NORMAN, Okla.– Now, Oklahoma can look toward Notre Dame.
The No. 9 Sooners avoided the pitfalls of a trap Saturday night, blowing out Kansas 52-7 in front of 84,532 at Owen Field.
“We’re starting to show some maturity in how we prepare and how we come to compete regardless of who we’re playing or not playing,” Sooners coach Bob Stoops said.
The game sets up a meeting in Norman next Saturday between two top 10 teams, with an undefeated Notre Dame visiting one-loss Oklahoma.
“We’re excited for this one,” Sooners quarterback Landry Jones said. “This one’s been not
necessarily marked on our calendar, but we’ve all been looking forward to it for sure.”
Stoops said it was the most anticipated game in Norman since the Sooners’ national championship season in 2000.
“It’s probably the most anticipated game since 2000 when Nebraska was coming in here No. 1 in the country and we’re No. 2,” Stoops said.
By early in the second quarter, the outcome of the game against Kansas wasn’t in doubt after the Sooners scored two touchdowns in the first five minutes to grab a 24-0 lead with some help from all phases.
Jones, who struggled in a loss to Kansas State in late September, continued his surge since
then, throwing for 291 yards and three touchdowns to three different receivers.
Even more important than the numbers is the way Jones did it — hitting Kenny Stills with a perfectly placed pass on a 44-yard touchdown late in the first quarter and hitting freshman
Sterling Shepard for a 9-yard touchdown late in the first half in a spot where Oklahoma has largely gone with the “Belldozer” package, bringing in backup quarterback Blake Bell to run the ball near the goal line.
“I’ve got a lot of weapons,” Jones said. “I’ve got a lot of guys that can make those big plays.
We’re starting to click, and if we keep playing this way, we’re going to have a lot more success on the field.”
The Sooners did it with special teams, returning both a punt and a kick for a touchdown for the first time in school history.
Justin Brown, who transferred from Penn State after the Jerry Sandusky scandal, returned a punt 90 yards for a score early in the second quarter in a play that all but put the game away.
“I just saw the end zone and one guy to my left, so I was just trying to outrun him,” Brown said.
Roy Finch returned the opening kickoff of the second half 99 yards for a touchdown. The Sooners also dominated on defense, once again not allowing a point against their first-team unit.
After forcing just one takeaway in their first three games, the Sooners have forced nine in their next three.
“It’s critical and crucial to your defense,” Sooners defensive coordinator Mike Stoops said.
“That tells you some of our players are becoming better playmakers over the course of the season.”
Still, Mike Stoops was far from pleased with his defense.
“I thought our tackling was kind of iffy most of the night,” he said. “We played well, but I don’t think we were overly sharp.”
Sooners defender Tony Jefferson said the defense looked forward to playing against Notre Dame, another of the nation’s top defenses.
“They’ve got all the talk about who’s got the best defense in the country,” Jefferson said. “You hear all about them and how they haven’t given up a rushing touchdown. Next week, we get to see who’s got the best defense. We look forward to the challenge.”
NOTES: Brown’s punt return for a touchdown was the Sooners’ first punt return for a score since Ryan Broyles did it in 2009 and was the longest for the Sooners since 2002. … It was the first time in Oklahoma history with both a punt return and a kickoff return for a touchdown in the same game and the first time in school history with two plays of 90-plus yards in one game. … Jones moved into 11th place in NCAA career touchdown passes with his pass to Stills late in the first quarter. Jones added a touchdown pass, the 104th of his career, late in the first half. … Kansas used Michael Cummings and Dayne Crist at quarterback in the first half. … Jefferson had eight tackles in the first quarter.