Kansas defenders James Holt, left, Richard Johnson Jr., and Joe Mortensen wrestle down Oklahoma running back Justin Johnson during the third quarter Saturday, Oct. 18, 2008 at Memorial Stadium in Norman, Oklahoma.

The Kansas Jayhawks leave the field following warmups prior to kickoff against Oklahoma Saturday at Memorial Stadium in Norman, Okla.

9:28 p.m.

A few more postgame notes from Norman:

¢ The KU loss stopped a five-game Big 12 road victory streak.

¢ KU has now lost five straight to Oklahoma.

¢ All five of Kansas’ scoring drives against Oklahoma lasted less than two minutes. Going back to the Colorado game, KU now has seven straight scoring drives that have lasted less than two minutes.

¢ OU failed to score on its opening possession for the first time this year.

¢ The Sooners extended their nation’s longest home winning streak to 22 games.

¢ The Sooners’ 674 yards of total offense was their highest total since recording 829 yards against Kansas State in 1988.

¢ OU’s 97 offensive plays was the most since 1975.

¢ Juaquin Iglesias’ 12 catches also set a school record.

¢ Iglesias had 104 receiving yards in the first quarter, the sixth time in team history that has happened.

¢ Sam Bradford’s 26 first-half completions were the most by any OU quarterback in one half.

¢ The game lasted four hours exactly, which tied for the fifth-longest game in OU history.

7:52 p.m.

Some postgame audio from Todd Reesing, Jocques Crawford and Dezmon Briscoe.

Also, I’m sure a topic of conversation this week will probably be Kansas coach Mark Mangino’s postgame comments, especially those to a veteran beat reporter in central Kansas.

Final, OU wins 45-31

Sam Bradford passed for an Oklahoma-record 468 yards as the Sooners rolled to a 45-31 victory over Kansas on Saturday at OU’s Memorial Stadium.

Oklahoma combined for 674 total yards of offense.

Bradford was 36-for-53 and added three touchdown passes with no interceptions.

Juaquin Iglesias had 12 catches for 191 yards to lead the Sooners. His 10 catches and 178 yards in the first half were both OU records for one half of play.

Dezmon Briscoe had a career day for KU with 12 receptions for 269 yards and two touchdowns.

Todd Reesing finished 24-for-41 for 342 yards with two interceptions and two touchdowns.

Jake Sharp contributed his second straight 100-yard game, rushing 12 times for 103 yards and a score.

58 seconds left in fourth quarter, OU leads 45-31. Briscoe catches a 17-yard TD pass down the sideline. He now has 270 receiving yards. OU recovered the onside kick.

6:32 left in fourth quarter, OU leads 45-24

Oklahoma punts. KU needs to make sure Reesing doesn’t get hurt. Staying away from injuries should be most important right now.

10:26 left in fourth quarter, OU leads 45-24

Sharp comes back to the offense, but it’s three possessions too late. The Jayhawks have to throw it every play now, and a third-down sack forces a KU punt.

12:02 left in fourth quarter, OU leads 45-24

Bradford now has the new record for OU passing yards in a game – he has 447 pass yards with 12:02 left. His last pass was a 2-yard TD score to Kolby Smith. KU was hurt by two more iffy calls – a late hit out-of-bounds and pass interference in the end zone – but right now, the Jayhawks have more important things to worry about on defense.

End of third quarter, OU leads 38-24

More weird play calls on offense for KU. A run to Crawford (is Sharp hurt?) for a 4-yard loss then a shovel pass for no yards and a sack push the Jayhawks back.

1:57 left in third quarter, OU leads 38-24

KU stops OU (kind of), as Bradford’s pass to an uncovered Gresham is overthrown. Stevens misses a 47-yard field goal to give KU a little gasp of hope.

6:14 left in third quarter, OU leads 38-24

Some weird things going on with KU’s offense. On third-and-2, the Jayhawks run deep routes, and Reesing throws an incomplete pass. Also, after a dominant possession this half, Sharp isn’t on the field. KU punts it away and will have to have a stop here.

