Oklahoma football: Landry Jones' career comes full circle

Two New Mexico state titles, a redshirt season and three bowl victories later, Jones prepares for Jan. 4's Cotton Bowl Classic — the 50th and final start of his prolific college football career.

To win his sixth consecutive season finale as a starting quarterback, he'll have to beat Texas A&M inside Cowboys Stadium, the same venue in which Jones took the first snap of his Sooner football tenure.

A BYU linebacker leveled Sam Bradford just before halftime of OU's 2009 season opener, knocking the returning Heisman Trophy winner from the game with a sprained shoulder.

Jones played the entire second half, completing 6 of 12 passes for 51 yards in a 14-13 loss.

The day after Oklahoma's 2012-13 bowl destination was announced, Whitney Hand, Jones' wife, reminded him that his OU career will begin and end in the same stadium.

“She said how interesting it was to see how I've come full circle here,” Jones said.

Within the first few minutes of the third quarter against BYU, Jones completed a 13-yard pass to Brandon Caleb.

Thirty-eight months, 16,353 passing yards, 2,135 pass attempts and 1,352 completions later, Jones owns school records in all three — and conference records in the first two — statistical categories.

“He was genuinely excited to play and looking forward to it; that's what you love,” Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops said of Jones' halftime demeanor in the BYU game.