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
Gators hope for home-field advantage: Bob Stoops has recruited South Florida heavily before, although his current team has only one player from the Sunshine State. Meanwhile, Florida has 13 players from the greater Miami area alone, and Meyer said the same number were part of high school state championship victories at Dolphin Stadium, where the BCS title will be decided this year. "I hope it's a home-field advantage," Meyer said. "I'd be disappointed if it wasn't a tremendous showing, but I know Oklahoma has a great tradition of traveling fans as well. In the back of our minds, even in the front of some of our minds, this was our target to get to Miami -- because it's our home state, because of recruiting, because of all of the above."(Sun-Sentinel)
Leach unhappy Harrell didn't receive Heisman invite: Texas Tech coach Mike Leach had this to say.. "If Graham is not invited to the Heisman, they ought to quit giving out the award," Leach said in a statement released by the school. "It is a shameless example of politics ruling over performance. The other guys are deserving, but he has earned a place alongside them." (Dallas Morning News)
Big 12 Commissioner: Conference will re-examine tiebreakers: Big 12 commissioner Dan Beebe said Tuesday that the conference will reassess the divisional championship tiebreaker that left Texas out of the conference title game but that rushing to the conclusion that it needs to be changed would be a mistake. "Any tiebreaker system is difficult and will leave teams disappointed," Beebe said. "When the tiebreaker was written I was not in the league but they wanted to put in the team that had the best chance to play in the national championship game." Despite identical records and a loss to Texas, Oklahoma advanced to the Big 12 championship game in Kansas City because the Sooners are ranked higher in the BCS standings. "I'm not so sure that this isn't the best way to do it," Beebe said. "I understand the argument about head-to-head and it is a strong point, but as a lot of voters looked at it, and as the committees that select basketball tournament participants look at it, 'What team would you least want to play now?'" (ESPN.com)
Tech fans buy flyover banner to remind Texas about loss:Earlier this week, Texas fans bought a flyover that will carry a banner with the inscription "45-35" -- the score of Texas; victory over Oklahoma on Oct. 11 -- during ESPN College GameDay's live telecast before the Bedlam game. In reaction, Texas Tech fans have decided to buy their own flyover. According to Tech alum Shane Walker, a group of about 20 Red Raider fans have arranged for a pilot to fly over GameDay carrying the banner "www.39-33.com," which signifies the score of Tech's Nov. 1 victory over Texas. "It's a day Longhorn fans have forgotten," said Walker, who said he contributed $500 to the cause. "We realize we got thumped by OU, and if OU wins tomorrow, we're done in the national championship race. "But we want to go to a BCS bowl. Based on Texas' head-to-head argument, we should get the BCS bowl over them." (The Oklahoman)
Record points: The Sooners eclipsed the 50-point plateau for the eighth time this season and scored 40 or more for the ninth time in 2008. Both numbers marked school records. (SoonerSports Statistics)
Tech's worst defeat since '02: Texas Tech's 44-point defeat was its worst since a 60-15 loss to No. 4 Oklahoma on Nov. 23, 2002. (SoonerSports Statistics)
No. 5 Oklahoma dominates No. 2 Texas Tech 21 - 65: Sam Bradford and Oklahoma are on their way up in the national championship race, and Texas Tech sure came down with a mighty fall.Bradford threw for 304 yards and four touchdowns, and DeMarco Murray and Chris Brown combined to run for five more scores as the fifth-ranked Sooners brought an unceremonious end to No. 2 Texas Tech's run toward perfection in a 65-21 blowout Saturday night. (AP)
Tech's road record: Texas Tech is 2-16 on the road against ranked opponents since Mike Leach took over in 2000.
OU's home field advantage: OU has nation's longest active home winning streak at 23. OU is 60-2 at home since coach Bob Stoops took over in 1999 and has won 43 of the last 44 home games.
