OU made itself bowl eligible following Saturday evening’s 65-10 victory over the Texas A&M in Norman. The victory improves the Sooners’ record to 6-4 overall and 4-2 during Big 12 play.
Freshman quarterback Landry Jones was able to rebound was able to rebound from his terrible performance last week against Nebraska, and the defense flexed its muscles to shut down the Aggies’ high-powered offense.
“[The players] really came out and played an excellent football game,” head coach Bob Stoops said. “To play as well as we did was pleasing.”
OU’s defense did what the offense could not do a week ago by reaching the end zone when senior defensive back Brian Jackson returned a fumble 53 yards for a touchdown. Sophomore defensive end Frank Alexander stripped Aggies freshman running back Christine Michael on a run up the middle to cause the loose ball.
“I guess it helped the offense out, too, because a play like that is just a complete momentum changer,” Jackson said. “A play like that just kills all momentum.”
Alexander made his first start of the season Saturday because senior defensive end Auston English is out for the season with a tendon injury on his foot.
In the Sooners’ offense first two drives, it looked as if it were still nursing the hangover from last week’s dismal performance against Nebraska. Jones could not find his groove during those drives, but a 33-yard connection with senior wide receiver Adron Tennell on the unit’s third drive woke the offense up.
Following the big pass gain, OU pulled some trickery for its first offensive touchdown in two weeks. Sophomore wide receiver Ryan Broyles scored from 25 yards out on a reverse to give the Sooners a 14-0 lead.
The touchdown run was Broyles’ first rushing score of his career.
“I think that was actually one of the first reverses we’ve run all year,” Broyles said. “I felt comfortable, so you just get out there and you just perform in a game.”
Texas A&M responded with a solid drive of its own. Starting from its own 40-yard line, the offense drove 43 yards into field goal range where sophomore kicker Randy Bullock drilled a NUMB-yard field goal to cut the deficit to 11 points.
Outside of the long pass to Tennell early in the first quarter, Jones had little success in the first frame. He was missing receivers high, left and right, and just never seemed to be able to settle in until the start of the second quarter.
With less than three minutes left in the first quarter, Jones threw his first interception of the evening. He missed junior wide receiver Cameron Kenney to his right, and the ball was deflecting right into the arms of Texas A&M junior linebacker Michael Hodges.
Hodges returned the interception to the Sooners’ six yard line, and on third-and-goal the offense punched the ball in for a touchdown. Junior quarterback Jerrod Johnson found sophomore wide receiver Jeff Fuller in the corner of the end zone to narrow the gap to 14-10 going into the second quarter.
Things seemed to come together for the Sooners in the second quarter. Jones was able to settle down to lead the offense to 28 unanswered points, and the defense stiffened up and allowed a mere 23 yards in the quarter.
The Sooners received their second break of the game with 11:09 left in the first half when senior linebacker Keenan Clayton recovered a muffed punt on the Aggies’ 22 yard line. The offense took advantage of the field position, and in five plays Jones connected with Broyles for a five-yard touchdown pass.
The touchdown was Broyles’ second of the game, and his 11th touchdown reception of the season.
OU started to pull away in the second quarter following a six-yard touchdown run from senior running back Chris Brown. The touchdown increased the Sooners’ lead to 28-10 with almost five minutes left in the first half.
Following a short punt by Texas A&M, the Sooners’ offense put together a four-play, 54-yard drive that was capped off by a 36-yard touchdown pass to junior running back DeMarco Murray. The touchdown pass was Jones’ third touchdown of the quarter.
Saturday’s game was the fourth time this season where Jones has thrown for at least three touchdown passes in a game.
Following the touchdown pass, OU’s kickoff coverage forced and recovered a fumble at the Aggies 25 yard line to give Jones an opportunity to bury Texas A&M.
The offense did not squander away its second possession to start in Aggie territory. Murray carried the ball four times before Jones found Tennell at the goal line for an 11-yard touchdown pass.
The Sooners went into the locker room with a 42-10 lead, and came back out with the same intensity that gave them the big lead.
On the fifth play of the second half Jones found Murray on a third-down screen pass, and Murray cut through the Aggies’ defense for a 67-yard touchdown. The touchdown pass was Murray’s second, and his two touchdowns combined to go for 103 yards.
“It’s nice to see when you throw a two-yard pass and [the receivers] take it for 80,” Jones said. “That’s pretty nice for those guys to do that.”
Unlike the Kansas State game, OU’s defense did not tire out and let its opposition get back in the game during the third quarter. The defense forced a three-and-out on the Aggies’ first series of the second half, and junior safety Jonathan Nelson picked off Johnson on the second drive.
Following the interception, the offense efficiently moved 85 yards down the field in 1:29 seconds for another touchdown. Brown ran the ball in from 12-yards out to give the Sooners a 55-10 lead.
The touchdown put OU in the 50-point range for the second time during the 2009 season, the first coming in a 64-0 victory over Idaho State. The Sooners scored at least 50 points nine times during the 2008 season.
Stoops started taking many of the offensive starters out halfway through the third quarter, but the Aggies’ defense could not contain Jones’ new wide receiving targets. Even though the Sooners did not score a touchdown in its final drive of the third quarter, they did put points on the board with a new face.
Sophomore kicker Patrick O’Hara replaced kickers sophomore Jimmy Stevens and freshman Tress Way of their field goal duties and made a 26-yard field goal, which was received with an uproar of cheers from OU fans.
“Coach [Stoops] told me prior to the game to stay ready, he may need me, so I was ready,” O’Hara said. “I knew I’d get a time to shine sooner or later. Just got to hang in there and get it and make a field goal.”
The Sooners were able to run out the remaining seconds off the game clock to end the game and send OU fans home happy.
Jones finished the game completing 24 of 39 passes for 392 yards with five touchdowns and one interception.
“I think the more he played, the more comfortable he got,” Stoops said. “He started making the throws we know he can make.”
Murray put together one of his best overall performances of the season, collecting 223 yards and two touchdowns via the running and passing game. He averaged 4.4 yards per carry and caught 5 passes for 143 yards.
The points kept on coming from OU’s offense as the clock slowly wound down. Jones found Tennell in the end zone for the second time of the game to increase its lead to 65-10 with 9:46 left in the game.
The defense allowed just 226 yards and forced four turnovers, including one that was returned for a touchdown by Jackson.
“When you can hold an offense that, who is No. 1 in every statistical category in the Big 12, to 230 yards is huge,” sophomore linebacker Travis Lewis said. “We’ve been pretty consistent all season, that is what I’m most pleased about.”
The Sooners head down to Lubbock, Texas, Nov. 21 to take on the Texas Tech Red Raiders. The game is scheduled to start at 11:30 a.m.
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coneaqt 2 years, 6 months ago
I thought it was the aggies, not the angies...we need to use our grammer check and not just spell check guys...OPPS! Good game sooners!!!!
OUguy 2 years, 6 months ago
Every sports headline reads "Sooners _ __"
ParksandRec4 2 years, 6 months ago
we need to use our grammer check
I love irony. and GRAMMAR :)