Heupel, OU overcome pressure, reach Orange Bowl

KANSAS CITY, Mo. â€“ In the biggest Big 12 Championship game ever, Oklahoma's biggest star came through.<br><br>Quarterback Josh Heupel, in a neck-and-neck battle for the Heisman Trophy with Florida

Sunday, December 3rd 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

KANSAS CITY, Mo. â€“ In the biggest Big 12 Championship game ever, Oklahoma's biggest star came through.

Quarterback Josh Heupel, in a neck-and-neck battle for the Heisman Trophy with Florida State's Chris Weinke, fought through injury and interceptions to lead the Sooners to a 27-24 victory before a record crowd of 79,655 at Arrowhead Stadium on Saturday.

Oklahoma, the No. 1 team in the nation, should play Florida State for the national title in the Orange Bowl on Jan. 3. The Sooners (12-0) won their first Big 12 title and their first conference crown since 1987.

Pressure was the theme of the game, with Kansas State supplying pressure on the Sooners and Heupel throughout.

When Oklahoma defeated Kansas State, 41-31, on Oct. 14, the Wildcats used all-out blitzing to sack Heupel four times and knock him down another 14.

This time, Kansas State was more selective with its blitzing. The Wildcats sacked Heupel twice and managed 10 knockdowns.

Heupel, playing with a ruptured bursal sac in his throwing elbow, threw a season-high three interceptions and had several passes fall short of their target. But he completed 24 of 44 passes for 220 yards, throwing two touchdown passes and running for another score.

"It's been a long season, and it's been a great ride so far," Heupel said. "I think everybody, after enjoying this one, will want to focus on getting one more win."

The first-ever prime time Big 12 title game featured big plays by more than just Heupel. Diminutive running back Quentin Griffin had two huge runs in the fourth quarter, one to set up the go-ahead touchdown and another to set up what proved to be the game-winning field goal.

"We just find a way to win," Heupel said. "We do enough to win, and that's something special."

No. 8 Kansas State (10-3) will probably be invited to the Southwestern Bell Cotton Bowl to face Tennessee. The Wildcats were going for their first conference title since winning the Big 6 in 1934.

Bowl officials across the country held their collective breath as Kansas State threatened to disrupt tentative bowl matchups.

A vintage Heupel touchdown pass let the officials breath easier as Oklahoma took 24-17 lead in the fourth quarter.

Heupel hit Andre Woolfolk with a 17-yard strike over the middle as Woolfolk crossed the goal line with 14:24 remaining. On the previous play, Griffin took an option pitch on fourth-and-1 and rambled 22 yards.

"It was a great call on their part, whether it came from the bench or Josh," Kansas State coach Bill Snyder said. "We were there to try to stop the sneak, and you can't do that and stop the option both. It was a chess match and a guessing game, and we didn't guess correctly."

Griffin's next big run, a first-down ramble on OU's final drive, brought oranges from the stands. Even more produce rained onto the field when Tim Duncan hit a season-long 46-yard field goal with 1:25 left to put the game out of Kansas State's reach.

The Sooners faced a fourth-and-3 at the Kansas State 28 when Duncan attempted the kick.

"Tim has been a little up and down all year, but he hits a lot of good ones in practice," Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops said. "I was about to go for it, but I had a little bit of intuition, a little bit of insight from the good Lord."

The Wildcats, as if to prove they were nearly Oklahoma's equal, scored with six seconds left when South Garland's Quincy Morgan caught a 16-yard touchdown pass.

After Oklahoma had taken a 17-10 lead in the third quarter, Kansas State answered when Aaron Lockett blasted off on a 58-yard punt return up the middle for a tying touchdown.

Kansas State proved it was up to the task of meeting the No. 1 team in the nation on Oklahoma's first possession. The Sooners were stuffed on third and fourth down from the Kansas State 1-yard line and came away with no points.

Oklahoma got on the board on its next drive when Duncan booted a 33-yard field goal.

However, the Sooners' next two drives ended in interceptions, the last one setting up Kansas State's first touchdown.

The Wildcats' Dyshod Carter stepped in front of Woolfolk for the first pick. The second interception bounced off the hands of receiver Curtis Fagan and was batted by linebacker Ben Leber before falling into the hands of nose tackle DeVane Robinson at the OU 11-yard line.

Two plays later, Kansas State quarterback Jonathan Beasley kept on the option for a 10-yard touchdown run to give the Wildcats a 7-3 lead at the start of the second quarter.

A 22-yard field goal by Jamie Rheem extended Kansas State's lead to 10-3, but Oklahoma responded with a punt block to set up the tying touchdown. Oklahoma's Josh Norman came up the middle to get the block, which was recovered by teammate Ontei Jones at the Kansas State 17-yard line.

On first-and-goal from the 1, Heupel tossed over defensive back Jarrod Cooper to tight end Trent Smith in the back of the end zone to knot the score at 10-10.

Oklahoma took a 17-10 lead in the third quarter when Griffin broke loose for a 25-yard gain to the Kansas State 7. Heupel covered the seven yards with a second-down scramble to the right flag with 5:54 remaining in the quarter.