Senior day vs. Texas Tech: Lost in the hoopla of Saturday night's matchup is the fact that 20 Oklahoma seniors are playing their final game at Owen Field. "They've been a great group of seniors and great attitude guys," coach Bob Stoops said, "and I really thought they stepped up early on in the year and really have shown a lot of leadership, maybe more so than some of the seniors we've had, which you appreciate as a coach." OU is 39-11, 24-8 in the Big 12 Conference and has won back-to-back league championships over the seniors' four-year tenure. (Tulsa World)
Halzle working on childrens coloring book: (Joey) Halzle is developing a coloring book for kids at The Children's Hospital at the OU Medical Center. He hopes to use photographs of Sooner players, which will be turned into pictures that can be colored, then bound together. He wants to include quotes, too, words that would encourage and inspire children battling life-threatening illnesses. These are kids, after all, who touched Halzle's heart. "It puts things in perspective," he said of visiting The Children's Hospital. "It's a great experience to go and spend time." (More at The Oklahoman)
Gresham not thinking NFL.. right now: There is speculation that tight end Jermaine Gresham is among the Sooner underclassmen who are NFL draft-worthy and, therefore, might consider this a final home game. "It never came up in my mind," Gresham said earlier this week. "I just play football one game at a time. No looking to the future." (Tulsa World)
Eldridge near 100 percent: After battling an ankle injury the last month, tight end Brody Eldridge is finally close to 100 percent, thanks to a week of rest during OU's bye week. Said Stoops, "That's a positive." (The Oklahoman)
Norman gets respect:When Bob Stoops asked fans to be louder, he wasn't admonishing Sooner Nation. He just wants to have every possible advantage. But Tech defensive end Jake Ratliff, for one, thinks OU fans won't have a problem getting loud. "Norman's a tough place to play," Ratliff said. "I mean, there's 90,000 fans screaming at you. It's a fun place to go. Don't get me wrong. It's a fun place to go and I like playing up there. But it's definitely a tough place to play, especially after playing (at home) the last two weeks." (Tulsa World)
Lots of press: If the magnitude of a game is reflected in the media coverage, Saturday's game is big. Oklahoma officials anticipate issuing about 340 media credentials, up from about 230 for most games. (Dallas Morning News)
Meet the Boz: Former OU linebacker Brian Bosworth is scheduled to attend a pregame tailgate party at Sooner Legends Inn and Suites in Norman on Friday from 7-9:30. The event is limited to 150 registered guests and can be reserved by calling 405-701-8100. (Tulsa World)
Stoops denies message board rumors: Some fans used Oklahoma's bye week to circulate a message board rumor that the Sooners would have a new kicker by Saturday night's game against No. 2 Texas Tech. Not true, according to coach Bob Stoops. "Same guys," he said Tuesday. "Hopefully they'll be better." That goes for kicker — Jimmy Stevens is 4-of-7 on field goals and has missed four extra points -- and a kickoff coverage unit that has allowed three returns for touchdowns despite constant personnel adjustments. "We've worked it every day for the last two weeks," Stoops said of the kick coverage. "It sure looks good in practice." (Tulsa World)
OU's home field advantage: Stoops has lost two games at Owen Field in 10 seasons. But he got the attention of the Oklahoma media when he suggested that the fans could contribute more decibels. He noted that opponents seldom resort to silent counts in Norman. "I really do hope our people take an interest in not just cheering when we're going into the end zone but actively cheering and making noise when they're trying to communicate and get something going and to hopefully take away from something that they're doing," Stoops said. (Dallas Morning News)
OU vs. Texas Tech tickets in demand: Purchasing a ticket to Saturday's game between No. 2 Texas Tech and No. 5 Oklahoma isn't cheap. Tickets are going for a minimum of $150 on the ticket-selling Web site StubHub.com. Lower level seats are up to $1,500 apiece. The game is also the best-selling OU home game in StubHub history based on dollar volume, according to company spokeswoman Joellen Ferrer. (The Oklahoman)
College Game Day live from Norman: ESPN College GameDay is headed to Norman. The weekly college football show will broadcast live from OU's campus on Saturday, Nov. 22, as the No. 5 Sooners host No. 2 Texas Tech at Owen Field. The show goes live at 9 a.m. CT on Saturday. The set will be located inside the track at the John Jacobs Track & Field Complex immediately east of Gaylord Family - Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. The site is the same location as the last broadcast in Norman on Oct. 13, 2007, when the Sooners defeated Missouri. It will be the 20th time the show has been on hand for an Oklahoma game and the sixth time the program has televised live from Norman. (SoonerSports PR)
