Courtesy 124 Oklahoma Athletic Department
There is no doubt about the potential that No. 2 Oklahoma has on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball.
The Sooners are perennial
contenders for the national
championship. Under sixth-year head coach Bob Stoops, Oklahoma has produced a 57-11 overall record, including a national championship in 2000.
Behind that success has been the terrific play at the quarterback position under Stoops’ tenure. From 1999 to 2002, quarterbacks Josh Heupel and Nate Hybl combined for 12,403 yards passing, including passing for 91 touchdowns and 52 interceptions.
This season, Jason White is the offense’s leader after winning last year’s Heisman Trophy, given to college football’s best player. He was also a consensus college player of the year among various media outlets.
White, a native of Tuttle, Okla. — just 30 miles outside Norman, Okla. — passed for 3,846 yards, threw 40 touchdowns and just 10 interceptions last season.
The 6-foot-3 White said he credits having great players around him for the success he has had in his second year as a starter.
“It definitely makes it an easier job for me having great playmakers on that side of the ball,” White said.
In last week’s 63-13 victory against Houston, White completed 14-of-18 passes to finish with 257 yards and touchdowns. He played just one series in the second half. Last season, White finished just three games because of a large Oklahoma lead at the end of the game.
Oregon head coach Mike Bellotti said he, like all of the other college coaches in the country, knows how big of a threat White is to an opposing team.
“Jason White’s movement is an aspect that adds an element that scares defensive coaches,” Bellotti said. “He’s an accurate passer and he’s accurate on the run. He’s accurate in the pocket, too.”
Oregon’s pass defense, which gave up 71 yards to Indiana quarterback Matt LoVecchio last week, meeting White and the Oklahoma offense is one of the key matchups this weekend.
OU senior in right
place at right time
Oklahoma wide receiver Mark Bradley scored a touchdown on his first career rushing attempt in last week’s victory.
The 51-yard touchdown came on a reverse play from fellow receiver Mark Clayton in the first quarter.
Earlier in his career, Bradley scored a touchdown both on his first career kickoff return attempt (100 yards at Iowa State last season) and his first career passing attempt (17 yards to Clayton vs. Oklahoma State last season).
“The team gets me in positions to execute plays and I just try and go out there and make things happen,” said Bradley, a 6-foot-2 senior from Pine Bluff, Ark. “We all try and score once we have the ball in our hands. Fortunately, it just works out for me.”
However, Bradley did not score a touchdown on his first career reception. Bradley, whose father also played at Oklahoma, scored a touchdown on his fifth career reception against Iowa State last season.
Perkins ties NCAA record
Oklahoma punt returner Antonio Perkins tied the NCAA record for punt returns for touchdowns after earning his eighth against Houston last week.
Perkins, a 6-foot senior and native of Lawton, Okla., is tied for the record with former Texas Tech player Wes Welker.
Last season against UCLA, Perkins had three punt returns for touchdowns in one game and totaled 277 punt return yardage, which are NCAA records. His total of four punt returns for touchdowns in 2003 is also an NCAA record.
OU-UO connection
Oklahoma running backs coach Cale Gundy and Oregon secondary coach John Neal coached together at Alabama-Birmingham.
Gundy was the quarterbacks and running backs coach at UAB from 1995 to 1998. Neal was there from 1995 to 2002 as the secondary and recruiting coordinator and then as defensive coordinator.
In other connections, Oklahoma linebacker Lance Mitchell and Oregon offensive lineman Nick Steitz were high school teammates at Los Banos High School in Los Banos, Calif. Both graduated in the class of 1999.
Steitz played offensive tackle at Los Banos when Mitchell played at tailback as he accumulated more than 3,000 rushing yards as a senior (9.6 yards per carry) and 36 touchdowns.
