The Match-Up
• OU is coming off a 63-21 win vs. Texas (10/13), while KU suffered a 20-14 loss vs. Oklahoma State (10/13).
• The Sooners are No. 10 in the AP Poll and No. 7 in the USA Today Coaches’ Poll. OU is positioned at No. 9 in the initial BCS standings. OU leads the nation in number of all-time weeks ranked as the BCS No. 1 (20 weeks), in the BCS Top 5 (48 weeks) and the BCS Top 10 (67 weeks).
• Oklahoma owns an 69-27-6 all-time advantage in the all-time series vs. Kansas.
• The Sooners have won seven straight games vs. KU, OU’s longest victory string since winning seven in a row from 1985-91. OU’s longest win streak in the series was 12 straight from 1948-59.
• Oklahoma ranks ninth in the nation in scoring offense (43.2 ppg). KU ranks 77th in scoring defense (28.0 ppg).
• Excluding opp. return scores, OU’s defense is permitting 12.6 ppg, a figure that would rank seventh in NCAA.
• Oklahoma has outscored its last two Big 12 foes (Texas Tech & Texas) by a combined 104-41 margin.
• OU is tied for second in the nation in Red Zone scoring efficiency, scoring on 28-29 (96.6%) of Red Zone trips.
Key Stats During Oklahoma’s Seven-Game Win Streak vs. Kansas
• In seven games during the Stoops era, the Sooners have outscored KU by a 259-100 margin (37.0 to 14.3 ppg).
• The Sooners have outgained the Jayhawks in total offense by a 3,281-2,001-yard gap (468.7 to 285.9 ypg).
• OU owns a +10 turnover differential (23 takeaways/13 giveaways) over that seven-game span, forcing 16 INTs
• OU is 17-1 against all foes under Stoops era when posting 600+ yards of total offense and is 2-0 vs. KU.
• OU’s 674 yards of total offense in a 45-31 win vs. KU (10/18/08) was the third-highest total in the Stoops era, trailing last week’s 677-yard outing vs. Texas (10/13) and 690-yard outing in a 58-17 win at K-State (10/29/11).
• The Sooners have won 16 straight games when holding opponents to 17 points or less. OU has held KU to 17 points or less in six of their seven victories under the Stoops era.
• The Sooners are 115-6 (.950) under Stoops when scoring 30 points or more, including a 6-0 record vs. KU.
• OU has outscored the Jayhawks by a 120-47 in their last three trips to Norman (40.0 to 15.7 avg.).
Keeping Up With QB Landry Jones
• QB Landry Jones owns a 33-9 (.786) record as a starter, the most victories of any QB in Sooners history.
• Jones (13,371) ranks second in Big 12 history in career passing yards, trailing only TT’s Graham Harrell (15,793).
• The Sooners are 26-2 (.929) in games when Jones throws two or more TDs, including a 2-0 mark vs. Kansas.
• Jones is 2-0 vs. Kansas, hitting 55 of 86 passes (64.0%) for 615 yards with five TDs and two INTs (138.6 rating).
More Key Stats During the Stoops Era
• The Sooners are 18-1 (.947) in October home games under Stoops.
• OU is 109-8 (.932) under Stoops when holding foes to 21 points or less, including 21 consecutive wins.
• Oklahoma is 36-2 (.947) under Stoops when scoring a defensive TD, including a 3-0 record vs. Kansas.
• OU is 69-6 (.920) in games with an individual100-yard rusher under Stoops, including a 3-0 mark vs. Kansas. OU is 71-13 (.845) under Stoops with a 100-yard receiver. Five different OU players have registered a 100-yard performance in the last seven OU-KU outings. Three OU players have a 100-yard receiving game in 2012.
• Oklahoma is 29-0 under Stoops with a 100-yard rusher and a 100-yard receiver. RB Damien Williams (167 rush yards) and FB Trey Millard (119 receiving yards) turned the double play vs. Texas (10/13).
OKLAHOMA
Oklahoma is 4-1 on the season and 2-1 in the Big 12 following a 63-21 blowout win over Texas in the Red River Rivalry (10/13). The Sooners have now won three straight and nine of the past 13 against the Longhorns.
