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The Honolulu Advertiser
Updated at 2:04 p.m., Tuesday, December 9, 2008

CFB: Oklahoma's OC wins Broyles Award as top assistant

By NOAH TRISTER
AP Sports Writer

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Oklahoma offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson was given the Broyles Award on Tuesday as the nation's top assistant coach.

The Sooners will play Florida in the BCS title game thanks to an offense that has scored at least 60 points in five straight games. Led by quarterback Sam Bradford, Oklahoma has scored an NCAA-record 702 points this season.

Wilson credited his players and his fellow assistants on the Oklahoma staff.

"I call the plays, I'm the guy in charge, but it's a collective group. It's a total group effort as we meet, it's a total group effort as we coach," he said. "I'm being recognized because of the efforts of a lot of people. I'm just proud to be here representing our group."

The other finalists were Florida defensive coordinator Charlie Strong, Utah defensive coordinator Gary Andersen, TCU defensive coordinator Dick Bumpas and Ball State offensive coordinator Stan Parrish.

The Broyles Award is named for former Arkansas football coach Frank Broyles. More than 25 of his assistants became head coaches, including Joe Gibbs, Jimmy Johnson and Johnny Majors.

Broyles took over at Arkansas in December 1957 and coached through the 1976 season. He stayed on as athletic director until the end of last year.

He talked about how advanced spread and no-huddle schemes have become.

"I used to think, 'Boy, this is fun coaching defense because they've only got one flanker.' ... They couldn't spread the field on me," Broyles said. "Then they went to two flankers. And then they went to three and I quit."