Dec. 31, 2009
EL PASO, Texas (AP) -Ryan Broyles set a Sun Bowl record with three touchdown receptions and Landry Jones passed for 416 yards to lead Oklahoma past Heisman runner-up Toby Gerhart and No. 19 Stanford 31-27 on Thursday.
Broyles finished with 156 yards receiving and set Oklahoma's single-game record with 13 receptions in front of a Sun Bowl record crowd of 53,713. Jones completed 30 of 51 and connected with Broyles on TD strikes of 30, 13 and 6 yards.
Gerhart, who led the nation with 1,736 yards rushing, ran for 133 and scored two TDs in the first half.
Oklahoma (8-5) rallied with 14 straight points in the third quarter, then held on after Patrick O'Hara missed a 32-yard field goal try with 3:19 remaining. Stanford (8-5) got a final opportunity but turned it over on downs, starting a celebration for fans wearing crimson and cream.
Broyles also had 47 yards returning four punts. But he fumbled a punt that helped Stanford draw closer early in the fourth quarter.
The Cardinal pulled to 31-27 on a 22-yard field goal by Nate Whitaker, capping a series that began when Broyles mishandled a punt. Oklahoma protested because Stanford's Johnson Bademosi hit Broyles just as the ball arrived, but officials gave possession to the Cardinal.
Gerhart found the running tough against the nation's No. 7 rushing defense. He carried 32 times, averaged 4.2 per attempt, and his longest run was a 26-yard gain in the fourth quarter.
Stanford's Tavita Pritchard, who threw three passes in four games this season, made his 20th career start because standout freshman Andrew Luck wasn't ready after surgery to repair a broken right index finger. Pritchard was 8 of 19 for 118 yards.
Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh had indicated a day earlier that Luck, who threw for 2,575 yards passing, might play, but Luck stood on the sidelines wearing street clothes and a headset.
Jones took over as Oklahoma's quarterback after former Heisman Trophy winner Sam Bradford was injured in an opening loss to BYU. An injury-plagued season included the loss of defensive tackle Adrian Taylor, who left the Sun Bowl with his left wrapped in an air cast.
Stanford was making its first bowl appearance since losing to Georgia Tech in the 2001 Seattle Bowl.