No. 2 Oklahoma rallies past Bama

NORMAN, OKLAHOMA - Second-ranked Oklahoma, playing poorly and with its national-title hopes in the balance, scored twice in the final 2:11 to beat Alabama 37-27 Saturday in the first regular-season meeting between the tradition-rich programs. <br> <br> Kejuan Jones&#39; 8-yard run with 2:11 remaining capped an 80-yard drive that gave the Sooners a 30-27 lead. With 24 seconds left, safety Eric Bassey picked up a fumble and returned it 45 yards for the clinching score. <br> <br> Alabama (1-1) had said this was just the second game on the schedule and not like a bowl game for a program on probation. But it proved to be much more than that for the Sooners (2-0), who lost quarterback Jason White with a torn ligament in his right knee. <br> <br> The game between teams with a combined 13 national titles - seven for Oklahoma, six for Alabama - was pretty much a dud until Alabama came alive in the third quarter with three touchdowns and a field goal to take a 27-23 lead. <br> <br> Alabama drove 66 yards for a touchdown on its first possession of the second half, running 10 times in 12 plays. Late in the third quarter, Leslie Williams blocked a punt and Lance Taylor returned it 8 yards for a touchdown that got the Tide within 23-17. <br> <br> The go-ahead score for Alabama came on a fake field goal on fourth-and-goal at the 3-yard line: Holder Lane Bearden ran for the touchdown, and Michael Ziife&#39;s extra point made it 24-23. <br> <br> Nate Hybl, Oklahoma&#39;s starter at quarterback most of last season, struggled in the second half but found Renaldo Works on shovel passes for 23 and 39 yards during the Sooners&#39; go-ahead touchdown drive. The 39-yarder set up Jones&#39; touchdown. <br> <br> Alabama then drove to the Oklahoma 43 before Tyler Watts lost control while passing and Bassey took it the other way. <br> <br> Mark Clayton caught a 33-yard touchdown pass from White and a 51-yarder from Hybl in the first half, but otherwise the Sooners&#39; offense sputtered. After running for 378 yards against Tulsa last week, Oklahoma had minus-23 against Alabama. <br> <br> The Crimson Tide had just two first downs and 64 total yards in 10 first-half possessions, then had 151 third-quarter yards.

http://accesswdun.com/article/2002/9/190378