2008 Oklahoma Sooners Season

2008 Oklahoma Sooners Season, Game Recaps, Scores and Reviews

2008 Oklahoma Sooners

Jan. 8
2009 BCS Championship  
Florida 24 … Oklahoma 14
Florida PK Jonathan Phillips broke a 14-14 tie with a 27-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter, and following an interception from Ahmad Black, the Gator offense marched 76 yards in 11 plays with Tim Tebow hitting David Nelson with a jump-pass from four yards out for a game-clinching touchdown. Tebow started off the scoring with a 20-yard pass to Louis Murphy, but OU answered 2:13 later on a six-yard touchdown catch from Jermaine Gresham. The Sooners marched down near the goal line on two more drives, but were stuffed on two plays from the one to halt one march, and a Sam Bradford pass was batted and bounced into the hands of Major Wright at the end of the half. The Gators took the lead late in the third on a two-yard run by Percy Harvin off a direct snap, but OU tied it up in the fourth on an 11-yard Gresham catch. Florida was able to answer right back with a 68-yard drive culminating in the Phillips field goal, which turned out to be the winning points to give the Gators their second national title in three years.
Player of the Game: Florida QB Tim Tebow completed 18-of-30 passes for 231 yards and two touchdowns with two interceptions and ran 22 times for 109 yards. 
Stat Leaders: Oklahoma - Passing: Sam Bradford, 26-41, 256 yds, 2 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Chris Brown, 22-110. Receiving: Jermaine Gresham, 8-62, 2 TD
Florida - Passing: Tim Tebow, 18-30, 231 yds, 2 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Percy Harvin, 9-122, 1 TD. Receiving: Aaron Hernandez, 5-57
Inside The Box Score ...  5 Thoughts on the BCS Championship … Quarter-by-Quarter, Play-by-Play Game Notes … Rushing yards: Florida 249 – OU 107 … Passing yards: OU 256 – UF 231 … Fourth quarter time of possession: UF 10:57 – OU 4:03 … Third down conversions: UF 12-of-17 – OU 6-of-13 … Florida CB Joe Haden made 10 tackles and broke up two passes. … OU S Nic Harris made 11 tackles and an interception.

- 2008 OU Preview
- 2007 OU Season

2008 Schedule
CFN Prediction: 10-2
2008 Record: 12-2

Aug. 30 UT Chattanooga W 57-2
Sept. 6 Cincinnati W 52-26
Sept. 13 at Washington W 55-14
Sept. 20 OPEN DATE
Sept. 27 TCU W 35-10
Oct. 4 at Baylor W 49-14
Oct. 11 Texas (Dallas) L 45-35
Oct. 18 Kansas W 45-31
Oct. 25 at Kansas State W 58-35
Nov. 1 Nebraska W 62-28
Nov. 8 at Texas A&M W 66-28
Nov. 15 OPEN DATE
Nov. 22 Texas Tech W 65-21
Nov. 29 at Oklahoma St W 61-41
BIG 12 CHAMPIONSHIP
Missouri W 62-21
BCS Championship
Jan. 8 Florida L 24-14

2007 Schedule
CFN Prediction: 10-2
2007 Record: 11-3

Sept. 1 North Texas W 79-10
Sept. 8 Miami W 51-13
Sept. 15 Utah State W 54-3
Sept. 21 at Tulsa W 62-21
Sept. 29 at Colorado L 27-24
Oct. 6 vs. Texas W 28-21
Oct. 13 Missouri W 41-31
Oct. 20 at Iowa State W 17-7
Nov. 3 Texas A&M W 42-14
Nov. 10 Baylor W 52-21
Nov. 17 at Texas Tech L 34-27
Nov. 24 Oklahoma State W 49-17
Big 12 Championship
Dec. 1 Missouri W 38-17
Fiesta Bowl
Jan. 2 West Virginia L 48-28

