OU takes on UTEP in El Paso to open the season
Oklahoma gets set to open this 2012 season at UTEP and Carey Murdock is in the press box to give his instant analysis of all the action.
* No Geneo Grissom, Casey Walker or Torrea Peterson as reported.
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* Kendal Thompson is not here because he is at home with a stomach virus. He got it Wednesday and didn't practice the rest of the week.
* OU will kickoff to start the game.
* Sooners start out on defense with King, McFarland, Ndulue, Washington Wort and Nelson up front.
UTEP TAKES OVER ON OFFENSE TO START GAME
* UTEP running right up the middle with ease to start the game.
* First three plays for UTEP were runs right up the middle. Results in two first downs. UTEP already almost at midfield.
* Another huge gashing right right up the middle. OU defensive line just getting pushed all over the field.
* OU looked confused on defense with 12:26 remaining in the first half and UTEP 2nd-and-10 from the OU 27-yard line. Mike Stoops calls timeout and then storms onto the field. Sooners now huddled almost on the hash mark.
* David King comes up with a big sack on 3rd-and-medium. UTEP in for a 45-yard FG attempt. Kick is no good it went wide left.
OU TO TAKE OVER ON FIRST OFFENSIVE POSSESSION FROM THE 25-YARD LINE
* Whaley gets the start at RB. Brown, Stills, Metoyer at WRs.
* Millard gets the ball on OU's second play of the game. OU is keeping the tempo quick in this one on their opening drive.
* Some absolutely terrible blocking by Stills and Metoyer on a swing pass to Whaley. Sooners facing 3rd-and-11 after that play.
* Jones goes after Stills for the first down. But pass is incomplete. UTEP then blocks Way's punt and returns it for a touchdown.
OU 0 UTEP 7
* Punt could have been blocked by about five different UTEP players. That was a total jailbreak. Just a massive, massive fail by OU's punt protection team.
* For an 11-hour drive and a season opener, I thought there would be more OU fans here tonight.
OU GOES THREE-AND-OUT
* Landry went to Trey Metoyer for the first time and was almost intercepted.
* Tress Way booms a 49-yard punt that UTEP fair catches.
UTEP TAKES OVER AT THE 20-YARD LINE
* We'll see how the Miners attack this OU defense this time around.
* Sooners sniff out a screen and throw the Miners for a 2-yard loss.
* Heupel has definitely gone back to the screen and flat pass well offensively in this game. Not much down the field. Then again, when they've gone down the field, it hasn't been pretty either.
* Justin Brown gets his first chance at a punt return after the OU defense holds the Miners to a three-and-out. Brown waves off and doesn't field the punt.
OU OFFENSE FROM THE 33-YARD LINE.
* Damien Williams in the game for the Sooners. Whaley can only be described as ineffective at this point. Williams swarmed for a 1-yard loss.
* Jones scrambles around forever and hits Kenny Stills in stride for a 68-yard TD completion. It was really like Stills playing basketball and trying to get past a defender. Landry did a great job of leading him down the field and hit him in stride. Best throw of the night for Jones.
OU 7 UTEP 7
UTEP TAKES OVER ON OFFENSE
* UTEP challenging OU's corners tonight. So far it's been a battle. Nothing that has scared off the Miners yet though.
* UTEP still become up yards in the run game but they've dialed back the runs since that first drive.
* Colvin just made a great play on a slant by ripping away a completion from the UTEP receiver.
* Sooners able to dial up pressure on UTEP QB on third-down from their front four. They haven't been great on the run, but they are getting better on the pass.
* UTEP punts away from Justin Brown once again.
* Penalty and OU makes UTEP re-kick. Great return for Brown who brings it back to the OU 46-yard line. A ??-yard return for Brown. His first of his OU career and a good one.
OU TAKES OVER ON THE 46-YARD LINE
* Whaley back into the game for a carry.Picks up three yards.
* Wow! Landry hits Stills for a gain inside the five-yard line, but Oklahoma called for a chop block. Whaley went low and Adam Shead had engaged the defender.
* Brennan Clay gets his first carry of the game. Short gain.
SOONERS GET SET TO TAKE OVER AFTER HOLDING UTEP TO ANOTHER 3-AND-OUT. 14:01 REMAINING IN 2ND QUARTER
* OU ball on the 17-yard line. Still no catches for Metoyer or Brown.
* I can't say Dom Whaley has had a triumphant return at this point. He's rounding back into shape it would seem.
* That was maybe the best play Landry Jones has made under pressure and Dom Whaley drops a perfect pass that probably would have put Whaley in the endzone.
* More special teams issues for OU. UTEP returns a Way punt to midfield. A 52-yard punt and a 26-yard return.
UTEP TAKES OVER
* Colvin called for pass interference and ball is moved up to the OU 35-yard line.
* Jefferson drops what should have been an interception on a poor pass from Lamaison.
* It's 2nd-and-10 from OU's 25-yard line.
