Sooners Taken Down by Bulldogs

Starkville, MS--In the final regular season game of the season for the Oklahoma Sooners, they hoped to get a very solid road victory over a ranked Bulldog team. After another season of too many losses and not enough wins, the Sooners had to be thinking they'd be happy when this season of disappointment was over. Today added another entry on the list of disappointments.

Oklahoma took the early lead on a 55 yard field goal by Tress Way. The second quarter saw MSU get their only offensive touchdown on the day when QB T. Kilpatrick ran the ball in from one yard out. MSU would score again off a returned INT (below) from 49 yards out one minute later and would only score FG's the rest of the way. OU added another FG (52 yards) in the second quarter to make the score 14-6 in favor of the home team heading into the half.The third quarter only saw 6 points scored (two MSU FG's) to make the score 20-6 after 3 quarters. Quarter #4 saw the Sooners score a TD, MSU nail another FG (below, game winner) then OU score another TD as time expired.The basic story of the game was the brutal INT for a TD in the second quarter. OU put themselves into a hole they could never come back from. MSU's careful offense and stout defense kept the Sooners far enough behind to where they could never overcome the hole they were in.

GAME NOTES:

The Players of the Game were MSU kicker B. Robinson who hit 3 of 3 FG's with a long of 43 yards. For Oklahoma it was LB Jaydan Bird who had 7 tackles with 1 interception (at the goalline). The teams were nearly identical in total yards (OU 232, MSU 239). The teams ran for 36 & 46 yards and threw for 196 & 193 yards. Each team had one INT but OU also had a lost fumble (RB Jermie Calhoun as he entered the endzone early in the game).

Sooners: Losing in Lubbock (33-37)

Lubbock, TX--The Oklahoma Sooners came into today's game against the unranked Texas Tech Red Raiders ranked #9 in the latest BCS poll. They had the Big XII South title wrapped up so a loss here woulnd't hur their chances to play the winner of the North for the Big XII Championship. Texas Tech had lost seven straight conference games so everyone expected another loss for Tech. It was an epic game that would send one set of fans home with a tear in their beers, real or imaginary.Oklahoma's inability to capitalize on Texas Tech mistakes basically cost them this game, not to mention a fumble on the one inch line by Jermie Calhoun as he tried to rumble into the endzone. Two times OU had to settle for FG's when they should have scored. It came down to the fourth quarter as it always seems to do with these Sooners. OU scored two times to start the fourth quarter. They had their lead up to 9 points and knew it'd take two Tech scoring drives to win the game. Maybe the players let up. Noone outside of the OU locker room will ever know. Tech scored at the 1:19 mark to knock OU's lead down to 2 points (33-31). The Sooners knew an onsides kick was coming and it did. The unexpected thing that happened was Tech recovering the kick. The Sooner defense wasn't able to hold the Red Raider offense and they went in and scored another TD but missed the two-point conversion for a final score of 37-33. The win gave the Red Raiders their only Big XII conference win of the 2011 season and continues the troubles OU has had in Lubbock since Mike Leach took over after the 1999 season.

Bears Push Sooners to O.T.

Norman, OK--Knowing the history of the Baylor-Oklahoma football series (21-0, Sooners have never lost to BU) you'd expect this game in Norman to be the usual creaming of the Bears. It was not to be. The Bears still have Robert Griffin at QB and they have John Salubi at RB. The tandem didn't start off too well (see below, option picked off by the Sooners).OU would go on to score 14 points in the first quarter while Baylor was held to zero.The second quarter saw Baylor turn the tables and score 14 quick points to start the quarter. OU answered with an TD run from Sooner QB Jordan Thomas. Baylor's Salubi scored for the second time in the quarter on a 8 yard pass from Griffin. OU would tack on a 48 yard field goal with 3 seconds left in the half to make the game 24-21 in favor of OU at the half.The third quarter saw a big slow down in the scoring as Baylor was the only team to score when they took an INT in for a TD but missed the extra point. At the end of three it was Baylor in front, 27-24.Quarter #4 was one big back and forth affair. The Sooners started it off followed by BU, then OU and then at the 0:31 mark, Baylor scored on a G. Martin TD run from 6 yards out. The Sooners had less then 30 seconds to tie this game or else the Bears would get their first win against the Sooners. Basically, a long pass down the left sideline to Ryan Broyles got the Sooners near the redzone and they were able to get the score on another pass to Broyles as time expired from 5 yards out. Tress Way converted the extra point and they were headed to overtime.In the first OT, Baylor took the ball and scored on the first play when S. Williams took the ball in from 25 yards out. The crowd went silent. OU got the ball back and kept the ball on the ground. RB Jonathan Miller scored from 8 yards out to tie the game and send in to double OT. In the 2nd OT, the Sooners scored on a 4 yard rush from FB Buck Buchanan. When Baylor got the ball they were unsuccessful on downs 1, 2 and 3. On fourth down they went for another pass to the back corner of the endzone but it was knocked down by the OU defender (see above) for the Oklahoma win!!

