2009 Sun Bowl Stanford vs. Oklahoma Start Time, TV Guide & Odds
El Paso, TX – Stanford's Toby Gerhart came up just short in his Heisman Trophy bid. He may not have gotten so close, though, had Oklahoma's Sam Bradford been in the running.
Led by the country's top rusher, the Cardinal look to conclude their best season in eight years on a high note as they face the Sooners - inconsistent without their star quarterback - in the Sun Bowl at El Paso, Texas, on Dec. 31.
Oddsmakers from online sports book Sports Interaction have made Oklahoma -10 point spread favorites (View College Football odds) for the Thursday, Dec. 31 game (Game Matchup). Current public betting information shows that 78% of bets for this game have been placed on Stanford +10 (View College Football bet percentages).
Gerhart finished second to Alabama running back Mark Ingram in the closest vote in the 75-year history of the Heisman Trophy. Gerhart got 222 first-place votes and 1,276 points while Ingram received 227 first-place votes and 1,304 points.
Ingram is the successor to Bradford, who decided to return to school this season after winning the award. He likely hurt his NFL stock, undergoing season-ending surgery on his right shoulder after playing one complete game for the Sooners (7-5) this season.
That derailed the Sooners' hopes of making the BCS championship game for the second straight year - they lost 24-14 to Florida on Jan. 8. They've dropped three straight bowl games since a 17-14 win over Oregon in the 2005 Holiday Bowl.
Stanford (8-4), ranked 19th, is coming off its first winning season since 2001 and now makes its first bowl appearance since that same year - a 24-14 loss to Georgia Tech in the Seattle Bowl. No player has been more important to the Cardinal's success than Gerhart, a unanimous first-team All-American.
The senior has rushed for more yards (1,736) and more touchdowns (26) than any other player in the nation, helping Stanford finish second in the Pac-10 after going 5-7 last season.
"I let the production and play speak for itself," Gerhart said. "There wasn't a lot of preseason hype, or no preseason hype to be exact. To be recognized for what you do on the field and not as a media baby, that makes it that much more special."
With Gerhart's help, coach Jim Harbaugh is getting a chance to continue leading Stanford, signing a three-year contract extension two weeks before this bowl.
The Cardinal upset Southern California and California in 2007, but ended up going 4-8 in what was Harbaugh's first season. They fell one win shy of a bowl bid last year, but have risen to national prominence following an impressive November that included wins over then-No. 7 Oregon and then-No. 11 USC.
Stanford won its last game, 45-38 over Notre Dame on Nov. 28, getting 205 yards and three touchdowns from Gerhart. Now the Cardinal are facing one of the top rush defenses in the country.
Oklahoma ranks seventh in that category, allowing 88.6 yards per game.
"We're going to have to gang tackle," said Sooners cornerback Dominique Franks, a second-team All-Big 12 selection. "Not just one person's going to be able to bring down that running back. But, you know, we're always up for the challenge, and we're going to face a great team. We want to go out there and get a win."
Oklahoma held then-No. 11 Oklahoma State to 62 yards on the ground in a 27-0 win Nov. 28. It was perhaps the Sooners' best performance of the season.
Oklahoma ranks seventh in total defense, surrendering 273.5 yards a contest, led by numerous pro prospects that could decide to leave school early.
Franks and defensive tackle Adrian Taylor, though, intend to return. Taylor is durable in the interior, starting the last 27 games and posting seven tackles for a loss this season.
Offensively, the Sooners rely on tackle Trent Williams, a first-team All-American. His consistency has helped freshman quarterback Landry Jones adjust after taking over for Bradford.
Jones has been sacked 12 times in 11 games, completing 58.0 percent of his passes for 2,780 yards and 23 TDs while getting picked off 13 times. He's thrown four or more touchdowns three times, but also had a five-interception game in a 58-26 loss to Nebraska on Nov. 7.
Jones hasn't gotten nearly as much production from the running game as Bradford received last season, when Oklahoma ranked 16th in that category with 3,009 yards.
DeMarco Murray had 1,038 of those yards, but missed the BCS title game due to a ruptured tendon in his left hamstring.
This will be his first bowl appearance. A dislocated knee kept Murray out of the Fiesta Bowl as a freshman in 2007.
"I'm fired up," Murray said. "It feels like the national championship game to me."
Murray has rushed for 678 yards and seven TDs, and has 38 receptions for 482 yards and four scores.
This will be Oklahoma's school-record 11th straight bowl game, but the Sooners have lost five of their last six.
Oklahoma is 3-1 against Stanford.
