Sims statue unveiled: Oklahoma honored former Heisman Trophy-winning running back Billy Sims before the game by unveiling a statue of Sims at Owen Field. The statue joins OU's other Heisman Trophy winners, Steve Owens and Billy Vessels, already in place. A statue of Jason White will be unveiled before Saturday's game against Miami. (Dallas Morning News)
UNT coach Todd Dodge on blowout loss: "I don't really have any feelings about, 'Wow, this is the first time I've felt this,'" Dodge said of the opposite end of all the success he's had. "I'm hurting right now and hurting for my kids. When you're in this arena, you take the chance of this happening. You'll be on the wrong end of one of these."(Star-Telegram)
Franks Debut: Union redshirt freshman Dominique Franks made his OU debut Saturday night in relief of punt returner Reggie Smith. Franks fair caught the first kick he saw, then made a couple moves before settling for 8 yards on his second return. Franks fumbled his first return of the second half, and came on to return a late kickoff 37 yards. (Tulsa World)
UNT most points allowed: UNT set a school record for points allowed (79), surpassing Nebraska's 76-14 victory in 1993. Nevada's 72-0 victory in 1991 is UNT's largest margin of defeat. (Star-Telegram)
Stoops tried to run out clock: Before the fourth quarter of Saturday night's 79-10 blowout of North Texas, Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops requested a running clock for the final period. At the time, the score was 63-3. "I asked the officials,” Stoops said. "They said they agreed with me, but I didn't see them go do it. You just want to get it over with. It seemed like forever. It was forever.” (NewsOK.com)
OU wins big against North Texas in opener: Sam Bradford's debut as Oklahoma's starting quarterback couldn't have looked much better if he had scripted it himself. In his first start, the redshirt freshman tied a record set by one Heisman Trophy winner and broke another set by a Heisman runner-up, throwing for 363 yards and three touchdowns as the No. 8 Sooners beat North Texas 79-10 Saturday night. "This really is what you dream about, coming out here and playing in front of 85,000 and getting a win like that," Bradford said. "There's not going to be many nights like this. You've got to take these. These are special." Freshman DeMarco Murray became the first Oklahoma player to score five touchdowns in his debut, and the Sooners showed no signs of a hangover following a stunning overtime loss to Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl and the loss of star tailback Adrian Peterson to the NFL. (AP/Yahoo! Sports)
NCAA approves OU's Mitchell fundraiser request: High School. Coach Stoops will present the family with a framed Oklahoma jersey. Checks should be mailed to: The NCAA approved OU's waiver request Thursday to accept funds to help defray funeral costs for football recruit Herman Mitchell killed last week. Those who wish to contribute should mail checks to the OU Athletics Department made out to "O-Club, Inc. " with "Mitchell Fund" written in the memo line. The checks will not be accepted unless the memo line contains "Mitchell Fund". The money will be deposited in an account designated specifically to defray funeral costs for the family. The NCAA also approved Oklahoma's request for head coach Bob Stoops and two additional OU coaches to travel to Houston. The Oklahoma coaches will meet with members of Mitchell's family and visit Westfield.
Checks should be mailed to: OU Athletics Department McClendon Center for Intercollegiate Athletics 180 W Brooks, Suite 3575 Norman, OK 73019
Again, please make out the check to "O-Club, Inc." and write "Mitchell Fund" in the memo line. (SoonerSports PR)
Franks may return kicks? "I remember recruiting Dominique," Sooner assistant Chris Wilson said. "Every week he was returning something (for a touchdown)." Though [Dominique] Franks isn't listed on OU's kick-return depth chart -- Reggie Smith, Juaquin Iglesias, Manuel Johnson and Lendy Holmes are -- coach Bob Stoops mentioned him as well as freshman tailback DeMarco Murray as candidates. (Tulsa World)
OU's Broyles arrested on suspicion of theft: Ryan Broyles, a freshman wide receiver on the University of Oklahoma football team, was arrested early Friday morning on suspicion of trying to steal gasoline from a Norman convenience store. The 19-year-old Norman High graduate was arrested on suspicion of attempted larceny and taken to Cleveland County jail. He was released on a $200 bond. Norman Police Capt. Leonard Judy said an officer around 12:10 a.m. spotted a sport utility vehicle parked at the gas pumps of the Mr. Shortstop store at Alameda Street and 12th Avenue SE. The store was closed, but the officer saw a man standing between the vehicle and a gas pump. The investigating officer reported the man having a key to the pump along with overriding codes to activate the pump. The key unlocked a pump door that leads to a keypad on which to type the code. (NewsOK.com) Update:Stoops: Broyles Suspended Indefinite Period of Time WR Strong quits team: Oklahoma wide receiver Fred Strong has left the football team, university officials confirmed Thursday. Strong, a sophomore from Austin, caught nine passes for 73 yards last season. Strong was expected to contribute to this year's team but wasn't healthy in the preseason and was passed on the depth chart by sophomore Adron Tennell and freshman Ryan Broyles. (Tulsa World)
