NORMAN, Okla. — Nate Hybl didn't fail in his debut as Oklahoma's quarterback, although he didn't exactly pass with flying colors, either.
Hybl, the successor to Heisman Trophy runner-up Josh Heupel, was 20-of-29 for 152 yards in the third-ranked Sooners' 41-27 victory over North Carolina on Saturday night.
Those aren't bad numbers. But of the five Oklahoma touchdowns, only two came from the offense, and the longest of those two drives was just 46 yards.
Hybl also threw a ball that N.C.'s Julius Peppers intercepted and returned for a TD.
"I'm not going to grade myself. I'll leave that to the coaches," said Hybl, who made his first start since 1997, his senior year in high school.
"Apart from the one that Peppers clearly read, we did a pretty good job of taking care of the football and that was big," he said. "I'm very encouraged by the way the defense played. We had our moments, but we're looking to be more productive for sure."
Productivity was not a problem for Oklahoma's defense, a unit that played a major role in last year's national championship and has most everyone back this season.
The Sooners forced a fumble on the second play of the game and linebacker Rocky Calmus recovered, setting up a field goal. Calmus later picked up another fumble and returned it for a touchdown. Cornerback Derrick Straight returned an interception 47 yards for a TD that made the score 41-7 in the second quarter.
The Sooners also came up with a special teams touchdown, an 88-yard kickoff return by Antwone Savage.
Meanwhile Hybl spent most of his time throwing short flare passes or handing off to his backs. The Sooners didn't score in the second half; Hybl sat during the fourth quarter while Jason White ran the offense.
"We just didn't put anything together consistently," offensive coordinator Mark Mangino said. "A lot of it has to do with, you know, we're just not a mature unit right now from top to bottom, all 11 players on the field."
Head coach Bob Stoops said he was displeased with both sides of the ball. He was particularly upset about the second half, when the Sooners gave up two fourth-quarter touchdowns.
"Poor coaching, poor playing, poor effort, poor concentration, lack of discipline. Anything else you can think of?" he said. "Throw it out there and I'll agree with you, probably."
North Carolina was playing its first game under coach John Bunting, who saw his team turn the ball over three times and give up 31 points in the first quarter.
Quarterback Ronald Curry worked under duress all night. He lost two fumbles and was just 5-of-14 passing for 74 yards with an interception.
"I've never been around a defense that battled as much as they did tonight," Bunting said. "I think we got better in this game, and I think we will get better because of this game."
Stoops said the same about his team. The Sooners weren't crisp on offense, and the defense gave more ground than he would have liked, but Oklahoma was able to extend its winning streak to 14 games.
"It's always better to win than to lose," he said. "I made sure when we walked into the locker room I told our players that, that we're never not going to appreciate a victory."