Oklahoma proved top ranking

By John Hillman  |   Sunday, December 07, 2008  |  Comments( 1 )

Oklahoma Sooners
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Only Austin begs to differ. Oklahoma put the exclamation point on its right to play for the national championship with a resounding 62-21 win over Missouri in the Big XII title game on Saturday.

For five straight weeks, the Sooners have scored over 60 points a game, the first college football team to accomplish the feat in 89 years. In 2008, OU set a new season scoring record with 702 points, obliterating the old mark of 656 points accomplished by Hawaii in 2006.

Texas fans can flash thousands of "45-35" signs, referring to the score in the Longhorns’ victory over Oklahoma in the Cotton Bowl, from now until Jan. 8, 2009, but they carry little weight. UT partisans can even fly banners over Arrowhead Stadium prior to the conference championship game, stating “Enjoy the BeatByTexas.com Bowl,” and spectators scarcely notice.

The Sooners took care of business and amazed the football world in the process. Since losing to the Horns in early October, OU won seven straight games by a combined score of 419-205.

Oklahoma utilized a bevy of offensive weapons in its record-breaking season. Quarterback Sam Bradford connected almost at will with wide receivers Manny Johnson and Juaquin Iglesias and tight end Jermaine Greshman. Running backs Chris Brown and DeMarco Murray kept defenses off-balance with a solid ground game.

But the Sooners proved their mettle as a top-ranked team with their response to injuries. Whenever an OU player went down, another plugged into the position, and the Oklahoma football juggernaut rolled forward.

Starting defensive ends Auston English and Alan Davis got hurt, but Frank Alexander and Jeremy Beal stepped in to the fill the void. Middle linebacker Ryan Reynolds suffered a season-ending knee injury against Texas. His replacement, Austin Box, experienced the same fate in the Oklahoma State game, but the Sooners found suitable replacements in strong safety Nic Harris and little-used junior college transfer Mike Balogun.

OU’s offense also showed its depth and versatility. Murray left the Missouri contest after the opening kickoff, and third-string tailback Mossis Madu responded with a career-best 114 yards on 15 carries and three touchdowns.

Since its formation 13 years ago, no team has dominated Big XII football like Oklahoma. The Sooners captured their sixth league championship with the victory over the Tigers. No other conference school can claim more than two.

Although the Sooners lost in their last two BCS championship game appearances (against LSU and USC), the 2009 game should yield different results. This Oklahoma team not only scores proficiently and stifles opponents effectively, it also handles adversity efficiently.




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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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