Confusing Oklahoma with a team that charged out of the gate was like confusing a mule for Secretariat. Over the Sooners’ first three games, they had never led at the half. Second-half flurries had been their only redeeming trait.

They got away with it in wins over Alabama-Birmingham and Washington. They even got away with it last week against Oregon, presuming the right calls would have been made down the stretch.

But Saturday night the second half was rendered meaningless at Owen Field. The 17th-ranked Sooners swarmed all over Middle Tennessee and beat the Blue Raiders like mules 59-0.

It was far and away OU’s most complete performance. The Sooners scored practically at will, while the Blue Raiders never sniffed the end zone.

“It was good to play well in all parts of the game and for a full 60 minutes,” OU coach Bob Stoops said.

Perhaps it was an understatement from the coach, because his team finally made a statement that it’s capable of playing dominant football.

The Sooners, who improved to 3-1, were lethargic at times in their first three games and most wondered if there would be any lingering effects from last Saturday’s highly-disputed loss at Oregon.

Instead, OU looked like the team many thought it would be before the season began.

“Guys were making big plays,” Thompson said. “Feeling real excited. We definitely put what happened last week in the past and are moving forward. It was big game to help us do that.”

If it was a masquerade, Thompson picked up the award for best costume. He bore a striking resemblance to Jason White. The senior threw for 257 yards and three touchdowns. Thompson was 13-for-18 and didn’t toss an interception for the second straight game.

“We’ve said it all along, he’s a very good quarterback with the chance to be great if the guys around him will also be great,” Stoops said.

The guys around him were Saturday.

Five of his heaves wound up in Malcolm Kelly’s hands. Kelly crossed the 100-yard plateau for the second time in four games with five catches for 164 yards.

His third grab was an 18-yard hookup that put OU up 10-0.

Adrian Peterson rushed for 128 yards and found the end zone three times.