Dec. 6
2008 Big 12 Championship
Oklahoma 62 … Missouri 21
Jeremy Maclin and Missouri answered a Chris Brown four-yard touchdown run with a 27-yard touchdown to make it 10-7 OU early in the second quarter. And then it was all Sooners with a 31-point run helped by two Juaquin Iglesias touchdown catches and short touchdown runs from Mossis Madu and Brown. The Tigers were never able to make a game of it after the floodgates opened in the second quarter with Brown’s six-yard run making it 38-7 OU going into the locker room. Madu and Brown each ran for three touchdowns.
Player of the game: Oklahoma RBs Chris Brown and Mossis Madu combined for 42 carries for 236 yards and six touchdowns
Stat Leaders: Missouri - Passing: Chase Daniel, 27-43, 255 yds, 3 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Derrick Washington, 10-29. Receiving: Tommy Saunders, 8-72, 1 TD
Oklahoma - Passing: Sam Bradford, 34-49, 384 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Chris Brown, 27-122, 3 TD. Receiving: Juaquin Iglesias, 9-125, 2 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Oklahoma showed that it really might be the best team for the job from the Big 12. The offense continues to be special with yet another 60-point outing, and while Sam Bradford was fantastic against Missouri, it was the running game that dominated just as much (despite losing DeMarco Murray on the opening kickoff). Now the team has to spend the next month with a chip on its shoulder and has to come in fully focused for Florida. After all the gaffes by OU in the last few bowl seasons, it’s time to prove to everyone that the team really is different than the on

Nov. 29
Oklahoma 61 … Oklahoma State 41
In a fun, wild game, the two teams traded punches throughout with big play after bit play, but Oklahoma scored the final 17 points to pull away in the end. The Sooners only trailed once, 10-7 early in the second quarter, but that was it as the offense wasn’t stopped over a key stretch with six straight touchdown drives highlighted by a catch from TE Jermaine Gresham, who took a tipped ball 73 yards for a third quarter score. Sam Bradford threw four touchdown passes and ran for another, a two-yard score on fourth down, and Chris Brown ran for two scores. Oklahoma State wouldn’t go away as Dez Bryant caught two touchdown passes and Perrish Cox returned a kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown, but the Cowboys struggled to hang on to the ball late, and OU pounced. In all, the two teams combined for 1,009 yards of total offense, 52 first downs, and 19-of-30 third down conversions.
Player of the game: Oklahoma TE Jermaine Gresham made nine catches for 158 yards and two touchdowns
Stat Leaders: Oklahoma State - Passing: Zac Robinson, 17-26, 254 yds, 3 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Zac Robinson, 17-90, 1 TD. Receiving: Dez Bryant, 6-91, 2 TD
Oklahoma - Passing: Sam Bradford, 30-44, 370 yds, 4 TD
Rushing: Chris Brown, 19-98, 2 TD. Receiving: Jermaine Gresham, 9-158, 2 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Oklahoma got over some early fired up Oklahoma State defense and was unstoppable after the floodgates opened up. The offensive line had a great game keeping Sam Bradford under wraps, but the defense had far too many problems containing Dez Bryant and coming up with the stop to put the game away early. Looking ahead, way, way ahead, the kickoff coverage has to be better or else Florida, with arguably the best special teams in America, will have a huge advantage. First things first, the Sooners have to handle the short to midrange Missouri offense better than they did the Oklahoma State attack.

Nov. 22
Oklahoma 65 … Texas Tech 21
In a complete and total obliteration, Oklahoma rolled out to a 28-0 lead on two short touchdown runs from DeMarco Murray and Chris Brown and touchdown passes from Sam Bradford. Bradford hit Jermaine Gresham for a 19-yard score and Juaquin Iglesias for a 28-yard touchdown, and finished with four touchdown passes connecting with Manuel Johnson on a 66-yard play in the third and with Ryan Broyles on a 26-yard play in the fourth. Graham Harrell threw three touchdown passes for the Red Raiders, but he was under pressure all game long and his team was never in it. OU outgained Texas Tech 625 yards to 406.
Player of the game: Oklahoma QB Sam Bradford completed 14-of-19 passes for 304 yards and four touchdowns, and he ran for 18 yards on five carries.
Stat Leaders: Texas Tech - Passing: Graham Harrell, 33-55, 361 yds, 3 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Baron Batch, 8-47. Receiving: Michael Crabtree, 6-62
Oklahoma - Passing: Sam Bradford, 14-19, 304 yds, 4 TD
Rushing: DeMarco Murray, 18-125, 2 TD. Receiving: Jermaine Gresham, 5-95, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Oklahoma committed 11 penalties for 96 yards … that was the only pimple on the beauty queen. The Sooners were unbelievable against Texas Tech both on the ground and through the air, but while Sam Bradford and the offense will get most of the attention, the much-maligned defense deserves mention. Travis Lewis came up with the game of his life, making 13 tackles with a tackle for loss, a forced fumble, and an interception as the leader of the bunch that allowed Tech to convert just one of 13 third down chances. Texas Tech had allowed five sacks all year long and gave up four to the Sooners. Now it’s up to OU to not blow it against Oklahoma State. Far less talented Cowboy teams than this one have screwed up OU in the past.

