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End to Tigers’ tale

Oklahoma poses with the Big 12 Conference championship trophy Saturday after beating Missouri. Associated Press (Associated Press / The Spokesman-Review)
Jim Vertuno Associated Press
Oklahoma poses with the Big 12 Conference championship trophy Saturday after beating Missouri. Associated Press (Associated Press / The Spokesman-Review)

SAN ANTONIO – The championship dream finally died for No. 1 Missouri. The Oklahoma Sooners showed the Tigers just what it takes to win a title: defense and a bruising running game near the goal line.

The No. 9 Sooners rushed for three touchdowns, quarterback Sam Bradford threw for two more and Oklahoma coolly captured its fifth Big 12 title since 2000 by upending the upstart Tigers 38-17 Saturday night in the conference championship game in the Alamodome.

Now that the Tigers are out of the Bowl Championship Series title game, the question is “Who’s in?”

With No. 1 Missouri (11-2) and No. 2 West Virginia both losing, No. 3 Ohio State gets a boost into the Jan. 7 title game in New Orleans. Today’s BCS rankings will decide what opponent gets an unexpected chance to play for the national championship.

Maybe it should have been Missouri, but it isn’t.

Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops suggested maybe it should be the Sooners.

“You all voted them (Missouri) No. 1 and we beat them … for the second time on a neutral field,” Stoops said.

The Sooners (11-2) contained the Tigers’ Heisman Trophy hopeful quarterback Chase Daniel and three times forced one of the nation’s best offenses to settle for short field goals instead of touchdowns. It was the first time this season Missouri was held to less than 30 points.

“This one will hurt for a while,” Daniel said. “Sometimes it doesn’t work out for you.”

When given the chance, the Sooners pounded the Tigers with short-yardage rushing TDs. Chris Brown scored twice and Allen Patrick added another. Bradford’s TD passes in the second half pulled the Sooners away from a 14-14 halftime tie and wrapped up a berth in the Fiesta Bowl for the second straight year.

Daniel, who needed a big game and a win to boost his Heisman chances, was 23 of 39 for 219 yards and no touchdowns. He ran for the Tigers’ only TD in the second quarter.

One of his incompletions was a tipped pass that was intercepted by OU linebacker Curtis Lofton that set up Bradford’s first touchdown pass and a 28-14 Sooners lead in the third quarter.

Bradford was 18 of 26 for 209 yards. Patrick and Brown combined to rush for 159 yards for the Sooners.

It was a bitter defeat for a Missouri program ready to shed its unglamorous past with a chance to play for the national championship.

Daniel’s fiery play had led the Tigers to one of the greatest season in Mizzou history. Their North Division title was their first football championship of any kind since 1969.

Until this season, Mizzou football was best known for being on the wrong side of bizarre plays in other team’s championship seasons: Colorado’s famous “fifth” down in 1990 and Nebraska’s miracle kicked pass TD that saved the Cornhuskers in ‘97.

A win over an Oklahoma team that had beaten them in October would have been a major step toward erasing that dubious distinction.

But the Sooners are known for winning championships and dominating the Big 12.

Coach Bob Stoops is 5-1 in Big 12 title games and his Sooners approached this one with “been-there-done-that” swagger.

“It feels great. We are very blessed. I have terrific guys and feel great about them right now,” Stoops said. “We took care of the football (and) played physical.”