Tulsa World: Bradford's birthday bash a beauty

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Bradford's birthday bash a beauty
Sooners maul the Aggies as QB celebrates birthday with passing party.

OU tailback Chris Brown runs for one of his three touchdowns Saturday against Texas A&M in College Station, Texas. MIKE SIMONS/Tulsa World

By JOHN E. HOOVER World Sports Writer
Published: 11/9/2008 2:10 AM
Last Modified: 8/20/2009 9:42 AM

Sooners maul the Aggies as QB celebrates birthday with passing party.

COLLEGE STATION, Texas — On his 21st birthday, Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford threw a party.

Some 85,603 Texas A&M fans arrived early Saturday to watch Bradford play pin-the-football-on-the-receiver and spin-the-defender. He hit the Aggies over and over like a big maroon pinata, and inflated his passing statistics like so many balloons.

At the end of the night, Bradford and the Sooners blew out the candles on Kyle Field in another cakewalk, 66-28, the most points ever scored in the venerable concrete skyscraper.

"When you can win a game like that on the road," said Bradford, "it's a good thing."

The Sooners' birthday boy put on another record-setting passing show, and this time got plenty of help from the OU running game. Oklahoma's offense rushed for 328 yards, passed for 325 (653 total) and averaged 8.8 yards per play on its way to 29 first downs.

"When you're able to run it like that, it makes everything easier," said OU coach Bob Stoops.

The No. 6-ranked Sooners won their fourth in a row to improve to 9-1 on the season and 5-1 in Big 12 Conference play. Against the Aggies, OU has won six straight, including three in a row at Kyle Field.

"Coming in here, it's tough," said Stoops, "and to play as well as we did, you're just pleased."

Bradford completed 22-of-33 passes for 320 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions. It was his eighth

300-yard game of the season, tying Josh Heupel's school record. His 38 TD throws this year is the second-best single-season total in OU annals, behind Jason White's 40.

"The guy's as flawless as they come," Stoops said.

Said Bradford, "It was another one of those deals where it felt like everything we did was right."

It nearly was. OU led 21-0 less than 10 minutes in and 28-0 after one period. After three possessions, the Sooners had amassed 169 yards while the Aggies had minus-6.

The Sooners also tied the 2003 school record for 50-point games (six).

DeMarco Murray carried just seven times and gained 123 yards (he also led the Sooners with seven catches for 63 yards and a TD). Chris Brown gained 117 yards and scored three touchdowns on 13 rushes. Backup Mossis Madu got 65 yards on nine attempts as the OU offensive line punched holes up and down the A&M defense. Ryan Broyles had 91 yards receiving, and Juaquin Iglesias had 70. Six different Sooners reached the end zone.

"They were a hell of a lot better than we were today," said Aggies coach Mike Sherman.

A&M (4-6, 2-4) came in on a high, having beaten Iowa State and Colorado the previous two weeks.

"We didn't play Oklahoma the last two weeks," Sherman said. "It's a little bit of difference there."

OU's defense was almost as dominant, playing its best game in more than a month — and easily the best since the season-ending injury to linebacker Ryan Reynolds. Austin Box (eight tackles and his first career interception) was more comfortable and more consistent, defensive coordinator Brent Venables said. That, and dominating play by the OU defensive line, showed up in the Aggies' rushing statistics: 26 yards on 29 attempts.

"When we're playing with some discipline," Venables said, "it works well."

The Sooners got four more turnovers, including a 39-yard fumble return for a touchdown by Dominique Franks, his second score in two weeks.

Venables' crew was hit for at least 28 points for the fifth consecutive game — the previous high was three — but allowed just 278 total yards, its lowest since surrendering 269 to Baylor on Oct. 4.

Only two of those TDs go on the defense though, thanks to more major special teams collapses. A&M scored twice after kickoff returns of 67 and 98 yards (freshman Cyrus Gray had 261 yards on seven kick returns, including the long TD).

Placekicks also melted down again, with Jimmy Stevens missing from 30 yards (he's now 4-of-7) and kickoff specialist Matthew Moreland missing from 42 yards (his first attempt of the year). Stevens later made a 42-yarder, but Stoops remains troubled by his special teams.

"You're disappointed," Stoops said. "You want 'em to play perfectly. Can't practice 'em any harder."

Oklahoma also may have gotten a side boost from the defeat of No. 3-ranked Penn State by Iowa, Stoops' alma mater. The Sooners — also with an eye on games Saturday in Lubbock, Texas, and Baton Rouge, La. — now enjoy an open week before finishing the regular season with their stiffest two-game stretch of the season: home against No. 2 Texas Tech on Nov. 22, and at No. 8 Oklahoma State on Nov. 29.

BCS TITLE RACE

The latest Bowl Championship Series standings will be revealed on Fox (KOKI 5/23) during the network’s NFL postgame show today. The standings likely will be announced between 3:15 p.m. and 4 p.m.

The top two teams in the final BCS standings on Dec. 7 will play for the national championship on Jan. 8 in Miami, Fla. A look at the top 10:

1. Alabama (10-0): Crimson Tide’s grip on No. 1 even tighter after road win over LSU. Remaining schedule: home vs. Miss.

State, Saturday; home vs. Auburn, Nov. 29. SEC championship showdown on Dec. 6 will probably be against Florida, with winner likely going to national-title game.

2. Texas Tech (10-0): Red Raiders made it look easy in top 10 matchup with Oklahoma State. Rugged trip to Norman a big hurdle in quest for perfect regular season. Remaining schedule: at Oklahoma, Nov. 22; vs. Baylor, Nov. 29

3. Penn State (9-1): Nittany Lions stumble at Iowa. The BCS appears to be saved from another overrated Big 10 team reaching the national-title game.

4. Texas (9-1): Could Longhorns make national-title game without winning Big 12 South."

Remaining schedule: at Kansas, Saturday; home against Texas A&M, Nov. 27.

5. Florida (8-1): Could a nonconference road trip to Florida State ruin national title hopes."

Probably not. Remaining schedule: home vs. South Carolina, Saturday; home vs. The Citadel, Nov. 22; at Florida State, Nov. 29; possible SEC title game against Alabama, Dec. 6.

6. Oklahoma (9-1): Could Sooners make national-title game without winning Big 12 South? Remaining schedule: home vs. Texas Tech, Nov. 22; at Oklahoma State, Nov. 29.

7. Southern California (8-1): Less-than-impressive home win against Cal. Needs a lot of SEC and Big 12 teams to lose. Remaining schedule: at Stanford, Saturday; home vs. Notre Dame, Nov. 29; at UCLA, Dec. 6.

8. Utah (10-0): Beat TCU with last-minute touchdown to keep hopes for a BCS bowl bid alive. Remaining schedule: at San Diego State, Saturday; home vs.

No. 17 BYU, Nov. 22.

9. Oklahoma State (8-2): Big 12 and national title chances were doomed in Lubbock. Remaining schedule: at Colorado, Saturday; home vs. Oklahoma, Nov. 29.

10. Boise State (9-0): Keeps blowing out opponents but stuck behind Utah in a quest to crash the BCS bowl party again. Remaining schedule: at Idaho, Saturday; at Nevada, Nov. 22; home vs. Fresno State, Nov. 28.

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

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