Sooners Against Stanford Cardinal in Sun Bowl
Before the season started, Oklahoma ranked No. 3 in the nation, with reigning Heisman Trophy winner Sam Bradford back under center for the Sooners. They had hopes of a national title shot, eyeing a date with No. 2 Texas for the inside track to the national championship.
Instead, Bradford injured the AC joint in his right shoulder in the opening game, and despite a come-back effort in the weeks that followed, Bradford ultimately had to shut it down for the season once the Sooners were out of the national title race.
Now, they must turn their attention to the Sun Bowl on New Year’s Eve, where they’ll square off against the No. 19 Stanford Cardinal in a turnabout that would have been unfathomable before the season.
Without Bradford leading the team, the Sooners have turned to Landry Jones, who has filled in admirably for Bradford all season. Oklahoma is also fresh off a huge win over No. 12 Oklahoma State, a 27-0 shutout that closed the door on OK State’s BCS bowl hopes.
Shockingly, they’ll be the unranked team in their bowl game, as Stanford managed to stay relevant enough in the Pac-10 to justify a Top 20 ranking.
The Sooners may have caught a lucky break, as Stanford may be missing starting QB Andrew Luck, who underwent surgery on a finger on his throwing hand recently.
That means the Cardinal will likely lean on their Heisman Trophy finalist, running back Toby Gerhart, even more.
Can the Sooners rally around their injured team and pull off one final win, without Bradford?
