Oklahoma winning again thanks to Stoops

MIAMI (AP) _ Even Florida State coach Bobby Bowden is amazed at how quickly Bob Stoops turned Oklahoma back into a national title contender. <br><br>``Bob has done a lot better than I did,'' Bowden

Saturday, December 30th 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

MIAMI (AP) _ Even Florida State coach Bobby Bowden is amazed at how quickly Bob Stoops turned Oklahoma back into a national title contender.

``Bob has done a lot better than I did,'' Bowden said Friday. ``The first thing is you've got to get those kids thinking they can win despite the odds, and Bob must be perfect at it. He's got those kids believing they're going to win and they go out and win.''

In Stoops' second season in Norman, Okla., the Sooners are 12-0, ranked No. 1 and set to play for their first national championship since 1985. On Wednesday night, it's Oklahoma vs. No. 3 Florida State (11-1) in the Orange Bowl at Pro Player Stadium.

A far cry from the post-Barry Switzer years from 1989-98, when Gary Gibbs, Howard Schnellenberger and John Blake combined for a 61-50-3 record and three minor bowls. Under Switzer, OU was 157-29-4 with three national titles and 12 Top 10 finishes in 16 seasons.

This season, Oklahoma was the only major school to finish the regular season with a perfect record.

While Stoops, along with a group of young assistants plucked from schools he used to work for, preached a winning attitude, his best move was convincing his veterans that Josh Heupel, a junior college quarterback from Aberdeen, S.D., was the guy to operate a new wide-open passing attack.

Heupel produced, throwing for 3,460 yards and 30 touchdowns and leading the Sooners to a 7-5 record in '99. When this season began, the Sooners were No. 19 in the AP preseason poll. They were a confident bunch, too.

Stoops saw how hard players worked over the summer and said ``they've earned the right to be confident about beating anyone on the schedule.''

Not even a three-game stretch in October against Texas, Kansas State and Nebraska bothered Oklahoma. After all, Stoops told them, the Sooners have won big games before and will win big games again.

In easy wins over Texas-El Paso, Arkansas State, Rice and Kansas, Oklahoma averaged 44 points per game and rose to No. 10 in the AP poll. Next up, No. 11 Texas, followed by No. 2 Kansas State and then a showdown against No. 1 Nebraska.

The Sooners magic of the 1970s and '80 returned. OU pounded the Longhorns 63-14 in Dallas; won at Kansas State 41-31; returned home to dominate the Cornhuskers 31-14, and took over the No. 1 ranking.

In those games, Heupel threw for 949 yards, four TDs and just one interception as he became a top Heisman Trophy contender. The left-hander passed for 3,392 yards and 20 TDs and ran for seven more scores. He was the Heisman runner-up to Florida State's Chris Weinke.

The Sooners' defense, led by All-American linebacker Rocky Calmus, held the Huskers scoreless after Nebraska took a 14-0 lead on its first two possessions. ``That told me a lot about the character of our team,'' Stoops said.

Before the Nebraska game, Stoops showed his team films of the classic OU-NU games from the 1970s and '80s. ``The kids didn't really know what it was all about,'' Stoops said. ``We wanted them to know.''

After routing Baylor the following week, the Sooners had a shaky finish _ a comeback 35-31 win at Texas A&M followed by struggles against Texas Tech and Oklahoma State.

Then it was on to the Big 12 title game, with K-State waiting for revenge. Heupel overcame three interceptions with two TDs passing and one rushing in a 27-24 win to give the Sooners their first 12-0 regular season.

``There's a certain chemistry on this football team,'' Heupel said. ``We just find a way to win, do enough to win, and that's something special.''

Even though Oklahoma is No. 1, Florida State is favored by 12 points. That's OK with the Sooners.

``We've been underestimated the whole season,'' safety Roy Williams said. ``We're used to it. We're not worried about it. It's motivation. Hands down, it is motivation. We're going to take that into every practice and prepare for it.''

During his news conference on Friday, Stoops needed about a minute to explain how far Oklahoma football had fallen in the 10 years before he arrived.

First he set the scene: A 1999 team meeting for a bowl game following his rookie season, his players having just learned offensive coordinator Mike Leach was leaving to coach Texas Tech.

``And everybody's depressed, you can hear a pin drop in the room,'' Stoops said. ``I come bopping in for our first bowl practice, fired up and excited to go, and I look at the players and I could tell they're all scared.

``I said, 'You guys haven't figured this out yet, have you? You used to lose coaches around here left and right because you played so poorly you got 'em all fired. Now you've played so well you got one of them a head coaching job in one year.'

``They busted up laughing and realized, `Hey, this is a good thing.'''

Stoops at a Glance

Name: Bob Stoops.

Job: Head coach, Oklahoma.

Born: Sept. 9, 1960.

Birthplace: Youngstown, Ohio.

High school: Cardinal Mooney HS, Youngstown, Ohio.

College: Iowa, 1983.

College playing experience: Defensive back, Iowa, four years.

Head coaching experience: Oklahoma (1999-present).

Overall record: 19-5 (0-1 in bowls).

Best season: 2000 (12-0. Big 12 champions)

Wife: Carol.

Children: Three, daughter Mackenzie, twin sons Isaac and Drake.

Coaching outlook: ``It's a privilege to coach. I tell ya, being around 18 to 21 and 22-year-old kids with all that energy and excitement, it's almost like not work. It's not like work. To enjoy their enthusiasm, to go out and practice every day is almost like a constant game. It's a lot of fun.''