ESPN College Football

Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Griffin

STILLWATER, Okla. -- Oklahoma center Jon Cooper had a few choice words for reporters as he trudged up the walkway after his team's impressive performance to end the regular season.

"If 61 points isn't enough, I don't know what will be," Cooper said.

The Sooners made an eloquent case for their BCS worthiness down the stretch in their 61-41 victory over Oklahoma State. Oklahoma scored on its last eight possessions and even added a 28-yard touchdown run by Chris Brown with 25 seconds left to punctuate the scoring binge.

BCS style points?

Perhaps, although they did come at the end of a 557-yard effort in which the Sooners averaged 6.8 yards per snap.

That triumph pushed them into a three-way tie at 7-1 with Texas Tech and Texas in the Big 12 South Division. Oklahoma lost to Texas, which lost to Texas Tech, which lost to Oklahoma.

That conundrum will mean that the Big 12 will have to go to the fifth tiebreaker to determine which team will advance to Kansas City to play the championship game against Missouri next week.

The fate of the Big 12 now belongs to 114 voters, 64 coaches and six computers.

Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops said he expects to be preparing for Missouri in the championship game starting on Sunday.

"I think we have a really good chance," Stoops said. "We played the No. 2 team in the country and won by 44. We played the No. 12 team here tonight where nobody had beat them. Usually it's what you are doing at the end of the year. And we finished up pretty strong."

Some Texas fans wanted to remind Oklahoma fans of their earlier victory over the Sooners Oct. 11 in Dallas by flying over the stadium before and during the game with a banner that read "45-35 settled on a neutral field" prominently displayed.

Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford noticed and wondered if the whole BCS process hasn't gotten to be too political.

"To me, that's a little ridiculous," Bradford said. "If it comes to that and doesn't happen on what happened on the football [field], maybe we might need to start looking into another direction."

In the most recent BCS standings, Texas is second behind Alabama and is only .0084 of a point ahead of the fourth-place Sooners.

It will now mean the voters will have to decide Sunday whether the Sooners' 20-point victory against their cross-state rivals -- their largest in Stillwater since 1994 -- was impressive enough to jump the Longhorns.

Texas can claim the earlier victory, but Oklahoma can respond with some convincing arguments since that game.

The Sooners are playing their best football of the season, scoring 60 points for the fourth straight game. They were the first team to beat No. 12 Oklahoma State in Stillwater all season.

Oklahoma appears to have the best nonconference victories with triumphs over Cincinnati -- which will make a BCS bowl game -- and TCU. Texas has the best cross-division victory with a convincing home thrashing of Missouri. And Texas Tech has the only victory over Texas, a last-second comeback triumph in Lubbock.

But Texas struggled against Oklahoma State at home last month, winning only after an interception on the last play of the game. And even though Texas provided a strong 49-9 victory over Texas A&M on Thursday night, the Sooners appear to be playing better over the final month of the season.

"All we can do is hope that all we've done over the last couple of weeks has been enough," Bradford said. "If those people looked at how we've done on the road, it does nothing but help our case we should be in Kansas City. It's out of our hands and all we can do is hope it's enough to get us there."

It did not take long for spin doctors from Texas and Texas Tech to send e-mails stating their case for why their team belongs in the BCS.

Texas coach Mack Brown took to the airwaves during the television broadcast to plead his case while the Sooners were playing in the second half.

And Stoops also took the bully pulpit to plead his team's case as well.

But the uncertainty of the voters and computers left Brown with an uneasy feeling as he prepared for what will be a long, restless wait until the results are announced Sunday afternoon.

"Our plans are to be playing in Kansas City, but it's left up to the guys behind the computers," Brown said. "We'll pray that the right thing happens."

Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Griffin

	Jackson Laizure/US Presswire
	Sam Bradford's pass in the third quarter of Oklahoma's 61-41 victory over Oklahoma State bounced off Manny Johnson's hands to tight end Jermaine Gresham, above, for a 73-yard touchdown reception.

