OU collects victory, ASU pockets cash

TODD TRAUB
ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE

NORMAN, Okla. -- This time, at least, Arkansas State scored.
Behind the passing of senior quarterback Josh Heupel, No. 20 Oklahoma had an explosive first half Saturday on its way to a 45-7 victory over the Indians before 74,730 fans at Owen Field.
ASU made $350,000 in game guarantee money as it played the first of three preseason Top 25 opponents and revisited the scene of one of its worst defeats since rejoining the NCAA Division I ranks in the early 1990s. But thanks to a late scoring drive in the second half, the Indians got a smidgen of self-respect to go with their cash as they avoided a repeat of their 61-0 thrashing in 1992.
"We got beat by a better football team tonight," ASU Coach Joe Hollis said. "They're better. They're more athletic. They had more team speed. I think that was obvious.
"In saying that, I'm still proud of our football team. They fought hard."
The Sooners raced to a 28-0 lead before ASU reserve tailback Danny Smith scored on a 33-yard run to cap an 80-yard drive late in the first half.
The score seemed to revive ASU somewhat. Though they were ASU's only points, the Indians were able to pick up first downs, reach the Oklahoma 25 on another series in the second half, and come up with a few defensive stops.
"We had an opportunity on a couple occasions to really let this game get completely out of hand," Hollis said. "You know, 45-7 is a lot better than 63-7."
Heupel passed for 301 yards and three touchdowns as Oklahoma (2-0) had its second convincing nonconference victory. The Sooners, members of the Big 12, beat Texas-El Paso 55-14 last week.
"[There were] lot of good points in the game," second-year coach Bob Stoops said. "Running, throwing, all of it really. We were sharper than a week ago."
Heupel tied Cale Gundy's Oklahoma career mark of 35 touchdown passes and return man/defensive back J.T. Thatcher had a school record 160 return yards, including a 66-yard punt return for a touchdown to make it 14-0 in the first quarter.
"It was killing us," ASU defensive back Hanis Bowens said of the long returns. "Killing us. I don't know, we just had our guys ... that were in position and didn't want to break down."
The Sooners got a 1-yard touchdown run from Heupel, Thatcher's long return and scoring passes of 26 and 19 yards by Heupel as they scored 28 points in the first 22 minutes.
Oklahoma left Heupel in the game until the last series -- after ASU (0-2) had pulled starting quarterback Cleo Lemon for backup Andy Shatley. But Hollis said he understood the need to put points on the board in the modern of age of Bowl Coalition Series competition.
"I've said pretty simply that Oklahoma is a fine football team," Hollis said. "You don't need to make them larger than life. Let them play someone better than us."
Oklahoma's second-half points came on a 35-yard touchdown pass from Heupel to Andre Woolfolk in the third quarter, a 75-yard run by Renaldo Works early in the fourth, and a 24-yard field goal by Tim Duncan with 4:45 left.
ASU committed 14 penalties, costing it 97 yards.
"Where I have a problem is with the penalties and execution," Hollis said. "And that goes back to coaching, so I'm really criticizing myself."
Bright spots for ASU were Lemon, who finished with 411 career completions to break the ASU mark of 409 held by Johnny Covington, and 108 receiving yards by Robert Kilow.
Kilow, however, was unsatisfied.
"It wasn't the It was us," he said. "I think they have a pretty good defense, but it shouldn't have been like this. We hurt ourselves more than they hurt us."
After Oklahoma dominated most of the first half, ASU showed signs of life late in the second quarter.
Smith capped the Indians' scoring drive with his 33-yard run, heading up the middle and bouncing outside to the left to cut Oklahoma's lead to 28-7 with 4:41 remaining. Lemon had completions of 26 yards to Mark Hamilton and 14 yards to Kilow on the drive, with Kilow's catch setting up Smith's score.
"We put a touchdown on the board and we seemed to gain our composure," Hollis said.
ASU followed its touchdown with an interception by Bowens at the Indians 22 to end one Oklahoma drive, and after punting the Indians allowed the Sooners just 4 net yards on their next possession as time ran out in the second quarter.
Up to that point, defensive stops had been rare for ASU. Oklahoma scored on four of its first five possessions, with its scoreless drive ending in a missed 24-yard field goal by Duncan after the Sooners stalled at the ASU 7 on an incompletion.
Heupel was 15 of 22 for 207 yards and 2 touchdowns in the half. He plunged in from the 1 for Oklahoma's first touchdown and had scoring completions of 26 yards to Damian Mackey and 19 yards to Woolfolk.
Mackey's 26-yard catch opened the second quarter and made it 21-0 after the Indians defense and penalties forced third-and-goal at the ASU 26. Woolfolk's touchdown made it 28-0 with 8:29 left in the half.
Thatcher contributed the Sooners' other first-half score when he returned a 43-yard punt by Shatley to make it 14-0 with 3:37 left in the first quarter. Thatcher was untouched on his return, heading up the middle and veering right for a 66-yard return, part of his 136 first-half return yards.
Lemon had a quietly solid first half for the Indians, completing 14 of 19 passes for 108 yards as ASU went into the locker room with 167 totals yards. The Indians gained only 76 total yards in their loss in 1992.

This article was published on Sunday, September 10, 2000

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