Oklahoma Sooner Football Articles and NotesJohn 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)Williams granted sixth year of eligibility: The OklahomanLabels: Bedlam, John Williams, NCAA, Oklahoma Sooners, OSU, Tickets
Oklahoma Sooner Football Articles and Notes
OSU's Gundy favors ninth conference game; Stoops favors only if...: Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy said Monday he would prefer to do away with the Big 12's divisional format and have each team play nine conference games instead of eight. Gundy said he proposed the change at the conference's spring meetings, but "everybody laughed at me." Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops said he would support adding a ninth game, but only if it meant eliminating the conference championship game and the North and South divisions. "That's the extra game maybe that everybody's looking for, I don't know," Stoops said. "That's not a bad idea, but I don't see how it would work with two divisions. Those other teams that do (play nine games) don't have divisions like we do." Under the nine-game format, Stoops didn't think it would be practical to have the top two teams in the division play a championship game when the Big Ten and Pac-10 don't have title games. "Now your BCS opportunities aren't real good if you're just going to take the two best teams in the championship game," Stoops said. "Your likelihood of getting two in any BCS games is pretty much out the window. I don't see financially why that would work." (AP/SI.com)Caleb may return this week? Sophomore wide receiver Brandon Caleb wasn't in pads for the Miami game due to knee injury. "He got a slight sprain on Thursday where a guy fell into him. It was kind of a freaky thing that happened to him late in the week," Stoops said. "We're hoping he'll be back this week. We'll see." Caleb is listed as a second-team wide receiver, but hasn't caught a pass this season. (Norman Transcript) Oklahoma-Utah State available on PPV: The Oklahoma-Utah State game on Saturday, Sept. 15 will be televised live on pay-per-view by Big 12 Special Order Sports, FSN Southwest's pay-per-view division. The game, which is scheduled to kick off at 2:30 p.m. CT, will be available on participating cable television systems in Oklahoma and Texas and nationwide to satellite dish customers. The suggested retail price is $29.95. A list of participating programming providers carrying the PPV telecast will be announced later this week. Fans should check with their local programming provider for price and availability in their area. The game is being televised on pay-per-view because it wasn't selected for over-the-air broadcast or cable television coverage. Under conference TV rules, games not picked up for regular television distribution can only be televised live on pay-per-view, giving fans the option to watch a game they otherwise wouldn't be able to see. Participating cable and satellite TV providers will offer the telecast to their customers on a designated pay-per-view channel. The telecast will not pre-empt FSN Southwest's regularly-scheduled programming. (SoonerSports PR)Sooners refocus for Utah State: SoonerSports.comOU gives definition of extra benefits: The OklahomanPeterson is new leading man: The OklahomanOU football notebook: The OklahomanTitle buzz surrounds Sooners: Tulsa WorldStoops asked -- Does this OU team compare to 2000 national champs?: Tulsa WorldGuy set to face old foe in Sooners: Tulsa WorldOU coaches not worried about overconfidence: Dallas Morning NewsLSU, Oklahoma the best two teams in the country: Atlanta Journal ConstitutionLabels: Big XII, Bob Stoops, Oklahoma Sooners, OSU, OU-Utath State
Oklahoma Sooner Football Articles and Notes
Stoops pleased with schedule change; Now with 12 game season: Coach Bob Stoops on the rescheduled Bedlam Thankgiving weekend game. From SoonerSports.com
"Now that we're back to the 12-game schedule, it's important to get a bye week somewhere during the regular season," Stoops said. "Before we made this change, we didn't have a bye for this year so this one may come at a pretty good time for us. "I've been in favor of having an open week just before the Big 12 Championship game, but I've looked over our history and have adjusted my thinking a little bit. We've played in five of those games during our eight years here and the only one we didn't win had an open week before we went to play. Of the four we've won three went directly from our last regular season game to the championship game. If that's what works best for us, I'm all for it."
Oklahoma State on the change, from ESPN.com/AP. "I like playing our instate rival the final weekend of the season," Oklahoma State athletic director Mike Holder said. "The game is always well attended but this particular date gives us a better opportunity for national television coverage." A tip of the hat to Oklahoma Sooners Fan, Good Ol'J.R.: Last night, it was announced WWE and Oklahoma's own Jim Ross will be inducted into WWE Hall of Fame Saturday night. Ross truly among the greats in broadcasting, has served nearly 30 years. The native Oklahoman can be spotted on the sideline of every Oklahoma game and of course, every Monday on cable television's #1 show, WWE Raw. Ross is set to call WrestleMania 24 this Sunday live from Ford Field, Detroit. More about Jim Ross and his Family Bar-B-Q at JRSBARBQ.com. (When watching J.R. makes me wanna grab some fruity skittles!!!)
You gotta love skittles! Congrats J.R. for nearly 30 years and many more to come!Labels: Bedlam, Bob Stoops, Oklahoma Sooners, OSU, Side Note
Oklahoma Sooner Football Articles and Notes
Bedlam Football moved to Thanksgiving weekend: The Big 12 Conference announced today the 2007 Oklahoma State at Oklahoma football game, scheduled for Saturday, October 27, has been moved to Saturday, November 24. It is anticipated the game time will determined sometime around the beginning of November. The date change was a cooperative effort between the two institutions, the conference office and the league's television partners. (SooonerSports PR)Labels: Bedlam, Oklahoma Sooners, OSU, Schedule
Oklahoma Sooner Football Articles and NotesOSU Fans on top of the action: Oklahoma linebacker Rufus Alexander isn't necessarily looking forward to playing at Boone Pickens Stadium Saturday. "The fans are just right there on top of you. That's the only thing I don't like about it," he said. "That's the hard part, communicating with the coaches. They're just right there. Then once you make a mistake, they're right there again. "That's what you call a homefield advantage." Alexander isn't the only Sooner to notice. "At larger arenas, with fans away from you, you might hear them," offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson said, "but you don't get the personal interaction. "My two trips up there, it's been a pretty unique, special place. Their fans are passionate for their team and the rivalry. I think their team feeds off that." (Tulsa World)Stoops on Bedlam Rival: Given how hard the Cowboys play OU every year, it seemed fair to ask Stoops last week if he sensed Bedlam was more important to them than the Sooners. "I can't speak for them. Why would I try?" Stoops responded. "It's a big game for us. Which game is bigger? We've got a bunch of rivalries, right? We've got Texas, we've got Nebraska, we've got Oklahoma State. Heck, when we play K-State, everybody talks about that for the longest time. "It's like every game we've got is a rivalry. Texas A&M, they can't wait to play us down there. I don't know how to qualify it. "It's a big game, so here we go again. But in the big picture, wasn't last week?" (Tulsa World)If they win today, OU can become champs again: The Oklahoman
More than bragging rights on the line: The Oklahoman
The Stakes: The Oklahoman
Reid the center of today's Bedlam buzz: The Oklahoman
Bedlam Story Lines: The Oklahoman
15 Cowboys say goodbye in last home game: The Oklahoman Resilient Sooners can win Big 12 South on Saturday: Tulsa World Victory would strengthen Cowboys' bowl chances: Tulsa World To beat OU, Cowboys must have confidence: Tulsa World OSU Notebook -- Senior finale: Tulsa World
OU can capture Big 12 South today: Dallas Morning News
Preview -- Oklahoma at Oklahoma State: Dallas Morning News
Oklahoma gives thanks to A&M: Ft. Worth Star-TelegramLabels: Bob Stoops, Boone Pickens Stadium, OSU
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