By John Shinn
Transcript Sports Writer
Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops admits it's an odd feeling going into Bedlam without a shot at getting into the Big 12 championship game.
"This is different," he said at his weekly press conference. "But there's been a lot of unusual circumstances around this year."
He was, of course, referring to the plague of season-ending injuries the Sooners have suffered this season. But the this marks only the third time in Stoops' 11 seasons his team is getting ready to play Oklahoma State without either knowing it would play for the conference title and needing a win to get there.
The last time Bedlam was played under those circumstances was in 2005. The other was in Stoops' first season in 1999.
No quit
Many, both locally and nationally, called the Sooners out for quitting in last Saturday's 41-13 loss to Texas Tech. Stoops and players insisted that wasn't the case following the game and in the days since.
"I hadn't actually heard that but Coach Stoops did mention it to us today. I think that's definitely not the case," running back DeMarco Murray said. "This team will never give up no matter what the circumstances are. Tech was the better team on Saturday. They out-played us and they out-coached us. They were the better team on Saturday."
More reps for McFarland
Freshman defensive tackle Jamarkus McFarland is expected to see more playing time against Oklahoma State.
Adrian Taylor, who has started 26 straight games dating back to last season, has been limited in practice this week due to a leg injury. He's expected to play, but defensive coordinator Brent Venables admitted Tuesday he doesn't know how much.
"Jamarkus came in and did well in the game (against Texas Tech) and did the week before," Venables said. "It depends on how Adrian feels and what percentage he's back. If he's not full speed, we'll definitely have to (play McFarland more.)"
Replacing defensive leaders
Senior defensive end Auston English was knocked out for the season with a foot injury against Nebraska. Middle linebacker Ryan Reynolds will also likely miss the OSU game with a hamstring injury.
Defensive tackle Gerald McCoy said playing without both leaves a big void.
"It's kind of hard to replace both those guys. They have so much experience. Veterans on the field, they play so well for us. It's pretty difficult to replace them," he said. "But we have some good
backups for them. Austin Box will step in, Frank's (Alexander) has been doing pretty good. I mean, you can never really just replace 'em, but you have somebody just fill those voids."
More pressure
Junior center Brian Lepak will make his first start against Oklahoma State. The walk-on was thrust into the role after Ben Habern suffered a broken fibula against Texas Tech.
Lepak said he can handle the added pressure of becoming a starter.
"It's a great opportunity and I'm really looking forward to this week and practicing and I'm definitely looking forward to the game on Saturday," he said. "It's nice to be assigned a specific position. I've been kind of rotating around with the interior three, but I'm focusing on center for this week and getting ready to go."
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