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Eberhart drills game-winner as Colorado shocks Oklahoma

Sep 30, 2007 - 12:53 AM BOULDER, Colorado (Ticker) -- Colorado shocked Oklahoma and shook up the Big 12 Conference.

Kevin Eberhart kicked a game-winning 45-yard field goal as time expired Saturday to lift the Buffaloes to a 27-24 upset of third-ranked Oklahoma in the Big 12 opener for both schools.

It was the second straight victory for Colorado (3-2, 1-0 Big 12 North), which erased a 17-point second-half deficit to knock Oklahoma - the preseason favorite in the conference and a consensus top-five team in the national rankings.

It also marked the Buffaloes' first win over a top-five team since December 1, 2001 - when they upset Texas in the Big 12 championship game.

"It's good for your fans, your recruits and your alums to see you be able to play like that," Colorado coach Dan Hawkins said.

"It gives everybody confidence and I think that is big because it's our expectation as a program to be at a national championship caliber - and that means that we have to be able to compete with those programs."

Oklahoma (4-1, 0-1 South) lost to Colorado for the first time since 1999. The Sooners appeared headed to another win and may have been looking ahead to next week's showdown with rival Texas.

"We knew that coming in (Colorado) was one of the best defenses we faced last year," Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops said. "They just really outplayed us. We got up 24-7, and then they outplayed us in a big-time way the rest of the game."

After forging a 24-24 tie with just over four minutes remaining, Colorado forced redshirt freshman quarterback Sam Bradford into two incompletions on the ensuing drive, forcing Oklahoma to punt.

Chase McBride took the punt at Colorado's 25-yard line and reeled off a 25-yard return to midfield.

"I just knew if we got in field-goal range, Kevin would make it," McBride said. "Fortunately, I was able to break a big one and the offense did the rest."

Cody Hawkins hooked up with freshman Kendrick Celestine for a 16-yard completion on 2nd-and-11, and Demetrius Sumler rumbled for seven yards to the Oklahoma 28.

That set the stage for Eberhart, who calmly drilled the game-winning kick with just two seconds remaining to spark a wild celebration.

"It is an amazing win for our team," Eberhart said. "I've been up here a long time and this is the greatest win we've had while I've been here, in my opinion. I also think it's been too long since we've had a win like this."

"I wasn't sure it was going to happen, but it sure did," said Cody Hawkins, Dan Hawkins' son. "And (Eberhart) came through when we needed him. I'm still a little excited and I need to breathe."

Oklahoma built a seemingly comfortable lead 2 1/2 minutes into the second half on Allen Patrick's second TD of the contest, a 17-yard jaunt which extended the lead to 24-7.

But it was all Colorado from there, as Hawkins orchestrated a trio of scoring drives over the next 24 minutes. Dan Hawkins, for one, was thrilled to share the landmark victory with his son.

"I got a big squeeze out of him," Dan Hawkins said. "There were some things he missed, but there were some things he made. He is my son, but I love all these guys the same.

"He's been in a lot of big games and he's been around this thing for a long time. I think he was happy, but he wasn't surprised."

After Eberhart's 41-yard field goal made it 24-10 with 4:10 left in the third quarter, Colorado halved the deficit just 10 seconds into the final period when Hawkins found tight end Tyson DeVree for a four-yard TD.

Eberhart missed a 36-yard field goal with 7:01 left, but safety Daniel Dykes intercepted Bradford on the very next play to give Colorado the ball at the Oklahoma 30.

The Buffaloes were forced to punt four plays later, but all-conference defensive back Reggie Smith muffed the punt return.

Colorado's Justin Drescher recovered the ball at the Oklahoma 16 and the Buffaloes capitalized three plays later when Hawkins hooked up with Dusty Sprague for a game-tying 15-yard score with 4:05 remaining.

"We felt like we could get some things on them," Dan Hawkins said. "We felt like we could get a little rhythm going. A game always turns on one or two plays, and we were fortunate that we got a few turnovers that helped us."

Hawkins completed 22-of-36 attempts for 220 yards and was intercepted twice while Hugh Charles rushed for 110 yards and a second-quarter TD for Colorado, which controlled the clock for 38:54.

Patrick enjoyed a solid game for the Sooners, running for 96 yards and a pair of scores on 18 carries. But Bradford struggled mightily, going 8-for-19 for 112 yards with a pair of interceptions.

Oklahoma entered with the nation's top scoring squad and third-ranked offense in terms of total yardage. But the Sooners committed three turnovers in this one and managed just 230 yards of total offense while converting 1-of-9 third downs.

"It definitely doesn't help when you do one play and turn it over, stop them, and then do one play and turn it over again," Stoops said. "You're out there the whole time.

"We're not very smart at how we conduct ourselves. We made some poor choices and it is disappointing."