Oklahoma Recruiting Update

Norman, OK--As the college football season gets closer to the end, many recruits are starting to narrow down their options for college and more importantly, they're narrowing down who they'll play college football for. The Oklahoma Sooners are having a good, but not great, season. They've lost two games by a combined 6 points (#1 Georgia Tech & Texas A&M). Despite the two losses, recruits know Oklahoma is a school that will always be playing for championships, playing in nationally televised games and fighting for the best recruits in the nation. Today they announced the hard commitments of three new recruits that have decided to join the Sooner Nation. They are:

1) David Jackson, 4*, T, Schuyler, NE: Jackson is the 11th rated Tackle by EA Sports. The 6'4", 343 pound beheameth chose OU over Miami, Nebraska, North Carolina and Michigan. Most felt he was a hard lean to OU all along which kept the schools named above from officially offereing the future All-Conference tackle. Jackson is expected to redshirt in 2012.

2) John Williams, 2*, G, Kenmore, WA: Williams (6'5", 277lbs) comes to Oklahoma from Washington state and is rated the #83 guard by EA Sports. Many were surprised to hear the Sooners had offered Williams but the Sooner staff saw some of his workouts and felt like his Pass Block skills (B+), Run Block skills (A-) and Strength (B+) were legit and felt he'd excel at OU, esp. once he got more experience playing guard. Williams will likely redshirt in 2012. He chose OU over offers from Washington St., Syracuse, Nevada and Connecticut. He also had a late push from Penn St. but they backed off several weeks ago. The Sooners feel they have found a diamond in the rough with Williams.

3) Tim Daniels, 4*, T, Erwin, NC: Daniels (6'2", 306lbs) comes to Oklahoma from North Carolina. He is rated as the 9th best tackle in this class. He is known as having good footwork and is rated highly at both pass blocking and run blocking. Daniels is expected to redshirt in 2012.

Gray Carries Aggies To Victory in Norman

Norman, OK--Cyrus Gray (#32, top) was a known commodity across the Big XII region. He was known as a highly touted recruit coming out of DeSoto, TX and was expected to do big things for the Aggies. Today, he proved why he had those expectations placed upon his shoulders.The first quarter saw the Aggies break off two plays of 50+ yards for scores. The first was a swing pass from A&M quarterback Ryan Tannehill to back-up RB Christine Michael (#33, above) that went for 52 yards. The other was a Gray run from 72 yards out that brought the Aggie fans to their feet at Memorial Stadium. The run was not only impressive for the great speed Gray showed but the power he displayed as he plowed over a Sooner defender who tried foolishly to make a one-on-one tackle in the open field. At the end of the first quarter, the game was tied at 14 points each.The second quarter was all Oklahoma. Jermie Calhoun's (above) second TD of the half at the 5: 56 mark put OU up 21-7. Forty-eight seconds later the Sooners scored again when senior middle linebacker Austin Box picked off another Tannehill pass and scored. Box's INT for a TD was the second of the day for the Sooners. Cornerback Demontre Hurst did the same thing in the first quarter to tie the game at 7 points each. At the half, Oklahoma had the lead, 28-14.Quarter #3 didn't start off so well for the Sooners. An interception at the 6:17 mark turned into a touchdown as A&M's G. Nichols took the misfired football 51 yards for the score. When the 2:30 mark of this quarter hit, the Aggies had scored again. This time it was a 13 yard run from Gray. The game is now tied at 28. Oklahoma came back and re-took the lead at the 5:59 mark of the fourth quarter when senior receiver Brandon Caleb caught a laser from Jordan Thomas from 6 yards out. Sooners lead 35-28. A&M finally answered at the 0:58 mark when N. Trice caught a 23 yard TD pass from Tannehill to tie the game. The following OU possession saw them fail to gain a first down. They had to punt back to the Aggies. A couple of nice passes later they're in field goal range for E. Coe. They get the field goal team on the field for a 47 yard attempt to win the game.When Coach JHeb was asked after the game what his thoughts were during that FG attempt, he said "It was a long kick. The pressure was on that kid. I thought he might shank it with all the noise our crowd was making. I saw the ball come off his foot funny. My heart raced thinking he missed it. These are the breaks. Not much you can do about it. He nailed it. Barely got it in. Hit the bottom right part of the pole but he got it in. It's a great kick. That's all."