6:14 left in third quarter, OU leads 38-24

It didn’t take long for Bradford to take advantage of the field position. His first pass of the drive went 38 yards to Chaney, and after a horse-collar penalty on KU (called on a tackle from the front of the jersey, a weird call I’ve never seen), Murray ran it in from eight yards to push OU’s lead to 38-24.

7:17 left in third quarter, OU leads 31-24

KU follows with a punt of its own after one first down. Bradford and OU will take over from their own 42 after a poor punt by Alonso Rojas.

9:45 left in third quarter, OU leads 31-24

KU’s defense forces a three-and-out, but even that had its scary moments, as OU dropped a pass that would have probably been a TD and Bradford missed an open Iglesias over the middle.

11:21 left in third quarter, OU leads 31-24

This game keeps getting crazier. Kansas comes out on its next possession and looks like the best rushing team in the nation, opening up huge holes for Jake Sharp. He breaks off runs of 13 and 26 before going untouched 17 yards for a KU touchdown. The Jayhawks, somehow, are once again behind by just one possession.

13:13 left in third quarter, OU leads 31-17

A false start halts KU’s opening drive of the second half. OU promptly goes 53 yards on three passing plays, the last of which a 6-yard TD pass to Jermaine Gresham. Right now, KU’s defense is getting embarrassed on a national stage.

Halftime, OU leads 24-17

Let’s remember this about KU: The Jayhawks have usually been better in the second half than they have in the first. We’ll see what adjustments Clint Bowen and the defensive staff come out with in the second half. KU has proved it can score on OU, but the Jayhawks need to slow down Bradford and Co., if only a little.

Halftime, OU leads 24-17

Note: These defensive statistics may be hazardous to your health.

Seriously. Bradford has 313 yards passing in the first half? Briscoe has nine catches for 193 yards already?

Also, Iglesias’s 10 catches and 178 receiving yards are both OU records for one half.

Here are the crazy numbers.

HALFTIME STATISTICS

Kansas leaders

Passing

Todd Reesing 13-for-21, 221 yards, TD, 2 INTs

Rushing

Jake Sharp 5 carries, 40 yards

Todd Reesing 6 carries, 5 yards

Receiving

Dezmon Briscoe 9 catches, 193 yards, TD

Dexton Fields 2 catches, 17 yards

Oklahoma leaders

Passing

Sam Bradford 26-for-36, 313 yards, TD

Rushing

DeMarco Murray 12 rushes, 61 yards, TD

Chris Brown 7 carries, 30 yards, TD

Receiving

Juaquin Iglesias 10 catches, 178 yards

Quentin Chaney 4 catches, 32 yards

Halftime, OU leads 24-17

Poor clock management once again blows up in KU’s face. The Jayhawks took a timeout after OU had a 1-yard run at its own 20 with just over 2 minutes left. Bad decision. The Sooners’ next two passing plays go for a combined 59 yards to move the team to the KU 20. KU’s defense does hold OU out of the end zone, though, and Jimmy Stevens’ field goal extends the Sooners’ lead to seven.

2:35 left in second quarter, OU leads 21-17

KU gets right back in it with a big play. After an OU cornerback fell down, Briscoe stretched to bring in a catch down the left sideline. He ran 69 yards for the score, and the Jayhawks are immediately back in it. But did they leave too much time for the Sooners?

3:00 left in second quarter, OU leads 21-10

The Kansas defense is killing itself with missed tackles. The best example came on OU’s latest touchdown run, where Chris Brown bounced off three Jayhawk would-be tacklers and dived into the end zone for a TD. KU’s offense really needs to put up some points before half to keep this one close.

5:16 left in second quarter, OU leads 14-10

Well, that didn’t take long. Reesing throws a deep ball to Briscoe for 40 yards, then a shovel pass to Angus Quigley for another 13. KU stalls inside the 10, though, and Jacob Branstetter’s 23-yard field goal trims the lead to 14-10.

