Oklahoma Sooners Football Blog: (8/4) Peterson Comments on Ex Sooners, OU #5 in Preseason Poll and more.

Oklahoma Sooner Football Articles and Notes

Oklahoma Ranks #5 in Preseason Coaches Poll: Oklahoma begins the 2006 season ranked No. 5 in the Coaches' Poll. The Sooners received the most No. 1 votes (13) of any team other than preseason No. 1 Ohio State (28). Texas sat at No. 2 with USC and Notre Dame tied at No. 3. The rest of the top 10 included Auburn, West Virginia, Florida, LSU and Florida State. OU was one of four Big 12 Conference teams in the top 25. Nebraska checked in at No. 22 with Texas Tech at No. 25. Iowa State, Texas A&M and Colorado received votes. (SoonerSports.com Release)

Former Oklahoma players talk: Rhett Bomar and J.D. Quinn expressed remorse and apologized for breaking major NCAA rules that led to their dismissal from the Oklahoma football team this week. "One thing I just want to say to the fans, to my coaches, to my teammates: I'm sorry," Bomar, a quarterback from Grand Prairie, said in a television interview. "I made a mistake. I mean, I feel bad for it." Quinn, an offensive lineman from Garland, said in the same interview: "The situation in Oklahoma for me was a bad deal I put myself into, and I just want to apologize for the choices that I made." The two players and roommates talked with Oklahoma City's KOCO-TV in interviews that aired Thursday night. However, they did not address specifics about their relationships with a local car dealership. (Dallas Morning News)

Peterson and teammates talks about Bomar and Quinn: "Coach (Bob) Stoops already covered that. I'll leave that to him," running back Adrian Peterson said. "We've just got to pick up and go forward." That was the consensus among those who spoke -- no point in looking back when you can move ahead. "We had to take it," wide receiver Malcolm Kelly said of the news. "Things happen. We're a team. We have to move on and get this thing done." Several players simply shook their head when asked to comment on Bomar and Quinn. (Tulsa World)

Oklahoma to send NCAA report of the Investigation: A report on what the University of Oklahoma has said were NCAA violations committed by two since-dismissed football players will be sent to the NCAA when it is complete, OU athletic director Joe Castiglione said Thursday. Castiglione, speaking at a press conference in Norman, declined to delve into specifics regarding the case of starting quarterback Rhett Bomar and offensive lineman J.D. Quinn, who were kicked off the Sooners' squad Wednesday. But Castiglione and football coach Bob Stoops praised the university's compliance staff for its diligence in uncovering the violations and said they expected the NCAA to look into the situation as well. "I think always there's follow-up, but I feel our compliance staff has done that and continues to do it and never stops doing that," Stoops said. "I believe that this (the two dismissals) will be it, but everything is ongoing." NCAA spokesman Erik Christianson declined to specifically address the Oklahoma situation, which he said is standard procedure in such cases. (ESPN.com)

OU begins practice: Oklahoma opened its 112th season of intercollegiate football with the first preseason practice of 2006 on Thursday afternoon at the rugby fields in Norman. The Sooners will hold all preseason practices at the fields, located west of the Lloyd Noble Center. Scheduled scrimmages will be conducted on Owen Field at Gaylord Family - Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. Unless otherwise announced, all practices and scrimmages are open to the public. (SoonerSports.com Release)

President Boren meets with the team: OU president David Boren addressed the OU squad prior to the start of Thursday's practice. And after that, the players circled around and danced and sang out some semblance of a song that included the phrase "Go peg leg, go peg leg, go." The enthusiasm backed up Stoops' assertion that the team is far from reeling after the dismissal of starting quarterback Rhett Bomar and offensive lineman J.D. Quinn. "We were fired up and ready to go," said wideout Malcolm Kelly. "Everyone still has the same goals as before. We're going to go out and get done what we need to get done." (NewsOK.com Practice Report)

Bomar, Quinn aplogozie: The Oklahoman

Thompson ready for challenge: The Oklahoman

Team remains positive despite dismissals: The Oklahoman

Caravan crowd roars it's approval of coach: The Oklahoman

In Stoops OU fans trust: The Oklahoman

Sooners remain positive: The Oklahoman

Stoops says OU stung by pair: The Oklahoman

It's Thompson: Norman Transcript

They're trying to fight the good fight: Norman Transcript