NORMAN, Okla. (AP) -- Oklahoma delivered a brutal blow of reality

NORMAN, Okla. (AP) -- Oklahoma delivered a brutal blow of reality<br>to Iowa State.<br>Quentin Griffin and Kejuan Jones each ran for two touchdown and<br>No. 2 Oklahoma dealt a setback to Seneca Wallace's

Friday, October 18th 2002, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

NORMAN, Okla. (AP) -- Oklahoma delivered a brutal blow of reality
to Iowa State.
Quentin Griffin and Kejuan Jones each ran for two touchdown and
No. 2 Oklahoma dealt a setback to Seneca Wallace's Heisman Trophy
hopes in beating the ninth-ranked Cyclones 49-3 Saturday.

Oklahoma (7-0, 3-0 Big 12) outgained Iowa State 225-4 in
building a 35-0 halftime lead against a team that had been
averaging 432 yards and 39 points a game.

Iowa State (6-2, 3-1), in the top 10 for the first time, had
been enjoying a dream season until running into a quick, swarming
Oklahoma defense that frustrated the Cyclones at every turn on a
dreary, rainy afternoon.

A victory would have vaulted the upstart Cyclones into the
national championship picture. Instead, they fell to 1-35-1 against
Oklahoma since 1962 and are now 0-47-2 against teams ranked in the
top 5.

Oklahoma set the tone by blocking a punt for a touchdown on the
game's fourth play and was so tough to crack that Iowa State
couldn't score after recovering a fumble at the Sooners' 1-yard
line late in the first half.

Wallace, who had emerged as a leading contender for the Heisman
with his sharp passing and elusive running, had the worst day of
his two-year career at Iowa State.

The Big 12's leader in passing efficiency, Wallace seemed to
have trouble with the wet football, bouncing throws short of his
receivers and overthrowing them on other plays.

Though he often had more than enough time to throw, Wallace
didn't complete his second pass until the 13:00 mark in the third
quarter and finished 4-of-22 for 43 yards and three interceptions.

In a miserable first half, Wallace was 1-for-12 for zero yards
and two interceptions.

Iowa State wound up with 60 total yards, the fourth lowest total
in school history and the fewest since getting 53 in a 44-0 loss to
Nebraska in 1944.

With Wallace and the offense struggling, Oklahoma had excellent
field position and took advantage. Nate Hybl bounced back from his
four interceptions against Texas a week ago with a solid
performance and Griffin and Jones wore down the Cyclones with their
power running, mostly off tackle.

Griffin carried 22 times for 111 yards and scored on first-half
runs of 15 and 4 yards. On his first touchdown, the 5-foot-7 senior
squirted out of a mass of bodies in the middle the field, slipped
Ellis Hobbs' attempted tackle at the 7 and dove into the end zone
to make it 14-0.
Jones added 86 yards on 25 carries and scored on a pair of
1-yard runs. Hybl was 14-of-24 for 168 yards with no interceptions
and a 22-yard touchdown toss to Brandon Jones, who made a leaping
catch between two defenders at the goal line for a 42-3 lead.

Things went so well for Oklahoma -- and so badly for Iowa State --
that when Derrick Strait fumbled after making a leaping
interception off Wallace, teammate Tommie Harris recovered at the
Iowa State 20.
Four play later, after Griffin broke three tackles on a 13-yard
run, Jones bulled in from the 1 to make it 35-0 with 7:11 left in
the half.
Strait set up Oklahoma's first touchdown when he raced in from
the left side to block Tony Yelk's punt less than minute into the
game. The ball rolled into the end zone and was on its end spinning
when Iowa State's Anthony Forrest ran toward it.
But instead of kicking it out of the end zone or falling on it
for a safety, he ran right past it and Oklahoma's Terrance Sims
dove on the ball for a touchdown. Many more celebrations by the
Sooners would follow.