Offense
A balanced offensive attack continues to be the name of the game for the Sooners so far in 2012 as they rank ninth nationally in scoring, 21st in rushing yards and 32nd in passing yards. Junior running back Damien Williams leads the team and ranks second in the Big 12 with 101.6 rushing yards per game.
Senior quarterback Landry Jones has completed 62 percent of his passes with nine TDs and three INTs. Junior wide receiver Kenny Stills has been his top target, recording 32 catches for 381 yards and three touchdowns through five games.
Defense
Oklahoma boasts the No. 14 defense in the nation through five games, giving up 300.2 yards of offense per contest. In addition, the 17.0 points per game allowed is 20th in the country. OU’s passing defense ranks 11th in the country, yielding just 171.4 yards per game. Against Texas (10/13), Oklahoma forced three turnovers, held the Longhorns to just 289 total yards and didn’t allow any offensive points until less than five minutes left to play.
Special Teams
Sophomore Michael Hunnicutt has made seven of eight field goals in 2012, while senior punter Tress Way is averaging 42.5 yards per kick. Justin Brown is 10th in the nation averaging 16.3 yards per punt return.
Kansas Jayhawks
After opening the season with a 31-17 against South Dakota State (9/1), Kansas has lost its last five contests to put its record at 1-5 overall and 0-3 in the Big 12. Most recently, KU lost to Oklahoma State, 20-14 (10/13).
Offense
Kansas welcomed in transfer quarterback Dayne Crist from Notre Dame, but he has completed only 49 percent of his passes and thrown seven interceptions to three touchdowns. The Jayhawks have the 84th overall offense (377.7 yards per game), 95th passing offense (198.3 yards and the 109th scoring offense (19.0 points). The bright spot for KU has been its running game, which ranks 49th in the country. James Sims (344), Taylor Cox (325) and Tony Pierson (319) have each rushed for over 300 yards and scored at least two rushing touchdowns in 2012.
Defense
The Jayhawks rank 91st in total defense, surrendering 433.7 yards per game, and have only 6.0 sacks in six games. Sophomore linebacker Ben Heeney and senior safety Bradley McDougald are tied for the team lead with 50 tackles each.
Special Teams
Junior Ron Doherty is both KU’s kicker and punter. He is only 5-10 on field goals this year and is just 1-5 on field goals longer than 30 yards. As a punter, Doherty is averaging 40.5 yards per kick. In the return game, Daymond Patterson has averaged 6.2 yards per punt return, while Tre’ Parmalee has a team-best 22.9 kick return average.
About the Offense
• Under Bob Stoops, OU has produced career leaders in passing, receiving, total offense and all-purpose yards, four top-10 career rushers and season record holders in rushing, passing, total offense and receiving yards.
• Stoops’ OU teams have set 66 offensive school records.
• OU has scored in 180 straight games since 11/7/98.
• Since Stoops’ arrival, OU has scored 6,564 points - an average of 36.9 per game.
• Oklahoma is the highest scoring college program in history. In 1,186 games, the Sooners have scored 32,148 points. Michigan is next at 30,940 points in 1,249 games.
• With a 69-13 win over Florida A&M (9/8) and a 63-21 defeat of Texas (10/13), it marks the first time since the 2009 season that OU scored 60+ points twice in the same season. In 2009, OU beat Idaho State 64-0 (9/12/09) and Texas A&M 65-10 (11/14/09).
• OU is 1 of 4 schools to score 60+ points twice this season, joining North Carolina, Oklahoma State and West Virginia.
Prolific Passer
One doesn’t need to look far to see where Landry Jones ranks in NCAA and Big 12 annals (pages 12-13), but there are other notes to know about OU’s QB:
• With the victory over Texas (10/13), Landry Jones now owns a 33-9 (.786) record as a starter, surpassing QB Steve Davis (1973-75) for the most wins in school history.
• Jones is the third QB in Sooner history to start and play the majority of the game in three wins over Texas, joining Jimmy Harris (1954-56) and Davis.
• Jones finished with 321 yards and two touchdowns on 21 of 37 passing against Texas, his first 300-yard passing game of the season and 22nd of his career, continuing his OU record.
• OU is 26-2 (.929) when Jones throws two or more touchdowns in a game.
• Jones’ two touchdown passes against Texas Tech (10/6) makes him 1 of 3 players in Big 12 history and 1 of 23 in NCAA history to have 100 TD passes and 13,000 passing yards in his career.
