Tag Archives: University of Oklahoma

What We Learned…Week Two

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  • Utah State broke a 12 game losing streak to in-state rival Utah.  The Aggies hadn’t beaten Utah since 1997, and not in Logan since 1996.
  • With it’s win over UConn, NC State is now 9-1 in weeks after a loss, ranging back to 2010
  • Minnesota scored 16 points in the first quarter against New Hampshire. The Golden Gophers hadn’t scored that many points in the opening quarter since 2005 (20 points vs Florida Atlantic). Last season, Minnesota only scored more points once all last season (20 points in second quarter of season finale against Illinois.
  • The last Ohio State quarterback to rush for three touchdowns in a game was Art Schlichter against Illinois in 1978.  Braxton Miller did it Saturday.
  • Penn State starts 0-2 for first time since 2001 and just the 5th time in the last 45 years.
  • Before Sam Ficken went 1-for-5 on field goals for Penn State, the last player to miss four-or-more FG in one game was Josh Zahn of UAB. Zahn was 2-for-7 at Tennessee on 9/25/2010.
  • Auburn “accumulated” -2 pass yards in the first half at Mississippi State. The Tigers are the second team this season to have negative pass yards in a half; Northern Illinois netted -1 pass yard in the second half vs Iowa last weekend. The Tigers last had negative pass yards in a half in 2005, when they had -2 pass yards in the second half vs Alabama.
  • Mississippi State’s win included numerous firsts. The victory broke a string of unsavory trends for the Bulldogs. They had lost 10 out of the last 11 against Auburn — including four straight — and hadn’t won an SEC opener since 1999.  It was also coach Dan Mullen’s first victory against the SEC Western Division’s best four teams. He was 0-12 combined against Alabama, LSU, Arkansas and Auburn until Saturday’s breakthrough.
  • Miami started playing games in 1926, but Saturday’s loss was just the sixth time that the U ever allowed 50 points in a game.
  • Collin Klein now has 5 career games with at least 3 rush TD and 1 pass TD. Since 2000, that is the most of any FBS player.
  • Marcus Lattimore records his 33rd career TD (30 Rush, 3 Rec), tying the school record by George Rogers and Harold Green.  He has played in only 22 games.
  • Clemson’s DeAndre Hopkins is the first player this season with three receiving touchdowns in a game this season, and he did it before halftime. The last player with three receiving touchdowns in a half? West Virginia’s Tavon Austin, who did so in the first half against Clemson in the Orange Bowl.
  • Second straight year the Sacramento State Hornets have beaten a Pac-12 opponent on the road in the last play of the game.  They defeated Oregon State last season.
  • Through two games this season, Notre Dame has turned the ball over just twice, eight fewer than the 10 turnovers the Irish committed at this point last season.
  • Denard Robinson finished with his 3rd career game with at least 200 yards passing and 200 yards rushing. That’s the most of any FBS player since 2000.. one more than Vince Young had.
  • Denard Robinson is the 4th player in FBS this season with multiple 50-yd Rush TD in the same game, joining Duke Johnson, Davon Johnson, and Johnathan Franklin. He is the only Michigan player to do it since at least 2004. Robinson’s longest run in Week 1 against Alabama was 9\nine yards.
  • Denard Robinson now has three career rushing TD of at least 70 yards. That is tied for the most among all active FBS players.
  • Matt Barkley passed for 187 yards and 6 TD, becoming the first FBS player since at least 2000 to have 6+ pass TD and fewer than 200 passing yards in a game.
  • If it seems that no lead is safe in college football, the schools on this list can surely relate. Texas A&M, Memphis, Kansas and Nevada all blew halftime leads on Saturday and are among the the teams that have seen the most halftime leads evaporate since the start of the 2011 season.
