Bradford rebuffs TCU’s challenge

By John Hillman  |   Tuesday, September 30, 2008  |  Comments( 1 )

Oklahoma Sooners
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TCU challenged the Oklahoma Sooners with eight men in the box on Sunday. But Sam Bradford went airborne to negate the Horned Frogs’ run-stopping defense.

Commentary: TCU came into the contest with Oklahoma as the nation’s top defensive team, allowing an average of 180 yards per game. At the end of the first quarter, the Sooners had blistered the Horned Frogs for 222 yards and led by a score of 21-3. TCU never recovered, and Oklahoma vaulted into the poll’s top spot with a 35-10 win.

Bradford deserves the credit for running OU’s new no-huddle offense to perfection. In the game’s early moments, he continually caught TCU off-guard with reads to hot receivers.

On Oklahoma’s first drive, the sophomore quarterback picked up the blitz and nailed Juaquin Iglesias for a 24-yard scoring strike. Bradford added three more touchdown passes to his totals and finished the game with a career-high 411 yards.

OU’s signal-caller locked on Manuel Johnson most of the night. The senior receiver set a Sooner record with 206 yards on five catches, three of them for touchdowns. Each score (76, 55 and 63 yards, respectively) resulted from a TCU blitz, leaving Johnson in one-on-one coverage.

Bradford’s cadence and coolness also forced the Horned Frogs into early mistakes. During the first quarter, TCU’s defense jumped offside three times and twice had 12 men on the field. Gary Patterson’s team drew eight penalties for 41 yards in the first 15 minutes of action.

Oklahoma’s revamped offense should feast on bear meat this Saturday. Baylor’s cornerbacks routinely play 8 to 10 yards off the line of scrimmage, allowing OU’s wideouts plenty of room to maneuver. But if the Bears change their tactics and play tight like TCU, Bradford could pick them apart.

Fan Pulse: The Sooners' faithful got everything they wished for against TCU and hope to ride their No. 1 ranking all the way to the BCS championship. Check out this link for their fans' thoughts: http://www.soonertimesbb.com/forums/view_topic.php?id=5352&forum_id=2&page=2.

Injury Report: Oklahoma enters the Baylor game with several players hurting. Tight end Eric Mensik will miss three to four weeks because of a broken ankle, and defensive tackle DeMarcus Granger underwent foot surgery after the Washington game.

Offensive linemen Trent Williams and Brandon Braxton have their status in doubt against the Bears with foot and shoulder problems. Because of a shoulder injury, tight end Jermaine Gresham is also questionable.
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About John Hillman

John Hillman graduated from Baylor University in 1974 with a BBA in accounting and earned an MBA from Baylor in 1987. He worked for accounting firms until 1982 when he became the chief financial officer for an independent insurance claims adjusting service, a position he still holds today. ...
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