NORMAN, Okla. -- Oklahoma seems to keep running into Oregon
in games like this.
A year ago, the Sooners had dropped out of the polls after a
slow start and met the fourth-ranked Ducks in the Holiday Bowl with
a chance at proving how much they'd improved.
The teams meet again on Saturday, this time with Oregon's Autzen
Stadium as the proving ground.
"This team has some doubters out there," Oklahoma quarterback
Paul Thompson said Tuesday. "I think this could be one of those
games that can step us up and put us up into the forefront more so
we're not an underdog like the season kind of started out."
The Sooners (2-0) started the season by getting past UAB 24-17,
then appeared to find their stride in the second half of a 37-20
win last week against Washington-- a game that was tied at halftime.
The 18th-ranked Ducks (2-0) should provide the No. 15 Sooners
with their toughest test yet.
"Our seasons are always built progressing through the year,
trying to get better as we go and that's what we're doing this
year," Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops said. "It's no different than
any other. We've had a lot of big games in nonconference over the
years. It's just like all of them."
Stoops downplayed the importance of the game, and said any
impact on the polls didn't matter as much as simply getting a win
instead of a loss. He said the game could have some benefit
"provided you win the rest of the season."
"It gives you confidence to do it again," Stoops said.
And the Sooners will need to do it again, if they want to
achieve their goals. Their next trip away from home will be an Oct.
7 meeting with defending champion Texas in Dallas. After that, the
Big 12 schedule holds road games at Missouri, Texas A&M, Baylor and
the Bedlam game at Oklahoma State.
"I think to get this under our belt early will be a great gauge
to our players of how mature we are and how tough we are, and can
we truly be a really outstanding team?" offensive coordinator
Kevin Wilson said.
Oklahoma players see the game as a chance to make a mark. After
their close win against UAB, the Sooners dropped from 10th to 15th
in the AP poll, and there was no change after the win against
Washington.
"It's going to be a statement game. ... We're playing against a
high-quality team and we're going on the road into their stadium,"
said wide receiver Malcolm Kelly, who had a career-high 121
receiving yards against Washington. "We're winning games and
dropping in polls. We just have to come out and play and just let
everybody know that we're for real. If we come with our 'A' game,
we'll be able to show everybody that."
After a 1-2 start last season, the Sooners fell out of the AP
poll for the first time since Stoops' first season in 1999. A
meeting with Oregon in the Holiday Bowl afforded the Sooners a
chance to jump back in, and they took advantage of it -- moving in
at No. 22 to finish the season.
This time, the game offers a chance for Oklahoma -- or Oregon --
to prove it deserves a higher ranking.
"This would be a big steppingstone to get over," Thompson
said. "It's definitely not just another game."
Oklahoma and Oregon also met in the third week of the 2004
season, when the Sooners were ranked No. 2 and Oregon had just
fallen out of the polls following a 30-24 loss to Indiana. Oklahoma
won that game 31-7 and went on to the Bowl Championship Series
title game. Oregon never got back into the national rankings.
"I think it can be a defining point in our season as far as the
direction we want to go in," Thompson said. "It's definitely a
big game, definitely a lot riding on this game."