Nov. 8
Oklahoma 66 … Texas A&M 28
Oklahoma tore off 653 yards of total offense and never let this be close as Sam Bradford ran for a 15-yard score and threw a 28-yard touchdown pass to Matt Clapp as part of a 28-point run to start the game. Chris Brown ran for three touchdowns and Bradford threw four touchdown passes. Texas A&M got a 20-yard Jamie McCoy touchdown catch and a two-yard Jarrod Johnson scoring run, but the Sooners answered with a 24-point run broken up by a 98-yard Cyrus Gray kickoff return for a score. The Sooner defense got into the act late with a 39-yard fumble return for a score from Dominique Franks.
Player of the game: Oklahoma QB Sam Bradford completed 22-of-33 passes for 320 yards and four touchdowns, and he ran for 23 yards and a score.
Stat Leaders: Texas A&M - Passing: Jerrod Johnson, 11-31, 162 yds, 1 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Cyrus Gray, 5-24. Receiving: Howard Morrow, 6-78
Oklahoma - Passing: Sam Bradford, 22-33, 320 yds, 4 TD
Rushing: DeMarco Murray, 7-123. Receiving: DeMarco Murray, 7-63, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... The OU offense comes out firing with Sam Bradford spreading the ball around and using all his weapons, the other team can’t keep up, and then everyone goes home. It seems so simple for the Sooners after blasting Texas A&M with the most points ever put up by a visiting team in College Station. OU got the big break with Texas Tech beating Oklahoma State, so after a week off, the battle against the Red Raiders could end up forcing a three-way tie in the South. If OU blasts Tech and Oklahoma State, it’ll probably be ranked higher than anyone in the Big 12 and would then play for the Big 12 title.

Nov. 1
Oklahoma 62 …Nebraska 28
The game was less than six minutes old and Oklahoma was up 28-0. Chris Brown ran for a two-yard touchdown, and a few seconds later, on Nebraska’s first pass of the game, Dominique Franks timed a Joe Ganz pass perfectly and took it 18 yards for a touchdown. Sam Bradford connected with Quentin Chaney for a 48-yard touchdown and hit Jermaine Gresham for a nine-yard touchdown. Brown close out the first quarter with a one-yard run. DeMarco Murray scored three times in the second half for the Sooners. While Nebraska got on the board with three touchdown runs and an eight-yard Nate Swift touchdown catch, but it was way too late. OU gained 508 yards to 418.
Player of the game: Oklahoma QB Sam Bradford completed 19-of-27 passes for 311 yards and five touchdowns, and he ran for 14 yards.
Stat Leaders: Nebraska - Passing: Joe Ganz, 14-26, 206 yds, 1 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Roy Helu, 16-157, 1 TD. Receiving: Todd Peterson, 5-73
Oklahoma - Passing: Sam Bradford, 19-27, 311 yds, 5 TD
Rushing: Chris Brown, 9-89, 1 TD. Receiving: Jermaine Gresham, 5-52, 2 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Oklahoma flexed its muscle on both sides of the ball against Nebraska. It showed just how good the team is when it’s fully focused and locked in. Sam Bradford got all the time he needed to throw, and he picked the Huskers apart. DeMarco Murray is the ultimate closer, scoring whenever a game needs to take the turn into blowout status. The last three games (Texas A&M, Texas Tech and Oklahoma State) should be shootouts, but the Sooners are more than equipped to keep rolling as long as the O line plays like it did against the Huskers.