Limited OU/North Texas tickets available: The University of Oklahoma Athletics Ticket Office has received a limited number of returned tickets from the University of North Texas for this Saturday's game. Tickets are currently available 24 hours a day online at SoonerSports.com, by calling the Athletics Ticket Office at 800-456-4668 or 405-325-2424 during regular business hours Monday-Friday between 8 a.m.-5 p.m., or in person at the Athletics Ticket Office on the west side of Gaylord Family - Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. Tickets for the game are $47 each. The Sooners and Mean Green kick off this Saturday at 6 p.m. (SoonerSports PR)
Allen Patrick returned to practice; may start Saturday? Tailback Allen Patrick went through about half of Oklahoma's practice on Wednesday and may be able to start Saturday against North Texas. Patrick missed more than two weeks of practice and had been wearing a protective boot on his right foot while recovering from a sprained ankle. "He said he feels better than he did when he played on it last year," Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops said. "Again, he's getting better and we're working him toward playing. (AP/ESPN.com)
OU to use two punters in season opener: Bob Stoops said he expects to use two punters against North Texas game. Senior Michael Cohen will handle long kicks and junior Mike Knall will kick in short-field situations. (Dallas Morning News)
Oklahoma fan asked to stop fundraiser for Mitchell: Just hours after Oklahoma football recruit Herman Mitchell was shot to death Friday in Houston, Adam Fineberg started raising money for Mitchell's family. But after raising $4,500, enough to cover almost half the cost of Mitchell's funeral, Fineberg stopped. An OU compliance officer told him his actions would constitute an NCAA rules violation against the Sooners... That money is considered illegal financial assistance under NCAA rules because Mitchell's brother is a sophomore fullback at Westfield High School in Spring, Texas, and because Fineberg is an OU fan who attends Sooner football games and solicited donations through an OU fan Web site... OU spokesman Kenny Mossman said the an official with the university's compliance office contacted Fineberg on Monday asking to him halt his fundraising efforts until the OU received a rules interpretation from the NCAA. That interpretation came Tuesday. "This is not a permissible expense for OU or someone who could be construed as an OU supporter,” said Mossman, an associate athletic director for communications. "We're not trying to be the bad guys, but we have to play by their rules.” (In parts and more at NewsOK.com)
Murray, Franks and Holmes may be used in returns: OU will use Reggie Smith and Juaquin Iglesias as the kick returners Saturday. Both handled the job last season. Stoops said Murray might also be used, depending on how many carries he gets from his running back spot. Redshirt freshman safety Dominique Franks and senior defensive back Lendy Holmes could also be used. (Norman Transcript)
'07 O-Line largest in Stoops era: OU's offensive line is the largest of the Bob Stoops era, averaging 6 feet, 5 inches and 316 pounds.The beast of the group is 6-foot-8, 350-pound left tackle Phil Loadholt, who will go against right defensive end Jeremiah Chapman, who is listed at 6-4, 243 pounds. UNT's defensive line averages 274 pounds. (Star-Telegram)
No QB backup decided yet: Stoops said he hasn't chosen a backup quarterback for the UNT game, saying junior Joey Halzle and freshman Keith Nichol are still even. (Dallas Morning News)
Oklahoma-North Texas Season Opener Sold Out: Oklahoma's season opener against North Texas is officially sold out. The last of the single game tickets were bought Wednesday morning, according to OU. There are still a limited number of tickets available for the Utah State ($47) and Baylor ($67) games. The Utah State game is Sept. 15 at 2:30 p.m. The Baylor game is Nov. 10 with the kick off time yet to be determined. All other 2007 OU football games are sold out. (NewsOK.com)
Praise for true freshman Stephenson: Less than a week into practice, both [James] Patton and Stoops have praised the early effort of true freshman offensive lineman Donald Stephenson. "Donald's a talented player. He's got athleticism. He's got quick feet," Patton said. "He's a little light in strength and weight (275 pounds) right now. That's just maturity and development. But Donald's got a lot of bite as a pup. He's aggressive. He really wants to, and that's the toughest thing to measure." (Tulsa World)
OU six touchdown favorite in early North Texas-OU spread: OU is close to a six-touchdown favorite by some online gambling services, with the spread ranging from 38-41 points. (NewsOK.com) Oklahoma host North Texas September 1st opening game in Norman..