7:11 left in second quarter, OU leads 14-7

KU’s defense comes through again, forcing a three-and-out. The Jayhawks did get an assist from OU receiver Juaquin Iglesias, who dropped an easy catch over the middle on second down. The Jayhawks will take over at their own 44-yard-line.

8:20 left in second quarter, OU leads 14-7

What is going on? Reesing loses a fumble, the official points OU’s direction, then he says it’s KU’s ball. This is nuts. A double reverse pass by Meier to Dexton Fields for 15 yards gets the Jayhawks going, but the drive ends with a Reesing interception to Holmes, who catches it at the OU 2 and returns it to the 13.

11:41 left in second quarter, OU leads 14-7

Richard Johnson comes up with a key tackle-for-loss to help force a third-and-long. On fourth down. Darrell Stuckey comes up with a big play, knocking the ball away from an OU receiver. KU to take over at its own 36.

14:03 left in second quarter, OU leads 14-7

The weird calls continue in Norman. Reesing falls on his rear, then throws the ball away, and the play is ruled incomplete. Hmm. The real news is that, after a Dezmon Briscoe catch down the sideline was ruled incomplete, the KU offense goes three-and-out. That was exactly what the Jayhawks didn’t need in that situation.

14:56 left in second quarter, OU leads 14-7

DeMarco Murray bounces off KU linebacker Mike Rivera and bounds three yards into the end zone for the score. The Jayhawks need a time-consuming scoring drive in the worst kind of way.

End of the first quarter, game tied 7-7

OU has taken it inside the KU 3-yard-line already. Three bad statistics for KU:

¢OU has 252 total yards in the first quarter.

¢Bradford has 189 passing yards (on pace for over 700 passing yards).

¢ OU has had the ball for 10 minutes, 54 seconds of the first 15 minutes. That’s not a good sign for KU’s defense.

3:54 left in first quarter, game tied 7-7

The Jayhawks strike back, helped by the forgotten Jocques Crawford. He gave KU good field position as the new kickoff returner, taking the ball all the way out to the KU 43. Later, he completed the drive with the 1-yard touchdown run to help tie the score.

5:36 left in first quarter, OU leads 7-0

Oklahoma strikes first on a 10-play, 84-yard drive, ended by a Matt Clapp 12-yard touchdown reception. The Sooners can strike quickly, and they show it here.

7:10 left in first quarter, game tied 0-0

KU looks to have been on the wrong end of a pair of bad calls early. An intentional grounding call on Todd Reesing (even though Jake Sharp was in the area) moved the Jayhawks out of field-goal range. Later, after an OU punt, Dezmon Briscoe appeared to come up with a catch inside the OU 20 only to have Lendy Holmes rip it away for an interception. Though it appeared Briscoe was already down, the officials gave OU the interception, and even a review didn’t overturn it. A couple of bad breaks for KU.

12:15 left in first quarter, game tied 0-0

OU moves the ball inside the KU 20 before stalling, and a missed field goal keeps the scored tied.

2:35 p.m.

The “Boomer Sooner” chant is ringing across the stadium, and we have less than a minute until gametime. KU will kick off to start the game.

2:29 p.m.

The sight across from us looks like an upside-down American flag of fans. In the extreme, bottom-right corner of the stands, there is one, 20-row section of blue KU fans. The rest is scattered red and white of Sooner fans.

By the way, it’s a near-perfect day here in Norman. Seventy-two degrees with sunny skies. Not much wind, either, so the weather shouldn’t be a factor in this one.

2:22 p.m.

I ventured out of the press box and went downstairs long enough to learn this: Oklahoma doesn’t like KU, but it hates Texas even more.

I walked by the OU band as it did its pregame cheer. It went something like this:

“Boomer”

“Sooner”

“Boomer”

“Sooner”

“Texas”

“Sucks”

“Kansas”

“Sucks”

Well, I guess at least KU wasn’t first in the “sucks” line.

1:57 p.m.

Let’s go ahead and set the scene here at Oklahoma’s Memorial Stadium.