STILLWATER, Okla. -- Barry Switzer had a term for the luck that seemingly graced his team throughout his career.

The "Bootlegger's Boy" is long gone from the Sooners' sideline but "Sooner Magic" was alive and well for Oklahoma Saturday night at Boone Pickens Stadium.

Two key plays that provided touchdowns probably had Switzer smiling Saturday as his old team claimed a wild 61-41 victory over rival Oklahoma State.

The Sooners watched a tipped pass slip through Manny Johnson's hands and between three Oklahoma State defenders to a sprinting Jermaine Gresham for a 73-yard touchdown reception. The score helped the Sooners reclaim momentum after Oklahoma State pulled within four points early in the third quarter.

"I guess I've been living right because I've been going to church a lot recently," Gresham said. "I'm blessed it happened in this game."

Later, quarterback Sam Bradford botched a exchange from center Jon Cooper on fourth down. The Oklahoma State defense froze for a millisecond -- long enough for Bradford to pick up the ball and still scoot into the end zone.

"You definitely need a little luck to win," Bradford said. "There were a couple of plays like that, but we played well overall tonight."

The tipped pass was the wildest. Johnson said he thought the ball was going to be intercepted because the Oklahoma State defenders were so closely bunched around him.

"I saw it go through my hands and then all those other guys were around it," Johnson said. "I was relieved when it bounced through them and landed in Jermaine's hands. And then when he was running at full stride to the goal line, it was a big play for us."

Even Bob Stoops was thankful for the good fortune -- or luck -- that graced his team at key moments.

"You always feel fortunate when you get a play like that," Stoops said. "And I feel fortunate tonight."

Bradford's dad played for Switzer in the 1970s and sometimes heard about the Sooners' propensity for big plays in clutch situations. But "Sooner Magic" has been with him since he arrived at college.

"I've heard more about it since I've been at OU since I grew up," Bradford said. "I guess you could say we had a little bit tonight."

The Sooners need any kind of bounce they can get considering the BCS ramifications of the victory. And they were happiest when the good fortune came when they really needed it.

Both came during a wild spurt of eight-straight scoring possessions that began in the second quarter and lasted until the end of the game. The Sooners erupted for 54 points during that 45-minute period.

"If you want it call it 'Sooner Magic' you can," Oklahoma tailback Chris Brown said. "It's being in the right spot at the right times. Some of those players could have been disasters. But we got two touchdowns on them. It was like 'Sooner Magic' was with us."

Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Griffin

	Ronald Martinez/Getty Images
	Sam Bradford threw for 370 yards and four touchdowns as No. 3 Oklahoma downed No. 11 Oklahoma State 61-41. Bradford took to the air in other ways, diving for more yards in a defining play in the third quarter.

STILLWATER, Okla. -- Sometimes, one play remains ingrained in the psyche of Heisman voters.

Think of Charles Woodson's punt return. Or Anthony Davis' kick return for the old timers. Or Tim Tebow's charge into the end zone with several tacklers attached to him.

Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford might have produced one of those memory-grabbing plays Saturday night that resonates with voters for several weeks.

Bradford's wild somersault in the third quarter didn't get him in the end zone. But his flip showed his toughness as he landed hard but still jumped up to score on the next play, directing another scoring drive that helped the Sooners claim a 61-41 victory over Oklahoma State.

"I wish I would have gotten in, but it did get us into position to score," Bradford said with a sheepish smile. "That's all that matters."

Not scoring on the play was one of the few things that didn't end up positively for Bradford, who led the Sooners on eight scoring drives to finish the game. Included in the binge were seven drives that culminated in touchdowns.

At one point, Bradford directed the Sooners to nine straight third-down conversions. The Sooners have scored at least 60 points in four straight games.

"Sam Bradford, the way he played was just out of this world," Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops said. "It's just incredible the way we played with him."