• Jones currently ranks fourth in the Big 12 with 270.6 passing yards per game and fifth with 258.6 yards of total offense per game.
Stills Has Been Sensational
• Junior WR Kenny Stills has had an impressive 2012 campaign, leading the team with 381 receiving yards and three touchdowns on 32 catches.
• His 76.2 receiving yards per game rank fifth in the Big 12 and 28th in the NCAA, while his 6.4 receptions per game is 35th in the country and fourth in the conference.
• Stills finished with three catches for 37 yards against Texas (10/13). He now has 2,016 career yards to move past Antwone Savage (2,009, 1999- 02) for fifth in school history and become the sixth player in OU history with 2,000 receiving yards.
• Going over the 100-yard mark in his first two games of the year, Stills now has five career 100- yard receiving games, moving Stills ahead of Eddie Hinton for fifth all-time at OU.
• Stills’ 68-yard touchdown reception in the first quarter against UTEP (9/1) was the longest of his career, surpassing the 58-yarder he had vs. Texas Tech (11/13/2010), and it was the longest pass play for OU since since Jones hit Cameron Kenney for an 86-yard touchdown at Oklahoma State (11/27/10).
• Among active players in the NCAA, Stills ranks No. 9 in receiving yards per game (68.2), No. 15 in receptions (154), No. 18 in receiving yards (2,016). and tied for No. 19 in TD receptions (16).
Williams Continues to Wow
• A transfer from Arizona Western, junior running back Damien Williams made his presence felt in his brief time at Oklahoma.
• Averaging 101.6 rushing yards per game, Williams is second in the Big 12 and ranks 30th in the nation.
• Williams rushed for 167 yards on 22 carries against Texas (10/13), his third 100-yard game of the season after previous games rushing for 156 and 103 yards. It was the 33rd 100-yard rushing performance by a Sooner against Texas in the series’ history.
• The 167 rushing yards were the most by an OU player since Demarco Murray ran for 208 yards against Utah State (9/4/10).
• Williams had 96 rushing yards in the first quarter and 145 yards by halftime against the Longhorns. The halftime mark was the third-most yards in a half by an OU player against Texas.
• Williams’ 95-yard touchdown rush against UT was the third longest run in school history, trailing only Jeff Frazier (North Texas, 11/23/95) and Buck McPhail (Kansas State, 11/3/51) who each recorded 96-yard rushes. It was also the longest rush in Red River Rivalry history and the fourth-longest offensive play in OU history.
Yds. Player Opponent
96 Buck McPhail Kansas State, 1951
Jeff Frazier North Texas, 1995
95 Damien Williams Texas, 2012
• Williams showed an added element to his game against Texas Tech (10/6), catching a career-high 6 passes for 82 yards, including a 38-yard reception, in his first career start.
• After finishing with 10 carries for 103 yards and a touchdown at UTEP (9/1) in his OU debut, Williams gained 156 rushing yards and four touchdowns against Florida A&M (9/8).
• Williams’ 156 total yards rushing were the most in home debut in Oklahoma history, surpassing Dominique Whaley’s 131 yards vs. Tulsa (9/3/11).
• Williams is the first Sooner to score at least one touchdown in each of the first two games of his career since Ryan Broyles did so against Chattanooga (9/6/08) and Cincinnati (9/13/08).
• Williams is the first Sooner to register 100-yard rushing games in each of the first two games of his OU career since Adrian Peterson rushed for 100 yards against Bowling Green (9/4/04) and 117 against Houston (9/11/04).
• Williams had the first back-to-back 100-yard rushing games for OU since DeMarco Murray did so against Texas (115 yards, 10/2/10) and Iowa State (112 yards, 10/16/10).
• His 89-yard TD run was the longest since DeMarco Murray’s 92-yarder against Utah State in (9/14/07) and ties for the seventh-longest run play in school history.
Belldozer Returns
• After rushing for 13 touchdowns last season, Blake Bell and the Belldozer package has returned in 2012.
• Bell scored four rushing touchdowns against Texas (10/13), giving him seven on the season and 20 in his career. Bell has six multi-rushing touchdown games in his career.
• Bell is the third player in Sooner history to score four touchdowns or more in a game twice in his career, joining Steve Owens (5) and Billy Sims (4). The sophomore also accomplished the feat at Baylor (11/19/11).
