"Oh yeah, all of it," he said Tuesday. "Excitement more than anything. Unrest."

He also said this year's opening opponent – Tennessee-Chattanooga, 2-9 last season in the NCAA division formerly known as I-AA – commands the same respect in preparation as any team.

"We do nothing whatsoever different," he said. "You look at everybody equally and with respect. Anyone is capable of beating anybody if they're playing well and you're not. So we prepare exactly like we would for anybody."

The Moccasins are the first I-AA Sooner opponent since Stoops' opener against Indiana State in 1999, a 49-0 OU triumph. Schools in what is now called the NCAA the Football Championship Subdivision offer 65 football scholarships. OU and other programs in the Football Bowl Subdivision – formerly I-A – offer 85 football scholarships. The Sooners have been listed anywhere from 35- to 49-point favorites.

Other highlights from Tuesday's press luncheon:

* Stoops said he would ideally redshirt Tulsa Union kicker/punter Tress Way, but Way would remain involved in competition at both spots. He said Bishop Kelley kicker Matt Moreland would handle kickoffs.

"We lost a few guys, but Mike Knall's back and punting the ball. (Deep snapper) Derek Shaw's had an Achilles' injury, but some young guys, Ben Hampton and James Winchester have come in and are snapping the ball beautifully, and have been fabulous through camp. Really excited about those guys.

"Jimmy Stevens has been consistent and solid through our camp. I've been very happy with Jimmy. And then some other guys, Matt Moreland and Tress Way have a little bit bigger legs. But Jimmy's really good; 50-and-in, he's been really good. Those other guys just have those really big legs that can get you some really long ones and will really concentrate on kickoffs.

"(Former Broken Arrow quarterback) Carter Whitson has been very good replacing Hays McEachern in holding snaps and he's been very good."

* Linebacker Mike Balogun goes into the Chattanooga game as the starting weakside linebacker.

"We're planning on him to be the one unless he doesn't perform all week at practice," Stoops said. "And then we'll see who else is ready to play."

* Tulsa Union sophomore Dominique Franks is among four primary names – Juaquin Iglesias, Manuel Johnson and Ryan Broyles are the others for now – who are returning kickoffs and punts.

"He just has a great knack," Stoops said. "Everything I've seen to this point, he's really caught the ball well and then he's really shown an ability to make people miss him, to find seams, to find holes and to make some big plays with it. Hopefully we'll see that as we go through the year."

* On whether the Sooner offense will utilize the no-huddle exclusively or just when it wants to.

"Sure, we'll go into each game with the ability to do both," Stoops said. "I think we're at a point where hopefully it'll be fairly natural for us to do that."

* On his anxiety level for the first game:

"As much as anything, you just want to start to see the personality of your team," Stoops said. "You see it through the year to some degree, and I like what I've seen, but until you're in competition, until you're out on the field, by themselves and in the moment, and having to deal with 3 ½ to 4 hours of football, you know – how do you come out at halftime, what's your attitude through the whole game? – until you see that happening, you don't really know. What kind of toughness do you come out with? All those things, you want to see it on the field."

* On whether the naming of captains is strictly a players' vote or if he ever feels the need to step in.

"I don't. I'm sure it's happened. I would say this: if there was a case where I didn't feel a guy was at all what we want as a captain, I would pull it. I'd pull a little dictatorship and say, 'That guy's not going to be captain.' Now, they might not know it. I don't know that I've ever had to do that to be honest with you. I don't think I ever have.

"Of course I'm going to look at it and make sure it's representative of the team and what it ought to be, but I sure don't put a guy that isn't voted for, and I'm not going to take a guy away if the team really wants it if he's done what I feel is necessary. So for the most part, I haven't had to do that. In fact, I'm sitting here, I don't know that I have ever. But I'm saying I would at some point if I feel a guy wasn't representative of what we thought one ought to be."