The warning bells were sounded early and often for Oklahoma. The date had been circled and the motivation was clear. Show up unprepared and it would be Cincinnati that left Owen Field with the victory Saturday.
After watching the Sooners roll to a 52-26 victory on a day it was hard to figure out whether the offense or defense had played better, OU coach Bob Stoops gave it up to his team.
“They listened to us,” he said. “We knew this was going to be a big challenge. If we weren’t at our best, we knew we were going to have problems. They had a great attitude all week in practice getting ready for it.”
Ready was an understatement.
The Sooners moved the ball at will against what’s expected to be one of the best defenses in the Big East. Sam Bradford threw for a career-high 395 yards with five touchdown passes going to four different receivers.
Wide out Ryan Broyles made one of the most memorable debuts in OU history with seven catches for 141 yards, including a touchdown grab. The Sooners even rushed for 197 yards with DeMarco Murray and Chris Brown combining for 159 and two touchdowns.
But OU’s offense running like a well-oiled machine has come to be expected. The real surprise was on the other side of the ball.
The Sooners faced a Cincinnati spread attack that rivals Big 12 foes Missouri and Texas Tech in its proficency and stuffed it, holding the Bearcats to what amounted to two offensive touchdowns when the game remained competitive.
“Everybody is meshing real well,” linebacker Ryan Reynolds said. “We’re holding each other accountable. We don’t just look to the coaches when we mess up, we kind of look to each other.”
Cincinnati was supposed to be the toughest non-conference test for a defense that has two first-year starters at linebacker and two more at cornerback.
The Bearcats averaged more than five touchdowns a game last season and most of the reasons why were in uniform Saturday.
Outside of a 1-yard touchdown run from quarterback Brian Grutza early in the second quarter and a 14-yard touchdown pass from Grutza to Dominick Goodman, the Sooners dominated the day.
Only 51 of the 326 yards OU allowed came in the second half.
“We came in at halftime with the emphasis on the fact we had to stop them,” said defensive end Jeremy Beal, who set a career high with 10 tackles. “The proper adjustments were made that obviously worked because we played much better in the second half.”
The Sooners sacked Grutza three times and forced him into two interceptions. Only 87 yards were yielded on the ground. It was the breakout performance the young unit was looking for.
Doubts about how those first-year players would handle the pressure of facing a prolific offense were answered.
“I was encouraged by the way we played in the second half,” defensive coordinator Brent Venables said. “The pressure was good and we made some heads-up plays.”
It fell right in line with any total-team performance OU has put together over the last several years.
The Sooners never trailed and their lead didn’t dip below eight points in the second half. After Cincinnati cut it to 28-20, OU rolled off three touchdowns and a field goal on their next four possessions to turn a tight game into a laugher.
“I think when you play well it’s sometimes because the offense hasnt helped the defense and vice versa,” Stoops said. “To me, they go hand in hand. I thought we played together really well and it did make a difference.”
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Sooners run all over Cincy
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