Oklahoma Finishes Job in Rout of Texas A

There was no second-half fade by Oklahoma this time, only domination from start to finish for one of its bigger victories in recent years.

The Sooners, who built big leads before losing to Notre Dame and Texas in their last two games, scored on their first six possessions Saturday and steamrolled No. 13 Texas A&M;, 51-6, at Norman, Okla.

The Aggies had beaten Oklahoma by a combined 80-7 the last two years, but had no answers for the Sooner offense and suffered the third-worst loss in the program’s 105-year history.

“They beat us, they beat us bad,” Texas A&M; offensive guard Chris Valletta said. “They pulled out all the stops and they deserve to win.”

Josh Heupel ran the offense to near perfection, sneaking in for three touchdowns and getting three more through the air. He completed 31 of 50 attempts for 372 yards with one interception.

Oklahoma, 4-2 overall and 2-1 in the Big 12 Conference, finished with 552 yards and, after giving up more than 500 to Notre Dame and Texas, held the Aggies to 230.

“It was fortunate for us to go out and execute to our potential,” said first-year Oklahoma Coach Bob Stoops, who took over a program that was 23-33-1 the previous five years. “That’s what we’ve been pushing for and I think we were able to do that tonight.”

Texas A&M; Coach R.C. Slocum had warned that his team could not afford to get into a shootout.

“It really wasn’t a shootout. We got shot,” said Slocum, who was denied his 100th career victory.

“With the circumstance of playing here, them having an extra week to prepare for us, I knew that we would have to play well and really play better than we’ve been playing to win this game.”

The defeat was A&M;’s worst since a 46-0 loss to Baylor in 1901.

The Aggies (5-2, 2-2) seemed confused by Oklahoma’s variety of formations and plays. The Sooners used a hook-and-lateral, successfully faked a punt and field goal, threw several shovel passes that went for big gains, and at times lined up with three receivers on each side of the field and only three interior linemen.

No. 7 Kansas State 44, Oklahoma State 21--Big passing plays by Jonathon Beasley and a badgering defense lifted the Wildcats from a 21-point deficit to a victory over the Cowboys at Stillwater, Okla.

Beasley threw for 311 yards, completing 13 of 25 passes, as the Wildcats (7-0, 4-0) earned their 20th straight conference victory.

Oklahoma State (3-3, 1-2), inspired by the return of injured quarterback Tony Lindsay, built a 21-0 lead in the first 17 minutes.

But the Cowboys crumbled under the steady pressure of a Wildcats defense that allowed only 60 yards in the second half and had four interceptions.

Colorado 16, Iowa State 12--Cortlen Johnson rushed for a career-high 185 yards in 31 carries and the Buffaloes made several key defensive stops to beat the Cyclones at Ames, Iowa.

Colorado (4-3, 3-1) overcame the loss of starting quarterback Mike Moschetti to a migraine headache to beat Iowa State (4-3, 1-3) for the 16th consecutive time.

Redshirt freshman Zac Colvin, making his first start, filled in capably for Moschetti and threw a touchdown pass late in the first half to give Colorado the lead.

The Buffaloes also ran the ball better than in any previous Big 12 game as Johnson, a sophomore, scored a touchdown and topped his previous high of 107 yards against Texas Tech last week.

Kansas 21, Missouri 0--Moran Norris scored twice and Dylen Smith connected on a long touchdown pass, leading the Jayhawks past the favored Tigers at Lawrence, Kan.

The win trimmed Missouri’s series lead to 50-49-9 in the 108-year-old rivalry, and handed the Tigers their first shutout against the Jayhawks since the 1937 game ended in a 0-0 tie.

Fans ripped down both goal posts as Kansas (3-5, 1-3) ended a five-game conference losing streak. Missouri (3-4, 0-4) is now facing a disastrous season in Larry Smith’s sixth year as coach.

Texas Tech 35, Baylor 7--Sammy Morris rushed for 98 yards and John Norman returned a punt 80 yards for a touchdown as the Red Raiders (4-3, 3-1) defeated the Bears (1-6, 0-4) at Waco, Texas.