Tulsa World: Ou Football Notebook

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Ou Football Notebook

By GUERIN EMIG, World sports writer
Published: 9/24/2008 2:06 AM
Last Modified: 9/24/2008 3:21 AM

Long and short of it: DeMarco Murray's 2007 freshman season included 91- and 81-yard kickoff returns and 92- and 65-yard runs. Three games into the '08 season, Murray has been productive, with 312 rushing yards and another 84 yards on three kick returns.

But outside of a 49-yard gain against Chattanooga, the Oklahoma tailback has lacked the burst many expected they would see. Murray's longest run against Cincinnati covered 14 yards. His longest at Washington covered 11.

Anything to it?

"I see him cutting against the grain and trying to find big plays instead of just running," OU offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson said. "If you're looking to make a big play, you won't make it. Just like trying to find a four-leaf clover. Sometimes it's right in front of you. You see it even though you're not looking for it.

"He will make more big plays by just playing hard and sticking to it. Like last year at Texas (on Murray's 65-yarder), he just hit it hard, here's a crease, he jumps over a guy and he's gone."

Purple wall: Murray and fellow tailback Chris Brown must work hard Saturday night against TCU. The Horned Frogs have the top-rated run defense in college football — opponents have gained 122 yards on 90 rushes in three games.

Three years ago, Adrian Peterson was coming off a freshman season in which he was the Heisman Trophy runner-up to USC's Matt Leinart.

He carried 22 times for 63 yards against TCU in the '05 opener, and didn't gain anything longer than 11 yards. He had 8 carries for 5 yards in the first half, when the Frogs took a 10-0 lead.

Let's get it started: Interesting response from Bob Stoops when the OU coach was asked if he would be willing to play a Big 12 Conference opponent over the first few weeks of a season, thereby bumping one of the nonconference games down the calendar a bit.

"I'd be open to it," he said.

"I see the benefits for your crowd and for media and fan interest and college football's interest, to have a conference game somewhere in there early."

As to how soon into a season Stoops would feel comfortable playing a conference foe?

"I'd prefer three (weeks)," he said. "Sometimes two's enough, depending on how many guys you have coming back." By GUERIN EMIG, World sports writer

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