Blowout

Slide Show

Oklahoma kept itself in seclusion since last season. Practices were closed. Inquiring eyes were kept away.

What were the Sooners hiding in their guarded lair just south of Owen Field?

Saturday night the gates swung open and the secret was revealed. A monster was unleashed and it ran amuck in a 79-10 victory over North Texas.

“I was pleased with the overall play,” OU coach Bob Stoops said. “I was pleased with the backup play. The second- and third-teamers all really played well.”

Pleased might have been how he felt. But it might have been like expecting socks for Christmas and getting a new house instead.

The Sooners had questions that needed answers in the season opener. The biggest was how Sam Bradford would handle the pressure of being OU’s starting quarterback. The redshirt freshman had never taken a snap in a college game until Saturday night.

He looked a little frazzled at first, scrambling for no gain on on the first play. But things got better quickly.

Bradford threw for 363 yards and three touchdowns. The opening-night performance was unrivaled by any OU quarterback.

It was the night he’d been dreaming about since he was old enough to fling a football.

“I just wanted to come out and play smart and play within myself,” he said. “And take care of the ball.”

Bradford’s 21-for-23 effort showed what’s within him has the potential to be pretty big and none of his pass attempts came anywhere near a North Texas defender.

The Sooners kept things simple for him. North Texas stacked nine players near the line of scrimmage. OU turned to short swing passes to the wide receivers.

The simple passes gave Bradford confidence and the Mean Green couldn’t stop them either.