#1 Yellow Jackets Prevail By A Knee

Norman, OK--The top ranked team in the country came into Norman today looking to keep their hopes alive for a repeat as National Champions. They no longer had their flex bone trigger man, QB Josh Nesbit, and now were relying on new players in new roles. As for the #11 Sooners, gone is all-everything QB Sam Bradford and in his place is senior Landry Jones. The game was a national broadcast. The whole nation was watching. They were not disappointed.

The first quarter was a back and forth battle of defenses that was only interrupted by a Tress Way field goal at the 2:52 mark. Georgia Tech missed a field goal earlier in the quarter. OU lead at the end of one, 3-0.

Quarter number two was all Oklahoma. By the looks of it, the game was just about to be all Oklahoma. It started when OU scored at the 5:23 mark on an interception of Tech quarterback J. Luallen by safety Sam Proctor that Proctor took 82 yards to score a touchdown (above). This put OU up 10-0. OU was able to stop the Tech attack and when they got the ball back they were able to connect on a 28 yard field goal by Way (OU leads 13-0). Another Tech drive was snuffed out when Proctor again picked off a Luallen pass and took it 36 yards for another Oklahoma touchdown (below).

At the half Oklahoma leads the Yellow Jackets, 20-0. An injury of note in the first half was Sooner running back Jermie Calhoun. Calhoun was having a nice day (6 rushes, 36 yards, 6.0ypc) but was lost for the game with an undisclosed injury.

The second half started out by Tech scoring on a nice long drive that ended with their first points of the game. QB Luallen carried the ball in from the 3 yard line to make the score 20-7 in favor of the home team. Oklahoma would respond with a nice drive of their own that was looking promising. The Sooner coaching staff felt a field goal here (late 3rd quarter) would put their team in a great position to win the game. If they made a FG they'd be up 23-7 with only the 4th quarter left.

On their way down the field an error was made. Landry Jones had his X receiver open but as he threw to his open receiver on a slant from the left side of the field, the Tech defender slid up to make the pick.

The start of the fourth quarter saw Tech capitalize on the interception they swiped at the end of the third. Tech's Luallen again scored with his legs as he ran one in from four yards out at the 6:00 mark of the fourth. OU would once again mount a nice, methodical drive down the field. The Sooners has reached the Tech 35 yard line when disaster struck. QB Landry Jones had a man coming open to his right but for some reason whipped to his left and fired a pass to a receiver on an out route. The ball was timed perfectly, by the Tech defender (Sweeting, above), who took it 74 yards for a touchdown (3:14 mark). Tech now leads 21-20.

At this point, Landry Jones once again led his team on a nice drive. They were watching the clock. Tech used up timeouts and the Sooners kept pushing the ball, killing clock. When Jonathan Miller (RB) scored with 16 seconds to go, the Sooners began to celebrate. OU tried for a two point conversion to give themselves a 7 point lead but it was not successful. The Sooners now lead by 5, 26-21.

The following kick off would kill the celebration. Tech's R. Jones (above) took the kick down the left sideline to about the 15 yard line. Tech had 8 seconds left on the clock. The OU coaches figured Tech had two plays left to score a TD, as a FG would not give them a tie nor a lead. Luallen scrambles to his right from the left hash mark. He throws into the endzone. The ball was knocked out of his receivers hands at the last second. Now Tech has only 2 seconds left. Luallen scrambles this time to the left right up to the sideline and fires towards the left front corner of the endzone where 4 or 5 Sooner defenders roamed, as did his running back, R. Jones. Jones reaches up over his head, snags the ball and falls into the endzone (below). Time has expired. Game over. Tech wins. They went on to convert an ill-advised two point conversion that the Tech coach later apologized for. His players misunderstood what he told them to do. Tech wins, 29-26 in a thriller.

The Players of the Game were: Georgia Tech: J. Luallen (QB)--6/18 for 93 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT plus 13 rushes for 59 yards and 2 TD's. Oklahoma: Sam Proctor (SS)--9 tackles and 2 INT's (Both returned for TD's)