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September 13, 2009

Landry Jones steps up as Sooners win big and bounce back from season-opening loss

By John Shinn

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doesn't rain much in Artesia, N.M.

The average rain total is less than 12 inches a year.

That didn't appear to be a good sign for Oklahoma starting quarterback Landry Jones. He admitted Saturday, in all the years growing up there, he'd never played in the rain.

"In New Mexico you might get drizzle, but never anything like what we had out there tonight," he said.

Playing a game in a steady downpour was another obstacle the Sooners had to face in a season that's just two weeks old.

This one, however, proved to be meaningless as No. 13 OU rolled to a 64-0 victory over Idaho State Saturday night at Owen Field.

The rain turned out to be about OU's only hindrance, and it wasn't much of one.

Jones, who made his first start in place of the injured Sam Bradford, threw for 286 yards and three touchdown passes to Ryan Broyles.

As debuts go, it was a solid performance.

"I thought Landry did an excellent job," OU coach Bob Stoops said. "In a bad night, one of the worst nights I can remember here in my 11 seasons. He threw some great passes, managed the game, took care of the football, and had excellent communication at the line of scrimmage."

Everything OU did Saturday night was part of a concerted effort to make Jones' first start as comfortable as possible. Even the opponent played right along.

Idaho State, the Sooners' only FCS opponent this season, was gracious. It never took a snap in Sooner territory and didn't even manage positive yards against the Sooners' starters.

Though the outcome was never in doubt, defensively OU played like a motivated bunch. The sting of last week's loss to BYU was still hitting a nerve when OU hit the field. It never really left.

"We stepped up tonight. Even though it wasn't a big-time opponent, we went out and prepared like we were playing the best in the world," OU linebacker Travis Lewis said.

The defensive trend was a continuation from the season opener. Through two games, OU still hasn't allowed a play longer than 19 yards.

But there weren't many concerns about OU's defense Saturday.

All eyes were on Jones as he stepped on the field.

Starting debuts cause anxiousness, and no one was sure how Jones would handle his.

A similar feeling was running through Owen Field when Bradford made his debut in 2007. The anxiousness went away after Bradford threw for 363 yards and three touchdowns against North Texas.

Jones wasn't quite that brilliant, but he was efficient.

"I came out there this week knowing that I had big shoes to fill," Jones said. "I tried to step up and play as good as I can. I was really pleased with how it turned out and the way I played."

He had a lot more help than he did in the second half last week against BYU.

Ryan Broyles caught seven passes for 155 yards with three going for touchdowns in the first 17 minutes.

"It's pretty easy to throw to Ryan," Jones said. "You just put it out there and let him run to it."

The Sooners scored touchdowns on their last six possessions of the first half and led 41-0 at halftime.

The Bengals couldn't do anything against OU. In fact, the Sooners outscored them 9-0 on defense alone. Frank Alexander had a 3-yard fumble return for a touchdown and a safety was added early in the fourth quarter.

"We played like we are capable of playing and regardless of who we are playing," defensive coordinator Brent Venables said.

In that sense, OU got all its missions accomplished Saturday night.

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