2000 Big 12 Championship Game
Encyclopedia
The 2000 Big 12 Championship Game was played on December 2, 2000 in Arrowhead Stadium
in Kansas City, Missouri
. The game determined the 2000 football
champion of the Big 12 Conference
. The Oklahoma Sooners
, winners of the South division of the Big 12, narrowly beat the Kansas State Wildcats
, who won the North division, by a score of 27-24. This was the first time the two teams met in the Big 12 Championship Game, as they would meet again in the 2003 edition
.
The Wildcats were coached by Bill Snyder
. They came into the game with at 10-2 record, including a 6-2 record in Big 12 play. The Sooners were coached by Bob Stoops
, in just his second year at the helm of the Sooners. Oklahoma came into the game with an 11-0 record including a 8-0 mark in conference play.
. The Sooners won 41-31. The Wildcats had hoped to even up the score and earn a first-ever trip to the BCS
, not mention end Oklahoma's perfect season.
Oklahoma had not lost a game coming into the championship game. They would go on to victory in the Big 12 Championship, as well as defeat Florida State Seminoles
in the 2001 Orange Bowl
, earning the program's 7th National Championship.
As OU won a school-record 12th game and advanced to the Bowl Championship Series
, the battle royale was about as even as pre-billed for the first 30 minutes.
The Sooners scored first in what would prove to be the decisive field goal in the three-point victory as Tim Duncan connected on a 33-yarder.
K-State then rallied for 10 unanswered points, starting with a 10-yard scoring run by Jonathan Beasley
on the first play of the second quarter. After an OU punt, KSU mounted a 12-play, 57-yard drive for a Jamie Rheem field goal from 22 yards.
Oklahoma stormed back to block a Wildcats’ punt as Josh Norman stepped in front of a KSU boot. Three plays later, quarterback Josh Heupel
connected with tight end Trent Smith for one of Smith’s record eight championship receptions and the tying touchdown with 2:56 left in the half.
In the second half, OU took a short-lived lead at 17-10 with 5:54 left in the third quarter as Heupel rushed over the goal line from seven yards. Less than two minutes later, Aaron Lockett cruised 58 yards on a punt runback for the first kick return for a touchdown in the Big 12 Championship.
Late in the third quarter and early in the final period, OU made the critical drive of the game. Heupel found Andre Woolfolk
with a pass to the back of the end zone, and Duncan’s kick made it 24-17 Sooners with 14:24 left in regulation.
A calculated gamble by Bob Stoops
and Sooners’ special teams’ coaches sent Duncan out to try his longest field goal of the season - a 46-yarder - with 1:25 on the clock. Duncan’s successful try was his longest of the year by six yards and gave Oklahoma just enough breathing room.
The elusive Beasley drove the Wildcats 60 yards in six plays in a span of 1:19. Oklahoma scooped up the ensuing onside kick and ran the final six seconds off the clock. For the fifth year in succession, the designated home team was victorious in the Dr Pepper Championship.
OU (3-0) - Tim Duncan 33-yard field goal; 7:16
Second Quarter
KSU (3-7) - Jonathan Beasley
10-yard run (Jamie Rheem kick); 14:54
KSU (3-10) - Rheem 22-yard field goal; 7:58
OU (10-10) - Trent Smith 1-yard pass from Josh Heupel
(Duncan kick); 2:56
Third Quarter
OU (17-10) - Josh Heupel 7-yard run (Duncan kick); 5:54
KSU (17-17) - Aaron Lockett 58-yard punt return (Rheem kick)
Fourth Quarter
OU (24-17) - Andre Woolfolk
17-yard pass from Heupel (Duncan kick); 14:24
OU (27-17) - Duncan 46-yard field goal; 1:25
KSU (27-24) - Quincy Morgan
16-yard pass from Beasley (Rheem kick); 0:06
and win their 7th national championship against the Florida State Seminoles
, 13-2.
Kansas State went on to beat the Tennessee Volunteers
in the 2001 Cotton Bowl
, 35 to 21.
Arrowhead Stadium
Arrowhead Stadium is a stadium located in Kansas City, Missouri and home to the NFL's Kansas City Chiefs....
in Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
. The game determined the 2000 football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
champion of the Big 12 Conference
Big 12 Conference
The Big 12 Conference is a college athletic conference of ten schools located in the Central United States, with its headquarters located in Las Colinas, a community in the Dallas, Texas suburb of Irving...
