Sooners News Daily 8.19.14

I’m can’t fathom how anyone wouldn’t have already had their fill (and then some) of this Joe Mixon even before yesterday. But I can assure you had someone, anyone, written something I felt was worth your time reading on the subject I would have linked to it below.

You’ll find no link.

But if you really need to know more (no judgment), I’m quite confident you won’t have trouble finding it.

FOOTBALL

You also won’t find any reference (besides this one….doh!) to the unnecessary reminder Johnny Manziel providing everyone that he’s a jackass. But that sure hasn’t stopped the media from freaking out about it. So you have that to look forward to for the rest of the week, enjoy!

Bob Stoops is opening up a practice to students again. (Sooner Sports)

You know the CFB season is close when the State Fair of Texas releases this year’s list of crazy fried foods. (DMN)

A re-injuring of Braxton Miller’s shoulder may have just eliminated Ohio State from CFB playoff contention. (ESPN)

This sounds like a good (maybe even really good) idea, but if you really think about it I believe you can start to poke any number of holes in it. (Univ. Herald)

Didn’t see this until yesterday, but thought it was pretty clever.

https://twitter.com/TomFornelli/status/500405578741866497

Now former Texas RB Joe Beregon has landed at Texas A&M-Commerce. (Twitter)

Kendal Thompson lost the battle for the QB1 spot at Utah. (Twitter)

OTHER

Gonna have to wait and see on this one.

David Letterman on point as usual.

 

106 Comments

  • Sooner Ray says:

    Funnel cake beer? You have my attention sir.

  • Cory Reedy says:

    Can’t believe we are less than 2 months away from the State Fair of Texas and a behind-the-woodshed style beating of the whorns. Can’t. Wait.

  • OUWade says:

    The in game app and other things that Baylor is doing on the technology side are very smart on several levels. I’m not big on uploading photos or using facebook during a game, but I sure wouldn’t mind having that in game stat tracker and a few additional video replays while I’m waiting for the guy with the orange cone on his hand to get off the field.

    • SoonerfanTU says:

      As long as they have wifi in place to handle the traffic. Most of the time, I can’t even get my phone to send a text when I’m in the stadium, let alone get online.

      • OUWade says:

        Castiglione had talked about a large investment to creating a better wifi framework in the stadium. I can’t remember if it revolved around the expansion talk, or if it was a separate thing that was supposed to take place sooner, though. So, hopefully, that won’t be a problem for too much longer.

  • kt-raida says:

    Jordan thanks for the first statement tired of the Mixon stuff. Hope he stays.

    • Jordan Esco says:

      I do what I can 🙂

    • Zack says:

      It’s definitely over blown the whole mixon coverage. I’m surprised how many people don’t think the school did enough. But I guess those people would like to be punished prior to being found guilty of a freaking misdemeanor.

      • Gary Robbins says:

        Been gone to Colorado- no service where we camped. Mixon is suspended from team activities for the 2014 Season but still can receive financial aid? So he’s off the team for about 150 days?

        • Zack says:

          Gary I was wondering where you’ve been. I think the suspension is a year long but I think they will start to integrate him into the football program as this whole thing goes on. The earliest this will end is late September if a plea deal is reached so I think once the case is closed then he will be allowed to workout with the team and go to practice but only to watch and “take mental reps”

  • Randy says:

    I have no problem saying Shepard 4 Heisman…. # 1 rec option, will rush the ball, and return punts. Plus a great kid !!

    • vargo05 says:

      Talked very briefly with him in SB after the ND game last year. Very nice kid. Good head on his shoulders.

  • OUknowitscomin says:

    Sterling clip was nice. Great kid, extremely solid receiver. Since HS, have always appreciated most that he’s just the one who comes down with ball….period. No matter the position or # of db’s, he comes out with ball. Deceptive speed too. Excited to see what he brings this year with coaches praising his leap forward in offseason, should be fun.