Oct. 25
Oklahoma 58 …Kansas State 35
In a game of wacky, wild swings and 1,078 yards of total offense, Oklahoma got up 28-7 on four short touchdown runs, with two from DeMarco Murray, and appeared to be cruising, and then Josh Freeman got hot connecting with Brandon Banks for a 77-yard touchdown, Jeron Mastrud for a 29-yard score, and Deon Murphy for a nine yard touchdown on a 21-point run to tie it up midway through the second quarter. Oklahoma answered with 27 straight points with two more Murray touchdown, a 29-yard Jermaine Gresham catch, and a 68-yard punt return for a score from Ryan Broyles. Kansas State turned it over five times. Travis Lewis made 15 tackles with two interceptions for the Sooners.
Player of the game: Oklahoma RB DeMarco Murray ran 17 times for 104 yards and two touchdowns, and led the team with four catches for 63 yards and two scores.
Stat Leaders: Kansas State - Passing: Josh Freeman, 29-51, 478 yds, 3 TD, 3 INT
Rushing: Logan Dold, 13-46, 1 TD. Receiving: Ernie Pierce, 11-176
Ohio State - Passing: Sam Bradford, 13-32, 255 yds, 3 TD
Rushing: Chris Brown, 20-142, 1 TD. Receiving: DeMarco Murray, 4-63, 2 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Oklahoma had better figure out how to stop someone soon. The offense has been able to pick up the slack, but the secondary is giving up way too many deep passes and the pass rush has been inconsistent. On the plus side, the Sooners beat Kansas State in a blowout with Sam Bradford coming up with a mediocre game. DeMarco Murray showed just how many weapons the team has, but there has to be a little bit of a concern that the passing game was average with Manuel Johnson on the sidelines. With Texas Tech and Oklahoma State coming up, the O will have to gear it up and be even more consistent for a full 60 minutes.

Oct. 18
Oklahoma 45 … Kansas 31
In a game with 1,165 yards of total offense, Sam Bradford set an Oklahoma record with 468 passing yards with three touchdown passes, and DeMarco Murray ran for two short scores. Kansas WR Dezmon Briscoe caught 12 passes for 269 yards scoring from 69 and 17 yards out, but it wasn’t nearly enough to keep up with the Sooner offensive attack. Up just 31-24 late in the third quarter, OU scored 14 straight points to finally put the game out of reach. Oklahoma converted 7-of-16 third down chances while KU came up with just 2-of-12.
Player of the game: Oklahoma QB Sam Bradford completed 36-of-53 passes for 468 yards and three touchdowns, and in a losing cause, Kansas WR Dezmon Briscoe caught 12 passes for 269 yards and two touchdowns
Stat Leaders: Kansas - Passing: Todd Reesing, 24-41, 342 yds, 2 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Jake Sharp, 12-103, 1 TD. Receiving: Dezmon Briscoe, 12-269, 2 TD 
Oklahoma - Passing: Sam Bradford, 36-53, 468 yards, 3 TD
Rushing: Chris Brown, 12-92, 1 TD. Receiving: Juaquin Iglesias, 12-191
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... The offense isn’t going to be stopped the rest of the way. Sam Bradford has taken his game to another level, and while it hurts to lose Manuel Johnson, who suffered an arm injury, anyone thrown out there will catch passes. On the flip side, the defense continues to struggle way too much. Kansas was able to move the ball too easily through the air, but the Sooners did a good job on third downs and the pass rush was fantastic. Now OU needs Texas to lose … twice.

Oct. 11
Texas 45 … Oklahoma 35
In a wildly fun game with each offense throwing haymaker after haymaker, Texas overcame an early 14-3 deficit thanks to a 96-yard kickoff return for a score and a 25-7 second half run to close out the game. Cody Johnson ran for three short scores and Shipley caught a two-yard touchdown pass for the Longhorns, while Sam Bradford threw five touchdown passes including three to Manuel Johnson and a 52-yarder to Jermaine Gresham. The 80 combined points were the most ever in the 103 times the two teams have played.
Player of the game: Texas WR Jordan Shipley caught 11 passes for 112 yards and a touchdown, and he returned two kickoffs for 112 yards and a score
Stat Leaders: Texas - Passing: Colt McCoy, 28-35, 277 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Chris Ogbonnaya, 15-127. Receiving: Jordan Shipley, 11-112, 1 TD
Oklahoma  - Passing: Sam Bradford, 28-39, 387 yds, 5 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Chris Brown, 7-29. Receiving: Juaquin Iglesias, 7-92
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Sam Bradford was brilliant with 387 yards and five touchdown passes against Texas, but he made a few mistakes under pressure. There weren’t may, but there were just enough to stop some key drives to allow the Longhorns to get back in the game. The officials can’t be blamed for the loss, but Sooner fans are almost certainly going to be grouchy over some questionable penalties and for getting flagged 10 times for 73 yards. The loss will gloss over a fantastic day from Travis Lewis, who made 18 tackles and two tackles for loss, but the defense suffered a major blow when it lost LB Ryan Reynolds. As soon as Reynolds went out with a knee injury, Colt McCoy and the Texas offense picked on the middle of the field  the rest of the day.

