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BCS Bummer
OU loses fifth straight Bowl Championship Series contest

Oklahoma's Chris Brown comes up short on a run against Florida at the BCS title game Thursday in Miami, Fla. MIKE SIMONS/Tulsa World
 
By JOHN E. HOOVER World Sports Writer
Published: 1/9/2009  2:22 AM
Last Modified: 8/20/2009  9:27 AM

MIAMI, Fla. — The unstoppable Oklahoma offense was stopped. Cold.

And now, the Stoops Skid has reached five.

The Sooner defense, maligned all season for falling short of the OU standards set in nine previous seasons under coach Bob Stoops, was up to the task. But the record-setting Sooner offense couldn't punch in scoring opportunities and managed just two touchdowns.

The result, No. 2-ranked Florida scored a 24-14 victory Thursday night in the Bowl Championship Series national championship game.

A crowd of 78,468, the largest crowd ever assembled at Dolphin Stadium, dressed mostly in blue and orange, cheered the Gators, especially quarterback Tim Tebow, who accounted for 109 yards rushing and 231 passing yards with two touchdowns.

Florida joins LSU as the only teams to have captured two BCS titles (the system started in 1998). The SEC has now won three consecutive BCS championships and five of the 11 BCS title games, while Big 12 Conference teams fall to 2-4. It was Florida's second national championship in three years and third in school history.

OU ends the season 12-2, while Florida finishes at 13-1.

It's OU's third consecutive defeat in the BCS title game, and it's OU's fifth consecutive loss in a BCS game. In BCS championship games, No. 2 has beaten No. 1 six of the last seven.

Stoops, though, defied the idea of disappointment.

"Everyone will have their opinions on it; that's fine," he said. "In the end, I'll be glad to try
it again next year. If that's the biggest burden I have to bear in my life, I'll be a pretty lucky guy. We'll do our best to try again next year, and we'll keep going after them, if it's all the same to everybody else."

It's also another dour ending for the Heisman Trophy winner in a BCS game, the sixth loss in seven trips. Quarterback Sam Bradford threw for a season-low 256 yards, was sacked twice and threw two interceptions.

"Obviously it's very disappointing to end the season on a loss, especially in a game that we felt we had a chance to win," Bradford said. "In the first half, we squandered some opportunities to score points. That really hurt."

Most crucial for the Sooners were two failed second-quarter scoring chances inside the Florida 10-yard line. One ended in a fourth-down stop, and Bradford was intercepted on another.

"That's 14 points going down the drain that we could have had," said offensive lineman Duke Robinson.

Bradford threw two touchdown passes to Jermaine Gresham, giving him 50 for the season — just the fourth player in NCAA history to pass for 50 TDs. But he also threw two interceptions after throwing just six for the season. He came into the game with 102 consecutive passes without an interception, but both picks glanced off the hands of OU receivers.

"He puts it there," said Gresham. "We've just got to make the plays. You can't blame it on Sam."

OU led the nation in scoring with a 54.0-per game average coming in and with 702 points had become the highest-scoring team in NCAA history.

Their string of five consecutive 60-point games was the best in college football since 1919, and they were the first team to score 50 points nine times in a season.

But that did them little good against a fast, furious Florida defense.

The Sooners failed to score in the first quarter for the first time all season. OU fell behind 7-0 early in the second quarter, only the third time they'd trailed all season, including 12 minutes against Texas and six minutes against Oklahoma State.

Florida took a 7-0 lead early in the second quarter when Tebow passed 20 yards to Louis Murphy.

Murphy broke out of a tackle attempt by Dominique Franks, then stretched the ball over the goal line.

OU quickly struck back to tie it at 7-7 on Bradford's 6-yard TD to Gresham. On the drive, Chris Brown picked up consecutive gains of 16, 14 and 15 yards, and Bradford found Quentin Chaney for 12 yards before hooking up with Gresham. Brown finished with 110 yards rushing on 22 carries.

The Sooners might have been ahead at least 13-7 going into halftime, but got zero points on their next two drives despite deep penetrations and went into halftime tied 7-7.




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







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Stoops and the BCS


With Thursday night's 24-14 national championship game loss to Florida, OU coach Bob Stoops has lost five consecutive BCS games and is 2-5 in such contests. A look at those seven BCS games under Stoops:

2000, Orange Bowl, OU 13, Florida State 2: As a 13-point underdog, the Sooners throttle Heisman winner Chris Weinke and the Seminoles.

2002, Rose Bowl, OU 34, Washington State 14: Nate Hybl throws for 240 yards as the Sooners win in their first Rose Bowl appearance.

