It seems hard to believe, but Oklahoma vs. Tulsa on Saturday is game three in the 2015 season for both teams and that represents the quarter pole of the season. How could that be?
Several important numbers will be recognized at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium when the Sooners host the Golden Hurricane of Tulsa in their second home game and third nonconference contest on the 2015 schedule.
For one thing, Saturday’s home date will be the 100th game Bob Stoops as coached at Owen Field since he took over as the Sooners’ 21st head football coach in 1999. It also will mark the 100th anniversary of the OU Ruf/Neks, the shotgun-shooting, all-male spirit squad most notably seen riding and/or rumbling onto the field in and alongside the iconic Sooner Schooner after Oklahoma touchdowns.
Nov 8, 2014; Norman, OK, USA; Oklahoma Sooners sooner schooner before the game against the Baylor Bears at Gaylord Family – Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
Another century mark that will be reached and recognized on Saturday: It is expected to be the 100th consecutive Sooner home sellout, which dates back to the 1999 season.
Also during the game, the 1974 and 1975 Oklahoma national championship teams, coached by Barry Switzer, will be honored.
Here are some other notable numbers you might find interesting and help set the scene for Saturday’s in-state gridiron battle between the Sooners and the Golden Hurricane:
2 – Number of overtime games played by OU and Tulsa so far this season. The Sooners won in double overtime at Tennessee last weekend after trailing by 14 points to begin the fourth quarter. Tulsa was 10 points down to Florida Atlantic entering the final quarter in its season opener and came back to win 47-44 in OT.
3.5 – Baker Mayfield’s quarterback rating through the first three quarters of the Tennessee game. In the fourth quarter and the two overtime periods, when he completed 11 of 14 passes for 103 yards and three touchdowns, his QBR jumped up to 95.5.
9 – Behind one of the best offensive lines in the country last season, Oklahoma quarterbacks were sacked just 9 times all season. The Sooners had to replace three starters on the O-line this year, and Baker Mayfield has been sacked three times in two games.
19-7-1 – Oklahoma’s all-time record in football vs. Tulsa.
32 – Before the Tennessee game last weekend, it had been 32 years since an OU football team had come back from a 14-point deficit after three quarters to win the game. The Sooners trailed Oklahoma State 17-3 entering the fourth quarter in 1983 before coming back to win 21-20.
38 – Oklahoma has outscored its opponents 38-0 in the third and fourth quarters this season.
100 x 4 – Tulsa has four players who are averaging over 100 yards rushing or receiving through the Golden Hurricane’s first two games. Zack Langer is averaging 114 rushing yards per game and D’Angelo Brewer is at 112 ypg. Tulsa’s two leading receivers, Keevan Lucas and Keyarris Garrett, are averaging 129.0 and 132.5 receiving yards per game, respectively. No Oklahoma player is averaging over 100 yards rushing or receiving.
114 – The decibel rating at Tennessee’s Neyland Stadium for the Oklahoma game, the highest noise measurement in that stadium’s history. The attendance for last Saturday’s game was over 102,000.
149-10 – The Sooners’ record under Bob Stoops when leading at halftime.
745 – Passing yards for Tulsa quarterback Dane Evans this season. That ranks fourth in the nation.
3,473 – The undergraduate enrollment at the University of Tulsa, the smallest school in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS).