BIG EIGHT ROUNDUP : Oklahoma Passes By Iowa State

The method may be changing at Oklahoma, but the expected result certainly hasn’t.

Cale Gundy completed 12 of 20 passes for 206 yards and three touchdowns as No. 5 Oklahoma remained unbeaten with a 29-8 victory over Iowa State in its Big Eight Conference opener Saturday at Ames, Iowa.

With Gundy at the controls, the Sooners are no longer a team that lives and dies by the run. For two consecutive games, Oklahoma has gained more yardage passing than running.

Gundy connected on touchdown pass plays of 17 yards to Rickey Brady and 37 yards to Corey Warren in the first half and put the game out of reach with a 31-yard scoring pass play to Warren on fourth and eight in the fourth quarter.

“We’re 4-0. How you do it makes no difference,” Oklahoma Coach Gary Gibbs said. “If you’re able to burn them with the touchdown pass on fourth down because they’re blitzing, then you take advantage of that.”

The temperature was 41 at game time and a northwest wind of 18 m.p.h produced a wind chill of 21. It even snowed briefly in the third quarter.

“We planned on running and throwing the ball about the same amount,” said Gundy, who is eighth on Oklahoma’s career passing list with 1,569 yards. “We want to be able to go up to the line of scrimmage with a couple of plays called so we can check off if we have to.”

Oklahoma played most of the game without leading rusher Dewell Brewer, who suffered a hyper-extended right knee late in the first quarter. Mike Gaddis gained 118 yards in 26 carries.

The Sooners held Iowa State to 253 yards and had eight sacks, including seven of Chris Pedersen.

Oklahoma has won 28 of its last 30 games against Iowa State, including 15 in a row at Ames.

Virginia 31, Kansas 19--Matt Blundin passed for two touchdowns and Virginia converted four Kansas turnovers into 24 points at Charlottesville, Va.

Terry Kirby rushed for 107 yards, including a 64-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter, as Virginia (3-2) overcame a sluggish first half.

Kansas (4-1) got 124 yards rushing from tailback Tony Sands, but the Jayhawks had one pass intercepted and lost three fumbles.

P.J. Killian put Virginia ahead to stay, 17-13, midway through the third quarter when he intercepted a pass by Chip Hilleary and returned it 20 yards for a touchdown.

Missouri 31, Memphis State 21--Missouri intercepted five passes, forced five fumbles and scored all of its points in the second quarter in a nonconference victory at Columbia, Mo.

Michael Washington scored two touchdowns for Missouri (2-1-1), which is off to its best start in nearly a decade. The last time the Tigers entered Big Eight Conference play with a winning record was 1982, when they were 3-1.

Memphis State (2-3) had a 7-0 lead after one quarter on a one-yard scoring run by junior tailback Xavier Crawford.

Missouri scored three touchdowns in less than three minutes in its big second quarter.