Today's topics: Stoops' job interview, Frank's phone and Habern's guitar
Published: 12/29/2011 5:59 PM
Last Modified: 12/29/2011 5:59 PM
PARADISE VALLEY, Ariz. – Things I learned (and you may or may not care anything about) while covering the run-up to the Oklahoma-Iowa Insight Bowl:
** When Bob Stoops was an Iowa senior, he went to one of those on-campus job seminars. He says he interviewed with Coca-Cola and Procter & Gamble, and knew right then he'd rather coach football.
** OU AD Joe Castiglione has asked Stoops if he would be interested in scheduling Iowa. Stoops is not.
** If the majority of OU fans wonder about embattled secondary coach Willie Martinez, cornerback Demontre Hurst does not. "He's an amazing coach," Hurst said. "He's done everything he could to prepare us and put us in the right situations to where we can make plays."
** OU wide receivers coach Jay Norvell has a younger brother who played football with one kidney. Jaz Reynolds didn't lose his (he bruised it), but Norvell is familiar enough with the situation to proclaim Reynolds "will be back at 100 percent."
** Before he split, Ronnell Lewis worked as one of the Belldozer fullbacks "every once in a while" in practice. Stoops said so.
** Sooners defensive end Frank Alexander hopped in the hotel pool with his cell phone. He made it out OK, but the phone didn't.
** OU wideout Kenny Stills wears No. 4 because his dad wore No. 3 at Wisconsin. Junior: "Always gotta be better than Pops. One better."
** OU quarterback Landry Jones is not bothered by Stills' multicolored Mohawk. He told the Arizona Republic: "You can't judge a man by the Mohawk"
** At least one media member believes Jones is frequently compared to Jacksonville rookie QB Blaine Gabbert. (I don't know who exactly, but the comparison was made here this week.)
** Jones reminds Iowa defensive coordinator Norm Parker of Tom Brady.
** Parker is a colorful guy. On the Sooners offense, courtesy of the Sioux City Journal: "If they were a basketball team, they sure as hell don't need a shot clock. They'd be gone. First team to 100 wins."
** Sooners kicker Michael Hunnicutt could go to the BCS championship game. He has a buddy who's an Alabama student, and if the buddy scores two tickets, Hunnicutt is in.
** The father and stepmother of Iowa All-Big Ten cornerback Shaun Prater live in Tulsa. The stepmom is a Baptist preacher, Prater says.
** There is a "pretty good" chance OU deep snapper James Winchester will play some wide receiver Friday night. Stoops said so.
** OU center Ben Habern spent part of his gift suite allowance at last year's Fiesta Bowl on a guitar. He's been playing it ever since. This year, he got a stand and a tuner for Christmas.
** According to right tackle Lane Johnson, this year's gift suite included "iPod holders, Oakley glasses. We had some Beats by Dre. I think there was even a mountain bike in there. They had recliners, a 32-inch TV, all sorts of stuff. A template, kind of like an iPad. Works the same way. And some other stuff."
** Stoops hated playing on Owen Field as an Iowa safety in '79. Oh, he loved coming to Norman and tackling Billy Sims. But… "I remember how rotten the turf was. It was like playing on a parking lot with fuzz on it."
** Stoops chose Iowa "because it was the only Big Ten school to recruit me."
** Fall Saturdays, Stoops looks to see how his brothers did. Then he checks Iowa's score.
** Iowa starting linebacker Tyler Nielsen was a U.S. Army High School All-American Game teammate of OU's Travis Lewis. "I remember him," Nielsen said, "but he probably doesn't remember me."
** Iowa starting quarterback James Vandenberg has never been to Oklahoma, but he says he almost went boar hunting there once. It was either there or Arkansas, and he chose Arkansas.
** The Sooners' scout team quarterback in Insight Bowl practice has been Ben Sherrard.
** Back when he was a grad/voluntary assistant at Iowa, OU tackles/tight ends coach Bruce Kittle used to go on summertime road trips with Kirk Ferentz, the Hawkeyes head coach who was an assistant to Hayden Fry at the time. "Driving all over the country to see other offensive line gurus," Kittle told Iowa sports columnist Mike Hlas.
** Ferentz doesn't mind making fart jokes.
** The Sooners dined at a Rustler's Rooste one night this week. That's a Phoenix steakhouse.
** Iowa teams are undefeated at the Insight Bowl. The Hawkeyes beat Missouri here last year, while Iowa State won in 2000 and '09.
** The Hawkeyes have a reserve running back named Jason White.
-- Guerin Emig
Written by
Guerin Emig
Sports Writer