  • Florida stepped up its defense after halftime Saturday. Texas A&M averaged 5.8 yards per play in the first half with 28.3 percent of its plays gaining 10 yards or more. In the second half, the Aggies averaged 2.8 yards per play, and managed just one play that gained 10 yards or more. All six of Texas A&M’s second-half drives ended in punts, including four “3 & outs.” The Aggies had no punts in the first half.
  • For a second straight week, Michigan State held an opponent without an offensive touchdown.  The only two touchdowns the Spartans have allowed this season have some on interception returns.
  • Iowa State beat Iowa 9-6 for its first win in Iowa City in 10 years.
  • This was Iowa’s first loss under Kirk Ferentz when they held a team to fewer than 10 points. Before today, they had been 33-0 in such games.  Iowa State didn’t score in the second half.
  • Wisconsin’s last regular season non-conference loss came in 2003 at home against UNLV. It’s last regular season non-conference ROAD loss came in 2001 at Oregon.
  • With Wisconsin’s, Nebraska’s and Illinois’ losses to Pac-12 teams, Big Ten schools are 5-26-1 at Pac-12 schools since 1993 (the year Penn State joined the Big Ten).
  • After showing some signs of rust last week in a 35-21 victory over North Carolina State, Jimmy Hunter caught three touchdowns — the first time since 2003 that a Tennessee receiver ended up with that many in a single game.
  • Tennessee exceeded the 500-yard mark in total offense for a second straight week. The Vols hadn’t gained 500 yards in back-to-back games since 2000.
  • The win is Louisiana-Monroe’s first over a ranked team since joining the FBS in 1994, and it is the school’s first over an SEC team since defeating Alabama in 2007.  The Warhawks are 4-34 against the SEC, with their only other win coming against Mississippi State in 1995.
  • It is also the Sun Belt Conference’s first win over a top 10 team.
  • Six players ran for touchdowns as Georgia Tech (1-1) had 712 total yards, the second-highest total in school history, including 469 yards rushing. The Yellow Jackets had a school-record 768 yards in a 66-24 rout of Kansas in 2011.
  • LSU has won 39 straight against non-conference opponents in the regular season, tying a Football Bowl Subdivision record first set by Kansas State. Next weekend, the Tigers play Idaho, another non-conference opponent, and the game is at home, where LSU has won 19 straight.
  • Mississippi defeated Texas-El Paso 28-10, improving to 2-0 for only the second time in 10 seasons.
  • The Bowling Green Falcons improved to 4-0 in season openers under head coach Dave Clawson.
  • The Ohio Bobcats (2-0), who opened with a win over Penn State, have won eight of nine dating back to last season.
  • Damien Williams’ rushing total of 156 yards was the most for a player in his first game at the Sooners’ home field, and he became only the fourth player at the school to eclipse 100 yards rushing in each of his first two games. Adrian Peterson was the last to do it, in 2004.
  • Casey Pachall and Trevone Boykin combined to complete all 17 passes for TCU — the most in FBS history without an incompletion.
  • Gary Patterson was presented a crystal ball in recognition of his 110th career victory — one more than former school-record holder Dutch Meyer, who led the Frogs to their only AP national championship in 1938. Patterson is 110-30 overall with 10 shutout victories one game into his 12th season.
  • Houston and Louisiana Tech combined for 1,291 yards of offense and 78 first downs in a game that lasted four hours and eight minutes.
  • SMU intercepted seven passes and recovered two fumbles by Stephen F. Austin.
  • Northern Arizona’s win over UNLV was Northern Arizona’s (1-1) first win over an FBS team in 25 years.
  • Oklahoma State freshman Wes Lunt threw for 436 yards, fourth-most in school history and the Big 12 record for a freshman, and connected with Tracy Moore for four touchdown passes