• Against Florida A&M (9/8), Bell saw the most passing action of his career as he completed 4 of 5 passes for 61 yards.
Saunders Makes OU Debut
• Junior wide receiver Jalen Saunders played for the first time as a Sooner against Texas (10/13) and caught his first reception on a 32-yarder with 3:24 left in the third quarter. Saunders finished with two receptions for 54 yards.
• Saunders transferred to Oklahoma after two seasons at Fresno State where he was a first team All-WAC selection in 2011 after finishing with 1,065 yards and a conference-best 12 TD receptions on 50 catches. His 21.4 yards per catch was second nationally as he caught 10 passes that were 44 yards or longer and recorded 6 TDs of 50 yards or longer.
Millard is the Man
• Against Texas (10/13), junior fullback Trey Millard had five receptions for 119 yards and a touchdown, easily surpassing his previous career highs of three receptions and 39 receiving yards.
• Millard had a 73-yard reception, the longest pass play by an OU player in Red River Rivalry history, surpassing Buddy Leake’s 65-yarder in 1953. It was also the seventh-longest pass play by a Sooner running back in OU history.
Shepard Shines in First Start
• Sterling Shepard started for the first time in his Sooner career against Kansas State (9/22) and set career highs with seven receptions for 108 yards, leading all receivers.
• Shepard became the seventh freshman in OU history to go over 100 yards receiving. OU freshmen have accomplished the feat eight times overall. Ryan Broyles was the previous freshman to do so, gaining 141 yards at Cincinnati (9/6/08).
• Shepard’s 108 receiving yards ties him with Mark Clayton (vs. Baylor, 10/20/01) and Tinker Owens (vs. Nebraska, 11/23/72) for fourth-most receiving yards by a freshman.
About the Defense
• Oklahoma has ranked in the top 16 in the nation in total defense eight of the last 11 years.
• OU has forced at least one turnover in 154 of 178 games over the last 14 seasons - 87% of games played in that span.
• The Sooner defense has at least one interception in 74% of its games (131 of 178) over the last 14 years.
• Oklahoma has 13 shutouts under Bob Stoops.
• Under Stoops, the OU defense has given up an average of just 18.3 points per game.
• The defense has allowed less than 100 rushing yards per game in five of the last 11 seasons.
• OU is giving up just 8.4 points in the first half and 8.6 points in the second half of games this season. Teams have scored a combined 9 points against the Sooners in the 3rd quarter in 2012.
Back to the Future
• OU associate head coach and defensive coordinator Mike Stoops is back on the Sooner coaching staff after guiding the OU defense from 1999-03.
• In his first stint in Norman, four of Stoops’ five defenses finished No. 7 or better nationally in scoring defense and in the top 10 for total defense.
• From 2000-03, Stoops’ defenses also finished in the top 25 in pass defense and rush defense every season and in pass efficiency defense and turnovers forced twice.
• In addition, Stoops is the only coach to have an athlete win both the Nagurski and Thorpe awards in the same season, doing so twice with Roy Williams in 2001 and Derrick Strait in 2003.
Third-Down Defense
• Under Bob Stoops’ tenure, no program has been better at stopping foes on third down than OU, limiting teams to an FBS-best 30.8 percent success rate since the start of the 1999 season.
• The Oklahoma defense posted the No. 5 third down defense in the nation in 2011, allowing just 60 conversions in 196 attempts (30.6%).
• In home games, no team was better in the category than OU’s 20.2% mark in 2011.
• The Sooners have consistently been at the top of the rankings in third-down defense, ranking No.11 two seasons ago and No. 3 in 2009.
No Passing Zone
• Oklahoma ranks 11th in the nation in passing defense, yielding just 171.4 yards per game.
• The OU defense held UTEP to just 48 yards passing in the season opener (9/1), the fewest passing yards allowed by the Sooners since Oklahoma State had 47 (11/28/2009).
• The 48 passing yards allowed were the second fewest in the FBS’ opening week and the best for a team facing a fellow FBS opponent.
• Under Bob Stoops, the Sooners are 26-1 when limiting teams to 100 yards passing or less and 10-1 when teams pass for 50 yards or less.
Interceptions in Bunches
• OU entered the Texas Tech game (10/6) with 1 interception on the year, but had 3 against the Red Raiders and 2 more against Texas (10/13).
