Oklahoma Sooners 35
Notre Dame Fighting Irish 21
Oklahoma defeated the University of Notre Dame Saturday, in South Bend, 35-21. The win was only the second for OU against the fighting Irish in 11 games. For Bob Stoops, it marks the third time his teams have played Notre Dame and the second time in South Bend. Stoops is now 1-2 against Notre Dame. Very few schools have a winning record against Stoops or, for that matter, Oklahoma.
On this Saturday though, the Sooners owned the game from the start. Oklahoma scored 14 points inside the first three minutes of the game converting two Tommy Reese interceptions in to points. From that point, the Sooners and Irish traded punches but the Irish could never get closer than 7 points. The defense set the tone and the offense, led by Blake Bell, continued the efficient play they established in Norman, two weeks ago, against Tulsa. The Sooners capped an impressive victory in front of a capacity crowd in South Bend in which the Irish honored the 1957 team that ended the Sooners record 47 game win streak. The impact of the victory was evident on the faces of the players, coaches, fans and especially, Bob Stoops. It was a big win in an important game and the faithful Sooner Nation fully recognized its significance.
The Grades:
Defense - A.
The defense would have rated an A+ if not for the running game of Notre Dame and especially Greg Atkinson. The Irish rushed for 220 yards and Atkinson ran for 148 by himself. The Notre Dame offensive line opened holes big enough for Atkinson to get through, his elusive running style and speed did the rest. The A is a result of the defensive pressure and pass defense. The Sooners kept adequate pressure on Reese and Backup Andrew Hendrix to allow the secondary to keep pace with the Irish receivers. Had Atkinson not scored on a 80 yard run in the 3rd quarter, this might have been a 35-14 blowout.
Blake Bell - A+.
Any fear that Blake Bell would fold under pressure in his first road start was forgotten after the first offensive series. Bell was in command of the Offense from the start and despite throwing a couple of errant passes in the first half, looked as good as he did at home against Tulsa. Bell solidified his claim as starting quarterback and proved that he was indeed a gamer. Bell left the game late in the third with muscle cramps but returned to finish after, as Stoops put it, getting "gassed up". It was evident when Bell returned to the Sooner sidelines that it would take a lot more than muscle cramps to keep him out of the game. If Blake remains healthy, the Sooners have tremendous upside going forward.
Offense - A.
The offense was efficient and stingy with the ball. The Sooners gained 450 total yards, 238 passing and 212 on the ground. The Sooners had no turnovers for the second straight game and only 4 penalties, two of which were intentional delay of game penalties to gain extra punting room. Three running backs saw time and eight different receivers caught passes. Sterling Sheppard had his second standout game and it would appear that he is becoming Blake Bell's favorite target. There were several missed scoring opportunities that would have widened the score. All are correctable and can be blamed on youth and experience.
Special Teams - A.
Michael Hunnicutt was perfect again with PAT's and kicking 2 field goals. The punting game was not as fluid as it has been to start the season though as Barnett punted 5 times but failed to pin the Irish inside the 20 on any of them. The biggest surprise on special teams came as the Sooners executed a two point conversion late to keep the Irish behind by 14. Overall, the special teams played well and remain a huge asset to the team.
Attitude - A+
Perhaps the most evident improvement by the Sooners this year is attitude. It was clear on the first offensive series by Notre Dame that these were not the same Sooners that lost to Notre Dame in Norman last fall. Oklahoma has regained the swagger and intensity that defined them early in Bob Stoops career. They have the look of a team that can be potentially dangerous and dominant going forward.
Overall it was the most complete road victory that the Sooners have played in a long time. The scary thing for upcoming opponents is that this team is not yet mature. There are a lot of young, first year starters on this team and this was clearly supposed to be a rebuilding year. It looks like Stoops and his staff didn't want to wait.
It was clearly a big game win for Big game Bob. Welcome back!
Up next: TCU
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