ENID —
For the first time since 2008, ESPN Gameday is coming to Norman Saturday when the Sooners host undefeated Notre Dame.
Four years ago, Gameday came to see Oklahoma face No. 2 Texas Tech, coming off an upset of Texas. Sooners coach Bob Stoops challenged the fans to make noise, and they did.
Seldom did Owen Field shake as it did that night with OU coming out with a
65-21 rout that would propel the Sooners to the national championship game.
That hype will be tame to what’s approaching Saturday.
Notre Dame is the Yankees of college football — the one program which has
dominated the Sooners (1-8) and will be making its first visit to Norman
since 1966.
The Irish ended OU’s 47-game winning streak, 7-0 in Norman in 1957, before
63,170, the only capacity crowd in the Bud Wilkinson era.
Some were speculating in the last few moments of OU’s 52-7 win over Kansas
Saturday it will be the biggest non-conference game ever in Norman. In 1953,
the No. 1-ranked Irish spoiled the No. 6 Sooners’ season opener, 28-21.
Notre Dame was unranked and 4-2 at the time of the 1957 upset. OU was ranked
No. 2.
The Irish are No. 5 and the Sooners No. 8 in the AP poll this week. The game
will be televised nationally on ABC.
OU coach Bob Stoops said it was the most anticipated game since 2000 when No. 2 OU came back from a 14-0 deficit to beat No. 1 Nebraska 31-14 and fans stormed the field.
“The stadium was shaking,’’ said OU center Gabe Ikard, who attended the game as a grade schooler.
The emotion might be even more for Ikard this week. He graduated from Oklahoma City Bishop McGuinness, who adopted both Notre Dame’s nickname (Fighting Irish) and fight song.
“They were in my top three,’’ Ikard said. “I chose to come here instead. I’ve always been a Notre Dame fan because of the Catholic connection ... that’s really all I got for that.’’
Ikard said the Sooners still have to take it as just another game, although he anticipates more film study and more intense practices.
“I expect a wild environment next week,’’ he said. “But you can’t worry about the fans. It’s us versus them. It comes down to practicing hard Monday through Thursday and then having the walkthrough Friday and having fun on game day. This is why you come to play at the University of Oklahoma.’’
Quarterback Landry Jones said Saturday will not be the biggest game of his career because it isn’t for a championship.
“But it’s a huge game,’’ he said. “It’s not every day you get to play a team with such a history and such a past.
“We play Texas every year. When we played Nebraska, we played them every other year. It’s fun to go out and play different teams. It was a special and different atmosphere at Florida last year. Playing a team like Notre Dame is a special thing. I don’t necessarily have this marked on my calendar, but I’m looking forward to it for sure. Coming to a place like Oklahoma, it’s blessing to play Notre Dame.’’
Jones’ offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Josh Heupel never got a chance to avenge a 34-30 loss to the Irish at South Bend, Ind., in 1999.
“I’m sure he remembers that,’’ Jones said. “We’re going to play hard and try to get a win.’’
Wide receiver Justin Brown, expects a different kind of atmosphere this week.
“You do more film study,’’ he said. “You get excited about the opportunity to showcase how hard you work. You’re excited to play against a team like that. It’s our best against their best. We’ll practice hard and be ready by next Saturday.’’
Win Saturday, and Brown and his teammates will be forever remembered in Sooner lore.
Campbell is a News & Eagle sports writer.
Sports
Hype is building for OU-Notre Dame
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UCO opens World Series with a victory
Kalynn Schrock dominated in the pitching circle and Kaylee Brunson came through with a tie-breaking triple to lift Central Oklahoma past fourth-ranked Armstrong Atlantic 5-2 in Salem, Va. Thursday in the first round of the NCAA Division II Championship Finals.
It was the sixth straight postseason win for the No. 19-ranked Bronchos, who improved to 48-11 and moved into today’s 3 p.m. semifinal game against either defending national champion Valdosta State or Malloy.
Schrock gave up just two hits and no walks while striking out 15 — including 10 of the final 12 batters she faced — in improving to 31-6 on the season and 6-0 in the postseason. -
Edmond Santa Fe's Taylor heading to Central Florida
Danielle Taylor, fresh off a Central District Youth Rowing Championship victory on the Oklahoma River at the start of the month, followed up the success by signing a letter of intent in rowing with Central Florida at Edmond Santa Fe High School.
Though Santa Fe does not offer rowing as a team sport, Taylor competes for OKC Riversport on the Junior Crew which competes on the Oklahoma River.
Taylor missed her junior season due to an injury, but Coach Brian Ebke knew the Santa Fe athlete would be raring to go her senior season.
“She’s an extremely hard worker,” Ebke lauded. “Her work ethic is impeccable.” -
Bronchos hit final match play spot in first round
Dillon Rust got off to a blazing start and ended up shooting a one-under-par 70 to lead Central Oklahoma in the second round of the NCAA Division II Men’s Golf Championships in Hershey, Pa. Tuesday.