Week Four Weekend Observations

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  • Cincinnati held NC State to only -26 rushing yards Thursday night. The -26 rush yards are the fewest rush yards in a game by an ACC over the last 10 seasons.
  • Georgia Tech was held to a field goal in its first drive vs North Carolina. This is the first time this season that the Yellow Jackets didn’t score a TD on their opening drive.  The 4-0 start is their first since 1990, when they shared the national championship with Colorado. Continue reading →

Norman Regional

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Oklahoma – Oklahoma makes its 18th consecutive appearance in the event, including every season of the Patty Gasso era. The Sooners own an 18-15 record against teams in the field of 64.  Like many other teams, the Sooners played in three prestigious tournaments, the Kajikawa Classic, Cathedral City Classic and Judi German Classic.  There they defeated the likes of Arizona, Washington and DePaul. Continue reading →

>Fiesta Bowl

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>Oklahoma vs. Connecticut

  
   The Huskies could not have gotten a bigger challenge for their first appearance on college football’s biggest stage than facing the powerful Sooners on Saturday night at Glendale, Ariz.

   Connecticut’s path to Arizona began in 1997, when the school voted to accept the invite from the Big East Conference and upgrade from a I-AA program.

   The 25th-ranked Huskies (8-4) then joined the Big East for the 2004 season — one year early — after the Atlantic Coast Conference poached Miami and Virginia Tech in 2003. They earned their first bowl appearance that year, and the Fiesta Bowl will be their fourth consecutive postseason game.

   Oklahoma (11-2) is making its 12th bowl appearance in as many seasons under coach Bob Stoops and 44th overall. Its 25 victories are tied for fifth all-time, and the eighth BCS bowl appearance trails only Ohio State’s nine.  Unfiortunately, they have lost five consecutive BCS games — two for the national championship — since winning the 2003 Rose Bowl. Two other defeats, the 2007 and 2008 Fiesta Bowls, came when the Sooners were heavy favorites before losing to Boise State and West Virginia, respectively.

   If the Huskies have any hope in winning, their fate will ride on the legs of two-time 1,000-yard rusher Jordan Todman. The tailback had 1,574 yards and 14 TDs to earn Big East offensive player of the year honors and is second in the nation at 143.1 yards per game.

    With the Sooners likely to stack the box in an attempt to slow Todman, there will be pressure on Zach Frazer to keep Oklahoma’s defense honest. The senior, though, topped 200 yards just once this season and completed only 52.7 percent of his 222 passes for 1,202 yards and five TDs.

   The Sooners are fourth among FBS teams in passing at 336.8 yards per game, 13th in total offense (478.1 ypg) and 17th in scoring (36.4 points per game).

   Landry Jones threw for 4,289 yards and 35 touchdowns, with receiver Ryan Broyles posting his second straight 1,000-yard season. He finished with career highs of 118 receptions and 1,452 yards to go with 13 touchdowns and is Oklahoma’s all-time leader in receptions, receiving yards and receiving TDs.

   Five players had at least 26 receptions for the Sooners, and running back DeMarco Murray is one of them. He had 1,121 rushing yards and 14 TDs to go with 69 receptions, 595 yards and five receiving scores.

 Prediction:  As much as I would love to see the Huskies pull the upset, I really don’t see them having the horses to do so.  Oklahoma 31-10

>NCAA Softball Super Regionals Part 2

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>In the first part, I previewed the left side of the bracket. Here I will preview the right side, one which features the defending champs, Washington.

Regional # 5 – Washington vs. Oklahoma

Washington – For the second-straight year, the Huskies (48-6) faced the daunting task of going against one of the country’s most underrated pitchers in lefty Danielle Spaulding, who threw two no-hitters in her four appearances over the weekend. After Spaulding no-hit Nebraska on Friday to open the weekend, UW used an unearned run to win the first meeting between the teams, 1-0, on Saturday.They needed extra innings to win 2-1 on Sunday, but the reigning champs will once again be making a trip to the Super Regionals, a place they have been every year except one since the Super Regionals format was created. 

The Huskies’ Danielle Lawrie picked up three wins on the weekend, giving up just one run in 22 innings, while striking out 39.  The stud pitcher gave up a mere six hits and one earned run.

The normally prolific Washington offense was quieted this past weekend by some magnificent pitching by their opponents, UNC’s Spaulding and North Dakota State, a team which made the Super Regionals last year.  Shawna Wright had the game-winning hit for UW. She had gone hitless until that point.  Lawrie and Nikki Williams each had key home runs for the Huskies.

Washington holds a 7-6 series lead, including a 7-4 victory earlier this year.

Oklahoma – The Big 12 Tournament Champs are coming off of a 3-0 weekend, which saw they defeat one of the top pitchers in the country, Fordham’s Jen Mineau twice.

Oklahoma has won 14 straight and has out-scored opponents 77-5 in that stretch.  OU is 1-6 in Super Regionals since the format was introduced in 2005.  The Sooners are appearing in their first Super Regional since 2008.  Oklahoma’s only win in Super Regional play was a 2-0 win at Arizona on May 24, 2008.

