Jenni Carlson, Sports columnist
Sam Bradford living in a dream world
Superman Sam A Heisman and a national title within his grasp
By Jenni Carlson
Comments 
6
Published: December 1, 2008
Modified: December 4, 2008 at 7:00 pm
STILLWATER — Nothing rattled Sam Bradford for nearly four hours Saturday evening.
Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford (14) is flipped upside down as he leaps over Oklahoma State’s Orie Lemon (41) during the second half Saturday in Stillwater. PHOTO BY CHRIS LANDSBERGER
Multimedia
NewsOK Related Articles
Blitzing defenders?
No problem.
National championship pressures?
Big 12 title game questions? Ever-changing defenses?
No worries.
Teeth-rattling, somersault-inducing hits?
Little league stuff, he says.
No doubt you’ve already marveled about it, discussed it, maybe even YouTubed it. It is Bradford’s Heisman highlight. It is The Play.
His team leading by only four points and his offense facing a long third-and-goal Saturday night, the Oklahoma quarterback scrambled right and headed down the sideline. Nearing the goal line, he dove.
A couple of
Oklahoma State defenders did the same.
The collision sent Bradford heels over head. He cartwheeled through the air and landed on his belly just short of the goal line.
That dive will be part of Bradford lore for years to come. Less than 24 hours after the game, footage of the flip had already been posted on
YouTube and viewed thousands of times. One even dubbed Bradford with a new nickname — "Superman Sam.”
"It was interesting,” he said sheepishly of the dive. "It reminds me of a play I had in little league.”
No biggie, huh?
Truth is, this was bigger than big. It was the moment in the game that likely won Bradford the
Heisman Trophy.
"To be honest, I really don’t even care,” he said of winning the little bronze statue. "All I know is that I gave our team a chance to play in
Kansas City next week.”
Did he ever.
Bradford orchestrated the
Sooners’ 61-41 victory over the
Cowboys, catapulting OU over
Texas in the
BCS standings, breaking the Big 12 South’s three-way tie and punching the Sooners’ ticket for the conference championship game.
Bradford threw for 370 yards and four touchdowns while rewriting the Sooner record books yet again. He broke
Josh Heupel’s single-season record with 4,082 passing yards and
Jason White’s career record with 82 touchdown passes.
And so the legend grows.
"He will be in
New York come picking day,” Sooner
tailback Chris Brown said.
Bradford’s invitation to the Heisman ceremony has yet to be extended, but it’s only a formality. He is already on the guest list for college football’s big awards show in
Orlando, and he’s becoming something of a postgame regular with
ESPN’s GameDay crew. As Bradford sat on the show’s set Saturday night, chants of "Heisman Trophy” echoed around the emptying stadium.
All of it has to be a little surreal.
"A little bit,” Bradford admitted, "but I think the biggest thing these past two weeks is the way our team’s played. I couldn’t be prouder of going out there and playing with those guys.”
Bradford has become their spokesman. He is the unassuming superstar, the team player, the guy who would rather tout his offensive linemen than his completion percentage.
Bradford has become a sought-after commodity. Interviews. Autographs. Face-of-the-program duties.
Yet, he is still the guy taking more notes in meetings and watching more video in preparation than anyone else on the team. He’s still intense during the week and wired on game day.
Then again, this is what Bradford dreamt about as a kid.
"Getting to play for Oklahoma is one thing,” he said, "but getting to play for Oklahoma and having the possibility to win a Big 12 championship and then maybe even a national championship ... it’s like a dream come true.”
Bradford and the Sooners took another big step toward realizing those dreams this weekend.
And when all was said and done, Bradford finally emerged from the Sooner locker room and walked across the
Gallagher-Iba Arena lobby around midnight. The fans gathered around the team buses hooted and hollered when he stepped out the doors, but Bradford never broke stride. He just kept going down the steps, around a corner and into the Oklahoma night.
Jenni Carlson: 475-3314.
Jenni Carlson can be heard Monday-Friday from 3-6 p.m. on KEBC-AM 1340.
Leave a Comment
Sports Photo Galleriesview all
Prev
Something to say about this topic? Submit a Letter to the Editor online
Thank you for joining our conversations on newsok. We encourage your discussions but ask that you stay within the bounds of our terms and conditions. Please help us by reporting comments that violate these guidelines. To review our rules of engagement, go to Commenting and posting policy.
Log in below or sign up (it's free).
Great moment! Don't ever @#$!% do it again! Coach Gundy; please teach this kid to hook-slide.