ABC to televise Oklahoma vs. Texas Tech: ABC announced today that it will televise nationally the Oklahoma-Texas Tech football game from Norman on Nov. 22. The network has set kickoff time for 7 p.m. The visiting Red Raiders are No. 2 in the current BCS standings, while Oklahoma is No. 5. This will mark the first time since 2000 when Nebraska visited that a team ranked in the top five and a team ranked higher than OU played at Gaylord Family - Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. The Huskers were No. 1 and the Sooners No. 3 heading into that game, which OU won, 31-14.(SoonerSports PR)
Stoops likes the schedule change: From the Tulsa World.. OU took playing in the Big 12 championship game into consideration when it agreed to play Texas Tech the week before the Nov. 29 Bedlam Series shootout at OSU. "Having been in that many Big 12 Championship games, we count that in our schedule," said Stoops about planning for 13 instead of the normal 12 regular-season games. "We feel it (open-date change) spaces the games out in a positive way." The Nov. 15 bye would come after a challenging seven-week run of games that includes four matchups against what should be Big 12 contenders in Texas, Kansas, Nebraska and Texas A&M. "It breaks up that stretch and gives you time to work on Texas Tech and Oklahoma State in the off week," Stoops said. "It gives you a chance to regroup, and then here comes the stretch run. "And when you get to that late in the year, I like the rhythm of playing every week." (Tulsa World)
Oklahoma-Texas Tech rescheduled for Nov. 22 from Nov. 15: The 2008 Oklahoma-Texas Tech football game has been re-scheduled for Nov. 22 as part of several games that were moved as part of the Big 12 Conference's television package. The contest was originally slated for Nov. 15. The Nov. 22 date was originally scheduled an on open date for the Sooners. That bye week will now shift to Nov. 15. OU has two open dates during the 2008 season. The other is Sept. 20. (SoonerSports PR)
Coleman out due to injury; Reed out due to personal matters: Senior defensive tackle Steven Coleman likely won't play this week at Iowa State because of a strained abdominal muscle, said defensive coordinator Brent Venables. He said linebacker Ryan Reynolds will play despite injuries to his neck, arm, shoulder and both knees. Venables also said backup linebacker Mike Reed, who didn't suit up for the Missouri game, will miss the Iowa State trip while tending to personal matters. Reed's wife had surgery and he's been taking care of the couple's two small children. (Tulsa World)
Murray's ankle "feels better": Running back DeMarco Murray played sparingly against Missouri because of a slight sprain on the outside of his left ankle he suffered the week before against Texas. "It feels better now,” Murray said. "But it was hurting me last week.” (NewsOK.com)
Limited OU @ Texas Tech tickets available: A limited number of tickets are available for the Nov. 17 game at Texas Tech. Cost of the tickets are $65 and are first-come, first-served. Tickets can be purchased by phone (800-456-4668) during normal business hours, at the ticket office on the west side of Memorial Stadium or online at SoonerSports.com. (Tulsa World)
Dallas Official: Dallas isn't obligated to spend bond money: The city of Dallas isn't obligated to spend $30 million in bond funds on the Cotton Bowl, said David Cook, the city's chief financial officer. His statement came in response to the Dallas Business Journal query: "What legal options does the city of Dallas have to make the (Cotton Bowl) renovations, if its leaders no longer see the need to spend that money on the project?" Dallas City Councilman Mitchell Rasansky has been skeptical about spending money renovating the Cotton Bowl, in light of the construction of the Cowboys' new stadium, which is estimated at costing more than $1 billion. "The voters have authorized the city to issue bonds for particular purposes, but the voters haven't mandated that that be done," Cook said, in response to a query from the Business Journal. "From a legal view, the city council doesn't have to issue those bonds and do those improvements. They are authorized to do so. It technically wouldn't take a special vote of the citizens to deauthorize," he said. (Dallas Business Journal)
Q: From e-mail: Isn't it true that the city of Dallas failed by not giving a $325 million investment for a $1 billion complex that would have replaced the Cotton Bowl?