2003, Sugar Bowl, LSU 21, OU 14: OU's offense, which led the nation in scoring, is limited to 154 yards on 70 snaps.

2004, Orange Bowl, USC 55, OU 19: Heisman winner Matt Leinart throws for 332 yards and five touchdowns to lead USC. OU commits five turnovers in its second straight BCS title game loss.

2006, Fiesta Bowl, Boise State 43, OU 42 (OT): Two Boise State trick plays at the end of regulation and overtime end OU's comeback and seal the Broncos' perfect season.

2007, Fiesta Bowl, West Virginia 48, OU 28: Pat White accounts for 326 yards total offense as the ninth-ranked Mountaineers upset the third-ranked Sooners.

2008, BCS Championship, Florida 24, OU 14: Tim Tebow, Percy Harvin and Florida's fast defense provide the difference in the title game.




Points taken



With a 24-14 loss to Florida in Thursday’s Bowl Championship Series national title game, Oklahoma was limited to 14 or fewer points for only the 12th time in 133 games with Bob Stoops as coach. Four of the 12 games were bowl contests. A review:

2006: Texas 28, OU 10

2001: OU 10, Arkansas 3*

2005: TCU 17, OU 10

2001: Nebraska 20, OU 10

2000: OU 12, Oklahoma State 7

2005: Texas 45, OU 12

2004: OU 12, Texas 0

2000: OU 13, Florida State 2*

2001: Oklahoma State 16, OU 13

2001: OU 14, Texas 3

2003: LSU 21, OU 14*

2008: Florida 24, OU 14*

* bowl game

By JOHN E. HOOVER World Sports Writer

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COMMENTS 
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31 comments have been made for this team so far. Tell us what you think below!

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Report Comment
vo2max1, (1/9/2009 5:42:28 AM)
Oh well?

Report Comment
vo2max1, (1/9/2009 6:32:05 AM)
Can somebody spell playoff? Division 1 football is a joke! And it will continue to be a joke until we have a playoff! Ive endured 57 years of this BS!
NOW THAT ALL THE GAMES HAVE BEEN PLAYED, lets get out our little notebook, vote for who we think is the best team in the country, no personal bias here! And crown us a national champion. Somebody please shoot me and put me out of my misery!
Rick
Report Comment
Mr. Peterson, Bar Stool (1/9/2009 7:22:31 AM)
BOOMER SOONER!!!
Report Comment
smarter than all of you, (1/9/2009 8:18:20 AM)
Now that it's over, I think the nation saw the best quarteback, I don't think I saw Sammy boy aquire any rushing yardage. WAY TO GO GATORS
Report Comment
SoCal Fan, Broken Arrow (1/9/2009 8:24:13 AM)
This was the 2000 National Championship all over again. One team overrated trash talking, cocky. The other, underrated, humble, and talented.
Report Comment
Sportsfanatic, Tulsa (1/9/2009 8:41:42 AM)
SoCal Fan, you need to catch up on your facts. Dominique Franks stated that Tebow would be the 4th best QB in the Big XII, other than that you did not hear any trash talking. On ther other hand, Florida's players have stated: OU can't play defense, they haven't seen our defense, etc.. Tebow even stated that he can't wait to play against our defense. So how can you state that "one team" was trash talking and the other team was humble. If you are still bitter about not getting to play for the National Championship just be a man and say it!!! I am not sure if you watched that game or not, but OU had every chance to win that game, but they did not take advantage of their opportunities, and Florida did.
Report Comment
Getting Better, (1/9/2009 9:02:56 AM)
Still proud of my Sooners. Wouldn't most schools like to at least get their 4 of the last 9 years. We'll get another one. It may be about 3 years but we'll get back there.
Report Comment
Arbythree, Tulsa (1/9/2009 9:31:57 AM)
Ditto Getting Better.
Report Comment
wk, (1/9/2009 9:41:47 AM)
SGB (Small game Bob) strikes again.
Report Comment
SoCal Fan, Broken Arrow (1/9/2009 10:00:45 AM)
Sportsfanatic, your eyes are blind with all that Sooner crimson. The fact is Franks ran his mouth and it got him nothing. I didn't even see him make any big plays.

And no, I'm not bitter that we didn't go to the Florida bowl. USC has one goal every year, and that's winning the PAC 10. Everything else is bonus.

USC Trojans - 2009 Rose Bowl Champions
Report Comment
booni01, el paso (1/9/2009 10:30:00 AM)
Chocklahoma. LOl

USC would of waxed both of this teams put together.

What else is new, The Sooners are the Buffalo bills of BCS. Chocks.

Trojans would destroy, Texas, Ohio State, Sooners and of course Florida.