    • Fear The Magic says:

      Its like Ryan Broyles took Sterling to the side when he was a freshman and said “Just do what I do kid”

  • JrsySooner says:

    Ever notice that the stadium looks like a toiler seat from above/
    Thank you for posting the Fury trailer I didnt know looks good.
    I have found that PTSD is managable and one way to do it, oddly is by watching combat movies. In combat your surrounded by noise, lots of noise (our howitzer battalion fired over 22,000 rounds in one week in DS 1) and when you come home, if you are lucky enough to come home in one piece its oddly quite……and shell shock hits you, a fly could fart and it can scare the crap out of me but thunder makes me sleepy…go figure…
    I have watched iglinourious bastards over 50 times, same with saving private ryan and pearl harbor, for some reason its a release just sharing….sorry to get off topic….
    Boomer Sooner

    • Sonny says:

      Thank you for your service. My dad struggled with PTSD.

    • Drew says:

      If you struggle with PTSD, I highly recommend something called EMDR. My mom is getting licensed in it, and she literally won’t stop raving about it. I know this is unsolicited, but if it helps either you or Sonny’s dad, then I doubt you’d care.

    • JJsooner1 says:

      Nothing quite like a sniper round passing so close as to move your hair and that “snap” sound is unmistakable. Glad all of us here got home:-)

      • EasTex says:

        That “snap” is the projectile breaking the sound barrier.
        I prefer that sound to a “thud.” :}

        • Dana Rogers says:

          Off subject but to what better company… 20 year vet here… Sonny – combat veterans never hear it enough and I never pass up the opportunity… Thank you gentlemen, for your service – you are all my hero’s.

      • Jed says:

        I’ll try to get a picture of a buddy’s helmet. Round pierced, then ran around the inside. Looked like a wide pencil stripe. Sniper had aimed at his cigarette. He lived, but that was the last butt he ever smoked.

    • EasTex says:

      Welcome back!
      Some commie bastidges tried to blow me up and shoot me during the Saigon evac, but they all failed.
      The things we do and survive as young men are much more fun to talk about after we put a little time and distance from then and now.
      One of my oldest friends flew Hueys in Nam and he didn’t realize he had PTSD for decades. After he finally found out about and addressed it he said he woke up one morning and the ringing in his ears had stopped…after 30 years.

    • Jed says:

      Deep breathing, be with good people, stay away from too much booze. You’ll get through.
      What part of Jersey?

  • EasTex says:

    Twisted Texas Taco…Fried Gulf Shrimp Boil…Deep-fried Texas Bluebonnet…Deep-fried Breakfast for Dinner and Corny Dogs?
    I am so there!

    • SoonerfanTU says:

      In case you didn’t know, or anybody for that matter, you can order the food/ride tickets online and have them mailed to your house. That way, Saturday morning, you aren’t having to wait in long lines twice. Once to purchase tickets, and then again to get the food you want. Especially with the short time between the Fair gates opening, and wanting to be in your seats.

  • Jake says:

    Man, that leap over the defender at the 1:02 mark by Shepard in his highlight video had me scratching my head & asking…”How did I forget that one?”.

    This guy has continually progressed as a weapon for OU’s offense. I can’t wait to see him lead the way this year as the Go-To receiver, and I’m willing to bet that his punt returns will have Sooner fans making some noise as well.

    Great stuff!

    • paganpink says:

      He’s never been anything BUT good from the day he hit the field. I’ve been rooting for them to use him more every year! I hope I’ll get my wish this year. It will be great to watch.

      • jmac45 says:

        Exactly! Clayton and Broyles were special from the get-go too, and not to take anything away from those two, but…

  • paganpink says:

    I can’t believe that Brad Pitt is over 50 years old. I need HIS plastic surgeon!

  • Super K says:

    Man I was hoping to see Kendal play this yr.

    • Thomas Lenard says:

      I sure wish he would have stayed to be OU’s #2.

    • jmac45 says:

      Yeah, me too. Understand the starter has had injury issues, so we still may. Would love to watch him have a great game against USC and win. 🙂

    • soonermusic says:

      yeah, me too. I hope he gets to and does well. This may turn out to be another argument against transferring for kids to consider .

