COLLEGE FOOTBALL : Holieway Tunes Up for USC : He Leads Sooners to 28-10 Victory Over Arizona

Oklahoma quarterback Jamelle Holieway says he’s not about to let a reconditioned knee or a bum elbow keep him from his much-anticipated trip home to Los Angeles next weekend to play USC at the Coliseum.

“I won’t have any excuses,” said Holieway, who rushed for 75 yards and passed for 73--including 43 on a touchdown pass play to Eric Bross--to lead the fourth-ranked Sooners to a 28-10 victory over Arizona Saturday. “I can cut, I can spin. There are no doubts in my mind.”

Holieway, who played most of the second half after starter Charles Thompson left the game with a back injury, buried the Wildcats with a little passing and a little running in a crucial third-quarter drive.

On third and 2 from the Sooners’ 21, he ran down the right sideline for 34 yards, then passed to Bross for the touchdown one play later.

“Jamelle Holieway had a great game, as we expected he would,” said Oklahoma Coach Barry Switzer of the former star at Los Angeles’ Banning High. “His execution was outstanding on the first three or four plays.”

Holieway injured his knee last season and hurt his elbow when he hit the turf Saturday. Switzer said he doesn’t know the extent of Holieway’s elbow injury. “Sometimes those things swell up and cause problems,” Switzer said.

Holieway said the elbow injury won’t affect his play against USC. “We’ll just tape it up,” he said.

Holieway’s 148 yards in total offense moved him into second place in career offense at Oklahoma, giving him 4,392 yards in total offense, second only to Jack Mildren’s 4,831 yards.

The Wildcats (2-1) and Oklahoma (2-0) created plenty of problems for themselves by fumbling.

Oklahoma, which led, 14-3, at halftime, fumbled 7 times, losing 2 in the third quarter. Arizona’s Pete Russell recovered Holieway’s fumble at the Sooners’ 45-yard line on Oklahoma’s first drive of the second half, and the Wildcats scored 6 plays later on Mario Hampton’s 9-yard run, making it 14-10.

Holieway put the Wildcats away with his 34-yard run and subsequent scoring pass to Bross.

The Wildcats’ final threat early in the fourth quarter ended when Ken McMichel intercepted Bobby Watters’ fourth-down pass in the end zone.

Oklahoma gained 352 yards, 265 on the ground, while Arizona had 284 total yards.