GLENDALE, Ariz. — Oklahoma players fielded their final questions from the media prior to the Fiesta Bowl Saturday. Adrian Peterson didn’t use the time to give an indication of whether he will or won’t give up his final season eligibility and enter the NFL draft.
But he did answers questions involving the one knock against him. The junior running back has missed 11 games during his career due to injury, including the last seven with a broken collarbone.
He said that doesn’t make him injury-prone.
“It’s football. It’s a physical sport. Things happen, you get injured,” he said at Fiesta Bowl media day at University of Phoenix Stadium. “It’s people’s job to go out there and speculate and say that. I’m not the type of person that lets anything bother me, so that hasn’t really been a concern of mine.”
Of course, Peterson can lay those concerns to rest with his performance against Boise State Monday night.
But numbers aren’t a big concern to him.
“I wouldn’t mind making a point, but I don’t actually feel like I need to go out here and make a point,” Peterson said. “I feel like everything will come like things have been happening for me throughout the years. Just keeping the mind-set and the same attitude, go out there and run the ball hard, do what you do best and everything will take care of itself.”
What day is this?
OU has tried to keep its practice routine like it would for a normal game during Fiesta Bowl preparations.
OU coach Bob Stoops said doing that can cause some confusion. Saturday, he wasn’t even sure what day of the week it was.
“I look at it as Thursday,” he said. “You kind of go through your game week, getting prepared for the game, what you emphasize in practice. Today for us is like a Thursday practice. It’s kind of how you mentally go into it.”
They missed it
A lot of OU and Boise State’s players and coaches attended the Insight Bowl Friday night between Texas Tech and Minnesota at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe.
The Red Raiders rallied from a 38-7 deficit to win 44-41 in overtime. The comeback was the biggest ever in bowl history.
But most of the Sooners didn’t seen.
“We left,” Stoops said. “Not because we didn’t think (Texas Tech) could win, but to get out of there, get home, not fight traffic. We listened to it on the bus on the way home.”
Nothing to say yet
Senior defensive end Larry Birdine became infamous for his comments about USC prior to the 2005 Orange Bowl. He created a national story when he said then-Trojan quarterback Matt Leinart wasn’t deserving of the 2004 Heisman Trophy.
But he had virtually no pregame observations Saturday.
“I’m not going to fall for that trap,” he said.
Birdine did say he wasn’t going to remain mum long for very long, though.
“After the game is over with, ya’ll come see me and I’ll have something for ya’ll,” he said.
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