Tulsa World: OU Football Notebook: Fresh faces

TULSA WORLD HOMEPAGE | Tuesday, February 09, 2010 | WIRELESS

OU | OSU | TU | ORU | HIGH SCHOOLS | COLLEGE FOOTBALL | COLLEGE BASKETBALL | NFL | FANTASY | OUTDOORS | GOLF | PROS | ALL

SPORTS EXTRA HOME

OU BASKETBALL

OU FOOTBALL

FOOTBALL GAMEDAY PAGES

SPORTS EXTRA BLOGS

		Sports Editor Mike Strain
		Sports Columnist Dave Sittler
		The Picker Entertaining & Infuriating

MORE HOME PAGES

LOCAL PROS

ALL SPORTS

PHOTOS & VIDEOS

OUTDOORS

FIND A STORY

EMAIL ALERTS

SOCIAL MEDIA

RSS FEEDS

CONTACT US

BUY PHOTOS & PAGES

Buy a published photo by clicking the "Order this Picture" link on the photo. For a full-color page reprint, call 732-8198 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Friday or order online.

TULSA WORLD

ADVERTISE ON SPORTS EXTRA

Learn more about the site.

Newspaper View Print this story

Bookmark

OU Football Notebook: Fresh faces

OU's head coach Bob Stoops against Idaho State in Norman, OK Sept. 12, 2009. Stephen Pingry / Tulsa World

By JOHN E. HOOVER World Sports Writer
Published: 9/15/2009 2:26 AM
Last Modified: 9/15/2009 5:49 AM

So far, 19 freshmen, including redshirts, have played this season. That's a lot for any program.

"There's a lot of reasons," OU coach Bob Stoops said Monday after practice. "Guys, I think, anywhere, are more prepared in today's game coming out of high school, through their strength and conditioning to their experience on the field. The limits on scholarships are also part of it.

"I've always believed, too, if a guy's able to play as a freshman, even if it's smaller amounts, he's still more prepared the next year when you need him to play more or need him to start maybe, having had some experience or even getting ready to play."

Here he comes: Ronnell Lewis is one of those freshmen who, it seems, has gained the trust of the coaching staff each week. On Saturday against Idaho State, he scored a safety when he tackled running back Clint Knickrehm in the end zone. He also had a sack.

"Yeah, he's really coming on, and I say it a lot, he's just really powerful," Stoops said. "He's got a lot of explosion to him and just gets more and more comfortable every day and confident every day. He has a chance to be solid in there. So we'll see how it keeps coming."

At Dewar, Lewis played 11-man football as a senior. But before that, the Dragons were an eight-man program.

"He was an eight-man guy when we first offered him, and when he committed he was still playing eight-man," Stoops said. "You hit people and run in eight-man just like you do in 11. There's just fewer people on the field. But you can see an athlete and a powerful guy."

Mental challenge: Landry Jones acknowledged the difficulty in having to stay mentally sharp as the backup quarterback despite an understanding that you normally don't get into games. All the preparation during the week might be the hardest part.

"Sometimes you just want to be that guy (that says), 'I know I'm not gonna play' and not go in and watch film. But it's one of those things that you have to do. You have to go in there and watch the film and prepare like you're the starter every week."

What might have happened had he slacked going into the BYU game?

"Obviously I don't think I would have been any good at all," Jones said. "I would have been lost out there. I would have been pretty shocked."

Peterson watch: Because the coaching staff is usually breaking down film, Stoops said he doesn't usually get to watch a lot of his former players in their NFL endeavors on Sundays.

"I usually find out through other people telling me, or see highlights at the end of the night," he said. "I saw where Mark Clayton had a big night, and everyone saw A.D. (Adrian Peterson). Unfortunately, Brodney (Pool) was at the bottom of the pile (on Peterson's 64-yard touchdown run). But it's exciting to see 'em do so well." By JOHN E. HOOVER World Sports Writer

Newspaper View Print this story

Bookmark

COMMENTS

Add your comment

Show: Most Recent Comment First

0 comments have been made for this team so far. Tell us what you think below!

Reporting Comments

If you see a comment that violates our terms and conditions, please help us by clicking the "Report this Comment" link next to a comment. That will alert the web staff to review the comment. Thank you. -- Web Editor Jason Collington

Add Your Comment
In order to post a comment on this article, you must sign in to Tulsaworld.com. If you do not have a site account, you can create an account for free.