Oct. 4
Oklahoma 49 ... Baylor 14
Oklahoma had no problems on the road against the Bears as the offense rolled up 594 yards. Sam Bradford threw a 53-yard touchdown pass to Manuel Johnson and a 42-yard scoring pass to Juaquin Iglesias, and he ran for a one-yard score. DeMarco Murray added two short scores and Chris Brown and Mossis Madu each had a short scoring run. For Baylor, it was all Robert Griffin. The freshman quarterback struggled with the passing game, but he ran for 102 yards and two short touchdowns. It wasn't nearly enough as OU's 28-point first quarter lead was too tough to overcome.
Player of the game: Oklahoma QB Sam Bradford completed 23-of-31 passes for 372 yards and two touchdowns with an interception. He also ran for a touchdown.
Stat Leaders: Oklahoma - Passing: Sam Bradford, 23-31, 372 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: DeMarco Murray, 26-96, 2 TD. Receiving: Juaquin Iglesias, 6-133, 1 TD
Baylor - Passing: Robert Griffin, 11-26, 75 yds
Rushing: Robert Griffin, 21-102, 2 TD. Receiving: Kendall Wright, 4-16
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Ho hum. Oklahoma is going through the motions and blowing teams away. Of course, Baylor isn't Texas or Missouri, but it's still a decent young team that's emerging under Robert Griffin. The Sooners came into the lookahead game, with Texas coming up next week, and hung up 28 points in the first quarter to make it a laugher. Sam Bradford continues to get 15 days to throw, and that allows Manuel Johnson and Juaquin Iglesias chances to get deep. Yeah, the defense let up a bit in the overall intensity and Robert Griffin ran wild, but that's to be expected.

Sept. 27
Oklahoma 35 ... TCU 10
Sam Bradford threw four touchdown passes with three of them going to Manuel Johnson on plays from 76, 55 and 63 yards out as part of a 28-point run to put the game away. TCU came up with four sacks and held OU to 25 rushing yards, but the offense couldn't keep up the pace. The lone TCU touchdown came on a one-yard Joseph Turner run in the fourth quarter.
Player of the game: Oklahoma WR Manuel Johnson caught five passes for 206 yards and three touchdowns
Stat Leaders: Oklahoma - Passing: Sam Bradford, 19-34, 411 yds, 4 TD
Rushing: Chris Brown, 13-27, 1 TD. Receiving: Manuel Johnson, 5-206, 3 TD
TCU - Passing: Andy Dalton, 16-39, 212 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Joseph Turner, 14-54, 1 TD. Receiving: Jimmy Young, 6-111
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... This is one coldly efficient team. The offensive line had its worst game of the year in the win over TCU, there was no running game and the pass protection was spotty, but Sam Bradford and Manuel Johnson went ballistic with the big plays to put the game away early. TCU couldn't get anything going against a Sooner defense that forced four turnovers and came up with all the big stops when needed. There's one more tune-up, at Baylor, before the showdown against Texas. While things are going fine, it would be nice if the running game could start working again before facing the Longhorns.