A: Rick Baker: We are not in the blame game. We just had to make a decision based on the facts laid out before us. The city of Dallas has been a great partner for 71 years and we will continue to need their world-class hotels and infrastructure to be able to produce a premier bowl experience.
Sooners' prospect instead playing Pro Baseball: The bigger question with [Mike] Wilson is why he is a [Seattle] Mariner at all. He grew up in the heart of football country, Tulsa, Okla., and had accepted a full ride to the University of Oklahoma as a linebacker when Seattle came calling. The running joke around camp is the Sooners might have offered more than Seattle did to secure Wilson's services. To be sure, Wilson will always be a fan of Oklahoma football. What Oklahoma couldn't match was the hold baseball had on Wilson's heart. "I played football, and I liked it," he said. "But I always was a baseball player. That was the sport I loved. So when I got drafted in the second round, it wasn't that hard of a decision. "I sat down with my mother and we talked it over. It didn't take long. The average career in football is four or five years. The average career in baseball is longer. And I was hurting; my knees were tired from all the hitting I was doing playing football." (Seattle Post)
Cotton Bowl Offers Texas Tech a free venue to play? A&M? OU?: We speak extensively [News Radio 1420] with the man who is trying to convince Texas Tech and Texas A&M to play their rivalry game in Dallas rather than Lubbock and College Station. His name is Errol McCoy. He is the state fair president. One of his responsibilities is to fill the cotton bowl with high impact football games. Now that the Cotton Bowl game will no longer played in the Cotton Bowl stadium McCoy will renew his efforts to sweet talk Texas Tech. McCoy says the City of Dallas will pay Texas Tech's travel expenses, and he says the state fair will waive the stadium rental. "So, basically the Universities have zero cost in coming to Dallas to play in a neutral site, with the tremendous upside. And in the case of Texas Tech I think they could improve their overall financial situation for the athletic department by $2 million per year; each year!" Of course the average fan says 'Yeah but that's our big rivalry game.' It doesn't get any bigger than Red Raider verses Aggies. We can't give that up! Right? So News Radio 1420 asked Errol McCoy: does it have to be THAT game? What about Tech verses Oklahoma? What about Tech verses ANY other Big 12 team? How about trying to build a brand new rivalry from scratch; say, Texas Tech verses LSU? Here's McCoy's answer. "So it can be any combination; I think any combination of those you just mentioned probably would work and work well." (Newsradio1420)
Sooners rally to beat Tech 34-24: Chris Brown started out three spots behind Adrian Peterson on Oklahoma's depth chart at running back. He never thought he'd be the key to a big win down the stretch. Brown, the fourth-string tailback, ran for two fourth-quarter scores and Paul Thompson threw for a career-high 309 yards and two touchdowns as the No. 17 Sooners rallied to beat Texas Tech 34-24 on Saturday night. "The things we've gone through, whoever's in there we're going to win with them," Thompson said. "That's our mind-set. We've got confidence. If something happens no one's freaking out." (AP/SooonerSports.com)
Johnson OK after hit: Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops said he was encouraged by doctors' reports about receiver Manuel Johnson, who was carted off the field Saturday night after experiencing "numbness." "So far, all the X-rays were negative," Stoops said. "Everything (movement), on his way to the hospital, is all coming back to him. At this point, everything is looking good... hopefully, he'll be fine." Late Saturday evening, Johnson was still in the emergency room at OU Medical Center. He was expected to be admitted for an overnight stay for what Stoops called precautionary reasons. Early in the fourth quarter, Johnson caught a short pass, then was hit � fumbling on the play. Texas Tech recovered at the OU 35, but no one was concerned about a momentum swing. Apparently knocked unconscious, Johnson went down on the Tech sidelines. Tech medical personnel immediately waved for OU's medical staff. And the crowd went silent as doctors hovered over Johnson. (More at NewsOK.com)