      • Eric Hoffpauir says:

        Tommy Grady is another case, coincidentally also went to Utah. He got beat out by Thompson and Bomar in spring ball and transferred when he would have had a good chance of starting either in the 2005 or 2006 season.

  • jmac45 says:

    Shephard may turn out to be the best WR we’ve ever had at OU, and no offense to the other great ones (including DGB). He seems to just have more of everything – hands, speed, quicks, grit and courage. Call me crazy if you want, but it’s not over yet. 🙂 His speed and quicks was just amazing against Bama. There may be some taller, some faster, but for my money he is the best in the Big 12. (OK, maybe a little overboard on my part, but he sure is a dandy IMO.)

  • JJsooner1 says:

    Any word on how Alex Ross is progressing?? He is a beast.

    • Jordan Esco says:

      He & Ford are expected to be 1 & 1A are RB to start the season. By all accounts, Ross has looked very good in practices.

  • jmac45 says:

    I understand that Baylor Wi-Fi App, but not sure I want it. Something doesn’t feel right about going to a game in person and seeing people staring at their cell phone. I can get that at any restaurant. LOL I dunno, I don’t even keep my phone around when I’m watching football.

    • EasTex says:

      Me either, I turn that thing off. It runs my life most of the time as it is, no way it is going to interfere with my football.

    • SoonerfanTU says:

      I like being able to check up on other games in progress during breaks in the OU game. Or to be able to see better video replays. Being at an OU game takes up a lot of hours. I have other interests/responsibilities, and having “decent” wifi in the stadium helps me keep up with what I need to keep up with. I agree it would suck if everybody were on their phone all game, but I don’t think that is the end result you’d see with better wifi. JMO.

      • jmac45 says:

        I know, I get you. But the Slippery Rock score is always announced. 🙂

        I like looking at Cheerleaders, the band, the sidelines, Mike Stoops is always entertaining, etc… and taping the game to watch later when I get back home.

        But I get your point and it will probably be a huge success.

        • willie says:

          I would pay for an app that was nothing but a camera on Mike Stoops during the game. He is entertainingly animated.

    • ToatsMcGoats says:

      Exactly what I was thinking. But I guess it’s a big selling point for the Niner’s new stadium.

  • jmac45 says:

    Manzel represented the Aggies well last night. He’s probably starting another Aggie tradition. LOL

  • Zack says:

    New rivals 250 released today and jalin Barnett was #127. Did they downgrade him because of a lack of camps attended? Or did he go to camps and just not perform well? He was ranked in the top 40 or 50 earlier this year

    • Jordan Esco says:

      Please don’t take this the wrong way, but why do you care where they have him ranked?

      • Zack says:

        I get caught up in star watching and I hate how rankings work. Just like I hate when guys fall in the draft because of poor workouts at the combine when they have 3-4 years of solid play on film.

      • Eric Hoffpauir says:

        I really appreciate that this is a site not centered on star rankings. The only time I see it mentioned is in comments. There’s a place for that sort of thing, but it seems to have completely overtaken real analysis in certain corners.

      • SamSooner says:

        Jordan, I sent an e-mail to you and Super K last night. I’m interested to know if either of you think the injury to Braxton Miller will impact Torrance Gibson decision to commit to Ohio State. Someone is going to get a huge jump in the QB battle for 2015, if they perform well.

  • Josh says:

    Jonathan Football with the obscene gesture… stay tuned as ESPN gets reaction from Lebron James, Michael Sam and The SEC Network shortly

  • j l says:

    Not to stir the pot, but I gotta ask a question of some of the fans on here.

    Im 34, so I grew up in the switzer era, but I had no idea what was really going on. I was just a wide eyed kid getting my 1st taste of sooner magic.

    Do fans that watched during the switzer era feel badly about the tainted victories? Did you even care as long as we were winning?

    Does stoops win 2nd approach bother you? Do you prefer switzers win at all costs mantra?

    I find myself struggling with my own (football) morality. Watching kids like jalen mills at LSU not miss a down of football, while more serious charges than mixon faces still hang over him, is really disheartening.

