Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops, offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson and quarterback Sam Bradford all expressed a level of frustration with not being able to get wide receiver Malcolm Kelly the ball last Saturday against Colorado.
Kelly was frustrated, too, but said he put it all behind him Monday.
“If I sit around and worry about that all week, then I’m not getting better and I’m not getting ready for Texas,” he said. “That’s all behind me. Today is a new day.”
Kelly has already caught seven touchdown passes this season, but none have come in the last two games. Both Colorado and Tulsa double-covered the junior receiver on nearly every play.
The Sooners have been working on different ways to free Kelly up as they prepare for Saturday’s showdown with the Longhorns.
“We’ve been working on different formations to give the defense something else to think about,” Kelly said Monday. “We’re going to switch it up a little bit and get a little more variation in the offense.”
Expect Kelly to go in motion more than he has in previous games. He could also line up in spots other than wide receiver. Kelly and OU’s coaches aren’t specific on any new wrinkle but they’re on the same page.
“We've got to be able to get the ball to him,” Stoops said.
Reynolds all right
Linebacker Ryan Reynolds appeared to lumber at times during at Colorado. Trainers worked on his right shoulder during the game and he missed some plays, though he still posted 15 tackles, two for losses.
Defensive coordinator Brent Venables said Reynolds was just a little sore after the game and will be ready to play Saturday against Texas. Venables also expressed a need to get somebody to spell Reynolds, who is coming off offseason knee surgery, too.
“We’ve been doing that. I probably could have spelled him earlier,” Venables said. “The guy played a lot. He played his fanny off.”
Lewis Baker, the starting strongside linebacker, played a few plays in Reynolds’ spot against the Buffaloes. That could happen against the Longhorns, too.
“We probably could have managed that a little better,” Venables said. “Obviously (Reynolds) didn’t want to come out. At some point in time, that would help him and us.”
Healthy rivalry?
Few rivalries come with as much passion as the Red River rivalry.
Texas coach Mack Brown was asked Monday if the rivalry was getting out of hand between the two schools. Brown said if it were just the two schools, things would be different.
“You’re talking about two states here, so I think it would be hard to say, ‘between the fans’ because that’s too broad,” Brown said. “There are some fans that sure don’t like each other and are very aggressive.”
Brown is familiar with the case of an OU fan who grabbed a Texas fan between the legs at an Oklahoma City bar in August, leaving the Longhorn supporter with serious injuries.
“I’m not going to wear a T-shirt in a bar in Oklahoma,” Brown said.
Missouri kick
It was announced Monday the Oct. 13 OU-Missouri will kick off at 5:30 p.m. at Owen Field. The game will be televised by Fox Sports Net (Cox 37).
John Shinn
366-3536
jshinn@normantranscript.com
OU Sports
Kelly a focus
Red River notepad
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