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No. 1 Sooners cruise past Tulsa

Sep 4, 2011 - 5:58 AM Norman, OK (Sports Network) - Dominique Whaley ran for 131 yards and four touchdowns, helping top-ranked Oklahoma open its season with a 47-14 rout of Tulsa.

Landry Jones completed 35-of-47 passes for 375 yards and a touchdown for the Sooners (1-0), who enter the year with title aspirations. They went 12-2 last season, winning their seventh Big 12 title since 2000 and beating Connecticut in the Fiesta Bowl.

After being voted the top team in the preseason, Oklahoma got its 2011 season off to a smooth start.

The Sooners held the ball for more than 36 minutes and gained 663 yards against a Tulsa (0-1) program that went 10-3 last year under Todd Graham, who then left to take the job at Pittsburgh. Bill Blankenship debuted as the Golden Hurricane's new head coach Saturday.

G.J. Kinne threw for 271 yards and two scores for Tulsa, while being intercepted once and completing 18-of-33 passes.

Jimmy Stevens' 28-yard field goal about seven minutes into the game put Oklahoma on the board, and it wasn't long before the Sooners built a substantial lead.

Following the field goal, they scored a touchdown on their next two possessions.

Whaley capped both with a short plunge into the end zone. His two-yard run late in the first quarter ended a 12-play, 73-yard drive, and he reached the end zone from a yard out shortly into the second quarter, finishing an eight- play, 71-yard drive.

"He has really done a great job. He's strong. He has great vision. He was great taking care of the football," said Oklahoma head coach Bob Stoops.

Stevens missed the extra point on the second score, keeping it a 16-0 game.

Whaley was back in action a few possessions later. An interference penalty on a punt set the Sooners up at the Tulsa 47, and Whaley carried the ball four times for 19 yards during the ensuing drive.

His six-yard run on third down got the ball across the goal line once more, giving Oklahoma a 23-0 advantage with 6:56 left in the half.

Golden Hurricane running back Ja'Terian Douglas fumbled deep in his own territory on the second play of the next series, putting Oklahoma at the Tulsa 27. After five plays, Jones found Ryan Broyles for a four-yard TD pass.

Kinne's 56-yard strike to Bryan Burnham with 2:54 remaining put Tulsa on the board before the break, but Oklahoma had thoroughly dominated the first half.

The Sooners scored on five of their eight possessions and held the ball for nearly 20 minutes, and didn't cede control in the final two quarters.

"When you play a team of the caliber like that of the Sooners, you can't help them," Blankenship said. "The turnovers that we generated in the first half, we just couldn't keep our offense on the field. That really put our defense in a bind."

Oklahoma held Tulsa to a punt on the opening possession of the third quarter and turned around for another score. Brennan Clay capped the drive with an 11- yard TD run.

Whaley's final touchdown came with 2:52 left in the quarter to give the Sooners a 44-7 lead. Mike Hunnicutt kicked a 27-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter, and Kinne's 24-yard pass to Trey Watts with 10:29 to go ended the scoring.

Game Notes

Broyles finished with 14 catches for 158 yards...Willie Carter had five receptions for 135 yards to lead Tulsa...The Sooners have been ranked the preseason No. 1 on 10 occasions since 1936, more than any other team.