. The Oklahoma Sooners
2000 Oklahoma Sooners football team
The 2000 Oklahoma Sooners football team represented the University of Oklahoma in the college football season of 2000-2001. This season was Bob Stoops's second as head coach. The Sooners finished with a 13-0 record winning the Big 12 Conference and the national championship, the seventh national...
, winners of the South division of the Big 12, narrowly beat the Kansas State Wildcats
2000 Kansas State Wildcats football team
The 2000 Kansas State Wildcats football team represented Kansas State University in the college football season of 2000. The team's head football coach was Bill Snyder. The Wildcats played their home games in KSU Stadium. 2000 saw the wildcats finish with a record of 11-3, and a 6-2 record in...
, who won the North division, by a score of 27-24. This was the first time the two teams met in the Big 12 Championship Game, as they would meet again in the 2003 edition
2003 Big 12 Championship Game
The 2003 Big 12 Championship Game was played on December 6, 2003 in Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri. The game determined the 2003 football champion of the Big 12 Conference. The Oklahoma Sooners, winners of the South division of the Big 12, were upset by the Kansas State Wildcats, who...
.
The Wildcats were coached by Bill Snyder
Bill Snyder
Bill Snyder is the head football coach at Kansas State University. He was rehired to the position on November 24, 2008, making Snyder one of the rare college football head coaches to have non-consecutive tenure at the same school. Snyder previously served as head coach at the school from 1989 to...
. They came into the game with at 10-2 record, including a 6-2 record in Big 12 play. The Sooners were coached by Bob Stoops
Bob Stoops
Robert Anthony "Bob" Stoops is the head coach of the University of Oklahoma football team. During the 2000 season, Stoops led the Sooners to an Orange Bowl victory and a national championship....
, in just his second year at the helm of the Sooners. Oklahoma came into the game with an 11-0 record including a 8-0 mark in conference play.
Leading up to the game
The Wildcats had already lost to the Sooners in mid-October 2000, a game played in ManhattanManhattan, Kansas
Manhattan is a city located in the northeastern part of the state of Kansas in the United States, at the junction of the Kansas River and Big Blue River. It is the county seat of Riley County and the city extends into Pottawatomie County. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 52,281...
. The Sooners won 41-31. The Wildcats had hoped to even up the score and earn a first-ever trip to the BCS
Bowl Championship Series
The Bowl Championship Series is a selection system that creates five bowl match-ups involving ten of the top ranked teams in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision , including an opportunity for the top two to compete in the BCS National Championship Game.The BCS relies on a combination of...
, not mention end Oklahoma's perfect season.
Oklahoma had not lost a game coming into the championship game. They would go on to victory in the Big 12 Championship, as well as defeat Florida State Seminoles
2000 Florida State Seminoles football team
The 2000 Florida State Seminoles football team was the champion of the Atlantic Coast Conference. The team finished with a 11-2 record, and lost in the 2001 BCS National Title Game to the Oklahoma Sooners...
in the 2001 Orange Bowl
2001 Orange Bowl
The 2001 FedEx Orange Bowl game was a post-season college football bowl game and BCS National Championship match between the University of Oklahoma Sooners and the Florida State Seminoles on January 3, 2001, at Pro Player Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida...
, earning the program's 7th National Championship.
Game summary
In a scene filled with national championship tension and with two teams very familiar with one another, No. 1 Oklahoma edged No. 7/8 Kansas State, 27-24, for the Sooners’ first Big 12 football title.As OU won a school-record 12th game and advanced to the Bowl Championship Series
Bowl Championship Series
The Bowl Championship Series is a selection system that creates five bowl match-ups involving ten of the top ranked teams in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision , including an opportunity for the top two to compete in the BCS National Championship Game.The BCS relies on a combination of...
, the battle royale was about as even as pre-billed for the first 30 minutes.
The Sooners scored first in what would prove to be the decisive field goal in the three-point victory as Tim Duncan connected on a 33-yarder.
K-State then rallied for 10 unanswered points, starting with a 10-yard scoring run by Jonathan Beasley
Jonathan Beasley
Jonathan Beasley was a quarterback for the Kansas State Wildcats football team in 1999 and 2000. He currently serves as the offensive graduate assistant at Kansas State under head coach Bill Snyder....
on the first play of the second quarter. After an OU punt, KSU mounted a 12-play, 57-yard drive for a Jamie Rheem field goal from 22 yards.
Oklahoma stormed back to block a Wildcats’ punt as Josh Norman stepped in front of a KSU boot. Three plays later, quarterback Josh Heupel
Josh Heupel
Josh Heupel, , is the current co-offensive coordinator at the University of Oklahoma. He was the quarterback for the Oklahoma Sooners football team in 1999-2000, and led Oklahoma to the 2000 national championship.-Personal:...
connected with tight end Trent Smith for one of Smith’s record eight championship receptions and the tying touchdown with 2:56 left in the half.
