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Oklahoma Football Notes and Articles

Long named Aztec head coach: Thanks in part to Utah's Bowl Championship Series berth last season and a recent student fee increase at San Diego State, new Aztecs head football coach Chuck Long will be the second-highest paid coach in the Mountain West Conference at $700,000 a year in guaranteed pay. That's a big financial jump for SDSU, which previously paid about $400,000 annually to Tom Craft -- a rate of pay that ranked at the bottom of the conference. Long, 42, who agreed to a five-year contract, also will have the opportunity to make $1 million if he meets certain incentives, including $175,000 in bonuses for reaching to-be-determined figures in football revenue, $100,000 for earning a berth in a BCS game and $25,000 for winning the MWC championship. "It's an investment we're making, quite frankly," SDSU Athletic Director Jeff Schemmel said. "The permission I was given is to allow this university to invest in additional salary for a head coach and his assistants, but they (school officials) expect a return (on the investment) down the road." (San Diego Tribune)

Stoops statement on Long, and names Wilson O.C.: Oklahoma head coach Bob Stoops released the following statement Saturday night relating to Chuck Long's hiring as the head coach at San Diego State ... "Everyone associated with our team is happy and excited for Chuck. We understand his hiring is a positive reflection on our program and we thank him for the outstanding job he did for Oklahoma. Personally, I appreciate Chuck's dedication, professionalism and everything he has done for our program. It is not hard to trace the impact he had on Sooner football with productive offenses and decorated players. He has been a tremendous asset to this university. "With our congratulations we can say without hesitation that San Diego State has hired a great head football coach. "On our end, we don’t anticipate a major disruption. We have always felt that the sum of our parts is greater than any one individual. Our players understand how college football works and they also know that this is a positive reflection on them as well. 'On our remaining staff, Kevin Wilson will be the offensive coordinator for the Holiday Bowl and will be our offensive coordinator after that as well. I will decide fairly quickly how we will complete the staff. I have a direction in mind and I will work towards that. Since we are practicing at San Diego State for the bowl game, Chuck will spend some time with us in assisting our preparation, but Kevin will be the coordinator leading up to the game and on game night. (SoonerSports.com)

Onyenegecha suspended: Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops said senior cornerback Chijioke Onyenegecha was suspended from the team and will not play in the Holiday Bowl. "There's nothing to talk about," Stoops said. "He's suspended for the game, which means he's suspended for his last game. He's going to miss it and that's it. We have plenty of guys ready to play." Onyenegecha has not practiced with the team since practices resumed two weeks ago. (Norman Transcript)

Sooners present team awards: Oklahoma observed its annual football banquet Friday night at the Marriott Postal Training Center in Norman. Several players received awards that are presented within the team, while the senior class also received special recognition. The event is sponsored by the OU Touchdown Club. Awards presented at the banquet center on character and dedication. The Bob Kalsu Award, named for the former Oklahoma standout, who also was the only professional football player to lose his life in the Vietnam War, was presented to seniors Eric Bassey and Chris Chester. The Derrick Sheparrd Most Inspirational Walk-on Award also had two receipients in Hays McEachern and Dan Dixon. The Scout Team Players of the Year were McEachern and Brody Eldridge. Numerous videos highlighted the team accomplishments, while the lighter side featured out-takes from the Sooners' popular team intro video entitled, "There's Only One Oklahoma." The Sooners will practice Saturday and then take Sunday off before resuming Pacific Life Holiday Bowl preparations on Monday. (Sooner Sports PR)

Rufus NFL Option? Junior linebacker Rufus Alexander said Saturday he has not explored his NFL options, "yet." Juniors routinely seek evaluations of their NFL draft potential; Alexander said he had not done that. Defensive coordinator Brent Venables, who coaches the linebackers, said he and Alexander talked midway through the season and doesn't believe Alexander will leave early. "I know how people are," Venables said. "They try to poison you with the wrong information. Rufus is a lot smarter than that. ... He knows what he can do to be better and what he needs to do." (NewsOK.com)

Stoops picks Wilson to fill Long's shoes: The Oklahoman

Ex-Sooner Harris is at the heart of chicago's dominating defense: The Oklahoman

Stoops takes long view, goes with Wilson: Norman Transcript

Dixon and Ducks have had time to prepare for Okahoma's defense: The Oregonian