Oklahoma football: Notable numbers from OU’s win over UCLA
By Chip Rouse
There were plenty of numbers to gush over after a second consecutive decisive Oklahoma football win to start out the 2018 season.
But one number overshadows all in the Sooners’ 49-21 win over a rebuilding UCLA program on Saturday. The apparent knee injury suffered by No. 24, the jersey number of OU’s No, 1 running back Rodney Anderson could deal a serious blow to the Sooners’ success moving forward this season.
As of Sunday morning, there is no further word on the extent of the industry, but those close to the situation have indicated the prognosis doesn’t look optimistic.
"“Don’t have anything definitive,” said head coach Lincoln Riley addressing the concerns over Anderson’s injury in his postgame press comments. “We’ll hope for the best and get some official word and see where we’re at.”"
As unfortunate as that may be, however, for Anderson, who led the country in rushing yards over the last eight games of the season a year ago, it means next man up for the OU running backs, and the Sooners are fortunate to be blessed with a deep and talented stable of ball carriers.
Before being forced out of the game after a 10-yard run on the final play of the first quarter, Anderson had gained 19 yards on six carries, including scoring the Sooners opening touchdown. The preseason All-Big 12 running back immediately grabbled his right knee after being taken to the ground as time ran out in the opening quarter, and had to be helped off the field.
Anderson was seen walking on his own as the Sooner training staff escorted him to the locker room, but the next we saw of him was on the sidelines later in the second half, in street clothes with his right knee heavily wrapped and wearing a brace.
In Anderson’s absence, the Oklahoma offense still managed 179 rushing yards, led by quarterback Kyler Murray’s 69 yards. The redshirt junior, who signed a $4.6 million baseball contract this summer as the top draft pick of the Oakland A’s, is the first quarterback to lead Oklahoma in rushing since Trevor Knight ran for 146 yards in a 2014 game against Iowa State.
The Sooners are off to a 2-0 start and headed to Ames, Iowa, next weekend for a game with Iowa State and hopeful of extending the nation’s longest active win streak in true road games, which is now at 16.
Here are a dozen more notable numbers from OU’s second win of 2018:
1:39 — Time consumed in the first quarter by Oklahoma in matching UCLA’s opening score, going the length of the field in three plays to knot the score at 7-7. The Sooners scored the next 35 points before UCLA scored again.
3 — Kyler Murray is the third Oklahoma quarterback in 18 seasons to throw three touchdown passes and run for two touchdowns in the same game. The others were Baker Mayfield in 2015 and Trevor Knight in 2014.
10 — It’s been 10 years since the Sooners scored at least 49 points in their first two games of the season.
12 — The Oklahoma defense, turning in a second consecutive outstanding game, recorded 12 tackles for loss versus UCLA.
14 — The Sooners scored 14 points in every quarter but the second, when they were held to just seven points.
22 — Marquise “Hollywood” Brown made four catches in the game for 88 yards. He averaged 22.0 yards per catch.
30 — Oklahoma’s 49-point offensive effort against UCLA marked the 25th time in the last 26 games the Sooners have scored 30 or more points in a game. They are 24-2 during that span.
31 — The Sooners win over UCLA was their 31st consecutive win over an unranked, nonconference opponent. The last time they lost to an unranked opponent outside of the Big 12 was in 2005, losing 41-24 at UCLA.
86 — Tre Brown’s 86-yard kickoff return that led to OU’s first touchdown was the longest non-scoring play/return in Owen Field history.
146-48 — Oklahoma’s scoring margin in five games against UCLA. The Sooners now lead the all-time series 4-1. The same two teams play again next season at UCLA.
254 — UCLA gained 254 of its 383 total offensive yards against the Sooners through the air, with 110 of the passing yards coming on two long non-scoring pass plays.
84,483 — The home attendance for the UCLA game, the fifth largest in the history of Gaylord Family — Oklahoma Memorial Stadium and the 118th consecutive sellout.