Tulsa World: Sooners grin and Bear it

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Sooners grin and Bear it
OU cruises past Baylor, turns focus toward No. 5 Texas.

OU defenders Auston English, Ryan Reynolds and Travis Lewis box up Baylor's Jeremy Sanders in the fourth quarter Saturday in Waco, Texas. OU held Baylor to 269 yards, the fewest allowed by OU against a Division I-A team this year. MICHAEL WYKE/Tulsa World

By JOHN E. HOOVER World Sports Writer
Published: 10/5/2008 2:03 AM
Last Modified: 8/20/2009 9:56 AM

Listen to postgame interviews with Sam Bradford and Bob Stoops.
tulsaworld.com/sportsextra

WACO, Texas — Baylor, once more, is in the books. That can mean only one thing.

Texas is next.

"That week," said coach Bob Stoops, "is here."

Armed with college football's No. 1 ranking, and with an epic showdown against the fifth-ranked Longhorns looming next week, Oklahoma showed talent, speed, tenacity and, most importantly, a singular focus Saturday against the Bears.

"Everybody wanted us to look at Texas," said OU wide receiver Manuel Johnson, "but we've seen plenty of No. 1-ranked teams get upset."

Standing outside Floyd Casey Stadium in the shade of a 91-degree afternoon, questions flew frenetically at the Sooners as they stepped out of the locker room.

Questions about Texas.

"You don't have to say a whole lot," Stoops said.

"I'd rather talk about Baylor," said Sooner quarterback Sam Bradford.

That's because Bradford was once again devastatingly good against the Bears. He threw touchdown passes of 53 yards to Johnson and 42 yards to Juaquin Iglesias, completed 23-of-31 passes for 372 yards — his fourth 300-yard output in five games this season. The Baylor game last season — a 52-21 OU win in Norman, in which Bradford went 20-of-25 for 353 yards — was one of two 300-yard games he had last year.

"Sam was on the mark today," Iglesias said.

He wasn't the only one.

Center Jon Cooper said the team's attitude "just felt right in the locker room coming out before the game."

Said Bradford, "All the conditions were right for us to come down here, not play well, not get excited and not get the energy, and for Baylor to play great and beat us. So we knew we had to come out and play well if we wanted to win."

OU racked up 594 yards total offense, including 217 rushing against a Baylor front that was stacked to stop the run. Six different Sooners reached the end zone, including DeMarco Murray twice. Murray averaged just 3.7 yards per carry but finished with 96 yards rushing.

"Our offensive line played great today," Bradford said. "I don't think I went to the ground one time. I had a lot of time to sit back there and scan for the open receiver."

A crowd of 37,145, nearly half suited up in crimson, watched the Sooners — playing with the No. 1 ranking for the first time since 2003 — improve to 5-0 and 1-0 in the Big 12. The Bears dropped to 2-3 and 0-1 in the conference.

Oklahoma has never lost to the Bears, winning all 18 games — including 13 in Big 12 Conference play by an average score of 39-14. Baylor also dropped to 0-11-1 all-time against teams ranked No. 1.

The OU offense still hasn't lost a fumble this season, and the Sooners have scored a nation-leading 23 touchdowns on 24 trips inside the opponents' 20-yard line this season. OU scored easily on its first four possessions and led 28-0 after the first quarter.

OU's defense was nearly as dominating as its offense.

Baylor finished with just 269 yards, the fewest allowed by the Sooners against an FBS opponent this season. Five of the Bears' first eight possessions ended with a three-and-out. Of Baylor's total yardage output, 215 came on the Bears' three scoring drives.

Freshman quarterback Robert Griffin rushed for 102 yards and two touchdowns and completed 11-of-26 passes for 75 yards. Griffin was sacked twice as OU, leading major college football in the category, collected six tackles for loss.

The Sooners can now turn their full attention on next week's 11 a.m. showdown with the Longhorns in the Cotton Bowl. Texas defeated Colorado in a Big 12 contest in Boulder on Saturday. Next week's grudge match is the first since 2004 (a 12-0 OU victory) that both teams come into the Red River Rivalry ranked in the top five.

OU is 6-1 against Texas when the Sooners are ranked No. 1 in the Associated Press poll. When both teams are in the top five, Oklahoma is 5-3-1.

John E. Hoover 581-8384
john.hoover@tulsaworld.com

NATIONAL TITLE RACE

A look at the top five teams in the national-title race and how they fared in the sixth week of the season:

1. Oklahoma (5-0): Pressure of a No. 1 ranking? Looking ahead to Texas next week? No problems for OU in a 49-17 rout of Baylor.

2. Alabama (6-0): Crimson Tide struggled at home against unranked Kentucky. ’Bama won 17-14 and had to survive a Kentucky onside kick in the final minute to preserve the win. It’s the second home struggle for the Tide this year. They were outgained in a 20-6 win against Tulane on Sept. 6.

3. LSU (4-0): Tigers had an open date. Next week is a road game against No. 12-ranked Florida.

4. Missouri (5-0): The Tigers smashed Nebraska 52-17 in Lincoln and will face Oklahoma State on Saturday in a battle of teams with two of the best offenses in the country.

5. Texas (5-0): Last year, unbeaten Oklahoma stumbled on a trip to Colorado the week before the Red River Shootout. No such stumbles for the Longhorns this year. A trip to Boulder produced a 38-14 win. The Longhorns led 21-0 at halftime.

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To see all of the Tulsa World slide shows, go to tulsaworld.com/photos. By JOHN E. HOOVER World Sports Writer

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