Sept. 13
Oklahoma 55 … Washington 14
Sam Bradford threw five touchdown passes and ran for a one-yard score in the blowout of the Huskies. The Sooners scored the first 41 points of the game with Ryan Broyles catching touchdown passes from four and 77 yards out. Juaquin Iglesias started off the scoring with a 13-yard touchdown and Jermaine Gresham scored twice. Jake Locker broke the run with a 15-yard touchdown dash in the third quarter, but OU answered with a Grisham 64-yard touchdown. The Sooners got 100-yard rushing days out of both Chris Brown and DeMarco Murray.
Player of the game: Oklahoma QB Sam Bradford completed 18-of-21 passes for 304 yards and five touchdowns. He also ran for a one-yard score.
Stat Leaders: Oklahoma - Passing: Sam Bradford, 18-21, 304 yds, 5 TD
Rushing: Chris Brown, 13-107. Receiving: Juaquin Iglesias, 6-65, 1 TD
Washington - Passing: Jake Locker, 16-24, 154 yds
Rushing: Jake Locker, 12-44, 1 TD. Receiving: D’Andre Goodwin, 9-82
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Total and complete domination. Oklahoma was the far better team than Washington, and it played like it from the start and never let up. With near-perfect offensive balance, explosion, and consistency, the OU quarterbacks completed 19-of-24 passes and the running game averaged 5.8 yards per carry, this was impressive. The defense was strong at getting into the backfield with four sacks. Penalties were the only issues, committing 11 for 110 yards.

Sept. 6
Oklahoma 52 ... Cincinnati 26
Oklahoma rolled up 592 yards of total offense with Sam Bradford throwing five touchdown passes in a game that was close for the first 40 minutes, but got out of hand. The Sooners ripped off 24 straight points on an 11-yard DeMarco Murray run and two Bradford scoring passes to put the game away. Cincinnati hung around with a one-yard Dustin Grutza touchdown run and a 14-yard Dominick Goodman scoring grab, but the big highlight was a 97-yard kickoff return for a score from Mardy Gilyard. Travis Lewis came up with 12 tackles and two sacks for the Sooners.
Player of the game: Oklahoma QB Sam Bradford completed 29-of-38 passes for 395 yards and five touchdowns and two interceptions
Stat Leaders: Oklahoma - Passing: Sam Bradford, 29-38, 395 yds, 5 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: DeMarco Murray, 15-88, 1 TD. Receiving: Ryan Broyle,s, 7-141, 1 TD
Cincinnati - Passing: Dustin Grutza, 19-29, 218 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Jacob Ramsey, 8-27 & John Goebel, 8-27. Receiving: Mardy Gilyard, 7-119
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... It took a little while to get the machine rolling against Cincinnati, but one things started to work, the attack was breathtaking. Sam Bradford might have thrown a few interceptions, but one was on a deep ball and he was razor-sharp when he had to be. There was a running game, too, with DeMarco Murray and Chris Brown each having strong games. Now the team has to show it can dominate on a regular basis on the road, unlike last year, with a trip to Washington next week. This team is national title good if it can be consistent.

Aug. 30
Oklahoma 57 ... Chattanooga 2
Oklahoma scored with ease on its first seven possessions before play was delayed by a severe thunderstorm. Sam Bradford threw two short touchdown passes, DeMarco Murray ran for two one-yard scores, Chris Brown scored from 10 and nine yards out, and the Sooners did whatever they wanted to before packing it in. The only Chattanooga points came on a bad punt snap that went out of the end zone for a safety.
Player of the game: Oklahoma QB Sam Bradford completed 17 of 22 passes for 183 yards and two touchdowns
Stat Leaders: Oklahoma - Passing: Sam Bradford, 17-22, 183 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: DeMarco Murray, 15-124, 2 TD. Receiving: Manuel Johnson, 9-120, 1 TD
Chattanooga - Passing: Tony Pastore, 3-8, 20 yds
Rushing: Shaun Kermah, 17-37 yds. Receiving: Brent Hayes, 1-9
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Oklahoma was supposed to obliterate a bad Chattanooga team, the final score could've been 100-2 if Bob Stoops wanted to keep things rolling, but more importantly, the passing attack was sharp. After struggling at times this off-season, Sam Bradford didn't misfire and combined with Joey Halzle to hit 31 of 38 passes for 305 yards and three touchdowns with an interception thrown by Halzle. There's nothing to complain about going into the Cincinnati game.

