Stoops anticipates John Williams to quit team: John Williams' Oklahoma career football appears to be over. After practice Monday night, Bob Stoops confirmed that Williams, a former starting defensive end, will likely not return to the team after taking a recent leave of absence. "Right now John's just mentally having a hard time staying with it, and right now we don't anticipate him rejoining the team," Stoops said. (Tulsa World)
Alex Williams returns to LA to help family evacuate: Stoops said that redshirt freshman guard Alex Williams has gone back home to Louisiana to help his family evacuate from New Orleans, which is battling Hurricane Gustav. Williams is expected to be back with the team before Saturday's game with Cincinnati, Stoops said. (The Oklahoman)
Alexander injured in nightclub fight: Brenda Finkle of the Norman Regional Hospital confirmed that defensive end Frank Alexander was treated and released from the facility, after police responded to a large-scale fight at Sooner Knights at 2:32 a.m. Sunday. Asked about Alexander after practice Monday, OU coach Bob Stoops said: "There was an incident where a couple of our athletes, overall, were assaulted." According to a Norman Police Department release: "Numerous calls to the police department reported subjects fighting with knives, guns and tire irons. Prior to officers' arrival updated information reported that shots had been fired and that people had been shot and/or stabbed." (More at Tulsa World)
Bradford confident with OU's receivers: "I heard that comment (that Kelly's departure would hurt) all spring, and it really didn't make sense to me," Sam Bradford said. "We've got so many wide receivers that can make plays, and they proved it tonight." (Tulsa World)
Loadholt and Broyles suspended one game: [Phil] Loadholt's suspension may have stemmed from a June arrest for suspicion of DUI. OU coach Bob Stoops said Loadholt and Broyles were suspended for one game for "team reasons" and would be available to play Saturday against Cincinnati. (The Oklahoman)
Williams to play in '08? Defensive end John Williams also missed Saturday night's game, as he tries to determine if he's going to play the '08 season. Williams was awarded a sixth season of eligibility after the '07 season, much of which he missed after tearing his Achilles' tendon at Tulsa. (Tulsa World)
Granger dropped to No. 2 on depth chart due to back injury? Defensive tackle DeMarcus Granger did not start but played in the first quarter. Granger was sent home from the Fiesta Bowl after being charged with misdemeanor theft. Stoops, however, had said Granger's drop to No. 2 on the depth chart was related to a sore back that hampered him during August drills. Adrian Taylor started at tackle. (The Oklahoman)
Box likely to return against Cincinnati but where? Enid's Austin Box, who sat out Oklahoma's 57-2 rout of Chattanooga Saturday after having knee surgery earlier this month, should play this week against Cincinnati. "I anticipate he will," said OU defensive coordinator Brent Venables. Whether Box will return to his starting weakside linebacker spot is uncertain. Travis Lewis, who started in Box's place Saturday, led the Sooner defensive charge with four solo and two assisted tackles. "He's got to go back there and earn it," Venables said of Box. "We'll see how it goes." (Enid News and Eagle)
Second longest game in Sooner football history: Saturday's game, which spanned four hours and nine minutes, will go down as the second-longest in program history. The 2005 Baylor game, which went 4:12 through two overtimes, ranks as the longest. There have been five 4-hour games in OU history. The others: at Texas Tech in 2007 (4:03), Kansas State in 2000 (4:03) and Texas-El Paso in 2002 (4:00). (The Oklahoman)
John Williams granted NCAA hardship waiver: Update a previous post, Oklahoma defensive end John Williams has received a hardship waiver from the NCAA and has been granted a sixth season of athletics eligibility. The 6-5, 249-pound Williams started three games of the 2007 season, but suffered a torn left Achilles tendon in the fourth game at Tulsa and missed the remainder of the campaign. "We're excited to have John back for another season," said OU Head Coach Bob Stoops. "We've felt for some time that John is an excellent player. He was off to a great start before the injury. I know he's looking forward to making a strong contribution for us next season." Williams, who has battled knee surgery and Achilles surgery, said he's looking forward to playing a full season. "The latter part of my career here is going to be my most successful," he said. "Everything is a process. This is what I'm living right now. I've got no choice but to move ahead." The NCAA's decision to grant him another year of eligibility was a stress reliever for Williams. "I'm very relieved, very thankful and grateful," he said. "I really want a chance to finish what I started." The Houston native is continuing rehabilitation efforts. (SoonerSports PR)