This my first time, and I have to say that I’m impressed with the football complex. Most impressive, though, is the high-definition video board to my right. It is roughly the length of the width of the football field, which would be 53 1/3 yards. It’s definitely the longest videoboard that I’ve seen.

The funniest segment has been the “Oblivious Cam,” where unfortunate Sooner fans are shown on the board with a running clock that shows how long they’ve been on the video board before realizing it. The record, so far, has been a couple that needed 2 1/2 minutes of people chuckling around them before noticing they were the ones being laughed at. Good stuff.

Of note as we walked in: There were trees planted on the fence around the OU practice fields. Hmm, where have we seen this before?

The crimson crowd is starting to settle in here. The students have been here for a while, and many of the tailgaters are filling in the gaps around the stadium.

The view from the press box at the 40-yard-line is a good one. Memorial Stadium has three decks across from us, but a horseshoe to the left, very similar to KU’s Memorial Stadium. There is also a separate seating section under the massive video board to the right.

Oklahoma’s players are swinging their arms side-to-side while lined up in a cross pattern on the right of the 50, while KU players are gathering in the end zone for a break on the other end of the field.

Forty minutes until kickoff. I’ll have more updates as we get closer to kickoff.

1:00 p.m.

Welcome to the Newell Post Live, right now coming from I-35 South just north of Norman, Okla. God bless technology (and specifically wireless cards).

Let’s go ahead and get to our pregame true/false, fill-in-the-blank questions. I was 0-for-3 last week, so I’ll try to be better today. Don’t forget to give your score predictions and/or answers to the questions in the comments section below.

True or false: Kansas will cover the 20-point spread.

True. I’m still trying to figure out the reasoning behind this line. I know Oklahoma will be re-focused after a loss and is at home, but 20 points seems like a bit much for a team that allowed 45 to Texas last week. My thinking is this: Kansas will produce enough offense against Oklahoma to score 28 points. OU will not score 48. There you go. Money in the bank.

True or false: Kerry Meier will have 100 yards receiving against Oklahoma.

True. This is a tricky one, as Meier appears to be banged up a bit and will go against a strong OU secondary. Here’s my reason for optimism, though: The Sooners will once again be without middle linebacker Ryan Reynolds, who was lost for the season last week with an ACL injury. Texas exploited the middle of the OU defense last week after Reynolds left, and look for KU to try to do the same. And who is the Jayhawks’ best over-the-middle threat? That would be Kerry Meier. If he can stay on the field, he should have a big day.

True or false: Sam Bradford will throw for 400 yards against KU.

True. It sounds high, I know, but consider this: OU cannot get anything going with its rushing game. Add to that the fact that the Sooners have been nearly unstoppable through the air, and Bradford has the potential to have a monster game. KU’s secondary looked better against Colorado, but the unit has had struggles all year containing the short passing game. Those shorter passes have been Bradford’s forte, so look for him to have a great day.

If KU wins, it will be because :

its defense forces Oklahoma to turn the ball over. The Sooner offense is tough to stop, and KU’s defense will give up its fair share of points today. The key will be for the Jayhawks to get stops any way possible, and that includes forcing at least a pair of turnovers. KU also needs to hang in there early, as the Jayhawks have been a better second-half team than first-half team. The Sooners, meanwhile, start better than they finish and have outscored opponents 110-6 in the first quarter this year.

If OU wins, it will be because :

its offensive and defensive lines dominate the game. South Florida gave a nice blueprint of how to beat KU: Pressure Todd Reesing while limiting the pressure of KU’s defensive line. The Sooners’ linemen on both ends are talented enough to dominate the Jayhawks up front. If they are able to do so, OU will make it extremely difficult for the Jayhawks to come away with a road victory.

Prediction: Oklahoma 38, Kansas 30

If Todd Reesing stays uninjured, I can see him keeping the Jayhawks in this game. KU should be able to put up some points against OU, but the problem will be stopping Bradford and his talented receivers. Look for KU to fall behind early and get it down to a one-possession game late, but I say the Sooners prevail because of better play on the offensive and defensive lines.