Sooners use ground game to whip Baylor.

Friday, November 15th 2002, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

WACO, Texas (AP) -- Quentin Griffin ran for 152 yards and three touchdowns and also had a 35-yard TD reception as No. 4 Oklahoma rebounded from its first loss with a 49-9 win over Baylor on Saturday.

Griffin continued his push for serious Heisman Trophy consideration with his sixth straight 100-yard rushing game, on 17 carries in just three quarters. Griffin has 885 yards during the six games, and 1,243 on the season.

The blowout victory probably won't help the Sooners (9-1, 5-1 Big 12) climb back up in the Bowl Championship Series standings. Oklahoma dropped from first to fourth after its 30-26 loss at Texas A&M last week.

Baylor (3-8, 1-6) has been outscored 271-30 while losing six straight games. Texas beat the Bears 41-0 last week and still lost a spot in the BCS standings. The Sooners still have control in the Big 12 South. They'll earn
a spot in the league championship game if they win their final two games against Texas Tech and Oklahoma State.

Oklahoma extended a 21-3 halftime lead with touchdowns on its first three possessions of the season half -- with each scoring drive taking 1:31 or less.

Antwone Savage returned the second-half kickoff 54 yards, and three plays later he raced by defensive back Maurice Lane and caught a 40-yard TD pass from Nate Hybl.

Griffin's only carry on the next drive was a pitch to the right that he took 25 yards for a touchdown. On the third drive, Griffin took an inside handoff, found a gap at the line and then ran past two defenders along the sideline. He gained 61 yards, getting dragged down by Matt Johnson a foot from
the goal line. But he plunged into the end zone on the next play for a 42-3 lead.

Baylor played its final home game under Kevin Steele, who was fired Nov. 3 but stayed on to coach the rest of the season. Steele is 9-35 overall and 1-30 in the Big 12.

Hybl, who like Griffin sat out the fourth quarter, was 12-of-22 passing for 179 yards and two touchdowns. Derrick Strait had two interceptions, thwarting a Baylor scoring drive right before halftime and then returning his second pick 75 yards for the final Oklahoma touchdown in the fourth quarter.

Baylor drove to the Oklahoma 6 after Aaron Karas completed passes of 14, 15 and 28 yards to Robert Quiroga in the final minute of the first half. But Strait then stepped in front of receiver Marques Roberts in the end zone and returned the ball to midfield.

In the fourth quarter, Strait intercepted a pass thrown by Greg Cicero, the sixth-year senior and former starter who got to play in his final home game. Cicero later had a 14-yard TD run. Griffin scored the first two Oklahoma touchdowns, putting the Sooners ahead to stay with a 1-yard TD that capped their opening 43-yard drive. Griffin started the drive with a 13-yard run and an 18-yard reception.

Hybl was scrambling in trouble on third-and-10 early in the second quarter, after Daniel Andino's 43-yard field goal for Baylor. Griffin took the desperation toss, stutter-stepped by a defender behind the line and then weaved back and forth between his blockers for a 35-yard TD.

Oklahoma led 21-3 after Kejuan Jones' 14-yard run ended a 14-play, 66-yard drive, on which the Sooners converted three third downs and a fourth down.

Rashad Armstrong ran for 103 yards for Baylor, which has lost all 12 games in its series against Oklahoma.