- Messages
- 5,432
- Reaction score
- 0
Red River rout
By JOHN E. HOOVER World Sports Writer
DALLAS - As Texas players trudged, face by forlorn face, up the Cotton Bowl ramp, a celebration broke out on the south end.
Tony Jefferson and Lane Johnson stuck the big "OU" flag at midfield. Travis Lewis hopped around with the "Golden Hat" trophy atop his custom hairdo, almost as proud of wearing that as he was of his No. 12 Austin Box jersey.
And Bob Stoops stopped and pumped his left fist to the last three notes of "Boomer Sooner". The song finished, but Stoops didn't. He stood at the edge of the tunnel exhorting Oklahoma fans, this time with both hands, as they poured their admiration down on their favorite coach.
The real party had just ended, a 55-17 smashing of rival Texas, as thorough and complete and one-sided a victory as the Sooners have had against their rival in 13 seasons under Stoops.
"It's up there with some of the more special ones we've had," Stoops said.
Afterwards, Texas coach Mack Brown blinked, wide-eyed and blank-faced, with awe.
"They've got a great team," Brown said. "I can see why they're No. 1 in the country."
The Sooners (No. 3 in the Associated Press poll) are No. 1 in the USA Today coaches poll and, with this year's Bowl Championship Series standings set to debut next Sunday, don't figure to go anywhere.
OU (5-0 overall, 2-0 Big 12 Conference) scored a school-record three defensive touchdowns, got another huge day from quarterback Landry Jones, busted a long TD run in the second half and otherwise pounded the Longhorns into burger meat.
"I had a good feeling we were executing well," Stoops said.
Texas (4-1, 1-1) didn't get an offensive touchdown until late in the fourth quarter. That's also when UT picked up nearly half its offensive yardage total.
OU, meanwhile, got a 55-yard interception return by Demontre Hurst, a 19-yard fumble return by David King and a 56-yard fumble return by Jamell Fleming.
After Fleming's touchdown with 11:22 to play make it 55-10, the Oklahoma defense had 130 yards in touchdown returns, while the Longhorns had just 118 yards total offense.
Texas netted 259 yards total offense, which included 117 yards in losses.
OU's defense set or tied six school records: three TDs, 113 yards on tackles for loss, 84 yards in sack yardage, eight sacks, two fumble return TDs and 17 tackles for loss. The Sooners also had five takeaways (three fumbles, two interceptions).
"I'm disappointed we didn't live up to our side of the match," Brown said. "This is such a great game. ... We didn't live up to our side."
OU put together 453 yards total offense. Jones completed 31-of-50 passes for 367 yards (305 at halftime) with three first-half touchdown throws.
"Landry Jones," said Brown, "played like a Heisman Trophy winner."
Ryan Broyles caught nine passes for 122 yards and a touchdown, Jaz Reynolds caught six for 92 and Kenny Stills caught five for 51 and two touchdowns.
"It just makes my job easier," Jones said. "I can miss a throw once in a while and they're gonna make a play on it."
It wasn't perfect. Dominique Whaley's 64-yard third-quarter TD sprint covered up an otherwise dismal rushing performance by the OU offense (86 yards on 19 carries).
"We made a check, I hit outside, made a cut, saw grass and said, 'Go like crazy,' " said Whaley, who gained 19 yards on his other 12 carries as the feature back with Brennan Clay sidelined with a sore shoulder. "Patience is exactly what that was. It'll come."
Also, Texas' Fozzy Whittaker busted a 100-yard kickoff return for a second-quarter touchdown, and another TD runback was called back by a holding penalty.
Still, it was the dominant statement the Sooners had hoped to make.
"We had a chip on our shoulder for Texas," Hurst said. "Seven sacks, three touchdowns, the defense just totally destroyed 'em."
Hurst said he and his teammates turned up their intensity in memory of Box, the popular senior linebacker who died in the offseason.
"This was all for Box," Hurst said. "We love him and we miss him, and the best is yet to come."