OU is hitting .318 as a team during its 14-game winning streak and has scored 77 runs.  The Sooner also boast quite a potent offense, as freshman Jessica Shults holds the Oklahoma freshman record for home runs (14) and runs batted in (61) in a season.  Shults’ 61 RBI are tied for fourth most in a single season at Oklahoma and rank as the ninth best in a single season in the Big 12.  Amber Flores is the first player in Big 12 history to win the Player of the Year award twice.  Flores is OU’s career leader in home runs (53). The mark is four shy of tying the Big 12 career record.  The Sooners are not all about power. Brianna Turang ranks fifth in the Big 12 with 20 stolen bases on the season and Ten Sooners have drawn double-digit walks this season, including five with 20 or more.

Along with some stud freshman hitters, the ace of the pitching staff is frosh Keilani Ricketts. Ricketts has not allowed an earned run in the last 28.0 innings pitched.  During the 14-game win streak, Ricketts has a 0.39 earned run average and six shutouts, including one in the Big 12 Championship game.  Ricketts’ 324 strikeouts this season are the second-most in a single season at OU.  She has a 1.19 ERA and 14 shutouts to her name.

Regional # 6 – California vs. Georgia

California –  After winning sweeping the Columbus Regional to win its 11th Regional title in the past 12 years, the No. 11-seeded California softball team has a new task at hand in No. 6-seeded Georgia at the Athens Super Regional.  After the Regional title, Cal improves to 44-17 overall, 60-31 in Regional games and 81-55 overall in the NCAA postseason.

The Bears bring a seven-game winning streak to Athens after sweeping Oregon State and the Columbus Regional. Cal played 16 of the tournament’s teams this year, posting a 19-16 record against them.

Five of Cal’s starters are batting .300 or above with Jamia Reid pacing the Bears at .389 and 48 steals.  Cal’s 285 RBI is a new program team season high, smashing the old record of 279, which was set in 2008. Valerie Arioto is currently tied with Veronica Nelson for the single-season home-run high with 19, now holds the season record for runs (60) and RBI (60) and is currently fifth on season walks with 77.

As good as Arioto is at the plate, she may be even better on the mound.  She has posted a She leads the team in wins (21), ERA (1.26) and strikeouts with 260.  She is not the only stud pitcher for the Bears, however.  Freshman sensation Jolene Henderson has made quite the transition to college softball, picking up 20 wins and a 1.53 ERA, along with three saves.

The Bears hold a 1-0 series lead against Georgia, with the win coming on Valentines Day in 1999.

Georgia – After going 3-0 in their Regional, the Bulldogs will host their second consecutive Super Regional.  The Bulldogs went 3-0 as a regional host this year to improve to 13-4 in the UGA Softball Stadium
during regional play.

A total of 11 Bulldogs have combined to hit a single-season school record 92 home runs (1.61
per game). The new record surpassed the 2009 squad’s 85 home runs (1.44 per game). Bulldogs to hit home runs in 2010: Alisa Goler (14), Megan Wiggins (14), Brianna Hesson (13), Ashley Razey (13), Taylor Schlopy (11), Laura Trout (8), Jennie Auger (5), Ashley Pauly (5), Kristyn Sandberg (5), Amberlie Saxton (3) and Brittany Hubbard (1).  Nine Bulldogs have provided double-digit RBI this season. All nine in double figures have at least 15 RBI with eight driving in at least 29 or more runs.

Georgia is one of a very small number of teams which has three pitchers in double digit wins.  Sarah McLoud picked up wins in all three games last week and has an 11-1 record on the year, as well as a 2.71 ERA.  Erin Arevalo leads the team in victories with 18, as well as 158 strikeouts.

Regional # 7 – BYU vs. Arizona

BYU – Along with Oregon, BYU is one of two unseeded teams to make the Super Regionals.  For the first time in program history, BYU (46-11) will participate in the NCAA softball tournament’s second round.  The Cougars advanced with a sweep of the competition last weekend in Austin, Texas, defeating East Carolina, 1-0; No. 7-seed Texas, 9-8; and East Carolina again in the championship game, 8-3. 

The Cougars and the Wildcats have a brief history, marked most recently by a meeting on Feb. 26, at the Cathedral Classic in Palm Springs. Arizona was victorious in five innings, improving their all-time record against BYU to 3-0.