It didn't come easy for Bradford, who misfired on his first four passes in the slowest start of his career. His first three incompletions all were dropped passes.

A banged-up thumb kept him from adequately grasping the ball in direct center exchanges and forced the Sooners to play almost exclusively in shotgun formations during the second half.

But even with that injury, Bradford was willing to make the leap that had some fans chanting "Heisman" as he left the field.

"I thought that was the play of the game," Stoops said. "He was trying to get away from the rush and went out and did. He sucked it up and made a huge play for us."

Bradford responded to complete 30 of 44 passes for 370 yards and four touchdowns. That effort enabled him to up his single-season passing total to 4,082 yards, topping the previous mark of Oklahoma quarterbacks coach Josh Heupel, who passed for 3,850 yards in 1999.

And Bradford's scoring barrage gave him 82 career touchdown passes, one ahead of Jason White's total of 81 from 1999-2004.

Those numbers are significant but Bradford's dive meant as much to his team as any of his touchdowns or big plays.

"That play was just incredible," Oklahoma cornerback Dominque Franks said. "There's a guy who could be the No.1 pick in the draft and make lots of money and he's giving himself up like that for us. It just made us all want to play harder, seeing what he was doing for us. It was really an inspirational play."

Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Griffin

STILLWATER, Okla. -- We'll go to the BCS standings Sunday afternoon to determine who will be playing in the Big 12 championship game.

Oklahoma's 61-41 victory over Oklahoma State forced the first three-way tie in Big 12 history. It pushed the Sooners into a tie for the South Division title with Texas and Texas Tech.

Because the three teams each have a win and a loss -- all against each other -- it means the conference will have to go to the fifth tiebreaker to determine who will play Missouri next Saturday in Kansas City.

I'm headed downstairs to hear if Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops will take an active role in lobbying for his team.

Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Griffin

STILLWATER, Okla. -- Will it be enough?

Oklahoma took advantage of a couple of huge breaks to claim a 37-26 lead over Oklahoma State after three quarters.

But will this kind of performance resonate with pollsters Sunday morning?

The Sooners benefitted from two big plays in the third quarter to account for its two touchdowns.

Sam Bradford's pass bounced off Manny Johnson's hands to tight end Jermaine Gresham for a 73-yard touchdown reception.

Oklahoma's last touchdown came on a 1-yard run by Bradford after his bobbled snap had bounced back into his hands.

Barry Switzer used to call it "Sooner Magic." But I wonder if he ever saw as much good fortune concentrated into such a short period of time.

Oklahoma needs a big finish as they attempt to sway the pollsters. Oklahoma State's defense looked tired late in the third quarter.

Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Griffin

STILLWATER, Okla. - It took awhile for Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford to get into a groove in the first half.

But once he did, he proved why he's one of the best quarterbacks in the country.

Bradford directed a pair of 14-play scoring drives to finish the half, directing the Sooners to a 21-13 halftime advantage over Oklahoma State.

The sophomore quarterback completed 8 of 11 for 82 yards on the final drive, capping it with a 4-yard dart to athletic tight end Jermaine Gresham with 13 seconds left in the half. Gresham made four catches on the drive, including two acrobatic ones where he tipped the ball to himself.

It capped a 171-yard first-half effort that upped Bradford's season passing total to 3,881, a new Oklahoma single-season record. The previous best was Josh Heupel's 3,850 in 1999.

Earlier, Bradford had struggled through his worst beginning of the season, misfiring on his first four passes and five of his first nine attempts in the first quarter. The Cowboys were mixing pass coverages as the Sooners dropped or had a hand on Bradford's first three incompletions.

And the Sooners showed their versatility on an earlier scoring drive with a 14-play, 79-yard drive that included seven runs and seven passes. The Sooners overcome second-and-10, second-and-12 and second-and-18 plays in that scoring drive as it converted four third-down plays in a punishing performance that seemed to wear out the Oklahoma State defense.

