(10/5) Peterson Cleared, UT's Young on QB Thompsons move, Stoops on relocation, Bomar and more.

Oklahoma Football Notes and Articles

Peterson cleared: Still nursing a sprained ankle, OU tailback Adrian Peterson did not practice Tuesday. But afterward, coach Bob Stoops said the sophomore had been cleared by doctors. "We told him to wait until (Wednesday)," Stoops said. It’s unclear whether Peterson is back at full-speed. He wore a protective boot as he watched practice Tuesday. But it's not necessarily an indication of a severe injury; it's a routine prescription for OU players who are nursing ankle injuries. One day last week, Travis Wilson wore a boot to classes, but he practiced, then played at full-speed against Kansas State. (NewsOK.com)

Young on Thompson move from QB to WR: Earlier this season, OU's Paul Thompson volunteered to move to receiver after losing the starting quarterback job to Rhett Bomar. Young, who counts Thompson as a friend, says he never would have made such a decision. "I wouldn't sell out myself," Young said. "If somebody took my job, I'd be fighting to take it back." (San Antonio Express)

Tough ticket to get: Think fans have it tough getting tickets? Try being in receiver Travis Wilson's shoes. The Carrollton Creekview graduate said he's received tons of ticket requests from family and friends, but he's limited to the four seats players receive. "Man, for this game, nobody's giving up their tickets," Wilson said. (Dallas Morning News)

Stoops on moving Red River Shootout: Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops said it’s a decision that won't be made by the football program. "That is for our administration," Stoops said. "I understand my place and my place is to run our football team. If they say go play across the street, we'll go play across the street. If we go to Texas to play down in their stadium, we’ll play. If they come up here, we’ll play. "We'll do whatever is necessary and what we feel is appropriate and right for our programs. And I'm all for whatever (our administration feels) that is. And I trust Texas' administration as well to be on board and do what's best for our programs." (Norman Transcript)

Dvoracek on Texas Confidence: Word has filtered back to Norman that the Longhorns are feeling quite confident about snapping their five-game losing streak to OU. Dusty Dvoracek is one Sooner who doesn't blame the Longhorns for feeling that way. "There's no reason they shouldn't be confident," the senior defensive tackle said. "There's no reason they shouldn't feel like they're going to walk over us. They've earned that and they deserve it." (Austin American Statesman)

Young to Bomar: Texas QB Vince Young said he's noticed that Oklahoma freshman QB Rhett Bomar tries to run over defenders when he scrambles. "He'll learn soon that he can't take all those hits," Young said. (Dallas Morning News)

Texas Travel Update: Football fans headed for the OU-Texas game this weekend won't have to worry about Interstate 35 in Oklahoma. Miles of construction near the Texas state line will be on hold, and all four lanes will be open, state officials said Tuesday. One reason is how much it would cost contractors in "lane rental," a penalty in the contract that takes effect Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's and the weekend of the University of Oklahoma-University of Texas football game in Dallas. If even one lane were to remain closed this weekend, contractors would be charged $288,000. "That's an incentive to get the road open," said Mark Zishka, an Oklahoma Department of Transportation engineer. Transportation officials also were assured Tuesday by contractors that both lanes northbound and southbound in a bridge repair project north of Purcell will be open during the weekend. So although traffic will be heavy on I-35 in Oklahoma, it should be at full capacity. Now for the bad news. Interstate 35 East in Texas won't be. I-35E south of Lewisville, Texas, between Frankford Road and FM 3040 will have lane closures both northbound and southbound until 3:30 p.m. Saturday, said Bill Powell, spokesman for the Texas Department of Transportation. (NewsOK.com)

Bush moves to center: OU offensive line coach Kevin Wilson isn't ruling out a chance center Chris Chester might play Saturday but he isn’t counting on it. "I know he wants to and he’s trying," Wilson said, "but we're preparing like he won't." Chester suffered a knee injury early in the second half against Kansas State. Chris Bush moved from right guard to center when Chester went down. J.D. Quinn moved to the right guard spot. (Norman Transcript)

Longhorn DE, Robison to play: Longhorns' defensive end Brian Robison said he will play after injuring a rib while chasing Missouri quarterback Brad Smith on Saturday. "I made a last-ditch effort to tackle him and landed on my side and dislocated one of my ribs,'' Robison said. "After I went to the sideline, I took a few deep breaths and it popped back into place." Robison did not play the rest of the game but expects to start against the Sooners. He is is off to a solid start this season, with 17 solo tackles that tie him for second on the team. He also has two sacks and nine tackles behind the line of scrimmage. (Austin American Statesman)

Freshman Charles to Start for Texas: So much has been made about Mack Brown refusing to rely on freshmen against Oklahoma in the past that he jokingly said he might not start freshman tailback Jamaal Charles on Saturday. Brown did not start receivers Roy Williams and B.J. Johnson, running back Cedric Benson or running back/receiver Ramonce Taylor against OU in recent years. Brown started Charles against Missouri on Saturday and rotated junior Selvin Young into the game. (Dallas Morning News)

Texas looks to recapture Golden Hat: Shortly after predicting that the Longhorns would be leaving the Cotton Bowl in possession of the Golden Hat, defensive tackle Rod Wright stopped himself. "Do they still give that out?" Wright asked about the traveling trophy that goes to the winning team in the Red River Rivalry. "We've always been inside the locker room when the presentation's going on." Reassured that the trophy still exists, despite its five-year hiatus from Austin, Wright smiled. "That's the goal [Saturday]," Wright said. "I want to see what happens at the end of the game." (Fort Worth Star Telegram)

Switzer likes Texas's chances: Former Oklahoma coach Barry Switzer said Tuesday the team in the Texas-OU series who has "the best quarterbacking and talent" wins the game. So he thinks it's probably UT's turn to win this season, unless the Longhorns can't handle the pressure. "This year, Vincent Young has the best chance to win," said Switzer, who employed Mack Brown as his offensive coordinator at OU in 1984. "Last year, he didn't because Oklahoma had the Heisman Trophy winner in Jason White. "This year, Vincent Young is the best and has the best talent. But if they [Longhorns] go out and turn it over, they'll get their butts beat by Oklahoma." (Dallas Morning News)

Oklahoma players and coaches on Texas: SoonerSports.com

Rivalry gets special programming: The Oklahoman

Stoops can earn paycheck with UT win: The Oklahoman

OU underdogs? Well, maybe this year: The Oklahoman

Under pressure -- Sooners have thrived on it; Longhorns not so much: Norman Transcript

Sooners ready for Texas: Oklahoma Daily

Thompson paid dues, should be quarterback: Oklahoma Daily

Who's it going to be?: Norman Transcript

Stoops not acting like underdog: Dallas Morning News

Rivalry report: Wednesday: Dallas Morning News

OU Quarterback's style is fever pitch: Dallas Morning News

Last chance has Dvoracek excited: Ft. Worth Star-Telegram

Bomar's first big test: Ft. Worth Star-Telegram

Key Matchup -- Oklahoma running game vs. Texas defense: Ft. Worth Star-Telegram

Is that you, OU?: Austin American-Statesman

Horns assume Peterson will play: Austin American-Statesman

Keep UT-OU at Cotton Bowl: Austin American-Statesman

Ex-OU QB still harbors ill feelings for Texas: San Antonio News-Express

OU's Dvoracek savors last chance: San Antonio News-Express

Longhorns defensive linemen try to not lick chops: San Antonio News-Express

Texas confident it can run at will: Houston Chronicle

Bomar gives OU a leg up at QB: Houston Chronicle

UT's Charles ready to grab starring role: Houston Chronicle