Oklahoma's opener against Arkansas State a reminder of 2000 national title season

Saturday's matchup one of many dots to connect between 2000 and 2023

By Douglas Miles, For The Crimson Captain

When the preseason college football rankings were released over two weeks ago, the Oklahoma fan base quickly played "connect the dots.”

With the Sooners at No. 20 in the Associated Press Poll and No. 19 in the USA Today Coaches Poll, it did not take much of a Google search for those with a keen memory to recall that in 2000 — Oklahoma's last national title season — the Sooners opened the season ranked 19th by the AP and 20th by the coaches.

It was a humorous coincidence that generated a smirk or two.

But when you also note that the Sooners are trying to rebound from a 6-7 season in which they lost five games by a touchdown or less – including four by three points and a bowl game that was lost on an opponent’s field goal with less than a minute to go – and are led by a second-year head coach in Brent Venables and have a left-handed quarterback (Dillon Gabriel) that is about to begin his second season under center for the Sooners, the similarities become downright silly.

The 2000 Sooners had the same dynamic with Coach Bob Stoops and senior southpaw quarterback Josh Heupel, who were each in their second season on campus. Stoops and Heupel were attempting to improve on a 1999 season in which they finished 7-5, led in all five of their defeats and, in much the same way last year’s team fell to Florida State on a late field goal in the Cheez-It Bowl, lost to Mississippi in the Independence Bowl on a field goal.

The parallels do not end there.

The current Sooners open the 2023 season on Saturday at 11 at Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. The opponent? Arkansas State, a team that has not appeared on the Oklahoma football schedule since, you guessed it, 2000.

“Arkansas State, in this day and age of the transfer portal, you never know what they are going to be,” Venables told “Sooner Football with Brent Venables Preview Show” host Chad McKee. “But of course, we have done our research and they have several newcomers, as well, and they have played a lot of people incredibly competitive.”

But what transpired in the last meeting against Arkansas State on Sep. 9, 2000? Sure, it was a lopsided 45-7 Oklahoma victory that has largely been forgotten given the heroics that followed that season. But when you take a closer look back, there are some fun memories.

For starters, it fell on Stoops’ 40th birthday. Given the amount of job rumors that circulated as a result of Stoops’ early success in Norman, it is remarkable to look back in 2023 and fully grasp the impact Stoops, now 63, made on the Oklahoma football program. Not only was Stoops a rousing success for 18 years on the Sooners’ sideline, but his continued support and involvement in with the program after his “retirement” – highlighted by his return as interim coach for the Dec. 2021 Alamo Bowl – further cemented his legendary status.

But at age of 40 in 2000, Stoops was just another young coach full of hope and vigor,

trying to return a college football “blueblood” to greatness.

Photo from “Sooner Football 2000”

“I did receive a fair number of presents with black balloons attached to them from friends around the country and here,” Stoops told “Sooner Football 2000” host Bob Barry Sr. with a laugh. “It was fun. It’s hard, I guess, to truly enjoy the day until after the football game because you’re thinking of everything that you have to do for the game, but I had some time early in the morning with my children and family and wife and I enjoyed the day there with them.”

As for Venables, he was just 29 years old and was in his second season as the Oklahoma co-defensive coordinator. It was his fifth season as a full-time assistant coach in college football.

Current Oklahoma offensive analyst Seth Littrell was senior fullback for the Sooners in 2000. He is back on campus after a seven-year stint as the North Texas head coach. Against Arkansas State, the Muskogee, Okla. native carried the ball three times for 14 yards and returned a kickoff.

During the broadcast, Fox Sports Net pay-per-view color commentator Dean Blevins – a former Oklahoma quarterback and currently the sports director at KWTV in Oklahoma City –

compared Seth Littrell his father Jim Littrell, who played for the Sooners from 1973-75 and won national titles in each of his last two seasons as Blevins’ teammate.

Photo from Fox Sports Net broadcast

“He looks exactly like his daddy when he runs the football,” Blevins said on the broadcast. “He is bigger, stronger and he’ll tell you, prettier and faster.”

Oklahoma freshman tailback Jamar Mozee saw action against Arkansas State. Mozee – now a Missouri high school head coach at Lee’s Summit North – is a prominent name in the football recruiting world as his program as already churned out one Sooners’ player (freshman offensive lineman Cayden Green) and currently has several Oklahoma targets on the Lee’s Summit roster.

As for the game, the Sooners jumped out to a 28-0 lead against the Indians – who changed their name to the Red Wolves in 2008 – and never looked back. Heupel threw for 301 yards and three touchdowns, which brought him even with Cale Gundy for career touchdown passes (35) in Oklahoma history. It took Heupel just 14 career games to achieve the record. Two of his scoring throws were to freshman receiver Andre Woolfolk. Heupel also ran for a score.

Senior J.T. Thatcher kickstarted an All-American season that would end with the Mosi Tatupu Award as the “College Football Special Teams Player of the Year” with 160 punt return yards (at the time a program record), including a 66-yard score.

A week after electrifying the Memorial Stadium crowd with a team-high 98 rushing yards and three touchdowns against UTEP, freshman tailback Renaldo Works again led the Sooners in rushing yards with 109 yards, including a spectacular 75-yard scamper to close the game’s scoring.

While it remains to be seen what will unfold for the 2023 Sooners, there is certainly positive precedent and good karma for those that believe in such things. It all starts Saturday against Arkansas State.