    • Grandadsooner says:

      I do remember telling a friend when Coach Stoops was hired, I believe now we will have a team we can be proud of both on and off the field. During the time of the Switzer era, some of the off field incidents were less than appealing. Now it is difficult to remember what they were. We just remember the wins.

      • j l says:

        My problem is this. In the cutthroat world of college football, your morals and $1.25 will get you a cup of coffee(except at starbucks).

        No one else cares about morals, its evidenced by just looking at how other schools handle themselves.

        Does having the high ground truly make any of us feel better when we lose to a team with a win at all cost mentality? I tell myself that, but it dosent really help.

        • Grandadsooner says:

          I guess I don’t see it as either or. You can take your morals and your $1.25 and get that cup of coffee and maintain your integrity (what you do when no one is watching) and still win. It is my humble
          opinion that under Coach Stoops, THE University OF Oklahoma football program will always do their best to do what they fell is right, whether anyone is watching of not, and not concern themselves with what other programs are doing. Win lose or draw, I prefer the
          moral high ground.

          • j l says:

            Do we win? Absolutely. The coaches are fantastic, and we still get a lot of great talent. I have no doubt we will continue to win a lot of games under the current regime. I believe we have a good shot of winning a national title one or both of these next 2 years, and you cant ask for more than that right now.

            I have some concerns a bit going beyond the next 2 years though, the landscape, she is a changin’ again. Watching teams like miss state land 8 recruits in a day is a bit of an eye opener. Teams like ole miss suddenly landing 3-4 5 star recruits.
            TTU and baylor grabbing texas kids we used to be able to call locks as soon as the OU offer hit the table.

            This isnt barry’s recruiting landscape anymore, I know that. This isnt the same recruiting landscape from even 5 years ago, where we had top 10 classes for a decade straight, though either. You have to change or fall behind.

            I usually view myself as an realist, but this last month has been trying for myself, and all of us sooner fans. Please dont think im only pessimistic. Just concerned.

          • Grandadsooner says:

            I appreciate your concern. I am not. I agree we will need to change as time moves forward and I feel we have. I do not feel we need to change to lower ourselves to others standards, but feel our changes will make other programs come up to our standards.

          • j l says:

            why would anyone come up to our standards when their way is working? I wish the world was that way, but it values and rewards winning too much.

          • Grandadsooner says:

            If, as you say, the world values and rewards winning too much, then other programs will want to come up to our standards.

            “For Bob to accomplish what he’s accomplished in terms of the wins that he’s had there and the way that he’s done it in a first-class way, always do it the right way. He’s a ball coach, and that’s what I like about him the best.”
            Nick Saban, University of Alabama head coach.

            We have a great tradition of championships at THE University OF Oklahoma, but a lot of our championships are yet to come. I don’t know of too many other programs whose “way is working” as well as our way.

          • j l says:

            Well bama for one, who dosent do things the right way. Basically the entire SEC outside vandy is quicking catching us in terms of program talent level.
            USC is pulling in recruits like nothing ever happened. So is penn state.

            They dont have our recent winning pedigree, but they are also pulling in kids we used to have a good shot at landing, while all we get now is a passing look.

          • Tulsa Terry says:

            Next season all the kids get paid on top of the table. The recruits we’ve been losing to under the table cash will come back here.

    • Josh says:

      People always want to look at the few guys that got in trouble during the Coach Switzer era and forget about the great men that were developed during that time. JC Watts, Steve Davis, Steve Owens, George Cumby, Jack Mildren… The list goes on and on of great Sooners and quality human beings that played under Coach Switzer.

      • j l says:

        Its not just about the kids that got in trouble. Its the fact that barry cheated in recruiting, we had school wide coverups, etc.

        We’ve had great humans develop under stoops too, but they havent had as much success. Mostly because stoops does not do many of the things switzer did to win.

        • Josh says:

          I don’t understand why you want to pit Coach Switzer against Coach Stoops??? They both coach for OU, you can like them both. Do we want to compare Coach Stoops to the Great White Father? Do you know how Jim Tatum got many of the players that started to bring OU to relevance under Coach Wilkinson? Is the 47 game win streak tainted?