By JOHN E. HOOVER World Sports Writer
DALLAS - As Texas players trudged, face by forlorn face, up the Cotton Bowl ramp, a celebration broke out on the south end.
Tony Jefferson and Lane Johnson stuck the big "OU" flag at midfield. Travis Lewis hopped around with the "Golden Hat" trophy atop his custom hairdo, almost as proud of wearing that as he was of his No. 12 Austin Box jersey.
And Bob Stoops stopped and pumped his left fist to the last three notes of "Boomer Sooner". The song finished, but Stoops didn't. He stood at the edge of the tunnel exhorting Oklahoma fans, this time with both hands, as they poured their admiration down on their favorite coach.
The real party had just ended, a 55-17 smashing of rival Texas, as thorough and complete and one-sided a victory as the Sooners have had against their rival in 13 seasons under Stoops.
"It's up there with some of the more special ones we've had," Stoops said.
Afterwards, Texas coach Mack Brown blinked, wide-eyed and blank-faced, with awe.
"They've got a great team," Brown said. "I can see why they're No. 1 in the country."
The Sooners (No. 3 in the Associated Press poll) are No. 1 in the USA Today coaches poll and, with this year's Bowl Championship Series standings set to debut next Sunday, don't figure to go anywhere.
OU (5-0 overall, 2-0 Big 12 Conference) scored a school-record three defensive touchdowns, got another huge day from quarterback Landry Jones, busted a long TD run in the second half and otherwise pounded the Longhorns into burger meat.
"I had a good feeling we were executing well," Stoops said.
Texas (4-1, 1-1) didn't get an offensive touchdown until late in the fourth quarter. That's also when UT picked up nearly half its offensive yardage total.
OU, meanwhile, got a 55-yard interception return by Demontre Hurst, a 19-yard fumble return by David King and a 56-yard fumble return by Jamell Fleming.
After Fleming's touchdown with 11:22 to play make it 55-10, the Oklahoma defense had 130 yards in touchdown returns, while the Longhorns had just 118 yards total offense.
Texas netted 259 yards total offense, which included 117 yards in losses.
OU's defense set or tied six school records: three TDs, 113 yards on tackles for loss, 84 yards in sack yardage, eight sacks, two fumble return TDs and 17 tackles for loss. The Sooners also had five takeaways (three fumbles, two interceptions).
"I'm disappointed we didn't live up to our side of the match," Brown said. "This is such a great game. ... We didn't live up to our side."
OU put together 453 yards total offense. Jones completed 31-of-50 passes for 367 yards (305 at halftime) with three first-half touchdown throws.
"Landry Jones," said Brown, "played like a Heisman Trophy winner."
Ryan Broyles caught nine passes for 122 yards and a touchdown, Jaz Reynolds caught six for 92 and Kenny Stills caught five for 51 and two touchdowns.
"It just makes my job easier," Jones said. "I can miss a throw once in a while and they're gonna make a play on it."
It wasn't perfect. Dominique Whaley's 64-yard third-quarter TD sprint covered up an otherwise dismal rushing performance by the OU offense (86 yards on 19 carries).
"We made a check, I hit outside, made a cut, saw grass and said, 'Go like crazy,' " said Whaley, who gained 19 yards on his other 12 carries as the feature back with Brennan Clay sidelined with a sore shoulder. "Patience is exactly what that was. It'll come."
Also, Texas' Fozzy Whittaker busted a 100-yard kickoff return for a second-quarter touchdown, and another TD runback was called back by a holding penalty.
Still, it was the dominant statement the Sooners had hoped to make.
"We had a chip on our shoulder for Texas," Hurst said. "Seven sacks, three touchdowns, the defense just totally destroyed 'em."
Hurst said he and his teammates turned up their intensity in memory of Box, the popular senior linebacker who died in the offseason.
"This was all for Box," Hurst said. "We love him and we miss him, and the best is yet to come."
