University of Missouri
#1 Oklahoma
Missouri Falls To Top-Ranked Sooners
10/18/2003 12:00:00 AM | Football
Oct 18, 2003
By JOEL ANDERSON
Associated Press Writer
NORMAN, Okla. (AP) - Jason White threw for 278 yards and two touchdowns and Antonio Perkins tied a Division I-A record with his seventh career punt return for a touchdown as No. 1 Oklahoma beat No. 24 Missouri 34-13 on Saturday night.
The Sooners (7-0, 3-0 Big 12) looked a little sluggish at the start, a week after their 65-13 dismantling of Texas.
Many of Oklahoma's early struggles were caused by Brad Smith, the multitalented Missouri quarterback who rolled up nearly 400 yards of offense and three touchdowns against the Sooners last year as the Tigers nearly pulled off the upset in a 31-24 loss.
 Brad Smith had 230 total yards including one touchdown.  |
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But Oklahoma scored three touchdowns in the final seven minutes of the first half to turn the game into a rout.
Perkins' touchdown with 1:02 left in the first half gave Oklahoma a 31-10 lead. The score left Missouri noticeably deflated as the Sooners whooped their way into the locker room for halftime while many of the Tigers slowly jogged off the field.
The 69-yard punt return was Perkins' fourth this season and seventh of his career, both equaling Division I-A records. The junior cornerback broke a single-game mark against UCLA earlier this season with three returns for score.
The record-breaking - and back-breaking - return came near the end of the half.
Perkins caught the ball off a hop, juked a couple of defenders and sprinted down the left sideline and into the NCAA record book.
White, the nation's leader in pass efficiency, also got the Sooners going with two touchdown throws in the second quarter.
The first was an up-for-grabs toss into the end zone that Mark Clayton wrestled away from safety Nino Williams. The 39-yard throw gave the Sooners a 17-10 lead.
Clayton, who set a school record with 190 yards receiving against Texas, finished with eight catches for 110 yards.
Jejuan Rankins had the other touchdown grab on a fourth-and-6 play from Missouri's 30 with 2:40 left in the half. Rankins, generously listed at 5-foot-11, 172 pounds, caught the ball just shy of the first-down marker and broke four tackles on his way to the score.
Before that, Smith raced all around Oklahoma's vaunted defense to complete long passes or rip off big runs.
The sophomore's first-half performance was remarkably similar to last year's against Oklahoma.
He scored on a 26-yard run early in the second quarter to make it 10-10 - only the second time Oklahoma has been tied all season.
The homecoming crowd of 83,327 - which broke the OU attendance mark for a fourth-straight game - sat in stunned silence as the Tigers (5-2, 1-2) looked poised to knock off their second consecutive Top 10 team following last week's 41-24 upset of Nebraska.
At that point, Smith had 192 yards of offense against the nation's third-ranked defense.
But the Sooners eventually caught up with Smith and the Tigers, holding them to just 84 yards and five first downs in the second half.
Smith was battered around so much - he was sacked five times, including three straight on one series - that he was taken out for Missouri's final two possessions of the game. He was 15-of-31 for 180 yards with one interception and ran for 50 yards on 17 carries.
Since Stoops arrived in Norman in 1999, the Sooners have easily managed to avoid a post-Texas hangover. The Sooners are 5-0 in games following the Red River Shootout, winning by a combined score of 213-63.
Missouri hasn't won in Norman since 1966, a skid of 16 straight games. The Tigers are also 0-10 against No. 1-ranked teams.