The Players of the Game were:

Texas A&M: RB Cyrus Gray, 17 carries for 207 yards with 2 TD's plus 3 receptions for 36 yards.
Oklahoma: RB Jermie Calhoun, 22 carries for 93 yards with 2 TD's plus 2 receptions for 12 yards.

Wilson Makes His Decision

Chesterfield, MO--The big announcement coming out of Chesterfield High School today has made fans of the Oklahoma Sooners very happy. The reason? The star of the football team, Justin Wilson, announced his intention to go to school and play football for the University of Oklahoma in the Fall of 2012. Wilson, rated as the #17 running back in the nation by EA Sports' recruiting service, made his announcement this morning in the school's gymnasium. Wilson chose Oklahoma over offers from Iowa and his home state Missouri Tigers. He confirmed to this reporter that he was under a lot of pressure to stay in-state and play at Mizzou as his father did but he said in the end he had to go where he felt the most comfortable and where he felt like he was being called to attend. He said the connection he made with Coach JHeb was a huge factor for him in choosing the Sooners. Wilson will join a crowded Sooner backfield when he comes to campus this Summer. It is expected he'll redshirt his first year on campus as he will likely be behind proven runners Jermie Calhoun (Jr.) and Jonathan Miller (Soph.). Many think Calhoun will leave early for the NFL but reports from the Calhoun family, including his mother's updates on Twitter seem to indicate that Jermie will still be in Norman come the 2012 football season.

CLASSIC!!

Norman, OK--Despite the dominance of Oklahoma over Oklahoma St. in this Bedlam match-up over the years, the current crop of Sooners know the Cowboys of today aren't the pushovers of their brothers past. Coming into today's matchup, the Cowboys were ranked #21 while the Sooners were ranked #8. Both sides told media before today that they knew today's game was going to be a close, tough game. They had no idea how close it'd be.O-State's Jeremy Smith started the game off with a 63 yard touchdown scamper at the 6:32 mark of the first quarter. OSU leads 7-0. Oklahoma then responds with 21 unanswered points to make their lead 21-7 at the 3:44 mark of the second quarter. OSU would go on to score a TD with 21 seconds left to make the score 21-14 at the half, Sooners lead.The third quarter saw OU score another touchdown and OSU score a FG. At the end of three it was OU 28, OSU 17.The Sooners would push in another TD at the 5:03 mark of the fourth quarter to put them up 35-17. The Sooners were just about to feel comfortable when the INT's started flying and the Pokes started scoring. The next thing the Sooners knew OSU had scored 19 unanswered points and had a one point lead, 36-35, with only 56 seconds left in the game. The Sooners were in shock.Redshirt Freshman QB Jordan Thomas (above) really needed to respond here. This would be a drive that could be the beginning of a great legacy at OU or it could be the beginning of the end for the young gunslinger. Today was his first start and it was in Bedlam in front of the home crowd.

Thomas calmly led the team down the field with sharp passes across the field to his trusty crew of receivers. The Sooners had a full compliment of timeouts and used them well. As the clock dwindled to under 10 seconds remaining, the Sooners ran one more run play to set them up in the middle of the field for a Tress Way field goal attempt.

