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NORMAN, Oklahoma (Ticker) -- When Gary Nord was at Oklahoma, he never saw anything like this. The new coach at Texas-El Paso and former offensive coordinator with the Sooners saw his defense strafed by Josh Huepel and Reggie Works in a 55-14 loss to No. 19 Oklahoma. Nord ran Oklahoma's offense under Howard Schnellenberger in 1995, when the Sooners went 5-5-1 and ended the season with consecutive shutout losses. Defensive-minded Bob Stoops took over last year and has opened up the offense behind Heupel, who has made everyone forget the wishbone. Heupel completed 18-of-36 passes for 274 yards and two touchdowns and also ran for a score. Works, a freshman from Tulsa, did not see much action in the first half. But he ran for three scores in the final period and finished with 98 yards on 19 carries. Roy Williams returned an interception 35 yards for a score for Oklahoma (1-0), which amassed 409 yards and forced four turnovers as it scored its most points in a season opener since a 73-3 rout of New Mexico State in 1989. In the first quarter, Heupel had a sneak for a touchdown and a three-yard TD pass to Trent Smith around a scoring toss by UTEP's Rocky Perez, giving Oklahoma a 14-7 lead. It marked the first time a visitor scored in the opening quarter at Owen Field since 1998. OU's Tim Duncan kicked field goals of 22 yards at the end of the first two quarters. In between, Williams stepped in front of Perez's sideline pass and raced untouched to the end zone as the Sooners opened a 27-7 halftime lead. In the first minute of the third quarter, Heupel threw a 31-yard touchdown pass to Antwone Savage, who caught five passes for 87 yards. Chris Porter ran 19 yards for a score for the Miners (0-1) with 4:14 left in the third quarter before Works took over in the final period. He had scoring runs of 19, six and five yards in a 5:17 span as Oklahoma turned it into a laugher. Perez was 18-of-37 for 197 yards and two interceptions. Porter had 79 yards on 11 carries for UTEP, which was playing Oklahoma for the first time.
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