The Norman Transcript

OU Sports

November 9, 2007

Defense going the distance

OU Football Notepad

With three games left in the regular season and Oklahoma fighting to stay in the national championship race, winning big is almost as important as winning.

The Sooners trail Ohio State, LSU, Oregon and Kansas in the latest Bowl Championship Series standings. Only three regular season games remain to make a favorable impression.

OU coach Bob Stoops said this week the conditions will not change the outlook on the remaining games.

“You just do the best you can to play as well as you can and win,” Stoops said. “That’s all we can do.”

The Sooners are a 37-point favorite against Baylor and will be a favorite in their remaining games against Texas Tech and Oklahoma State.

Running up the score is tempting late in the season. But Stoops doesn’t envision seeing many offensive starters playing late into the game if blowouts occur.

Defense is different, however.

“You do what you feel you need to do to be ready for the next week or to make sure you have the rhythm you want,” he said. “I think we have always, defensively, kept our guys in longer because on defense you can’t punt the ball. If you’re not doing real well, they score.”



Stoops on list

OU coach Bob Stoops is among 16 coaches to have been named to the watch list for the Paul “Bear” Bryant Coach of the Year Award. The announcement was made by the awards committee of the American Heart Association.

The fourth-ranked Sooners are currently 8-1 with a 4-1 mark in the Big 12. Stoops’ teams have been ranked 127 straight weeks and have played for the national championship three times.

Stoops has been named consensus Big 12 Coach of the Year three times and has won a total of 10 national coach of the year honors, including the Bryant Award in 2000.

The Bryant Watch List will be narrowed to between five and 10 finalists Dec. 12. The finalists will attend an awards dinner on Jan. 17, 2008, where the winner will be announced.



Gresham receives Mackey honor

OU tight end Jermaine Gresham was named the John Mackey Tight End of the Week by the Nassau County Sports Commission. The sophomore recorded five receptions for 80 yards and four touchdowns in the Sooners’ 42-14 victory over Texas A&M.;

The four TDs matched Trent Smith’s OU record, and with eight for the season the Ardmore product now has more touchdown receptions than any Sooner tight end in a single season



Tickets available

A limited number of tickets are available for this Saturday’s game between Oklahoma and Baylor.

Tickets are $67 and will be on sale today beginning at 8 a.m. These tickets became available when they were not claimed by OU students. The game begins at 5:30 p.m.

Call the OU Athletics Ticket Office at 325-2424 or log on to www.soonersports.com for more information.

John Shinn

366-3536

jshinn@normantranscript.com

Text Only
OU Sports
  • Sooners make winning look easy

    As Oklahoma’s players locked arms around the pitching circle, coming together for what passed as a celebration following Saturday’s 7-1 NCAA Super Regional-clinching victory over Arizona, three gloves remained near second base....

    May 27, 2012

  • There are no easy outs in the lineup

    Looking for a gameplan to stop Oklahoma? Well, one may or may not be available, but walking two of the first three Sooners you face certainly isn’t part of it. Just ask Arizona’s Kenzie Fowler....

    May 27, 2012

  • Sooners will play for Big 12 championship

    OKLAHOMA CITY, — It’s been 16 years since Oklahoma won the Big 12 tournament. It’s closer now than its ever been to ending the streak. The Sooners rolled through Baylor, 7-2, on Saturday at Bricktown Ballpark to advance to the tournament’s ...

    May 27, 2012

  • Sooners send five more to nationals

    AUSTIN, Texas — Oklahoma track and field teams had five more individuals qualify for the NCAA Championship on Saturday evening at the NCAA West Preliminary. The men’s 4x100-meter relay team also advanced to the national semifinals....

    May 27, 2012

  • OU sophomore Jao-Javanil wins NCAA golf title

    FRANKLIN, Tenn. — Oklahoma’s Chirapat Jao-Javanil made Oklahoma golf history Friday, becoming the first Sooner, man or woman, to win an individual NCAA national championship....

    May 26, 2012

  • Pitching staff is exactly where Golloway wants it to be

    When the Big 12 tournament began, Oklahoma felt like it had the pitching staff to make a deep run. Dillon Overton, Jordan John, Jonathan Gray and Damien Magnifico gave them four quality starters and a closer — Steven Okert — capable of ...

    May 26, 2012

  • NCAA SUPER REGIONAL Sooners shut out Wildcats, need one more win for WCWS entry

    Oklahoma might have scored more runs, not committed an error and starting pitcher Keilani Ricketts could have been just a little more efficient along the way....

    May 26, 2012 1 Photo

  • Sooners send 4 more to NCAAs

    AUSTIN, Texas – Oklahoma’s track and field teams added four individuals to the list of Sooners advancing to the NCAA championship Friday at the NCAA West Preliminary. In addition to the four new qualifiers, Brittany Borman advanced to the ...

    May 26, 2012

  • Big 12, SEC deal breaks the mold

    It is unclear what the on-the-field product of the game-for-which-there-is-not-yet-a-name will be. Indeed, all we really know is the Big 12 and SEC plan to play a game on Jan. 1, 2015 (and on every Jan. 1, thereafter) that will include ...

    May 25, 2012

  • Rivalry helped shape program

    For coach Patty Gasso, it goes all the way back to 1995, her first year at Oklahoma. That was when her Sooners played Arizona six times throughout the season. Those Sooners were “annihilated” in all six of those contests....

    May 25, 2012

The Business Marquee
Facebook