Rust birdied four of his first five holes en route to his under-par round and the Bronchos ended up with a 300 on the day, giving them a 36-hole total of 597. The 300 leaves UCO eighth in the 20-team field heading into final round of stroke play, with the top eight teams advancing to match play that will determine the national champion. -
Area players earn All-State honors on the diamond
Three area baseball players were selected to the All-State Team this week.
Right-handed pitcher Holden Lyons from Edmond North, made the team after posting a perfect 7-0 mark with an ultra-low 1.29 earned run average.
Deer Creek’s Cole Lindley made it as an outfielder and Oklahoma Christian’s Austin Brooks landed on the list in the designated hitter’s spot.
The threesome will compete on the Large West squad on July 30 at Oral Roberts University in Tulsa. -
Tennis camps offered in Edmond
Edmond Raquet Club is offering a pair of tennis camps beginning May 28.
For ages 5-8, a camp is offered from 8:45-9:30 a.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays and for ages 7-15 a tennis camp is available from 6-6:55 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Both camps run from May 28-June 13 and cost is $99 per camp.
A camp session for ages 8-16 will run on Mondays and Wednesdays from 8:30-9:25 a.m. May 29-June 12 for the identical cost.
For more information concerning these camps and others, call 341-4241. -
UCO winds up 10th nationally
Taylor Neidy fired a final-round 75, but Central Oklahoma failed to move up in the team standings at the NCAA Division II Women’s Golf Championships in Daytona Beach, Fla. Saturday.
The Bronchos closed with a 323 — making 11 double bogeys and three triples — and finished 10th in the four-day, 72-hole tournament with a 1,298 total on the 6,228-yard, par-72 Arthur Hills Legends Course at LPGA International.
Lynn ended Nova Southeastern’s four-year reign as national championships, finishing with a 1,187 total to edge the Sharks by three strokes. -
Central Oklahoma softballers make World Series again
Hayley Hudson gave Central Oklahoma a 5-4 lead with a run-scoring single in the fifth inning and the No. 19-ranked Bronchos staved off a seventh-inning Winona State threat to capture the NCAA Division II Central Super Regional championship Saturday afternoon at Edmond North High School.
The Warriors put two runners on with two outs in the bottom of the seventh in a bid to pull out a late win and force a deciding game in the best-of-three series, but left fielder Devyn Frazier made a running catch in foul territory for the final out to set off a wild celebration on the field.
UCO improved to 47-11 — a school-record for wins — with its 23th consecutive home victory and advanced to the Division II World Series for the second straight year. The Bronchos will face Armstrong Atlantic in the eight-team World Series at 11 a.m. Thursday in Salem, Va.
“I’d say that was a nail-biter,” head coach Genny Stidham said. “It was a good game, both teams played well. Winona has a great team and they didn’t give up, but we came up with some big plays and came out on top. -
Central Oklahoma golf coach picks up award
Central Oklahoma’s Michael Bond has been named the NCAA Division II Central Region Coach of the Year by the Women’s Golf Coaches Association, with Aly Seng and Erica Bensch both earning All-Central Region honors.
Bond led the Bronchos to perhaps the best season in school history in 2012-13 with top-five finishes in 10 of their 12 tournaments. UCO won three titles, including the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association crown and its first-ever regional championship, and finished 10th in the Division II national tournament. -
Workman's blast cranks UCO's engine; Bronchos cruise to 5-2 win
Nicole Workman’s solo home run gave Central Oklahoma a lead it would never relinquish and the No. 19-ranked Bronchos went on to topple Winona State 5-2 in the first game of the NCAA Division II Central Super Regional Friday night at the Edmond North High School Softball Complex.
Workman blasted her 14th homer of the season to lead off the second inning, with UCO adding three runs in the third and one more in the fifth to take a commanding 5-0 lead before the Warriors created some anxious moments in their final at bat.
WSU scored two runs and had runners on second and third on with just one out in the top of the seventh, but Kalynn Shrock got the final two batters to close out her fourth straight complete-game outing of the postseason and put the Bronchos in control of the best-of-three series. -
Richters rip competition at KickingBird
The KickingBird 2-man scramble was won by Jeff and Josh Richter, finishing with a 57.9 on May 11.
Jeff Jester and Kevin Wright wrapped up second-place honors with a 59.9 and Rick Morales and Ronnie Roberts placed third (60.1).
In the second flight, the top score was 60.4 by Jerry Bernhardt and Ted Carter. Picking up silver was the tandem of Jerry Fuller and Ramona Jacobi (61.2) and the third-place squad was Dyke Hoppe and Mark VanSickle at 62.0.
Morales was closest to the pin on No. 6 and Jeff Richter landed a dart on hole 14. - More Sports Headlines
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