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September 6, 2008

Oklahoma football notepad

John Shinn

The gambler: Cincinnati coach Brian Kelly took quite a few risks Saturday. They included going for it five times on fourth down, a wide receiver pass and attempting a fake punt from the Bearcats’ 23-yard line.

The fake punt, according to the Cincinnati coach, was an act of desperation. OU had just gone up 35-20 a couple plays earlier and a three-and-out would have given the Sooners momentum he didn’t believe his team could overcome.

“I felt that we were slipping a little bit,” Kelly said. “I thought that Oklahoma had controlled the football two consecutive drives there and I felt that we had the opportunity to pick it up.”

Cincinnati had what amounted a to screen pass called, but OU backup linebacker J.R. Bryant tipped the pass from punter Kevin Huber. The game turned into a rout afterwards. Sam Bradford hit Jermaine Gresham for a 23-yard touchdown on the next play and OU took firm control of the game.

The fake punt was a surprise considering the field position, but OU was expecting the fourth-down attempts. Defensive coordinator Brent Venables said that was a tendency the Bearcats had shown during Kelly’s tenure.

“We pretty much told our guys plan on having to stop them for four downs if they’re on our side of the 50,” Venables said.



Bradford milestones: OU quarterback Sam Bradford set a career high with 395 passing yards and 29 completions. His five touchdown passes also moved him into third all time for career touchdown passes at OU with 43. He passed Nate Hybl and Cale Gundy, who both had 40.



Aching QBs: By the end of Saturday’s game, the Bearcats were down to what amounted to their fourth-string quarterback. Dustin Grutza, who started, played well. He was 19-for-29 for 219 yards and a touchdown.

But he left the game with a broken fibula early in the fourth quarter.

Tony Pike, who was Grutza’s replacement, started the preseason fourth on the Bearcats’ depth chart. Ben Mauk was the expectant starter, but lost his long battle with the NCAA for a sixth-year of eligibility. Notre Dame transfer Demetrius Jones is also out with an arm injury.



Getting the ball: After failing to get a turnover against Tennessee-Chattanooga, the Sooners rebounded nicely with two interceptions against Cincinnati.

Cornerback Dominique Franks swiped his first career interception to stop a potential scoring drive midway through the second quarter. Safety Lendy Holmes added another early in the fourth quarter.

The second pick marked the 33rd time in the last 76 games the Sooners had multiple interceptions in a game.



Injury update: OU didn’t suffer any injuries during the game and linebacker Austin Box, who missed last week’s opener with a knee injury, was back in uniform and played late in the game.

The only players out were defensive end Frank Alexander, wide receiver Brandon Caleb and defensive back Quinton Carter.

Alexander was stabbed in an incident at a Norman night club following last Saturday’s game. He was wearing a protective brace on his right arm. Caleb was wearing a protective boot on his right foot, indicating a possible ankle injury. Carter is still nursing a hamstring injury he suffered in the preseason.



First downs pile up: The Sooners moved the chains 30 times Saturday, marking their most first downs in a game since picking up 33 in the 77-0 rout of Texas A&M; in 2003. The Sooners have picked up 57 first downs through the first two games. They averaged a little over 22 a game last season.

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