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Oklahoma's Bradford Throws For Career-High 411 In Big Win

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The Associated Press

Published: September 28, 2008

NORMAN, Okla. - With a dominant defense and Sam Bradford's pinpoint passing, Oklahoma is on its way back to No. 1.

Bradford threw for a career-best 411 yards and four touchdowns, Manuel Johnson set a school record with 206 yards receiving and the second-ranked Sooners avenged their last loss at Owen Field by beating No. 24 TCU 35-10 Saturday night.

With top-ranked Southern California and three other top 10 teams losing, Oklahoma (4-0) made as strong a case as anyone to get back to No. 1 for the first time since it lost to Kansas State in the 2003 Big 12 Championship Game.

It didn't matter that the Horned Frogs (3-1) felt they'd been called cheaters following their 2005 upset in Norman, or that they brought in the nation's top-ranked defense. Oklahoma aired it out behind Bradford and found the same success it had in winning its first three games by a 164-42 margin.

Bradford found Johnson for first-half scores of 73 and 55 yards on plays when his defender stumbled, and Johnson added another 63-yard TD in the third quarter on a screen pass to push the lead to 35-3.

By then the Sooners' 21st straight home victory was as good as locked up.

Bradford went 19-for-34 and pushed his touchdown total for the season to 16, against only two interceptions, in Oklahoma's new no-huddle offense. Coach Bob Stoops called that scheme the reason the Sooners closed scrimmages this year, but TCU was left with the impression that Oklahoma thought they'd cheated by spying on practice prior to their 17-10 upset in the 2005 season opener.

TEXAS 52, ARKANSAS 10

AUSTIN - Reminisce about some other great Texas-Arkansas game. This one is going down as another early season blowout for the No. 7 Longhorns.
Colt McCoy put up five touchdowns in another near-perfect start, and Texas routed Arkansas to hand Razorbacks coach Bobby Petrino an embarrassing debut in a border rivalry famous for close games.

The loss was the most lopsided in the series since a 35-point Texas victory in 1970. In the previous 10 meetings between Texas and Arkansas, the average margin of victory was fewer than nine points.

The Longhorns (4-0) have now outscored opponents 198-36 this season - an average margin of victory of 41 points.

McCoy completed 17 of 19 passes and threw three touchdowns, pushing his season total to 14. He also ran for a game-high 84 yards and two scores, the most impressive a 35-yard bolt down the sideline before stumbling in the end zone in the second quarter.

Arkansas (2-2) was overwhelmed in absorbing a second blowout in as many games to a Top 10 team. No. 8 Alabama crushed the Razorbacks by 35 points last week.

UTAH 37,

WEBER ST. 21

SALT LAKE CITY - Louie Sakoda kicked three field goals and four extra points to become the leading scorer in Utah history and the No. 17 Utes welcomed back Weber State coach Ron McBride with a win.

Bryan Johnson passed for two touchdowns and Matt Asiata ran for two scores for the Utes (5-0), who avoided any hiccups against their Championship Subdivision neighbors and remained unbeaten for Thursday night's home game against Oregon State, which upset top-ranked Southern California.

HOUSTON 41,

EAST CAROLINA 24

GREENVILLE, N.C. - Case Keenum threw for 399 yards and three touchdowns, and Houston earned its first win against a ranked opponent in a dozen years by beating No. 23 East Carolina (3-2, 1-1 Conference USA).

Patrick Edwards had 11 catches for 146 yards and a touchdown for the Cougars (2-3, 1-0), who had no trouble moving the ball and finished with 621 total yards. Bryce Beall ran for 132 yards and two scores, while Houston's defense didn't allow the Pirates to score an offensive touchdown until midway through the third quarter.

FRESNO STATE 36, UCLA 31

PASADENA, Calif. - Tom Brandstater threw for three touchdowns and Ryan Mathews ran for one score and caught another as No. 25 Fresno State outlasted UCLA (1-3).

In a game marked by rapid shifts in momentum, the Bulldogs (3-1) took final control after the Bruins' Derrick Coleman fumbled at the Fresno State 10 and the Bulldogs' Wilson Ramos recovered with 8:55 remaining.

With Mathews grinding out yards from there, Fresno State ran out the clock with a 17-play drive that ended on the UCLA 4 as time ran out.

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