OSU Official: No single-game Bedlam tickets to be sold: In order to witness the 2008 Bedlam football game -- Oklahoma at Oklahoma State on Nov. 29 -- Cowboy fans must purchase a $419 season ticket. No single-game Bedlam tickets will be made available. "Our decision to eliminate single-game tickets for Bedlam is based upon our desire to grow our season-ticket sales," OSU athletic director Mike Holder explained. "I just hope our fan base responds to this as a call to buy more season tickets." On a per-game average, the price of an OSU season ticket basically remains the same. (Tulsa World)
DE Williams to apply for medical redshirt after two season-ending injuries: Update a previous story, Oklahoma defensive end John Williams will be applying for a medical redshirt to the NCAA with hopes of returning for a sixth season, according to the Oklahoma sports information department. Williams suffered a torn Achilles tendon against Tulsa this past year, causing him to miss the entire season. The 6-foot-5, 256-pound Williams started alongside Auston English at defensive end for the first four games before the injury. (The Oklahoman)
Williams may return in 2008 with medical hardship: Stoops said Williams had successful surgery Tuesday to repair his Achillies' tendon and could be back next year if the NCAA grants him another year of eligibility. Williams tore an ACL in the 2005 season opener against TCU and missed the rest of the season. (Dallas Morning News)
Stoops used fake calls: Bob Stoops wore a defensive-call wristband at Tulsa and, along with Brent Venables, signaled calls to the defense -- some real, some not.Stoops said he did so "strictly because we didn't want [Tulsa coaches] to get our signals."Deciphering a defensive call has become easier for offensive coaches, and quarterbacks frequently look to their sidelines near the end of the play clock to verify calls or switch plays after offensive staffs have checked out the defensive sets. (Star-Telegram)
Stoops on rather he'd coach his sons: Stoops, who has two sons, said he isn’t sure whether he would like to coach either of them, but admires what he sees at Colorado. "I think it would be tough, just with all the scrutiny and opinion out there," Stoops said. "But just knowing Dan a little bit and being around him, I'm sure he'll handle it as well as anyone can. I think it's great to have a chance to see your son every day, and to be in competitive situations with him would be neat." (Norman Transcript)
Brown recovering after head injury: Stoops said Tuesday that sophomore running back Chris Brown is "looking better and better" after being hit in the head late in the Sooners' win Friday at Tulsa. "His checkups Sunday and Monday were really good. So we expect him to be able to play [Saturday at Colorado]," Stoops said. "I'm not saying he is yet, that's something they'll check by the end of the week. "He ran all his conditioning Monday and looked great afterward, so there aren't any lingering signs that there is something going on there." (Dallas Morning News)
John Williams to miss remainder of season with torn Achilles tendon: Oklahoma senior defensive end John Williams of Houston will miss the rest of the season with a torn left Achilles tendon. Williams suffered the injury on the fifth play of Tulsa's opening drive of the third quarter Friday night in the Sooners' 62-21 road win. Williams was using crutches on the sideline and wearing a protective boot on his lower left leg in the fourth quarter of the game. It's a tough loss for OU, which is already thin at defensive end. (Dallas Morning News)
OU defeat Tulsa easily 62-21: With so much talent, No. 4 Oklahoma can take turns scoring touchdowns. Allen Patrick ran for 145 yards and two TDs, Sam Bradford threw two long touchdown passes to Juaquin Iglesias and the Sooners outraced Tulsa 62-21 Friday night. DeMarco Murray made it into the end zone three times for the highest-scoring team in the nation twice on runs and once on a kickoff return. "We've just got a lot of playmakers on the offensive side of the ball a lot of them. A lot of people who whenever they touch the ball, you never know what they're going to do," Murray said. "Anyone can get six points whenever they touch it." (AP/ABC News)
Williams suffers injury: Defensive end John Williams suffered an ankle injury early in the second half while chasing after Tulsa quarterback Paul Smith. Williams, who entered the game with four tackles for losses and one sack, had his left ankle re-taped twice on the sideline. But did not re-enter the game. He remained on the sidelines throughout the remainder of the game, but wore an ice pack and was on crutches until the end of the game. (Norman Transcript)