• The 3 picks against TTU were the most by OU since it had 3 vs. Texas A&M (11/5/2011). It was just the second time in the career of Texas Tech’s Seth Doege that he threw three picks in a game.
• Defensive tackle Jamarkus McFarland got it started by intercepting the first pass of his career in the first quarter against TTU.
• Aaron Colvin intercepted the first pass of his career in the second quarter against the Red Raiders and picked off another pass against UT.
• Javon Harris intercepted his second pass of the season (fifth of his career) and returned it 46 yards for a touchdown. It was his first career defensive touchdown and the first by an OU player since Demontre Hurst had a 55-yard pick six against Texas (10/8/2011).
• Tony Jefferson added his first interception of the season against the Longhorns at the end of the first half. He now has seven for his career.
Support in the Secondary
• Tony Jefferson totaled 14 tackles against Kansas State (9/22), the most tackles by a Sooner since defensive back Quinton Carter had 17 tackles vs. Texas Tech (11/13/10).
• Jefferson (14) and Javon Harris (career-high 12) became the first OU DBs to both have double digit tackle totals in the same game since Jemell Fleming and Jonathan Nelson accomplished the feat against Texas A&M (11/6/10).
• Jefferson is 11th in the Big 12 with an average of 7.5 tackles per game, while Harris is not far behind in 18th place with 6.5 stops per game.
Defensive TDs at 43 in Stoops Era
• With a defensive touchdown at Texas Tech (10/6/12), Oklahoma now has 43 in Bob Stoops’ 13+ seasons.
• Thirteen of those TDs came via a fumble return.
• The defense has scored at least one touchdown in all of Stoops’ 14 seasons.
About the Special Teams
Oklahoma’s special teams under Bob Stoops …
• There have been 29 special teams touchdowns.
• Those 29 have come via five different kinds of plays -- punt returns, fake field goals, blocked punts, kickoff returns and a fake punt. Special teams also owns four safeties in that span.
• Oklahoma has returned six kickoff s and 14 punts for touchdowns.
• Oklahoma has blocked 28 kicks.
Many Happy Returns
Information on returns during the Stoops era ...
• Kickoff Returns --111 returns of 25 yards or more with eight touchdowns.
• Punt Returns -- 71 returns of 15 or more yards with 16 touchdowns.
• Interception Returns -- 93 returns of 10 or more yards with 25 touchdowns.
• Fumble Returns -- 8 returns of 15 or more yards with 12 touchdowns.
Way Good at Punter
• Tress Way is third among active punters in the FBS with 217 career punts and 9,498 yards.
• Way also ranks No. 8 among active punters in the NCAA with a 43.8 yards per punt average.
• His career average currently ranks No. 1 in OU history with a season left to play, just ahead of Jeff Ferguson (1998-01) at 42.5 ypp.
• This season, Way is tied for 36th in the NCAA with an average of 42.5 yards per punt.
• Tress Way kicked a 71-yard punt in the first quarter at Texas Tech (10/6). It was a season long and ties as the third-longest of his career. Way now has four career punts of 70+ yards.
Hunnicutt Through the Uprights
Returning kicker Michael Hunnicutt is in his second season as the Sooners’ field goal kicker.
• This season he has made 7-of-8 field goal tries with a long of 42 against Texas Tech (10/6). After missing a 44-yarder to start the year, he has made his last seven successfully.
• Hunnicutt has made two field goals in each of his last three games. That gives him seven multi-field goal games in his career. He is now 28-of-32 in his career.
What Can Brown Do For You?
• Senior wide receiver Justin Brown ranks 10th in the NCAA, averaging 16.3 yards per punt return.
• Brown returned three punts for a career-high 102 yards against Florida A&M (9/8), which made him the first player since Ryan Broyles had 209 yards vs. Oklahoma State (11/28/09) to go over the 100-yard mark.
• A 62-yard punt return in the second quarter was a career long for Brown. It was the longest by a Sooner since Ryan Broyles’ 87-yard punt return vs. Oklahoma State (11/28/09).
• Brown became the 11th player in OU history to have three separate plays of 40 yards or more (46-yard reception, 43-yard punt return, 62-yard punt return) and the first since Ryan Broyles had two punt returns and a reception of over 40 yards against Oklahoma State (11/28/09).
