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NORMAN, Okla. — Opening game week began with the promise of another chase for a BCS championship.
But before two quarters of the season opener were done, that promise blew up in Oklahoma’s face on a $1.2 billion stage with a national audience watching. Heisman Trophy and Davey O’Brien Award winning-quarterback Sam Bradford lay writhing on the barely broken-in turf of the Dallas Cowboys’ new digs.Two quarters later, some 60,000 OU fans staggered to their high-dollar parking spaces further stunned by Brigham Young’s fourth-quarter comeback victory. Yet to come, however, was a good-news, bad-news week.Fears that Bradford would be out for the season because of a throwing-shoulder injury proved unfounded with word that he likely could return at least by the start of the Big 12 season against Baylor — a week before the annual showdown against Texas.Twenty-four hours later, however, OU lost the only other player it absolutely could not lose for an extended period — tight end and top returning receiver Jermaine Gresham. Arthroscopic knee surgery revealed cartilage damage that would require five months of rehabilitation.All this plus a mess of an offensive line, a who’s-gonna-make-a-play group of receivers and a defense that played well except when the BYU game was on the line.Was there no end in sight to the doom and gloom?Helloooo, Idaho State. Though steady rain drenched Owen Field beginning three hours before Saturday night’s kickoff, Sooners fans finally saw a possible break in the clouds in the play of redshirt freshman quarterback Landry Jones and his connection with receiver Ryan Broyles in an expected 64-0 wipeout of the Bengals."Landry did an excellent job on one of the worst nights I can remember in 11 years," coach Bob Stoops said. "And Ryan Broyles stepped up and made some explosive plays. He’s capable of doing that."As he did last week, Jones operated with poise and cool, oblivious to the conditions — no small feat for a New Mexico native who had never played a game in the rain. He took snaps under center and out of the gun, and it didn’t look like offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson was holding anything back.Jones demonstrated both touch and the ability to throw long while tossing three first-half scores, all to Broyles, who a game late showed the playmaking skill No. 13 OU expected out of him."I feel like we have a pretty good connection right now," Jones said. "It’s pretty easy to throw to Ryan. You just kind of put [the ball] up there and let him run to it."Jones’ first touchdown pass of his career was a perfectly thrown strike to Broyles at the goal line from 24 yards out on a corner route. Jones later airmailed Broyles a 51-yard rainbow. Broyles barely broke stride while taking it in.But the real beauty was a timing route in which Jones set the ball down in Broyles’ hands in the far right corner of the end zone, where Broyles did a masterful job of stabbing his right foot down for an 11-yard touchdown reception."The throw was on the money," Broyles said. "You can’t get a more perfect throw than that. Whatever was called tonight, we had confidence in [Jones] to make it." Jones completed 12 of 19 passes for 235 yards in the first half, with seven completions going to Broyles for 155 yards.Despite a handful of receiver drops, Jones finished 18 for 32 for 286 yards and the three TDs, with one interception. Jones was no Bradford in his 2007 debut (21-of-23, 363 yards, three TDs), but he was good."I feel like I played pretty good tonight," Jones said. "I felt a little more confident tonight. I wasn’t as nervous [as last week]."Maybe OU fans aren’t either. For a while anyway.
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