Bradford Leads OU To Another Lopsided

Saturday, September 15th 2007, 6:19 pm

By: News On 6

NORMAN, Okla. (AP) _ Sam Bradford threw for 255 yards and three touchdowns in another efficient performance, and No. 3 Oklahoma notched its third blowout of the season with a 54-3 win against Utah State on Saturday.

Malcolm Kelly caught his sixth and seventh touchdown passes of the season and Allen Patrick showed his sprained ankle has fully healed with a 69-yard TD sprint as the Sooners (3-0) piled it on again.

Bradford, a redshirt freshman who came into the game as the nation's top-rated passer, completed his first 11 passes _ including two for scores _ to reach 21 straight passes without an incompletion. He'd already had a school-record run of 22 straight completions that ended in the Sooners' 51-13 rout of Miami last week.

Oklahoma has won its first three games by 158 points _ the most dominant start to a season since 1972, when the Sooners outscored their first three opponents 169-6.

Kevin Robinson had eight catches but gained only 38 yards for Utah State (0-3), which has been outscored 230-27 in four meetings against Sooners teams that were all ranked in the top 10. The Aggies have lost nine straight games overall.

Kelly, who entered the game tied for the NCAA lead with five touchdown catches, scored on throws of 27 and 17 yards from Bradford as Oklahoma built a 38-3 halftime lead. Coach Bob Stoops started pulling his starters midway through the third quarter after DeMarco Murray's 92-yard touchdown run _ the third longest in school history _ made it 45-3.

The Sooners opened up their bag of tricks on their first possession, with Juaquin Iglesias taking a double reverse 35 yards down the left sideline for a quick 7-0 lead. Bradford faked a handoff to Patrick and gave the ball to Kelly, who flipped it to Iglesias as he curled around from the right flank.

Oklahoma also scored on its next two possessions, with Bradford's 8-yard pass to tight end Joe Jon Finley giving the Sooners a 21-0 lead.

Bradford completed 19 of 26 passes. In his first three starts, he is 59-for-74 for 823 yards and 11 touchdowns.

Bradford's first incompletion came when he overshot Kelly on a post pattern deep downfield, and his first career interception came on the next play. He was hit as he threw, and the ball sailed high and tipped off Iglesias' hand before Roy Hurst dove to intercept it.

The Aggies converted it into a 30-yard field goal by Peter Caldwell for their only score, but Patrick responded on the very next play from scrimmage and showed no ill effects from the ankle injury that kept him out of the second half of fall practice.

Patrick had been held out of Oklahoma's 79-10 win against North Texas as a precaution, and he had only seven carries in a 51-13 victory over Miami.

He finished with 113 yards on nine carries as Oklahoma racked up 343 yards rushing and outgained Utah State 617-153.