Oklahoma Sooners lose Bradford to injury, lose game to BYU
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PHOTOS () —
By Mike Jones
McClatchy Newspapers
(MCT)
ARLINGTON, Texas — After Oklahoma freshman long-distance kicker Tress Way's 54-yard field-goal attempt fell well short with little more than a minute to play Saturday night, only a miracle — or perhaps Sam Bradford — could have saved the third-ranked Sooners.
On a night in which nothing seemed to go right and the unspeakable injury happened, none was forthcoming.
What was to have been an event to remember for the Sooners, playing the first college game in the Dallas Cowboys' billion-dollar football palace, instead turned into an evening the sea of crimson-clad fans that dominated the crowd of 75,346 hopes to forget.
Not only did 20th-ranked Brigham Young upset favored OU, 14-13, after a dramatic fourth-quarter drive against a Sooners defense that failed to make a desired statement, the Sooners lost Heisman Trophy and Davey O'Brien Award-winning quarterback Sam Bradford to a shoulder injury just before halftime.
OU was also without All-America tight end Jermaine Gresham, who damaged knee cartilage in practice last week.
Bradford's injury was described as an "AC joint sprain" to his throwing shoulder, the same one he used to throw a single-season school record 4,720 yards and 50 touchdowns last year while guiding the most high-scoring offense of college football's modern era.
"Until we can get home and MRI it...I don't think we will know (the extent of the injury) until some time (on Sunday) or Monday what (the) plan will be," coach Bob Stoops said.
One play after passing Jason White as the Sooners' all-time leading passer with 7,937 yards, Bradford landed on his shoulder after a clean hit by Brigham Young linebacker Coleby Clawson. Bradford stayed down in obvious pain and was helped off the field by members of the OU medical staff.
He was momentarily on a training table on the sideline before being escorted inside the stadium as Jimmy Stevens kicked a 35-yard field goal to give the struggling Sooners a 10-7 halftime lead.
Bradford returned to the sideline still in game pants, but with his slinged arm tightly wrapped to his body. Bradford completed 10 of 14 passes for 96 yards before being injured, including the 87th touchdown pass of his brilliant career, to Ryan Broyles in the first quarter.
Oklahoma turned to redshirt freshman Landry Jones. But the Sooners lost four members of the offensive line that was key to 2008's record-setting unit that scored 716 points and it showed. On the first series OU was flagged three times for false starts.
The Sooners also lost two drive-killing fumbles.
"It was a surprise with the fumbles because we only lost one last year," back Chris Brown said. "And the fumbles really hurt us. But if it's not blaming (the loss) on that, then it's a whole bunch of things."
Though it protected fairly well, the line was unable to establish a run-game advantage against the Cougars' veteran defensive front.
That was never more evident than early in the fourth quarter after linebacker Keenan Clayton intercepted a Max Hall pass at the BYU 27.
Four plays later OU had first-and-goal from the 3. But after five snaps from the 6 or better, the Sooners had to settle for Stevens' second field goal of the night — a 22-yarder for a 13-7 lead after OU took a delay-of-game penalty on fourth down at the 1.
The defense had a chance to make a stand, but it didn't.
BYU marched 78 yards for the winning TD, with Hall finding former Southlake Carroll star McKay Jacobson wide open in the back of the end zone from 7 yards out with 3:03 left. Mitch Payne kicked the winning extra point.
Though spectacular at times, the Sooners' defense failed to live up to preseason expectations, and their spotty play was characterized by missed tackles and a familiar tendency to give up big plays at inopportune times.
"We were just out of position on (BYU's scoring) play," linebacker Ryan Reynolds said. "They tempo'd us on the drive.
"I wasn't expecting to lose. It hurts pretty bad."
From OU's standpoint, there was more than enough pain to go around.
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(c) 2009, Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
Visit the Star-Telegram on the World Wide Web at http://www.star-telegram.com.
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
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PHOTOS (from MCT Photo Service, 202-383-6099):
"OKLAHOMA"
