Big 12 title tilt pits Tigers against Sooners, again

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12/03/2008 - Kansas City, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The fourth-ranked Oklahoma Sooners have earned a spot in the Big 12 Conference Championship Game amidst tremendous controversy, and the team will battle the 19th-ranked Missouri Tigers for the league crown at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City on Saturday night.

This pairing marks a rematch of last season's conference title game, and the Sooners beat the Tigers in that contest by a 38-17 final.

Oklahoma finished the 2008 regular season in a three-way tie with Texas and Texas Tech for first place in the loaded Big 12 South Division. The Sooners, who suffered their only loss of the season to Texas, crushed Texas Tech two weeks ago and are currently ahead of both the Longhorns and Red Raiders in the BCS standings. For that reason, Bob Stoops' troops have earned the right to face Missouri.

"As everyone knows, I have argued for a long time that strength of schedule should make a difference," said Stoops after the announcement was made on Sunday that Oklahoma had gotten the nod. In addition to impressive league wins, the club knocked off Big East Conference champion Cincinnati and a tough TCU club in non-league play.

It is the contention of many that a win by the Sooners in this clash will land them in the national title game against the winner of the SEC championship clash between top-ranked Alabama and second-ranked Florida.

Last weekend, Oklahoma showed a great deal of toughness to knock off a highly- ranked Oklahoma State team on the road in a 61-41 final, becoming the first team to beat the Cowboys in Stillwater all season.

The Sooners have seven national titles and 41 conference championships to their credit.

Missouri is the Big 12 North's representative in this championship game, and the team has now won at least a share of a conference division title in two straight years after going 38 years without achieving that level of success. On a down note, the Tigers had a four-game win streak halted last weekend with a heartbreaking 40-37 loss to Kansas, the third setback of the campaign for Gary Pinkel's club. The other two losses came against Texas and Oklahoma State in back-to-back weeks, and those setbacks crushed the national title hopes of a group of Tigers who were seemingly receiving more national media attention than any team in the nation through the first month-and-a-half of this season.

Last season, Missouri suffered its only two losses of the season to Oklahoma, a 41-31 setback during the regular season and the 21-point loss in the Big 12 title game. Overall, the Sooners own a 65-23-5 lead in the all-time series.

Sure, Missouri has fallen out of the national title race, but the team still possesses a tremendous offense. The Tigers are racking up 45.0 ppg this season to go along with 509.4 total ypg. Many fans and analysts considered Missouri quarterback Chase Daniel to be the leading Heisman candidate through the season's first six weeks. While his interception total has risen to 13, Daniel has still completed an eye-popping 75.1 percent of his passes for 3,880 yards and 34 touchdowns. His favorite target is the versatile Jeremy Maclin, who has 88 receptions for 1,175 yards and 11 touchdowns. Maclin also has two rushing touchdowns to his credit and one score on a kickoff return.

The Mizzou ground attack is paced by Derrick Washington, who has rushed for 963 yards and 17 touchdowns while averaging an impressive 6.3 yards per attempt.

In the painful loss to Kansas last week, Missouri was able to rack up 478 total yards, but the team committed three costly turnovers, including a pair of interceptions by Daniel. He did, however, throw four touchdowns and pass for 288 yards while also rushing for 103 yards. Maclin hauled in nine balls for 123 yards in defeat.

When asked how his team intended to bounce back from the loss to the Jayhawks and prepare for the Big 12 title game, Daniel said, "It's getting over it as soon as you can, because if you don't then you're going to get embarrassed by a great team from the Big 12 South."

The Missouri defense has been inconsistent this season, but it is important to keep in mind that the club has faced some tremendous Big 12 offenses along the way. The Tigers are yielding 24.7 ppg and 396.5 total ypg, and while the club has been tough against the run, the pass defense has been extremely suspect. Opponents are gaining just 3.4 rushing yards per carry but have tossed 24 touchdown passes against Missouri. A major problem for the Tigers is that they have permitted foes to make good on 43 percent of their third-down conversion attempts.

Sean Witherspoon continues to pace Missouri with 126 total tackles, including 16 TFLs, and he has three interceptions and a pair of forced fumbles as well. As for Stryker Sulak, he has 8.5 sacks to his credit.

Missouri yielded 24 first downs and 438 yards to Kansas last weekend. The Jayhawks were able to rack up five touchdowns against the Tigers, including four passing scores, and finished 12-of-19 on third-down conversion attempts.

"We already know everybody is going to doubt us," said Weatherspoon, looking ahead to this weekend's showdown. "We'll use that as motivation and just try to bounce back. We know the whole world is going to be out there questioning us."

Oklahoma is scoring 53.3 ppg this season on the strength of 556.7 total ypg, and sophomore quarterback Sam Bradford is considered by many to be the frontrunner for the Heisman Trophy at this point. Bradford's numbers are downright staggering, as he has completed 68.2 percent of his passes for 4,080 yards and 46 touchdowns against only six interceptions. He has also rushed for five scores, and the young signal caller plays with a tremendous sense of poise and control.

Oklahoma also boasts some incredibly talented receivers, as Juaquin Iglesias tops a tremendous trio with 60 catches for 967 yards and eight touchdowns. Jermaine Gresham checks in with 50 grabs for 806 yards and 12 scores, while Manuel Johnson adds 37 catches for 677 yards and nine touchdowns to the mix.

While the passing attack in undeniably potent, it is important to remember that the Sooners run the ball with great success as well. DeMarco Murray is tops with 1,002 yards and 14 touchdowns, while Chris Brown is close behind with 988 yards and a team-high 17 scores.

Brown ran for two scores against Oklahoma State last weekend, while both Murray and Bradford added rushing touchdowns. Bradford also completed 30-of-44 passes for 370 yards and four touchdowns with no sacks or interceptions. Gresham tallied nine catches for 158 yards and two scores to lead the receivers in the victory.

"I thought Sam Bradford again was just amazing," said Stoops of his quarterback. "He actually tore ligaments in his non-throwing hand in the third series. In all likelihood, he'll have surgery on it after the Big 12 Championship game."

Keep an eye on the injury this week, as Bradford will have to avoid fumbling snaps.

The Oklahoma defense does not have to be dominant, as there isn't a defense in the nation capable of holding the Sooner offense in check. Stoops' team is yielding 24.8 ppg and 359.5 total ypg, solid numbers considering the quality of opposition that the club has faced. Stopping the run has been an area of strength for Oklahoma, which is holding foes to 109.8 ypg and 3.3 ypc. The Sooners have recorded 15 interceptions, but the fact that they are allowing 12.2 yards per pass completion suggests that the secondary has given up its fair share of big plays. With 39 sacks and 29 takeaways, Oklahoma has made plenty of its own impact plays.

Travis Lewis leads the Sooners with 123 total tackles, including 10.5 TFLs. He has recorded four interceptions and forced a fumble as well. Jeremy Beal has 14 TFLs to his credit, including seven sacks.

Last weekend, the defense struggled against the explosive Oklahoma State attack. The Sooners yielded four touchdowns to the Cowboy offense and 452 yards, but the result was a 20-point victory, the only stat that really matters.