* Gabe Lynn extends the UTEP drive committing a pass interference penalty. UTEP now at the OU 14-yard line 2nd-and-6.
* Hurst breaks up a pass in teh endzone and UTEP out for a 31-yard field goal which he misses. This one was wide right.
OU TAKES OVER AT THE 20-YARD LINE
* Landry Jones sacked for a 4-yard loss. Honestly, this offense doesn't look any different to me than the one that struggled all last season toward the end of the year.
* Just as I say that OU goes quick tempo and Jones hits Stills for a 20-yard gain. Still no action so far for any other receivers downfield.
* Justin Brown makes a catch on a screen pass for a 7-yard gain.
* Best looking drive of the day for Jones and Heupel. Offense is going up tempo, Jones is spreading the ball around and throwing it deeper down the field.
* Just as I say that Jones is sacked again.
* Jones and Metoyer are not on the same page at all. Just threw a short out-route that missed badly. Not sure if it was Landry or Metoyer.
* Hunnicutt in for a 44-yard field goal.
* Hunnicutt field goal is blocked. That's second block kick on special teams tonight. Special teams having another rough night.
UTEP ON OFFENSE
* UTEP goes for it on 4th-and-2. Just runs right up the middle and didn't appear to get it.
OU ON OFFENSE
* How out of sync has the OU offense been? There hasn't been a single Belldozer sighting all night.
* Whaley has his best run of the night and then fumbles it forward and out of bounds. More rounding into shape.
* Metoyer almost has his first signuture TD catch but his foot was out of bounds as he came down with the catch.
* Durron Neal in the game with 0.3 seconds and a Hail Mary attempt. OU Almost gets it but it falls after a tip.
HALFTIME OU 7 UTEP 7
HALFTIME THOUGHTS
* Dom Whaley isn't back in playing shape to be a difference maker but he's probably the best option. I just think there is more for him to show.
* OU defense has held UTEP to 109 total yards of offense. This one is on Heupel and Norvell at this point.
* No flow to this offense. It just comes off as being pieced together and shabby at times.
* OU 183 total yards of offense.
* Landry Jones at half 12-of-23 for 145 yards and 1 TD. Long of 68 yards. He's been sacked twice.
START OF SECOND HALF. OU TAKES OVER AT THE 25-YARD LINE
* Sooners immediately look better on offense in second half and get Justin Brown more involved to start things. They're already out to midfield.
* It's a Belldozer sighting on 4th-and-1. They didn't use it on 3rd-and-2.
* Landry hitting Metoyer and Brown and Stills on this drive. Spreading it around to his starters more than he has all night in this opening drive.
* Mr. Michael Hunnicutt gives the Sooners an actual lead with a 38-yard field goal.
OU 10 UTEP 7
* That drive just kind of fell apart after the Sooners got into third and long after a couple of decent, but not great Clay runs.
* I actually think Clay looks really good. I mean, when comparing him to the other RBS they've put out tonight.
* I haven't seen David King or Jamarkus McFarland come off the field. I think you can argue this is one of those reasons why OU doesn't seem to develop any defensive tackle depth.
OU WITH THE BALL AND THE LEAD FOR THE FIRST TIME TODAY 8:42 REMAINING IN THE THIRD
* And that went nowhere. I'm literally bored at an OU football game right now.
* Daniel Franklin is up and walking with help after getting his clock cleaned on a punt return. UTEP flagged for targeting the head.
UTEP HAS 71-YARD SCREEN
* Jeffrey for UTEP runs around end and Javon Harris can't make the tackle. play goes for 71 yards. UTEP with a chance to tie or take lead at OU's 24-yard line.
* Jimmy Stevens transferred to UTEP. Dakota Warren misses a 41-yard field goal to leave the game at 10-7.
OU TAKES OVER AT 24
* Another throw to Metoyer.
* Whalty back out there. Still looks a little stiff.
* Sooners gain a little and punt. Kind of the theme of this third quarter.
UTEP TAKES OVER AT 10
END OF THE THIRD QUARTER
* UTEP picks up a 3rd-and-long to get started in the fourth. I have no feel for what's going to happen in this game. It feels kind of like Texas Tech all over again.
* UTEP tries a fake punt and it does not fool anyone.
OU driving with 11:32 remaining
* Whaley has his best run of the night about seven hard yards. It involved a cut in traffic, running through an arm tackle and a little bit of a burst with guys hanging on him.
*I'm all for the Belldozer inside the 20 here.
* 18-yard TD pass from Landry Jones to Brannon Green
OU 17 UTEP 7
Does the bad still outweigh the good?
* Damien Williams with a great run. Jaydan Bird in there blocking on offense.
* Landry sacked on a delayed blitz. Sooners have to punt it away with 5:45 remaining and I have to head down to the field for postgame interviews. Not the night I thought it would be.
DAMIEN WILLIAMS WITH A 65-YARD TOUCHDOWN RUN
OU 24 UTEP 7