Too much defense and better QB play and the best couch. Sorry A__ Sooners.
Report Comment
Bullhead, Nicut (1/9/2009 10:48:40 AM)
Last night proved Bradford is NOT ready for pro football. He couldn't or wouldn't make decisions on his own. He played the entire game looking at the sidelines. Big time football can't be played that way. I think Sam needs to stay with us one more year.
Report Comment
jasouthard, Tulsa (1/9/2009 10:58:50 AM)
Maybe someday again OU will win the national championship. Another bummer!
Report Comment
p003220, (1/9/2009 12:24:45 PM)
SoCal,

Meet my friend Oregon State and Stanford..whats that? You have met? Twice? Oh ok..carry on.
Report Comment
UF24OU14, (1/9/2009 1:45:35 PM)
But what was the deal with Nic Harris? Was he trying to re-injure Florida's Percy Harvin? Did he think nobody who see him yanking on Harvin's leg after the play?
And more importantly, who the %$#% taught him to do that?
Report Comment
SoCal Fan, Broken Arrow (1/9/2009 2:16:01 PM)
p003220, USC has won the last three BCS bowl games, so SHUT UP.
Report Comment
Arbythree, Tulsa (1/9/2009 2:28:03 PM)
Thought they went a little overboard in the glorification of Tebow.

They stopped just shy of saying he would turn the gatorade into wine at the end of the game.
Report Comment
Clint_brown1982, Owasso (1/9/2009 2:58:04 PM)
OU sucks in bowls and cannot beat an SEC team. This show that the SEC is superior with the last 3 BCS championship rings in their conference. Texas would have played about the same, mabe they score an extra field goal, it was Florida's year in 2008. Good luck to USC next year; try and beat your non-ranked opponents and you can talk.
Report Comment
Scritchner, Tulsa (1/9/2009 3:25:32 PM)
Arbytree,

You should have used it to your advantage. I had Tebow bless my blind children and now they can see!!! He also cured cancer patients in the locker room after the game. Haha.

Tebow is good. But the second coming...he isn't.
Report Comment
SoCal Fan, Broken Arrow (1/9/2009 3:31:40 PM)
Pete Carroll 6-1 in BCS games and Bob Stoops 2-5 in BCS games

Booyah!
Report Comment
longhornnation, Austin America (1/9/2009 5:33:45 PM)
OU (UT North) and Boob Stoops would not win a game if it were not for the bottomless pit of highschool talent in TEXAS.

God Bless Texas.....
Report Comment
EaglesFan , (1/9/2009 6:22:48 PM)
Big Game Bob does it again .... Chokelahoma. If his ego wouldn't have gotten in the way, maybe they would have won. Take the points Coach!!

I guess Florida wanted it more. Bob will have to change the sign in the locker room to motivate his players during the offseason.

Maybe next time, Franks will let his actions speak on the field.

Go "anybody playing against OU". OUT!!
Report Comment
Marathonman, (1/9/2009 6:31:15 PM)
To SoCal Fan, BA: WhoSC's BCS record under Pete Carrol is actually 2-1 since four of the wins came against the Big Ten. Play somebody, then shoot your mouth - the WAC can beat the Big Ten. Which non-top 20 team are you going to lose to in 2009 - Washington State?

To longhornnation: Help me understand your argument - are you saying that UT is not compelling enough to keep the best talent in their own state or are you saying that OU performs better - and even beats the 'Horns - with the leftovers from Texas high schools?????
Report Comment
liketoobike, orlando (1/9/2009 8:04:29 PM)
i grew up in big 12 country and now florida 5 yrs... elite talent is the difference... usc fan it's a tossup florida/usc best talent in the country very close, the playmakers that are a little better are champions. utah not in same class as florida.
Report Comment
Shadow Knows, Tucson (1/9/2009 9:35:31 PM)
It couldn't have haooened to a more deserving team! Wonder how many coats were stolen by OU players in Miami? Also, how much gasoline did they steal? If Stoops would concentrate on recruiting players with character, instead of characters as players, maybe the Schooners could win a B. S--- game! Wonder how that loud mouth who said Tebow would only be about 5th best QB in the Brag 12 feels now? Again an example of the type of idiot thug recruited by OU! Too bad Tebow outplayedtheHeisman Trophy winner, Bradford! Guess that makes Tebow alot better 5th best QB in the Brag 12!!!!!!!!!!!And TU not only is the best academic school in Okie Land, but the only state team to win a bowl game! Shows what true Student athletes can do!!!!!At least the final AP poll got it right-Texas ranked ahead of Outlaw U! Gator bait, Gator and Longhorn bait!!!!!!!!!
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