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Bradford, Top-Ranked Sooners Crush Baylor

Saturday, October 4, 2008

(Sports Network) - Sam Bradford completed 23-of-31 passes for 372 yards and two touchdowns, and the top-ranked Oklahoma Sooners ripped Baylor, 49-17, in the Big 12 opener for both schools.

Bradford also ran for a touchdown and threw an interception, but on a day when Juaquin Iglesias had six catches for 133 yards and a score, and Manuel Johnson added five catches for 92 yards and a score, the one turnover meant very little against the overmatched Bears.

"Sam put (the passes) on the mark today," said Iglesias. "We always talk about making the play when (the ball) comes to us...we are just trying to get better every weekend."

DeMarco Murray gained 96 yards on 26 carries with two touchdowns for the Sooners (5-0, 1-0 Big 12), who stayed undefeated and will likely maintain their No. 1 ranking heading into next week's Red River Rivalry with Texas.

Robert Griffin threw for only 75 yards on 11-of-26 passing, and rushed 21 times for 102 yards for Baylor (2-3, 0-1), which has never beaten Oklahoma in 18 tries.

"I really don't think we are that far apart than what we showed on the field today," said Baylor coach Art Briles. "I don't want to sound naive or unrealistic, but I just think we are a better football team then what ended up being on the scoreboard today. And that to me is a little bit discouraging."

The Sooners didn't need long to establish dominance in this matchup, as they forced a three-and-out on Baylor's opening drive and quickly struck for a 7-0 lead. Bradford hit Johnson for a 53-yard score on 3rd-and-5, and Oklahoma led just 70 seconds into regulation.

Baylor drove to the Oklahoma 32, only to see the drive stall, and then a penalty overturned what would have been a rare Bradford turnover. Baylor linebacker Joe Pawelek came up with an interception off Bradford as the Sooners were driving in for another score, but pass interference on cornerback Antareis Bryan negated to pick.

Murray burst into the end zone from two yards out on the next play, and Oklahoma led 14-0 with 7:38 left.

A shanked Derek Epperson punt gave the Sooners the ball at the Baylor 31 on their next possession, and they needed six plays to push into the end zone. The scoring play was a one-yard run by Bradford for a 21-0 lead with 4:03 remaining.

Mossis Madu's one-yard TD plunge with 41 seconds left in the first quarter capped a seven-play, 67-yard drive, and Oklahoma jumped to a 28-0 lead with the first quarter winding down.

Griffin's one-yard scoring run with 12:34 remaining in the second quarter got the Bears on the board, and Baylor trailed 28-7.

After one deep pass resulted in a drive-killing interception, Bradford went over the top again, this time a 42-yard scoring strike to Iglesias, restoring the 28-point lead for the Sooners with 5:26 left in the half.

The Bears offense, using a heavy dose of Griffin on the ground, grinded out a 13-play, 75-yard march. Griffin had a 20-yard run on the drive, which he capped with another short TD run, this time from two yards out, pulling Baylor within 35-14 with 50 seconds left in the half.

A three-yard touchdown run by Chris Brown gave the Sooners a 42-14 lead in the third quarter, but Baylor kicker Ben Parks hit a 32-yard field goal to make it a 42-17 game with 3:02 left in the third.

Murray's second score of the day, a one-yard run with 7:51 left, capped the scoring.

Game Notes

The Sooners have outscored their opposition 248-69...Madu finished with 57 yards on 15 carries, and Brown gained 45 yards on 12 attempts...Oklahoma outgained Baylor 594-269, including a 377-75 margin in passing yards...The Sooners were 3-for-3 on fourth-down conversions.

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