          • j l says:

            I love both coaches. Its not about pitting them against each other, but im looking at their methods, and results.

            Barry was win at all costs, and he did so. Bob is morals 1st, win 2nd, and the results reflect that.

            Its frustrating playing with 1 hand tied behind our back. Dosent mean i dont love coach stoops, I do.

            Doing things the right way is of little consolation.

          • Josh says:

            Ok I get what you’re saying now. I don’t think Coach Stoops morals hold the team back. He is a class act 100% and I think he does what he thinks is right and what he thinks is best for the team “at the end of the day”. He knows he is working with young people and that they are prone to mistakes and he always gives them the chance to earn second chances and learn from those mistakes. He does not give up on young people until they prove that they simply refuse to learn from the mistakes they have made. Really Rhett Bomar and JD Quinn are the only ones I can recall that were thrown off the team after one incident and that was due to the severity of the infraction which could have seriously hurt the program and university.

          • j l says:

            i agree, stoops is a class act. I dont see how his morals DONT hold us back though, at least some.

            No one else is going to suspend a 5 star RB for an entire season for a misdemeanor.

            Will it make joe a better person? I think it will.

            Will it make him a better football player? I dont think so, hes going to miss an entire year of development, in one of the most crucial points of his football career.

            I think a forced redshirt, where he can still practice, would have been the better call here. You still punish him, but dont completely stunt his growth.

          • Jed says:

            Look, Barry was not ‘win at all costs’ and Bob is not a seminary student. The daylight between the two, what there is, is mostly a result of the times and the rules under which the whole game is/was played. I think the truest evidence of that is the obviously cordial, mutually respectful relationship they have. It’s a testimony to the intelligence and character of both that Barry can continue to live in Norman without being anything other than a positive to the program and that Bob is utterly unthreatened by ‘The King’s’ presence.
            If they were Darth Vader and Obi Wan Kenobi, I truly doubt they’d be so comfortable around each other.

          • j l says:

            he jokes about walking around in NO not having this much cash in his pocket since his recruiting days, shows there is at least SOME difference in the 2.
            You are right, its partly due to the rule differences in the era. the NCAA didnt have the man power to investigate as much back then. Social media means its much harder to keep secrets now.

            Im not saying barry was a bad guy. Hes very personable, does charity stuff, and he won us a lot of football games. Of course hes going to be accepted. He also still did things that wouldnt be accepted in todays game.

            What im saying is, teams still throw cash at players like its still the ’70’s, and get away with it. Its infuriating.

            I just want everyone to play by the same set of rules.

    • Jed says:

      I’m 53 so I have a few years on you. My opinions:
      1. The victories were not tainted.
      2. The narrative that the program was out of control is utter BS. I went to school at that time. I worked out at the gym. I played pickup hoops at the courts across from old O’Connell’s. There were no bands of Visigoths roaming the campus.
      3. Barry’s recruiting was precisely in line with the times. If not precisely Marquis of Queensbury Rules stuff, no one, repeat NO ONE else was either. Jackie Sherrill anyone? It was a tough neighborhood.
      4. The reason Barry had more success than Bob has (so far) has to do with recruiting. Barry could lock up half of Texas. With restrictions, Bob can’t.
      5. I like and respect both Barry and Bob. Bob is a better coach for this era; but, in a knife fight, I want Barry to cover my back. Because Barry, bless his little heart, would bring a shotgun to the knife fight.

      • j l says:

        Your #3 point is exactly my argument. His recruiting was nothing different than anyone else was doing? That still dosent make it right.

        Bob ISNT doing what everyone else is, and thats my entire point.

