Cale Gundy withstood a ferocious pass rush and threw three touchdown passes, leading No. 19 Oklahoma to a 41-10 victory Friday over Texas Tech in the John Hancock Bowl.
Gundy, who was sacked six times and endured several rattling hits, completed 15 of 26 passes for 215 yards to dominate the Red Raiders for the second time. He set school records for consecutive completions and passing yards (341) in both teams' 1992 season opener.Gundy, the most prolific passer in Oklahoma history, set another school record Friday for most passing TDs in a bowl game and was named the bowl's MVP.
The Sooners (9-3) came close to backing up their claim made earlier this week that they should be named Southwest Conference champions. Oklahoma plays in the Big Eight, but convincingly won four games against SWC opponents this season.
Included in that string was an impressive victory over SWC champion Texas A&M early in the season. The Sooners buried the Aggies, 44-10, handing Texas A&M its lone loss in the process. Texas A&M is representing the SWC in the Cotton Bowl on New Year's Day against Notre Dame.
The Sooners also buried rival Texas, 38-17 in the fifth game of the season.
The other SWC opponent was Texas Christian, which Oklahoma handled easily in its season opener, 35-3.
Tech, which finished second in the SWC and had won five straight, fell to 6-6. It and Texas A&M were the only two SWC teams to qualify for bowls. A third team was supposed to go to the new Alamo Bowl in San Antonio but was replaced by Iowa when the league was unable to meet the NCAA qualifying standard of six wins against Division I-A schools plus a winning record.
Gundy's throwing was complemented by the running of freshman Jerald Moore. The Texas native rushed 15 times for 85 yards and two touchdowns, a 32-yarder midway through the fourth quarter and a 6-yard burst as the game ended.
The running back who drew the most attention entering the game, Tech's Byron "Bam" Morris wasn't a factor. He rushed 27 times for 95 yards and Red Raiders' only touchdown.
It was only the second time Morris, the nation's second-leading rusher, was held under 100 yards this year.
The Sooners established dominance early, scoring on their first two possessions and never relinquishing the lead.
Oklahoma led 28-3 at the half after shrugging off a surging Tech defense and taking advantage of linebacker Mike Coats' interception of a Robert Hall pass.
Coats picked off Hall's pass with 34 seconds remaining and returned it 43 yards to the Texas Tech 27. Gundy had one incompletion before hitting running back James Allen on a 12-yard shovel pass to move Oklahoma to the 15.
On the next play, Gundy hit a wide-open Rickey Brady in the end zone for the score with five seconds left. It was the second TD of the half for Brady, the Sooners' leading receiver this season, who finished the game with four catches for 35 yards.
The Sooners also had burned the Red Raiders' secondary on the previous possession as they capped an 80-yard drive with a 34-yard TD pass from Gundy to flanker Corey Warren.
Warren pulled down the pass, shrugged off a Tech defender then outraced another for the score.
Oklahoma recorded its first score on a 2-yard run by fullback Dwayne Chandler.
The Red Raiders, who finished with 315 in total offense, scored on a two-yard run by Morris following the recovery of an Oklahoma fumble and a 22-yard field goal by Jon Davis.