The Norman Transcript

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November 29, 2008

BEDLAM: Pokes have history of playing Stoops tough

Notepad

By John Shinn

If Oklahoma fans are a little nervous about the entire season resting on a game at Boone Pickens Stadium, they should be.

You have to go all the way back to 1996 to find a game OU won by double digits (at then Lewis Field) and 1994 for a game the Sooners won convincingly inside the Cowboys’ home stadium.

OU’s won three of its last four games in Stillwater, but all three of those wins were decided on the final play.

In its 27-21 victory in 2006, OU had to halt a final OSU drive to escape with a Big 12 title-clinching victory. Two years earlier, the Cowboys missed a field-goal attempt as time expired in the Sooners’ 38-35 victory.

In 2000, OU had to break up a pass in the end zone to escape with a 12-7 victory and keep its national championship season on track.

Sooner coach Bob Stoops downplayed the significance of what’s happened there in the past.

“We have won, right?” he said. “Has there been a whole bunch of teams that have done well there? I don’t know if anyone has had an easy time there either.”

The Cowboys are 6-0 at home this season. But Saturday’s game will easily be their toughest. They’ve beaten Houston, Missouri State, Troy, Texas A&M;, Baylor and Iowa State at home this season. All the wins were by at least 19 points.

But the three conference foes are a combined 10-24.



Football aside

OU running backs coach Cale Gundy and his brother, OSU coach Mike Gundy, talked Tuesday, but their conversation had nothing to do with today’s game.

“I talked to him this morning, wanting to know what time they were getting off so I would know what time we were having Thanksgiving dinner at my mom’s Thursday,” Cale Gundy said. “Very seldom do we talk football. I don’t call him and ask him what did you see on the team that you played last week or ask for help.

“We just don’t do that and never really have.”

No room to spare

Boone Pickens Stadium is unique in that there’s virtually no space between the sidelines and the team benches.

“Their fans are sitting on the bench with you,” Stoops joked this week.

It’s one of the intimidating aspects of playing against Oklahoma State. Stoops will be making his fifth trip to Stillwater Saturday. He said after a while you kind of know what to expect.

“It’s always rowdy and loud. You get a lot of bad things said to you. You get immune and used to it,” he said. “It’s challenging. That’s just how it is. It’s kind of exciting but you have to deal with it.”

The streak

If the Sooners can prevail Saturday, it will be their sixth straight victory over the Cowboys. It would be the longest winning streak in the Bedlam series since OU won 15 straight from 1977-1991. That streak was ended with a tie in 1992. OU leads the series 79-16-7.

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