        • Jed says:

          No, it’s not. At that time, what Barry was doing, and everyone else was doing, was accepted. It was the way things were done. There was a tremendous cultural shift toward the end of the 1970’s not only in sport but in society in general that made such conduct impermissible. So Barry was absolutely neither an outlier nor especially ‘dirty’. He also changed as the times did.
          Hell, in the 1950’s under Saint Bud, it was almost impossible for a player to pay for a movie, restaurant meal or even clothing in Norman. All things we’d consider utterly off the map, now.
          Barry’s era was NOT the Bad Old Days; don’t try to recast them in that light.
          And be very careful about putting the halo on our program today. I like and respect Bob. Do I think that I’d be happy for a camera crew to follow each and every one of our coaches….and their ‘helpers’ around 24/7? I’d say we’re cleaner than most, cleaner than we absolutely have to be, but not above a metaphorical kidney punch now and again. And I respect that.

          • j l says:

            Over recruiting, greyshirting, cutting underperformers, and using bagmen is the way things are done now. Its obviously accepted, as nearly everyone is doing it.

            the TFB guys themselves said we missed out on a couple kids in either the 2013 or 2014 classes, because they had their hand out, and we didnt want to pay them.

            So some other school greased their palms, and won their services.

            Bama got caught red handed paying 2 players, and it got swept under the rug.

            I know we arent perfect, but we play by the rules for the most part. Most other teams dont though.

            If bob and the staff werent fantastic at their jobs of evaluating and developing, we wouldnt be as good as we are right now.

            My question is, how good would we be if we played the same game everyone else is?

      • Sooner_Ace says:

        ” in a knife fight, I want Barry to cover my back.” That is damn fine quote my friend!!!

      • paganpink says:

        Although I COMPLETELY agree with you Jedediah I do remember walking by the Athletic dorms one day in ’74 or ’75 when a Television came crashing out of a second story window and blew up on the ground! It startled me and scared the crap out of me for a minute. Several athletes poked their heads out laughing hilariously and then left. I have no idea whether they were Visigoths or not, LOL!

    • soonermusic says:

      Jl, let me try to talk you down from the ledge. 🙂 Apologies in advance for the extreme length.

      I think you may be selling both Bob and Barry short. Barry was successful not because he cheated, but because he was a great recruiter, a great motivator, and a heck of a college coach. It was a different era. He was in front of the curve in recruiting black athletes compared to most major college coaches of the time, and was in front of the curve in terms of some of his offensive and defensive schemes, as well.

      Bob Stoops is successful for many of the same reasons. The standards that he has set at OU are second to none in the D1 college football world. His results speak for themselves.

      There have been a few coaches who have had great success for short bursts with what you might call questionable practices. For the most part they hit big and then have to move on, leaving the program in shambles. Can you say Florida, USC, Miami?

      Stoops is the only coach (other than U. Meyer, see above), who has a winning percentage of over .800. Not Saban, not Carroll, not any of them. None of them are even above .750.
      Which college teams have a better winning percentage over the past 15 years than Oklahoma? Only Boise State. Not Alabama, not LSU, not Florida State, not Auburn, not USC.
      Oklahoma has won more games over the past 15 years than any other program except Boise State.
      They all have a LOT more weeks of huge disappointment, where their fans get to go on the message boards and wring their virtual hands over bad calls, bad coaching, bad luck etc.

      I would argue that his success is because of his approach and not in spite of it. You can speculate that with some cheating another national championship or two might have fallen in the basket. But you can speculate that without some timely injuries, or other breaks, that might have happened as well. And it is also possible that with a different approach, and different players we could easily have had locker room dissension, disastrous results on the field, not to mention maybe even sanctions.

      I think Stoops approach to the current player issues is what sets him apart and, in my view, above the rest of the d1 coaches out there. In the long term, and very likely even in the short term, it will turn out to be what’s best for the team, and, I believe, most importantly, the young men involved.

      As always, just mho.

      • j l says:

        I dont disagree with anything you said. We have been the model of consistency, with a high winning standard. I make these same points all the time on various message boards, carrying the sooner standard proud =)

        Barry, playing by the rules all the time, would have still won a ton of games, and a national title or 2, similar to stoops. But hes got a better run to his name at this point, IMO.

        Maybe at the time, he wasnt cheating any more than any one else was, but there are some programs who probably played by the actual rules back then and got ran over. We are similar to them in that aspect, but we have a good enough program to do well enough with what we can get.