Hartley gets back-up: Placekicker Garrett Hartley needed a break against Texas Tech after sustaining a slightly sprained ankle during pregame warmups. Hartley, whose kickoffs have routinely gone out of the end zone this season, did not kick off after the opening kick. Instead, freshman Blake Baublits kicked off after the Sooners' scores. Baublits is a walk-on from McKinney, Texas. (Tulsa World)
Gutierrez starts:, Brown gets workload Junior Jacob Gutierrez started at tailback for OU, but [Chris] Brown played almost the entire second half. He had nine carries for 58 yards and two touchdowns in the fourth quarter. "We were in a close game, and they chose me to be out for the remainder of the game to finish it off," Brown said. "That really touched me and made me want to perform to my whole ability." (Dallas Morning News)
Thompson honored with Don Key Award: Quarterback Paul Thompson received the award -- which honors an outstanding senior for his character on and off the field -- before Saturday's game against Texas Tech. But according to the award's namesake, it could have just as easily been given to defensive tackle Carl Pendleton, who is forgoing his senior year to take care of his brother. "They start voting about a month before the award, and there were two names over and over," said Key, a former OU offensive lineman whose career was cut short by injury. "Paul and Carl, Paul and Carl, Paul and Carl. I have no say-so in the process. The coaches finally decide. "I think they chose Paul because of his incredible attitude toward being a team player." (NewsOK.com)
Recruits in attendance: Upwards of 50 high school recruits and their families were on hand Saturday, including Enid's Austin Box and his parents. Box has verbally committed to the Sooners. One source said that five or six of those were official visits, the rest unofficial. (Tulsa World) Sooners outscore Red Raiders 17-0 in second half: Norman Transcript
The Boz Blog: OU All-American Brian Bosworth will conduct a live blog at SoonerSports.com during Oklahoma's game against Texas Tech beginning at 6 p.m. Saturday night. Log on to SoonerSports.com during the game to get reaction from Bosworth as the game unfolds on the field. Bosworth encourages fans to send in questions now to be answered during the game. The blog will be active during the game and a transcript will be posted later on the site for fans unable to participate live. Bosworth was a consensus All-American in Oklahoma's championship '85 season and repeated the honor in 1986. One of the greatest college football players of all time, he set the school record for tackles in a game with 22 against Miami in 1986. (SoonerSports.com PR)
Sooners Edge Aggies 17-16: Facing fourth-and-inches from his own 29 with 1:29 left, Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops wanted to punt to protect a one-point lead against Texas A&M. "The second I said punt it, I looked at all the offensive guys in their eyes, then I thought 'I can't punt it,"' Stoops said.The gamble paid off for the 18th-ranked Sooners, who got the first down they needed to wrap up a 17-16 victory over the 21st-ranked Aggies on Saturday night.Paul Thompson's second effort on a sneak gave Oklahoma (7-2, 4-1 Big 12) the first down, but the play ended up being moot. Texas A&M (8-2, 4-2) - home of the 12th man - was called for having 12 men on the field, giving the Sooners a first down and the ability to run out the clock."That's what we wanted," Thompson said of the call. "We didn't want to give the ball back and allow them to score."The Sooners won their fourth straight in Stoops' 100th game at Oklahoma while breaking a four-game winning streak by the Aggies. (AP/FOXSports.com)
Oklahoma-Texas Tech game 6:00 PM FSN: Fox Sports announced that it will televise Oklahoma's final home game of the 2006 season on Saturday, Nov. 11. The Sooners host Texas Tech at 6 p.m. at Owen Field. The OU-Texas Tech game extends the streak of Sooner games on TV to 53. FSN is Cox channel 37 in the Oklahoma City market and channel 27 in the Tulsa market. (SoonerSports PR)
