Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/176703
Game Preview: Oklahoma Lou Holtz's last three seasons at Notre Dame (1994-96) when he was 23-11-1 with no top-10 finishes. In fact, after starting his career 9‑0 after bye weeks during the season, Stoops is 3-3 since 2009 when coming off a bye week, with losses at Miami (21‑20 in 2009), at Baylor (45‑38 in 2011) and at home last year to Kansas State (24‑19) in a Big 12 showdown. The highlight the past five years after a bye week was the 23-13 victory at Florida State in 2011. However, Stoops did bristle during a recent press conference when asked about the idea that Notre Dame might not be as difficult a challenge this season after a sputtering start, plus Oklahoma's extra time to prepare. "How could going to Notre Dame be easy?" Stoops shot back. "At the end of the day, that's ridiculous. They're an incredibly great, physical football team. Great quarterback play. Tough and good. It'll be a huge challenge." Even with the extra week to prepare, which hasn't necessarily been beneficial to the Sooners in recent years. Physically Challenged There is one stat from Notre Dame's 30-13 victory at Oklahoma last year that raises the hackles in Bob Stoops: The Fighting Irish totaled 215 yards rushing compared to the Sooners' 15. Even taking away the sacks of graduated quarterback Landry Jones, Oklahoma's 20 rushing plays netted only 50 yards. Notre Dame physically dominated the line of scrimmage — although Stoops might remain a little defiant about how the game played out. "We'll see," said Stoops during the bye week prior to playing Notre Dame. "Last year, it was a 13-13 game into the fourth quarter, they got the one long run [Cierre Wood's 62-yard touchdown in the first quarter]. But it wasn't like they ran the football all day going up and down the field. They made some critical plays down the stretch, and we didn't." With the score knotted at 13 after Oklahoma quarterback Blake Bell's one-yard run with 9:10 left, Notre Dame broke the game open on a 50yard pass completion from quarterback Everett Golson to then-freshman wide receiver Chris Brown that set up the touchdown that moved the Irish ahead 20-13 at the 5:05 mark. Next, a diving interception by linebacker Manti Te'o in Oklahoma territory set up a field goal. A late 15-yard touchdown scamper by running back Theo Riddick was the icing. Hardly evidence of physical domination in Stoops' eyes. "That was an incredibly disappointing game even though it was really tight for most of the game and the score didn't end up that way," said OUInsider.com's James Hale, also a longtime radio host in Norman. Because Oklahoma lost both of its regular-season games last year to top-10 teams (Kansas State and Notre Dame) and then also was drubbed in the Cotton Bowl by Texas A&M (4113), this Notre Dame game is a chance