Carl Pendleton will leave the OU football team after the season to spend more time caring for his adopted brother. (Complete story at Tulsa World)
Missouri-Oklahoma connections: Missouri has had more success in recent years plucking Oklahoma high school players than any other out-of-state school. Six Oklahoma products are listed on the Tigers' current roster. Missouri grabbed a pair of Ardmore players who were teammates of OU tight end Jermaine Gresham last season in linebacker Marquis Booker and offensive lineman Jesse Hernandez. Jason Ray from Broken Arrow is a junior wide receiver. Marietta's Trenile Washington is a sophomore defensive back. Defensive lineman Lorenzo Williams is from Midwest City, as is offensive lineman Dain Wise, who played at Carl Albert. (NewsOK.com)
Elridge steps up at fullback: Among the four players to line up at fullback for the Sooners this season -- Matt Clapp , Ian Pleasant, Dane Zaslaw and Brody Eldridge -- offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson says Eldridge, who also plays tight end, has been the best. "He doesn't even practice (fullback) a lot," Wilson said. "When he gets on the field, he's the best blocker. "He actually performs at fullback better than the fullbacks." (NewsOK.com)
Wilson: Perfect scenario four weeks: Six weeks from Saturday is Nov. 25. Oklahoma visits Oklahoma State on that date in the regular-season finale. Peterson, a fast healer from injuries to his shoulder (in 2004) and ankle (in 2005), rushed for 249 and 237 yards in his two previous games against the Cowboys. "I've been told it can be a four-week deal, but that's a perfect scenario," offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson said. "Typically it's 6-8 weeks. Time will tell as he heals and progresses." (Tulsa World)
Sooners climb in the polls: The Oklahoma Sooners moved up three spots to #20 in the Associated Press college football poll. OU beat unranked Iowa State 34-9 on Saturday. The Sooners are 1-1 in the Big 12 and 4-2 overall. Meanwhile, the Sooners climbed 2 spots to #20 in the USA Today college football coaches' poll released today. (KOTV)
Spread Offense in 2007? So Wilson will miss Peterson, the player and the leader. But like the general who refuses to retreat, despite word that his front-line troops have just been taken out, Wilson seems to be relishing that next move. And he was instantly spinning forward on Saturday. "I'd look at it more as a challenge and an opportunity, 'Here's where we're going,'" Wilson said. "Not that, 'It's a problem,' and, 'It's an issue.'" So where is Wilson going? Probably headed toward OU's offense for 2007, which judging by his personnel, minus Peterson, means Colorado coaches are likely scrambling to get their hands on some of the spread attack tapes from Wilson's days at Northwestern. Allen Patrick and Jacob Gutierrez might prove otherwise, but the Sooners' top offensive option no longer resides at running back. Options, yes, but the ball might now be better off with Malcolm Kelly and a cast of skilled receivers that runs deep through wideouts and tight ends. "I think the receivers," said Kelly, "there's more pressure on us now." Don't dismiss the running game. Wilson won't. It's too rooted in his past, even in the spread. Remember, at Northwestern, Damian Anderson ran for a Big Ten-record 193.6 yards a game out of Wilson's spread in 2000. (More at NewsOK.com)
Oklahoma-Missouri game time set: The Oct. 28 Oklahoma at Missouri football game has been set for an 11 a.m., kickoff. The contest will be televised by ABC. This week, Oklahoma hosts Colorado for a 6 p.m., kickoff in Norman. It will mark the 50th consecutive Sooner game to be televised.There are a limited number of tickets remaining for the OU-CU game. They sell for $67 each and are available online at SoonerSports.com, over the phone at 1-800-456-GoOU or in person at the ticket office west of Gaylord Family - Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. (SoonerSports Release)
