BIG 8 ROUNDUP : Sooners Air It Out, Defeat Virginia Tech

Sixth-ranked Oklahoma used its passing game to beat Virginia Tech Saturday at Norman, Okla.

No kidding.

The Sooners, long one of the most run-oriented teams in the country, used a record-setting day by Cale Gundy to hold off the Hokies, 27-17, and improve to 3-0.

Gundy, a sophomore, completed 18 of 31 passes for 235 yards.

Those are barely better-than average statistics at most schools, but at Oklahoma they’re records.

The 18 completions breaks the school record by three, and the 31 attempts ties the school record set in 1938.

The 235 yards is only 11 shy of the school mark.

“I’m not much on records,” said Gundy, who threw for one score, ran for another and completed nine passes in a row. “I’m just glad we won the game.”

Oklahoma finished with 145 yards rushing, 205 below its average, against the Hokies’ eight-man front.

The last time the Sooners had more yards passing than rushing was last season against Colorado, when they threw for 221 and ran for 174.

Oklahoma came in having thrown 32 passes in its first two games, easy victories over North Texas and Utah State.

Virginia Tech is 1-3.

Iowa State 28, Rice 27--Ty Stewart kicked a 40-yard field goal with 32 seconds left as the Cyclones scored 11 points in the final 1:18 to beat the Owls at Houston.

Senior Chris Pedersen, who had lost his starting job to sophomore Bob Utter, came back and threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to Paul Schulte, then ran for the two-point conversion as the Cyclones (2-2) closed to 27-25.

Iowa State recovered an onside kick on Rice’s 47, then moved into field-goal range.

Trevor Cobb, who entered the game as the nation’s leading rusher with a 205-yard average, gained 240 yards and scored two touchdowns for Rice (2-1).

Darrell Richardson added three field goals.