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Oklahoma football: OU’s 5 best season openers since 2000

By Christopher Dukes

NORMAN, OK - SEPTEMBER 01: Quarterback Kyler Murray #1 of the Oklahoma Sooners looks to throw against the Florida Atlantic Owls at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium on September 1, 2018 in Norman, Oklahoma. The Sooners defeated the Owls 63-14. (Photo by Brett Deering/Getty Images)
NORMAN, OK - SEPTEMBER 01: Quarterback Kyler Murray #1 of the Oklahoma Sooners looks to throw against the Florida Atlantic Owls at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium on September 1, 2018 in Norman, Oklahoma. The Sooners defeated the Owls 63-14. (Photo by Brett Deering/Getty Images) /
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Oklahoma football started things off with a bang in these five season opener performances.

Whether it’s a massacre of a lesser opponent or a statement win against a heavyweight in an early-season test, a season opener is often a way for a team to make a statement.

Out of camp and finally able to hit someone else, it shows the team’s growth from the previous year and their potential for success in the new season. While the main trademark of a great team is a continued progression throughout the season, it’s true you never get a second chance to make a first impression.

Here are the top five Sooner season opening performances since 2000.

A 37-0 win over Tulsa in 2002

The Sooners destroyed their in-state rivals thanks to a dominant performance in the trenches on both sides of the ball in a 37-0 blanking of the Golden Hurricane. Quentin Griffin rushed for 237 yards on just 17 carries as Oklahoma racked up 378 on the ground. Jason White wasn’t great through the air, but efficient, throwing for 126 yards on 15-of-26 passing. It was obvious the young quarterback was still on the bottom end of his learning curve with a pair of forced throws that were intercepted.

With a game against Alabama coming up the following week, the Sooners kept things very vanilla against the Golden Hurricane, simply bullying their smaller opponent off the ball and suffocating them with a stifling defense that gave up just 213 yards of total offense and less than three yards per rush.

It’s not always the gaudy final score that makes for an impressive season opener, in this case it was the Sooners’ ability to completely impose their will on their opponent and dictate exactly how the game would be played for four quarters. Also, the goose egg on the other side is obviously a nice bonus.

The 2002 Sooners would springboard off the victory with to a 7-0 start that included three-straight wins over ranked opponents including No. 3 Texas, No. 9 Iowa State and No. 13 Colorado. They were the No. 1 team in the country before a pair of road upset losses to Texas A&M and Oklahoma State knocked them out of the national title picture. There was some solice to be taken in a 29-7 win over Colorado to capture the Big 12 title and a 34-14 victory over Washington State in the Rose Bowl – the Sooners first ever Rose Bowl victory.

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