Stoops called for the trick punt

Punter Blake Ferguson's pass completion set up a momentum-dousing TD.
NORMAN, Okla. (AP) -- The signal came from the sideline, and Blake Ferguson couldn't believe it.
With Oklahoma facing fourth-and-10 from its 31, the Alabama crowd in a tizzy and the Sooners leading by just three points, coach Bob Stoops wanted his punter to pass.
"We had an alert on," Ferguson said, "but I didn't really think we would run that."
But Stoops and Co. -- notorious tricksters that they are -- thought the timing was right to put the ball in Ferguson's hands and let him toss it.
Ferguson, who hadn't thrown a pass in a game since ninth grade, threw a wobbler to reserve defensive back Michael Thompson for a 22-yard gain that doused Alabama's momentum. On the next play, the Sooners scored on a touchdown pass that sealed the victory.
"We've been working on the play for a while," said Stoops, a graduate of Cardinal Mooney High. "We've got a little different group of passes for him."
The situation
That Ferguson was given a key role in the game's most pivotal play with the Sooners' No. 1 ranking on the line is remarkable, considering Stoops wasn't even sure he was going to let Ferguson punt for him this season.
In February, Stoops signed highly touted recruit Cody Freeby, a USA Today All-American, to compete with Ferguson following a shaky sophomore season.
Ferguson, who had transferred from North Carolina the year before after a coaching change, was only the Big 12's 11th-ranked punter last season with a 38.9-yard average. His inconsistency concerned Stoops and the team's media guide even noted that Ferguson's average "was less than he might have wanted."
In the offseason, Ferguson geared up for the challenge from the freshman by tinkering with his technique and pumping more iron. He bulked up a little, but added a lot more strength by the time two-a-days came around.
"It was minor, minor flaws that I had in my technique," Ferguson said. "Competition makes a person so much better, you know."
The results were evident.
Stronger punter
"I'm really pleased with how Blake Ferguson is hitting the ball better," Stoops said. "He is much stronger now."
Ferguson beat out Freeby in fall practices, and thus far, has been one of the nation's best punters.
He's averaging 45.4 yards a punt, good for eighth in the nation. And Ferguson's performance in the win at Alabama -- an average of 48.6 yards on five punts, including a career-long of 59 yards -- was good enough to win Big 12 special teams player of the week honors.
Still, it was probably his clutch completion to Thompson that did the trick.
"I was extremely nervous, maybe more nervous than I've ever been," Ferguson said. "You only have one chance to run that kind of play."
Maybe not. Stoops said that he's still got a few tricks up his sleeve that call for Ferguson to do something other than punting.
Ferguson is just glad that Stoops is still calling his number.
"I had 17 new voice mails when I got back into the locker room after the game," Ferguson said, grinning. "It's a lot of fun being in the limelight."