Stoops on 4th down, fourth quarter call: Oklahoma's Bob Stoops on fourth down, and inches with 89 seconds remaining: "In the end, I just felt, 'Hey, you know what, we've got to be able to make an inch,' " Stoops reasoned in postgame. "Bottom line, they had the wind. I'm not gonna give them a chance (with the ball back). I just felt we were gonna make it." (Tulsa World)
AP 46th rusher to rack up 100 rushing yards in quarter: [Allen] Patrick's 101 yards in the first quarter marked the 46th time in OU history a player has rushed for 100 or more yards in a quarter. His 101 yards in the first quarter ranks 39th on that list. The record for most yards in a quarter is held by Adrian Peterson who rushed for 161 yards against Oklahoma State in the third quarter of the 2004 game. (Oklahoma Notes)
Adrian Out of Sling: Adrian Peterson (broken collarbone) is no longer wearing a sling. There has been no official update on when he might return, but he might be able to play in OU's Nov. 25 finale at Oklahoma State. (Star-Telegram)
Nic Harris taunting penalty: OU defensive back Nic Harris was flagged for taunting after tackling Texas A&M's Martellus Bennett in the first quarter. Harris stood over Bennett and made a ripping gesture with his arms. Coach Bob Stoops was quick to get in the face of Harris when he came to the sideline after the play. (NewsOK.com)
OU Rushing attack: OU recorded its second-highest rushing total of the season with 224 yards. Last week, the Sooners rushed for a season-best 231 yards. (Oklahoma Notes)
Walker Early Injury: [Brandon] Walker injured his shoulder on the game's first play from scrimmage, and gave way to Brian Simmons over the next four plays. Then Walker returned, as he did after injuring his shoulder last week, and went right back to banging. The majority of Patrick's first-half carries were over OU's left side. But Walker pulled from the right to throw lead blocks on several plays, including Patrick's 1-yard touchdown plunge for the game's first points. (Tulsa World)
Sooners-A&M gets GameDay Visit: For the 16th time in the last seven years, ESPN's College GameDay is coming to an Oklahoma game. The cable network's pregame show will be broadcast Saturday from College Station, Texas. The show, which features hosts Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit and Lee Corso, will air from 9-11 a.m. OU plays Texas A&M at 7 p.m. on ABC. The last regular-season OU game visited by College GameDay was the 2004 Bedlam game in Stillwater. (NewsOK.com)
Change in statistics: The Missouri statistics crew mistakenly gave Oklahoma running back Allen Patrick one of Jacob Gutierrez's 5-yard carries Saturday. The new numbers should therefore read: Patrick 35 carries for 157 yards, and Gutierrez 11 rushes for 46. Patrick's yardage total still represents a career high, but the 35 carries only equals the 35 carries he had against Colorado on Oct. 21. The OU camp sang Patrick's praises all the same Sunday. "He's done a fantastic job just seeing the seams and hitting the creases and running hard," coach Bob Stoops said. (Tulsa World)
Adding the option to the playbook: Offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson said the staff installed option plays to exploit Missouri's goal-line defense. Paul Thompson scored a 3-yard TD on an option keeper. (Dallas Morning News)
Wilson on the Oklahoma passing game: "We have a lot we can build on, but we still need to keep striving to be as good as it can be," Wilson said. "We're a long way away from where it can be." (Norman Transcript)
Oklahoma awaits Texas Tech start time: It's another wait and see for an Oklahoma football starting time. ABC has chosen its third and final six-day selection for the 2006 season. That means Sooner fans will not know until Saturday or Sunday the starting time for the final home game of the season, the Nov. 11 clash with Texas Tech. The game has three potential starting times at this point. If ABC selects the game, it will begin at either 2:30 p.m., or 7 p.m. If ABC passes on the game, it will be picked up by FSN, which will show it at 6 p.m. ABC will choose between the OU/Tech game and the Texas A&M/Nebraska game. Whichever game is not selected by ABC will go to FSN. (SoonerSports PR)
