Crimson cream

Oklahoma scores early, often in rout

10/8/2000

By KEITH WHITMIRE / The Dallas Morning News

Between touchdown drives Saturday, Oklahoma quarterback Josh Heupel kept warm on the sideline by throwing into a net. The net was the only resistance Heupel and Oklahoma met as the Sooners manhandled Texas in a 63-14 rout of historic proportions.

In a game featuring the highest combined rankings of the teams since 1984, only No. 10 Oklahoma (5-0, 2-0 Big 12) lived up to its billing before 75,587 at the Cotton Bowl. The Sooners scored the first 42 points of the game and held No. 11 Texas (3-2, 1-1) to minus-7 yards rushing, its lowest regular-season output ever.

The rainy, 49-degree temperature at kickoff made Saturday's game one of the coldest in the century-old series, but most of the rain seemed to fall on the Longhorns.

Heupel was the epitome of efficiency in completing 17 of 27 passes for 275 yards and no interceptions. He threw just one touchdown pass, a 29-yard guided missile to Andre Woolfolk, to start Oklahoma's scoring and set up many more scores with big plays.

Oklahoma running back Quentin Griffin scored six touchdowns, none longer than eight yards, to become the Sooners' record holder for touchdowns in a game.

In all, the Sooners rolled up 534 yards. And as good as the offense was, the defense was just as devastating in holding the Longhorns to 154 yards and chalking up four sacks and two interceptions.

"This was a total team victory," said Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops, who is now 1-1 against Texas. "Everybody made plays. ...We had a little bit of everything."

Texas, which has now lost to rivals Texas A&M, Nebraska, Arkansas and Oklahoma in the last calendar year, had a whole lot of nothing.

"It wasn't even a game because we did not play in the first half," Texas coach Mack Brown said. "I told the guys they would have a surge and then it would be our turn. It didn't happen. They had the surge, and they kept it."

Oklahoma's win and Texas A&M's loss to Colorado left the Sooners alone atop the Big 12 South at 2-0. OU must still contend with North heavyweights Kansas State (Oct. 14) and Nebraska (Oct. 28).

The problems that have nagged Texas all season ballooned exponentially against Oklahoma. The lack of a running game, breakdowns on special teams, numerous penalties and a slow-starting offense all combined to make it a miserable day for the burnt orange half of the stadium.

*Running game: Texas had a net of 13 yards rushing at halftime. If not for a 21-yard burst by Hodges Mitchell late in the half, the Longhorns would have been in negative yardage.

*Special teams: A 53-yard punt return by Oklahoma's J.T. Thatcher set up the Sooners' fourth touchdown.

*Penalties: Seven first-half penalties shackled the Longhorns as they tried to get back into the game.

*Slow starts: For the eighth consecutive game, Texas failed to score a first-quarter touchdown. A year ago, Texas fell behind, 17-0, in the first quarter, but the Sooners let the Longhorns back into the game and fell to Texas.

No such luck for the Longhorns this year. Oklahoma posted a 14-0 lead in the first quarter and never let up.

"It last year's game was a thorn in my side," Heupel said. "But this is always a big game. It's a big rivalry, and we want to play for conference championships, so it's always a big game for the team and me."

Oklahoma sliced through Texas' defense like a soggy corn dog on five consecutive scoring drives in the first half. Heupel's touchdown pass to Woolfolk, over Texas' Roderick Babers, completed a five-play drive in 1:16.

Another perfect placement and catch, a 20-yard toss to tight end Matt Anderson over Texas' Dakarai Pearson, set up Griffin's first touchdown from the 1.

An interference penalty on Texas' Quentin Jammer, who pushed off of Woolfolk in the end zone to make an interception, set up a 2-yard scoring plunge by Griffin.

After Thatcher's punt return and another short touchdown by Griffin, Oklahoma's defense got on the board. Linebacker Rocky Calmus, playing with a broken thumb, intercepted a Chris Simms pass and returned it 41 yards for a 35-0 lead.

"In the first half, it looked like we were playing against air," Brown said. "We didn't tackle, we didn't block, and we didn't execute."

Oklahoma's next possession resulted in an 8-yard scoring run by receiver Curtis Fagan on an end-around. Only the clock stopped Oklahoma from scoring in the first half as the Sooners took a 42-7 lead up the ramp.

When they came back down, the onslaught continued. Griffin added three more touchdown runs of 3, 8 and 1 yard.

Oklahoma's margin of victory, the second largest in the 95-game series, made Texas' quarterback controversy a non-issue. Major Applewhite, who was 2-0 against Oklahoma, got the start over Simms. Applewhite won't be able to match Peter Gardere (1989-92), who quarterbacked Texas to four straight victories over Oklahoma, after completing nine passes for 98 yards.

Simms threw for just 63 yards and was sacked three times. Both quarterbacks were intercepted.

But the biggest difference was the rushing game of each team. Oklahoma piled up 245 yards on the ground while Texas was in the negative.

"Our defense was outstanding," Stoops said. "In five of the first six possessions we forced punts and the other one was a turnover. That's a pretty good way to start a game."