2009 Sun Bowl
Teams: Stanford vs. Oklahoma
Kickoff: Dec. 31, 2009 at 2PM ET
Venue: Sun Bowl Stadium
TV: CBS
Odds:
Stanford +10 Over 56 (+260)
Oklahoma -10 Under 56 (-340)
2009 Sun Bowl Stanford vs. Oklahoma Picks & Predictions
One of the featured games for Thursday’s bowl slate features Stanford and Oklahoma squaring off in the 2009 Sun Bowl at 2PM ET from Sun Bowl Stadium.
Stanford is 8-4 on the season and 7-5 against the spread. The Cardinal won four of their last five games to get to this points, but have failed to cover in their last two games.
Oklahoma is 7-5 on the season and 5-6-1 against the spread. The Sooners have won and covered in two of their last three games.
Oddsmakers from online sports book SPORTSBETTING.com have made Oklahoma 10-point favorites over Stanford on Thursday afternoon. The over/under total for this game has been established at 55.5.
Stanford is scoring 36.2 points per-game on the season and the Cardinals have been mostly led by running back Toby Gerhart. Gerhart was a Heisman finalist after rushing for 1,736 yards and 26 touchdowns this year. Andrew Luck has thrown for 2,575 yards on the year with 13 touchdowns, but Luck will miss the game because of injury, forcing Stanford to turn to Tavita Pritchard, who has only thrown three passes this year. The Sooners have held opposing offenses to 13.5 points and 273.5 yards per-game this season on defense.
Oklahoma is averaging 31.3 points and 419.4 yards per-game this year offensively. Landry Jones has thrown for 2,780 yards and 23 touchdowns in replace of the injured Sam Bradford for the Sooners. Stanford is giving up 26.2 points and 396.5 yards per-game on defense this season.
Oklahoma has a lot of ground to cover with the 10-point spread, but the Sooners will likely just have to stack the box and slow down Gerhart, as Stanford shouldn’t have much of a passing game. The Sooners have improved throughout the year as Jones has gotten better with each game. There are not many trends to consider for this game, so the injury report will have to suffice. Due to the injury to Luck we suggest a pick of Oklahoma with the under.
Our Sun Bowl Free Pick for this matchup is: OKLAHOMA -10 and UNDER 55.5.
College Football Bowl Season Betting Trends
Stanford is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Stanford's last 7 games
Oklahoma is 3-5-1 ATS in its last 9 games
Oklahoma is 18-7 SU in its last 25 games
Bowl Season College Football Injury Report
STANFORD
- 09/12/2009 - Matt Kopa out indefinitely ( Foot )
[DT] 10/03/2009 - Brian Bulcke out for season ( Hand )
- 10/27/2009 - Allen Smith out indefinitely ( Knee )
[LB] 11/07/2009 - Clinton Snyder out for season ( Knee )
[DE] 12/25/2009 - Erik Lorig is downgraded to doubtful Thursday vs. Oklahoma ( Groin )
[CB] 12/22/2009 - Quinn Evans is upgraded to probable Thursday vs. Oklahoma ( Hamstring )
[RB] 12/06/2009 - Jeremy Stewart is "?" vs Oklahoma in the Sun Bowl. ( Knee )
[LB] 11/18/2009 - Alex Debniak out indefinitely ( Knee )
[QB] 12/07/2009 - Andrew Luck expected to miss vs. Oklahoma in the Sun Bowl ( Finger )
[QB] 12/07/2009 - Tavita Pritchard is expected to start vs. Oklahoma in Sun Bowl ( None )
OKLAHOMA
[LB] 09/17/2009 - Mike Balogun out for season ( Eligibility )
[LB] 08/22/2009 - Tom Wort out for season ( Knee )
[QB] 10/25/2009 - Sam Bradford out for season ( Shoulder )
[TE] 09/08/2009 - Jermaine Gresham out for season ( Knee )
[DT] 12/28/2009 - DeMarcus Granger "?" Thursday vs. Stanford ( Back )
[TE] 11/15/2009 - Brody Eldridge out for season ( Shoulder )
[DE] 11/09/2009 - Auston English out for season ( Leg )
- 11/10/2009 - Jarvis Jones out for season. ( Heel )
[C] 11/22/2009 - Ben Habern out for season ( Leg )
[OT] 12/25/2009 - Trent Williams is upgraded to probable Thursday vs. Stanford ( Head )
[LB] 12/10/2009 - Ryan Reynolds is upgraded to probable Thursday vs. Stanford ( Hamstring )
[C] 12/21/2009 - Brian Lepak expected to miss Thursday vs. Stanford ( Knee )
Sun Bowl Odds
Stanford Cardinal +10 Over 55.5 (+300)
Oklahoma Sooners -10 Under 55.5 (-400)