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Bradford, Oklahoma thrash Baylor in Big 12 opener

Oct 4, 2008 - 10:06 PM WACO, Texas (Ticker) -- Sam Bradford and Oklahoma did not get caught looking ahead.

Bradford threw two touchdown passes and ran for another score Saturday as the top-ranked Sooners blew past Baylor, 49-17, in the Big 12 Conference opener for both schools.

Ranked No. 1 for the first time since 2003, Oklahoma faces its first true test of the season next weekend against fifth-ranked Texas in the annual Red River Rivalry game.

"I loved the way we started off," Sooners head coach Bob Stoops said. "We executed and have good momentum going in (against Texas)."

Thanks to another stellar effort from Bradford, the Sooners (5-0, 1-0 Big 12 South) rolled to another easy win over the hapless Bears (2-3, 0-1 South). Oklahoma has won all 18 meetings between these schools and has posted a 36-point margin of victory in its last five visits to Waco.

"The guys were really solid, really focused and they played really well," Stoops said. "We played well in all parts of the game."

A Heisman Trophy front-runner, Bradford gave Oklahoma the lead for good on the Sooners' third play from scrimmage when he found a wide-open Manuel Johnson for a 53-yard catch-and-run TD.

"Sam was exceptional throwing the ball," Stoops said. "He was very accurate."

It was the 17th touchdown pass of the young season for Bradford, who finished 23-of-31 for 372 yards and was intercepted once. The sophomore scored on a 1-yard keeper in the first quarter and also hooked up with Juaquin Iglesias for a 42-yard TD that gave the Sooners a 35-7 second-quarter cushion.

"Sam put (the passes) on the mark today," said Iglesias, who had six catches for 133 yards. "We always talk about making the play when (the ball) comes to us. We are just trying to get better every weekend."

With the outcome firmly in hand, the Sooners turned to their running game in the second half and finished with 217 yards on the ground.

Oklahoma was led by sophomore standout DeMarco Murray, who rushed for 96 yards and scored on a pair of short TD runs. Mossis Madu and Chris Brown also had rushing touchdowns for Oklahoma.

"Our receivers had a big day, and our running backs were solid," Stoops said. "Two-hundred yards on the ground between the three of them was exceptional."

True freshman quarterback Robert Griffin struggled all day passing the football for Baylor, completing just 11-of-26 attempts for 75 yards. But the speedster rushed for 102 yards and two TDs on 21 carries, bringing his season total to 436 in five games.

"We have to forget about it," Griffin said. "It's over. You can't go back in time and play the game again. You might as well forget about it, fix the mistakes and move on."

Oklahoma scored on its first four possessions and took a 28-0 lead on Madu's 1-yard TD with 41 seconds remaining in the first quarter.

After racing for a 36-yard run, Griffin got Baylor on the board with his first TD run - a 1-yard keeper with 12:34 left in the first half.

But after Bradford was intercepted on Oklahoma's ensuing possession, the Sooners forced a three-and out. Five plays later, Bradford found Iglesias for the 42-yard score to put the game out of reach.

Baylor managed just 269 yards of total offense but did not commit a turnover.

"I really don't think we are that far apart than what we showed on the field today," Baylor coach Art Briles said. "I don't want to sound naive or unrealistic, but I just think we are a better football team then what ended up being on the scoreboard today. And that to me is a little bit discouraging."