BIG 12 Sooners eye end to long drought

Oklahoma hasn't beaten Colorado since 1988.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
NORMAN, Okla. -- A victory this week by Oklahoma would be the Sooners' first over Colorado since 1988.
That was nine meetings, five coaches and seemingly a lifetime ago for the No. 2 Sooners, who have been among the nation's elite the past three years but for a decade before that were seldom much more than ordinary.
"Our history there for a period of time wasn't real strong against anybody," coach Bob Stoops said Tuesday.
When they beat Iowa State two weeks ago, the Sooners (7-0, 3-0 Big 12) improved to 10-1 against Top 10 teams under Stoops, a native of Youngstown and a graduate of Cardinal Mooney High.
In the 10 seasons before he got the job, Oklahoma was 2-13-1 against teams in the top 10.
Longest winless skein
Colorado holds an 8-0-1 advantage over the Sooners since 1989. The nine-game winless streak is Oklahoma's longest against any opponent.
Gary Gibbs spent six years as Oklahoma's coach, taking over in 1989 after Barry Switzer was forced out. Gibbs was 0-5-1 against Colorado. The Buffaloes were ranked in the top 10 four times during that six-year stretch and won the national championship in 1990.
In Howard Schnellenberger's lone year as coach, 1995, the Colorado-Oklahoma game was a match-up of top-10 teams.
Colorado won 38-17 in Norman, the first loss of what would become a 5-5-1 season.
John Blake coached three years at Oklahoma, going 12-22. Because of the rotation used in the Big 12, he faced Colorado only once, losing 27-25 in his final season.
"Since coach Switzer left in '88, we hadn't beaten much of anybody that was ranked," Stoops said.
"I think it's fair to assume that we're a little bit different team right now in the last couple of years than we were through that time."
Stoops' record
The Sooners are 38-7 in Stoops' three-plus seasons as coach, and are 31-2 with one national title since 2000.
They lost five games in Stoops' first year, including 38-24 to Colorado in a performance he said was one of the worst of that season.
In that game, Mike Moschetti threw for 382 yards and four touchdowns. The Buffaloes had 537 total yards and Oklahoma committed nine penalties.
"I think now how far we've come from that time in every way, in everything we're doing," Stoops said. "You go back and watch that tape, it's hard to believe that was us."
This Colorado team (6-2, 4-0) has won five in a row and boasts the nation's leading rusher in Chris Brown, who is averaging 163 yards a game.
"We're excited about the challenge here this week," Stoops said. "We have great respect for their team, for what they did last year and the way they're playing right now. We recognize it as another big challenge."
Charges re-filed
LINCOLN, Neb. -- Prosecutors will re-file assault charges against a Nebraska football player for failing to comply with a program in which he was ordered to do community service.
Tamotu "Junior" Tagoa'i was accused of hitting his girlfriend in the jaw at their apartment on Oct. 23, 2001.
Lancaster County Attorney Gary Lacey said Tuesday his office decided to file third-degree assault charges.
Among the unmet requirements cited were failure to verify completion of 30 hours of community service and a mandatory domestic violence prevention course, Lacey said.
Lacey was unsure if Tagoa'i met the requirements but simply failed to turn in the paperwork. That will be determined by a judge, he added.