BYU senior Angeline Quiocho was named MWC Player of the Year, freshman J.C. Clayton garnered
MWC Freshman of the Year and Cougar head coach Gordon Eakin captured MWC Coach of the Year honors for the second consecutive season.  Quiocho has been a terror for opponents, hitting 28 home runs, driving in 90 Cougars.


Paige Affleck is the workhorse on the mound for BYU.  She leads the team with 32 wins, a Mountain West Conference record, as well as 221 strikeouts, which is second on the BYU season-high list.  

Arizona – Arizona won the Tucson Regional in three games over Cornell, and Hofstra twice – with the Regional finale lasting 12 innings before Arizona pulled out a come-from-behind win on a grand slam by Lini Koria.  For the 15th time in its 24-year participation, Arizona remained at home for initial rounds play in the Championships. The Wildcats have been a host for initial rounds 14 times, and later for Super Regionals four times.  Arizona has a 137-40 mark in NCAA play in its 23 seasons of competition from 1987-2009. The Cats are 70-8 in Regional play and 10-3 in Super Regionals (since 2005).
Like many of the other teams in the Super Regional round, Arizona boasts a potent offense, one which has outscored opponents 431-131.  Four Wildcats have hit at least 16 home runs, led by Bridget Del Ponte, who has smacked 21 round trippers.   She also leads the team with 75 RBI.  The other thee with double digit home runs each have over 50 RBI as well.  

Freshman pitcher Kenzie Fowler has been quite the stud this year, compiling a 33-6 record.  She also boasts a 1.25 ERA and 312 strikeouts to her name.  Fowler is complemented by a senior, Sarah Akamine, who has helped ease her transition to Division I softball.  Akamine holds a 13-5 record in 27 games, striking out 80 and only walking 23.
Super Regional # 8 – Tennessee vs. Michigan
Tennessee – For the first time since 2007, No. 16/15 Tennessee (45-13) has advanced to the NCAA Super
Regionals.  The all-time series between the two programs is deadlocked at 3-3, with five of those contests
occurring during either NCAA Super Regional or WCWS play. After dropping a 4-0 decision to the Wolverines during Tennessee’s inaugural season in 1996, the teams didn’t meet again until the 2005 WCWS in Oklahoma City, Okla.  Tennessee has advanced to three NCAA Super Regionals in program history (2005, 2006, 2007) and have moved on through to the WCWS on all three occasions with a 6-2 overall
record.
While this year’s Tennessee squad may not have the power numbers some of the other Super Regional teams do, they make up for it in speed, timely hitting and a balanced lineup.  Raven Chavanne leads the team with a .469 average and has swiped 34 bases.  Two more players, Kat Dotson (29) and Kelly Grieve (25), have over 25 steals as well.  Jessica Spigner provides the power, as she has hit eight home runs and leads the team with 56 RBI.
Ivy Renfroe leads the two-woman rotation.  Her 28-4 record and 2.28 ERA are tops on the team.  She has also struck out 196 hitters.   Cat Hosfield is her counterpart in the circle.  Hosfield holds a 16-8 record on the year.
Michigan – Michigan has reached the NCAA Super Regionals each year since the format was adopted in 2005.  Michigan outscored its NCAA Regional opposition 31-4.  The title was their 14th overall and seventh in a row.

Three Wolverine hitters batted .500 or better in this weekend’s NCAA Regional action. Senior third baseman Maggie Viefhaus hit .625 (5-for-8) with seven runs batted in, while sophomore second baseman Amanda Chidester batted .600 (3-for-5) and senior catcher Roya St. Clair hit .500 (5-for-10) with six RBI from the cleanup spot.  Shaking off its two-game home drought at Iowa, the Wolverines knocked out seven long balls in NCAA Regional play. Michigan has homered in 26 of its last 29 games and boast 81 homers on the season — the second-greatest season total in program history.

With her 11-strikeout performance in the Regional title game against the Irish, junior Jordan Taylor upped her season total to a career-best 300. The figure ranks sixth among Michigan’s all-time single-season leaders in the category.  She actually struck out 11 Notre Dame batters in both games against the Irish.