Two seconds remained.

OSU calls a timeout to ice Way.

The team resets and approaches the line.

Way hears the chants from the OSU crowd saying "Miss that kick! Miss that kick!"

Palms were sweaty.

His heart was racing.

Landry Jones, now the holder, called for the ball.

The snap was straight and low.

The hold was good, laces out.

Way kicks...

It's...

It's...

It's...

GOOD!!!!Sooners win! The Soooooooners win!!

Oklahoma Recruiting Update

Norman, OK--Having already announced the commitment of 4* DE Cole Burnette, the Sooners have announced the commitment of four more high school phenoms. They are:

1) 5* SS Tyrone Green, 6'1", 203lbs, Tallulah, LA: Rated as the #2 SS in this class by EA Sports, Green will come in and is expected to push for PT as a true frosh but will likely redshirt while junior-to-be Javon Harris takes over at the position from current senior Sam Proctor. Green is known to be a vicious hitter and has a knack for getting to the ball.

2) 4* CB Brandon Gore, 5'9", 189lbs, Baker, LA: Rated as the #6 CB in this class by EA Sports, Gore joins a crowded depth chart at CB for the Sooners. Depending on how his summer and fall practices go, he is a candidate to redshirt while he develops better strength and gets used to life on campus. Gore would start for most teams in the country as a true frosh. He's one of the fasted players in the country and is already an NFL caliber talent when it comes to man coverage.

3) 4* CB Corey Mays, 6'2", 172lbs, Gateway, CO: Mays (CB#11) joins Gore as two of the best corners in the country going to Norman to play football. Mays will also likely redshirt but depending on his time on campus, could make his way to the field in '12. Mays is known in recruiting circles as being great in zone coverage with great acceleration to get to the ball.

4) 4* G Patrick Patrick, 6'2", 297lbs, Deland, FL: Patrick was a surprise commitment for the Sooners. The coaching staff felt he was a hard lean to Florida St. but after his Week 7 visit to Norman, he knew where he wanted to be for the next 4 to 5 years. "PP" as he known to friends, will redshirt for true frosh season as he works in the OU S&C program and learns how to play guard in major college football.

47-20 Thrashing in Aimes

Aimes, IA--As expected, Oklahoma came into Aimes and tore apart the Iowa St. football team. OU scored evenly in each quarter (14-13-10-10) and dominated the game. The lone bright spot for ISU was wide receiver Pat Mulcahny. The reciever from Limas, IA had 3 catches for 64 yards and 2 TD's and was named the ISU Player of the Game. The POG for OU was kicker Tress Way who was 4-4 on FG attempts with a long of 55 yards. Many OU fans as well as a large portion of the media felt Jordan Thomas would get the start at QB today for the Sooners but he did not. Landry Jones started as is the norm and had a "good" day (16-21, 231 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT). Jordan did get in the game late and went 2-4 for 24 yards. The Sooners ground game was featured today as Jermie Calhoun ran 20 times for 113 yards (5.6ypc) while Jonathan Miller also ran the ball 20 times for 110 yards (5.5ypc). Calhoun had one rushing TD to Miller's two. Reserve fullback Maurice Ralph also got a TD late in the game in mop up duty. The Sooners had 677 total yards to ISU's 391 and had 27 first downs to ISU's 10.

Tigers Fall Short in Comeback Bid

Norman, OK--A good Missouri team entered Norman knowing the Sooners rarely lose at home and have been especially tough since the program was resurrected under Bob Stoops in 1999. Today, the outcome was no different. The Sooner win in a game that in the end looks closer than it was. Two 4th quarter TD's by the Tigers brought them within distance of winning the game but the Sooners never broke and won the game, 30-21. The main point of interest that came out of the game is the long-term standing of Landry Jones as the starting QB for the Sooners. Jones threw two more INT's today and was again replaced by redshirt freshman QB Jordan Thomas. Thomas was 2 for 2 (41 yards) after he came in for Jones. The Sooners face Iowa St. next week and many in the Norman and Oklahoma City media feel a lesser opponent like ISU may be a good time for the team to give Jordan and chance to start a game to see how he does.