2008 Recruiting Class

Star of the Class

Justin Johnson RB 6-1  210 Gilmer, Texas (Gilmer)
No. 2 running back nationally by Scout.com ... named to ESPN's top 150 prospects ... had 204 carries for 2164 yards and 25 TD in 2007 ... as a junior, he logged 86 attempts for 1,015 yards and 11 TD, and as a sophomore he had 91 carries for 793 yards and eight touchdowns ... played defense as a soph and logged 49 tackles, six sacks and one interception. 

Potential Instant Impact Players

J.R. Bryant

LB

6-3

230

Jesup, Ga. (Garden City CC [Kan.])

First team All-Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference ... NJCAA All-Region VI ... recorded 81 tackles and two tackles for a loss in 2007 as well as one sack ... Garden City was ranked No. 17 in the final NJCAA poll

David Sims

DB

5-11

198

Gainesville, Fla. (Butte College, Ca.)

Sims played running back at Butte his first year before moving to safety for the '07 season. This past season at safety, he racked up 73 tackles, three interceptions, six pass breakups and four fumble recoveries, one of which he returned 99 yards for a touchdown. He also had a kickoff return he took 86 yards to the house, ran back a blocked field goal 98 yards for another score, and returned another FG attempt 100-plus yards to paydirt.

Rest of the Class

Mike Balogun	LB	6-2	250	Upper Marlboro, Md. (Lackawanna CC [Pa.])
Jermie Calhoun	RB	6-0	210	Ben Wheeler, Texas (Van)
Daniel Franklin	LB	6-3	220	Mount Airy, Ga. (Habersham Central)
Stephen Good	OL	6-5	305	Paris, Texas (Paris)
James Hanna	TE	6-4	215	Flower Mound, Texas (Flower Mound)
Lamar Harris	DB	6-2	180	Gilmer, Texas (Gilmer)
Ben Habern	OL	6-4	275	Argyle, Texas (Liberty Christian)
Joseph Ibiloye	LB	6-4	205	Garland, Texas (South Garland)
Josh Jarboe	WR	6-3	195	Decatur, Ga. (Cedar Grove)
Landry Jones	QB	6-4	210	Artesia, N.M. (Artesia)
David King	DE	6-4	240	Houston, Texas (Strake Jesuit Prep)
Stacy McGee	DL	6-4	260	Muskogee, Okla. (Muskogee)
Britt Mitchell	OL	6-6	320	Roscoe, Texas (Roscoe)
Dejuan Miller	WR	6-5	200	Metuchen, N.J. (Metuchen)
Jameel Owens	WR	6-3	200	Muskogee, Okla. (Muskogee)
Casey Walker	DL	6-3	285	Garland, Texas (Garland)
R.J. Washington	DE	6-4	242	Fort Worth, Texas (Keller Fossil Ridge)
Tress Way	K	6-1	190	Tulsa, Okla. (Union)

2007 Recap

Recap: While the Sooners won a second straight Big 12 championship, beating high-flying Missouri twice, many will remember their final game, an uninspired Fiesta Bowl loss to West Virginia.  Oklahoma’s fourth BCS bowl loss in-a-row sort of overshadowed an otherwise solid season that included defeats of Texas, Texas A&M, Oklahoma State, and Miami to go along with the two wins over Mizzou.  The past season also marked the debut of freshman QB Sam Bradford, the nation’s passing efficiency leader and a young cornerstone of the program.

Offensive Player of the Year: QB Sam Bradford

Defensive Player of the Year: LB Curtis Lofton

Biggest Surprise: Bradford.  He was a blue-chipper coming out of high school, yes, but even the most optimistic Sooner fan didn’t expect him to throw a freshman-record 36 touchdown passes, while playing with the poise of a third-year starter.  Although it’s early, Bradford has the stuff to be the best ever to play quarterback in Norman.  

Biggest Disappointment: After steamrolling through the first four opponents, Oklahoma’s season veered off course with a head-scratching 27-24 loss to Colorado.  Even worse than the loss itself was the fact that the Sooners blew a cushy 17-point bulge in the second half, allowing an unsure Buffalo offense to score the final 20 points of the game.      

Looking Ahead: With as much returning talent as any team in the league, Oklahoma will be right back on track for another Big 12 championship and a run at a national title.  After sharing carries and getting hurt late in his freshman season, dynamic RB DeMarco Murray is set to make a national splash in 2008.