        Im not advocating we start throwing cash at people, merely wondering aloud, and wanting to know the opinions of sooner fans.

        I think you are right his methods translate directly to his success, but they can be a tad overharsh at times. These 2 season suspensions are along those lines IMO.

        Its ok im not on the ledge, just looking at it =)

    • DCinAZ says:

      Switzer didn’t have any tainted victories that I recall and I don’t think Stoops has a “win 2nd” approach whatsoever. Switzer lost control of his program to some low character guys late in his career. I think Stoops isn’t going to put the program, and more importantly, himself, through that same messy scenario. Stoops is doing things the right way and I respect that about him.
      Switzer wasn’t a renegade outlaw coach or anything. He was a player’s coach who’s larger than life personality, which is what most of the media love about him (me too), led him to believe he could control some of the more questionable guys on the team and that ultimately did him in.

      • j l says:

        I respect him as well, but I would have to say he does put doing the right thing above winning, not that its a bad thing, but i feel its the case.

        Just question the over harshness here. 3-6 games or a redshirt seems more appropriate.

        • DCinAZ says:

          Can’t speak to the harshness but I think it’s a win-win for both. We have the horses in the backfield that his absence won’t be that big of a deal and we get the benefit of redshirting him for the future. Kills the story in the media and the “media generated” negativity around our program immediately like a nuclear bomb. He missed all of fall camp already anyway and couldn’t participate with the team so how ready would he be?

          • j l says:

            Problem is, its not a redshirt. He cant practice, work out with the team, nothing. Even a redshirt year at this point would be far better than what hes getting.
            hes going to lose a year of development, if he even stays. Hardly win-win for both.
            If hes not suspended, he wouldnt be missing much except fall camp, so even if he missed the 1st 6 games, hes going to be at least practicing with the team. Hed be ready enough.

            Lesser punishment would still be more than most teams would hand out, and would still be enough to quell the PR firestorm.

  • Josh says:

    11 Days Till Football Time in Oklahoma! Couldn’t decide between two amazing Sooners today so I’m using ’em both!! 1971 All American and The Godfather of the Wishbone Mr. Jack Mildren and the 1974 and 1975 All American… “Steve who?”… Charles Wayne “Tinker” Owens… Boomer!!!

    • SamSooner says:

      These men would be proud to know that they are still being recognized today.

    • EasTex says:

      I first read about Jack after his Abilene Cooper team lost in the state championship game 20-19, when he was stopped just short of the goal line on the last play of the game.
      Most don’t know what a recruiting battle there was for him and he signed with OU well after signing day.
      If ever there was a kid recognized as a great player, a can’t miss Blue Chipper after his junior year of high school, it was him, The Godfather.

      Ol’Tinker, what can one say. If the Sooners needed a big play he was the one to call on, and even the defenses knew it and could do nothing about it even when he had a gimpy leg.

  • Eric Hoffpauir says:

    I don’t know if losing Braxton Miller is going to change much for Ohio State. He was injured last year, too.

    • SamSooner says:

      I wonder how this will change things for Torrance Gibson. Spring would have been open competition. Now, someone is going to get some valuable experience and a leg up on Gibson, if they perform well.

  • Thomas Lenard says:

    On the Shepard Highlights:
    I hope that we have some WR that clan block, we have been spoilt with stills and saunders not only as a catcher, but as a blocker. at the 8:40 mark, Saunders block THREE defenders!

  • Jared Tyra says:

    Fried shrimp boil…. I NEEEEED IT!!

  • Jordan Esco says:

    Mixon’s first tweet since reactivating his account last night.
    https://twitter.com/Joe_MainMixon/status/501845655707340800

  • Travis Coyle says:

    Awesome highlight video of Shep. He catches everything thrown his way. Good to know he is pointing up to pops when he prays.

  • soonermusic says:

    Great Shepard highlights. Nice thing about wr highlights is it’s a pretty good reel for the qb’s as well. Landry, Blake, and Trevor all made some great plays.