It's enough to boost the Sooners within 30 minutes of forcing a historic three-way tie for the South Division championship. Texas Tech and Texas have already earned a share of the title with victories earlier this weekend.

Here are some other items of interest I've noticed.

• So much for any worries about Oklahoma State tailback Kendall Hunter's injured quadricep muscle. Hunter snagged a 23-yard TD reception to account for the Cowboys' only touchdown and also added a game-high 59 rushing yards. He's running hard and has needed only one break.
• The only injury of note in the first half was Oklahoma nose guard Adrian Taylor who was dinged after he was hit by Oklahoma middle linebacker Austin Box late in the first quarter.
• Oklahoma has been plagued with some drops in the first half, with at least four incompletions where receivers had a hand on the ball. But Gresham's athleticism with two grabs on balls he tipped to himself made up for those struggles.
• The crowd doesn't appear to be nearly as sparse as expected as only a few seats in the upper corners are empty. And these Oklahoma State became a factor early. It helped cause a false start on Oklahoma's first play for scrimmage that led to a three-and-out on Oklahoma's first possession. It was only the second time that the Sooners had failed to score on their opening possession this season.
• Oklahoma is taking advantage of a massive size advantage by running heavily towards its left side that includes 350-pound left tackle Phil Loadholt and 330-pound Duke Robinson.
• The Cowboys are showing a lot of new wrinkles, using Robinson more as a rushing threat than in most of the season. His serpentine 11-yard scramble showed his athleticism as he eluded tacklers for eight seconds of game action. When he's running like that, Robinson might be the conference's most athletic quarterback.
• Oklahoma State kicker Dan Bailey has drilled a pair of field goals, extending his streak to nine-straight kicks. Bailey's 44-yard field goal that pulled the Cowboys within 14-13 was the longest kick of his career. He previously had missed all four attempts in his career of longer than 40 yards.
• Oklahoma's defensive front did a better job after Oklahoma State had taken the lead on the touchdown pass to Hunter. After that play, Robinson did not complete another pass in the first half.
• The explosive Oklahoma offensive play was held in check with only two plays of 20 yards or more - a 21-yard pass from Bradford to Quentin Chaney and DeMarco Murray's 20-yard TD run to cap Oklahoma's second drive.

Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Griffin

STILLWATER, Okla. -- Here are a few late factoids with kickoff of Oklahoma-Oklahoma State about 30 minutes away.

WHAT'S AT STAKE: An Oklahoma victory will force a three-way tie for the Big 12 South Division title that will be decided by the BCS standings tomorrow. It also likely wraps up a BCS bowl berth for Oklahoma, no matter if the Sooners play in the championship game or not.

Oklahoma State is gunning for a victory that would boost them to a 10-win regular season for the first time in school history.

The Sooners have won five-straight games in the series and Bob Stoops is 3-1 in previous games against the Cowboys in Stillwater. But none of those margins of victory are more than six points.

And Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy is 3-13-1 in his career against Oklahoma, as a coach, assistant coach and player.

WEATHER: It's a cold, cloudy night with temperatures in the mid-40s. Humidity is 52 percent and there is no wind. Even though a front is expected to blow through late this evening, there is only about a 10 percent chance of precipitation.

INJURIES: Oklahoma is still missing top pass rusher Auston English (sprained knee) and starting defensive end Alan Davis (sprained knee). Their lack of depth at the position will mean that starters Frank Alexander and Jeremy Beal will play more snaps than usual. And Ryan Reynolds, the Sooners' steady middle linebacker, has been lost since the Texas game with a knee injury.

Oklahoma State's biggest injury question is tailback Kendall Hunter, the Big 12's leading rusher, who sustained a quadriceps injury against Colorado in the Cowboys' most recent game. But after eyeing him during workouts, Hunter appears ready to go. If he's hampered, Keith Toston would replace him.

Earlier this season, the Cowboys lost free safety Lucien Antoine with a knee injury. He's been their only other major injury this season.