Response to discipline aided his coming season and his coming of age.

NORMAN -- Last Sept. 1, the Oklahoma Sooners threw a 79-point season-opening party against North Texas.

Only running back Chris Brown wasn't invited.

Serving a one-game suspension, Brown watched what he could from his off-campus apartment. Mostly, though, his frustration sent him outside, where he'd walk, jog or shoot baskets.

"Just to clear my mind," he said.

Now, shift the scene to last Saturday night.

Brown has just rushed for 67 yards and three second-half touchdowns to help OU to its biggest win of the year, 41-31 over No. 11 Missouri.

"Everything doesn't work as planned," he's telling reporters. "Sometimes it takes time and patience for everything to come together."

The topic is OU's running game.

Really, though, he's talking about himself.

Last spring, Brown was coming off an eye-opening freshman season -- he rushed for 343 yards in late-season relief of Adrian Peterson and Allen Patrick -- and was primed to join Patrick and DeMarco Murray in OU's tailback rotation.

Then, according

Particulars aren't discussed.

More revealing is how much it hurt when the suspension was handed down, according to Brown, "a couple weeks" before the opener.

"Chris loves to play," OU running backs coach Cale Gundy said. "Even when he's tired, he wants to be in there.

"Sometimes in games or practices, I'll turn around and he's always the guy that's got his eyes on me. Like, 'C'mon Coach, I wanna go, I wanna go.' "

Sept. 1, he couldn't.

"I'm not used to not being able to at least support the team," Brown said, "and it hurt me."

His response would help define both his coming season and his coming of age.

Fortunately, he had some serious backing.

"Allen and DeMarco both would talk about, 'We're gonna hold it down,' " Brown said. "'It's gonna go by quick. You'll be back the next week, so don't worry about it. We're gonna need you.' That was really comforting."

His biggest ally was back home in Alexandria, La.

"He called and told me, 'I'm really going through something right now,' " Williams said. "I've had a Hazelton meditation book for years. It gives you a 'passage for today.' So every day I read a passage to him.

"I encouraged him to move on, keep his head up and learn from his mistakes.

"Stay humble, No. 1, be patient and things were going to look up.

"Faith. That was the thing that got him through this."

Brown had to have it, sure, but so did those closest to him.

"My mom, really, was my confidante," he said.

The first practice after North Texas, Brown knew just how to handle what he called his "second chance."

"Because I felt like I let the team down by my actions," he said, "I had to go out and bust my butt to let the team know that I'm a piece to the puzzle.

"It was me thinking, 'I want to be a part of this program and the success we have here.' "

He rejoined the rotation. And last Saturday night against Missouri, he played his biggest part yet.

"Talking to my mom, she says, 'You reap what you sow,' " Brown said. "Just learn from this and hope it makes you a better man.' "

It is a hope, unless you have help. Then it becomes a plan.

"It's not good to keep things bottled up," Williams said. "You've got to have a support group somewhere.

"You've got to have somebody in your corner to feed you the positive when everything around you seems negative."

Guerin Emig 581-8355
guerin.emig@tulsaworld.com