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Oklahoma's Road To The BCS Title Game

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By JOEY JOHNSTON | The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 5, 2009

Game-by-game:

Aug. 30: Oklahoma 57, UT-Chattanooga 2

The Sooners scored touchdowns on their first seven possessions. RB Chris Brown ran for three, and WRs Quentin Chaney, Manuel Johnson and Juaquin Iglesias each had a touchdown reception. QB Sam Bradford, although playing sparingly, completed 17 of 22 passes for 183 yards and two touchdowns. The Mocs mustered just 36 yards of total offense and two first downs. Sept. 6: Oklahoma 52, Cincinnati 26

Redshirt freshman WR Ryan Broyles, a hometown product from Norman who was playing in his first game, had seven receptions for 141 yards and one touchdown, the best debut game ever for a Sooner receiver. Cincinnati cut OU's lead to 28-20 in the third quarter, but the Sooners scored 24 straight points. Bradford completed 29 of 38 passes for 395 yards and five touchdowns. Sept. 13: Oklahoma 55, Washington 14

It was over by halftime, when the visiting Sooners led 34-0. Brown (107) and DeMarco Murray each had 100-yard rushing games. Overall, the Sooners rolled up 591 total yards, and Bradford was 18 of 21 for 304 yards with five touchdowns. OU allowed 336 yards to Washington, but 95 came in the fourth quarter.

Sept. 27: Oklahoma 35, TCU 10

Johnson became only the second player in school history to record three scoring plays of 55-plus yards in one game, catching touchdown passes of 76, 55 and 63 yards. TCU loaded up against the run, limiting OU to just 25 yards on 36 carries. But that allowed a record-setting day for Bradford (career-high 411 yards). Overall, the Sooners gained 436 yards against the nation's No. 1-ranked defense.

Oct. 4: Oklahoma 49, Baylor 17

The visiting Sooners scored touchdowns on their first four possessions, ending the suspense by the first quarter. Bradford completed 23 of 31 passes for 372 yards, and Iglesias had six receptions for 133 yards. OU gained 217 rushing yards, led by Murray's 96 (and two touchdowns). Baylor was limited to 269 total yards.

Oct. 11: Texas 45, Oklahoma 35

Oklahoma led 21-10 in the second quarter, but its defense was no match for Texas, which rushed for 161 yards, while QB Colt McCoy passed for 277 more (on a 28 of 35 afternoon). Bradford (28 of 39, 387 yards, five touchdowns) put the Sooners up 35-30 on a 14-yard TD pass to Johnson with 11:42 remaining. But Texas answered with a go-ahead eight-play, 74-yard TD drive. The 80 combined points represented the highest scoring total in the history of the Oklahoma-Texas series.

Oct. 18: Oklahoma 45, Kansas 31

After a combined 1,165 yards, the Sooners outlasted Kansas in an offensive showcase. Although Bradford had an unconscious passing day (36 of 53, 468 yards, three touchdowns, no interceptions), the Sooners controlled the game's pace with 206 yards rushing (92 by Brown, 83 by Murray). Iglesias had 12 receptions for 191 yards. Oct. 25: Oklahoma 58, Kansas State 35

The visiting Sooners set a record for most points scored in the first half of a game (55). OU raced to a 28-7 lead, but the Wildcats went on a three-touchdown blitz to tie it. That merely set the stage for OU's 28 straight points, including two TD passes by Bradford (uncharacteristically off-target overall at 13 of 32 for 255 yards) and a 68-yard punt return by Broyles.Nov. 1: Oklahoma 62, Nebraska 28

OU raced to a 35-0 lead and shellacked the Cornhuskers. Bradford (19 of 27, 311 yards) had a five-touchdown performance for the fourth time this season, but Murray (three touchdowns, 201 all-purpose yards) had plenty to do with the outcome. OU's defense also set an early tone when CB Dominique Franks intercepted a pass on Nebraska's first snap and sprinted for an 18-yard touchdown. Nov. 8: Oklahoma 66, Texas A&M 28

You want balance? The visiting Sooners had 328 yards passing and 325 yards rushing in a convincing victory. Murray rushed for 123 yards on seven carries (17.6-yard average) and added a career-high seven receptions, while Brown picked up 117 yards on 13 carries and three touchdowns. Bradford was 22 of 33 for 320 yards and four touchdowns. OU's defense limited Texas A&M to 26 rushing yards on 29 carries. Nov. 22: Oklahoma 65, Texas Tech 21

Oklahoma climbed back into the Big 12 South (and national title race) with a prime-time stomping of the previously unbeaten Red Raiders. The Sooners rolled to a 28-0 lead and rushed for 206 yards (125 by Murray, 108 by Brown). Bradford was 14 of 19 for 304 yards, tossing TD passes to four receivers. OU's defense had four sacks of Texas Tech QB Graham Harrell and forced three turnovers.

Nov. 29: Oklahoma 61, Oklahoma State 41

Bradford sustained ligament damage on OU's third offensive series, but it didn't slow him down. He was 30 of 44 for 370 yards and four touchdowns. The visiting Sooners led just 44-41 after a 90-yard kickoff return by OSU, but they scored the game's final 17 points to ice the outcome. Dec. 6: Oklahoma 62, Missouri 21

The Sooners qualified for the Big 12 Championship Game in Kansas City, Mo., getting the South Division bid in the league's fifth tiebreak (BCS standings) over Texas and Texas Tech. OU then proceeded to prove its point (and points), surpassing the 60-point mark for the fifth straight game, the longest streak in major college football. Overall, the Sooners accounted for 627 total yards.

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