In the second half, OU took a short-lived lead at 17-10 with 5:54 left in the third quarter as Heupel rushed over the goal line from seven yards. Less than two minutes later, Aaron Lockett cruised 58 yards on a punt runback for the first kick return for a touchdown in the Big 12 Championship.
Late in the third quarter and early in the final period, OU made the critical drive of the game. Heupel found Andre Woolfolk
Andre Woolfolk
Andre Maurice Woolfolk is an American football cornerback who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Tennessee Titans 28th overall in the first round of the 2003 NFL Draft. He played with the Titans from 2003-2006. He played college football at Oklahoma.Woolfolk had most recently been an...
with a pass to the back of the end zone, and Duncan’s kick made it 24-17 Sooners with 14:24 left in regulation.
A calculated gamble by Bob Stoops
Bob Stoops
Robert Anthony "Bob" Stoops is the head coach of the University of Oklahoma football team. During the 2000 season, Stoops led the Sooners to an Orange Bowl victory and a national championship....
and Sooners’ special teams’ coaches sent Duncan out to try his longest field goal of the season - a 46-yarder - with 1:25 on the clock. Duncan’s successful try was his longest of the year by six yards and gave Oklahoma just enough breathing room.
The elusive Beasley drove the Wildcats 60 yards in six plays in a span of 1:19. Oklahoma scooped up the ensuing onside kick and ran the final six seconds off the clock. For the fifth year in succession, the designated home team was victorious in the Dr Pepper Championship.
Scoring summary
First QuarterOU (3-0) - Tim Duncan 33-yard field goal; 7:16
Second Quarter
KSU (3-7) - Jonathan Beasley
Jonathan Beasley
Jonathan Beasley was a quarterback for the Kansas State Wildcats football team in 1999 and 2000. He currently serves as the offensive graduate assistant at Kansas State under head coach Bill Snyder....
10-yard run (Jamie Rheem kick); 14:54
KSU (3-10) - Rheem 22-yard field goal; 7:58
OU (10-10) - Trent Smith 1-yard pass from Josh Heupel
Josh Heupel
Josh Heupel, , is the current co-offensive coordinator at the University of Oklahoma. He was the quarterback for the Oklahoma Sooners football team in 1999-2000, and led Oklahoma to the 2000 national championship.-Personal:...
(Duncan kick); 2:56
Third Quarter
OU (17-10) - Josh Heupel 7-yard run (Duncan kick); 5:54
KSU (17-17) - Aaron Lockett 58-yard punt return (Rheem kick)
Fourth Quarter
OU (24-17) - Andre Woolfolk
Andre Woolfolk
Andre Maurice Woolfolk is an American football cornerback who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Tennessee Titans 28th overall in the first round of the 2003 NFL Draft. He played with the Titans from 2003-2006. He played college football at Oklahoma.Woolfolk had most recently been an...
17-yard pass from Heupel (Duncan kick); 14:24
OU (27-17) - Duncan 46-yard field goal; 1:25
KSU (27-24) - Quincy Morgan
Quincy Morgan
Quincy Demond Earl Morgan is an American football free agent wide receiver in the National Football League who has played for the Cleveland Browns, Dallas Cowboys, Pittsburgh Steelers, and the Denver Broncos...
16-yard pass from Beasley (Rheem kick); 0:06
After the game
The Sooners went on to play in the 2001 Orange Bowl2001 Orange Bowl
The 2001 FedEx Orange Bowl game was a post-season college football bowl game and BCS National Championship match between the University of Oklahoma Sooners and the Florida State Seminoles on January 3, 2001, at Pro Player Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida...
and win their 7th national championship against the Florida State Seminoles
Florida State Seminoles football
The Florida State Seminoles football team represents Florida State University in college football. The Florida State Seminoles compete in NCAA Division I-FBS and are members of the Atlantic Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference...
, 13-2.
Kansas State went on to beat the Tennessee Volunteers
Tennessee Volunteers football
The Tennessee Volunteers football team are an American college football team at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville . The NCAA Division I team is also a member of the Southeastern Conference ....
in the 2001 Cotton Bowl
2001 Cotton Bowl
The 2001 Southwestern Bell Cotton Bowl Classic was a college football bowl game played on January 1, 2001, at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Texas, USA. The Cotton Bowl was part of the 2000 NCAA Division I-A football season...
, 35 to 21.