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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
NORMAN, Okla. (AP) -- The wishbone made a less-than-triumphant
return to the Sooner State on Saturday when Oklahoma (No. 16 ESPN/USA Today, No. 17 AP) shut
down Rice and its option attack in a 42-14 win.
|  | | Antwone Savage and the rest of the Sooners proved too much for Rice on Saturday. |
In a vast departure from its wishbone past, Oklahoma (3-0) had
532 yards of offense against Rice (1-3) as Josh Heupel completed 27
of 35 passes for 324 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran for a
score.
Quentin Griffin ran for 117 yards and three touchdowns for the
Sooners, including a tackle-breaking 21-yard TD run that put
Oklahoma ahead 28-14 with 3:13 left in the third quarter.
"I thought we had him bottled up a couple of times and he just
ran through some arm tackles and we weren't able to corral him and
get him on the ground," Rice coach Ken Hatfield said.
Before the game, the crowd cheered wildly during a ceremony
honoring Oklahoma's 1985 national championship team and former
coach Barry Switzer, who used the wishbone to win three national
championships in 16 years at Oklahoma.
But the Sooners were less receptive to Rice and its version of
the system.
Rice, which rushed for 335 yards last week in a 23-16 loss to
Tulsa, managed only 145 yards.
Oklahoma's defense was led by linebackers Rocky Calmus with 14
tackles and Torrance Marshall with 11.
"We came into the game with everybody having a
responsibility," Marshall said. "As long as everybody did their
job, we were fine. I think the score showed that."
Rice closed to 21-14 with 7:47 left in the third quarter on a
4-yard TD pass from Corey Evans to Vincent Hawkins, but Oklahoma
answered with touchdowns on three of its next four possessions and
the Owls never got past midfield again.
"When it was 21-14, everyone was looking around trying to
figure out what was going on," Hatfield said. "We had some hope
but OU came down and scored on a big play. That is their
capability. They are very explosive."
After Griffin's 21-yard TD run, Heupel added a 4-yard touchdown
pass to Josh Norman late in the third quarter. It was Heupel's 36th
TD pass at Oklahoma, putting him atop the school's career touchdown
pass list in a position once held by Cale Gundy. Gundy had 35 in 40
games from 1990 to 1993. Heupel also threw a 6-yard TD toss to
Renaldo Works with 5:46 to play.
Heupel completed 15 of 18 passes in the first half, his only
poor throw coming with less than a minute left in the first quarter
-- he threw behind a sprinting Antwone Savage and the pass was
intercepted by Josh McMillan.
Heupel had a tough stretch early in the third quarter, when he
failed to complete three of four passes and was intercepted by Greg
Gatlin.
His 77.1 percent completion percentage was his second-best.
"I think he is as accurate as any quarterback in the country,"
Hatfield said.
Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops was a little tougher on Heupel.
"He was sharp, but threw two interceptions. He's much better
than that," Stoops said.
After Rice lost yardage on its first series, Heupel was 4-for-4
passing in a 54-yard drive that included a 32-yard sideline pass to
Antwone Savage to the 6-yard line. Two plays later, Griffin scored
on a 2-yard TD dive.
Rice gambled throughout the first half, trying to convert three
fourth-down situations.
On fourth-and-3 at the Oklahoma 29 in the first quarter, Ben
Wulf threw a slant pass to Matt Webber, who ran past a diving
defender to the end zone. Brandon Skeen missed a 40-yard extra
point attempt after two straight penalties on the Owls, leaving the
Sooners with a 7-6 lead.
With Oklahoma ahead 14-6 midway through the second quarter,
Jamie Tyler was stopped for a loss on a fourth-and-1 at the
Sooners' 12.
Late in the half, Oklahoma went for it on fourth-and-3 at the
Rice 34, and Heupel threw a 29-yard pass to Norman, who was tackled
short of the goal line. Three plays later, Heupel scored on a
1-yard dive with 1:08 left in the half for a 21-6 lead.
Stoops said the fourth-down conversion was important.
"I felt at that time we needed something to happen. We needed
to make a play and I knew if we did, it would result in points,"
Stoops said. "I felt it was worth the gamble to go for it."
With two Rice quarterbacks sidelined with injuries, the Owls
used both Wulf and Corey Evans. Wulf was 6 of 12 for 117 yards and
a touchdown, while Evans led the Owls with 55 yards rushing.
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