Tulsa World: Ou Football Notebook

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Ou Football Notebook

Oklahoma's Jermaine Gresham rambles past Washington's Joshua Gage earlier this season. TOM GILBERT / Tulsa World

By GUERIN EMIG World sports writer
Published: 10/15/2008 2:07 AM
Last Modified: 10/15/2008 3:18 AM

Gresham guts it out: Oklahoma's Adrian Taylor was talking about fellow defensive tackle DeMarcus Granger playing against Texas last week despite his foot injury, when he said: "It just shows the heart of our players. He's a warrior. Him and even Jermaine, those guys weren't expected to play. But they bounced back so quick."

It turns out Jermaine Gresham had sprained his ankle and joined Granger, defensive tackle Gerald McCoy, center Jon Cooper, tackle Branndon Braxton and defensive end Frank Alexander in the trainers' room last week. The sophomore tight end then caught five passes for 90 yards and a touchdown, and even ran the first reverse of his career for five yards, on Saturday.

"That's kind of the attitude of this team," Cooper said. "We all hold each other accountable. If he's playing and he's hurt, I can play."

Middle linebacker update: Still nothing definitive on what the Sooners are going to do about middle linebacker, where Ryan Reynolds sustained a season-ending knee injury against Texas.

"All the considerations are moving (weakside linebacker) Travis Lewis in there some and working Austin Box and a few other guys on the edge," coach Bob Stoops said. "Or keeping Travis Lewis where he is, where he's been playing awfully well, and work Austin Box and a few other guys inside. We'll work those through the week."

Asked to name other possibilities in the middle, Stoops mentioned J.R. Bryant, Mike Balogun and Brandon Crow.

Two names to cross off the list: Lamont Robinson, a backup outside linebacker who the Sooners use in short-yardage situations, and starting free safety Nic Harris.

"I'm pretty sure I'm honed in at the safety position right now," Harris said. "I'm just trying to take that leader's role back there, just trying to be a captain."

No doubt about it: The Longhorns drove to their first lead of the game, and the first deficit of OU's season, after Mike Knall came up less than a yard short on his fake-punt run midway through the third quarter last Saturday.

Three days later, Stoops was asked to reflect on his decision.

"Initially, you kick yourself. You're a football short," he responded. "But then when I got home and watched how clean it was It was there. We just don't execute when one of our guys (Gresham) just stops instead of continuing to go get the last guy. We're gonna have it.

"I'd still be up at night if it didn't look like how I thought it would look. It was there.

"I would really beat myself up had I not called it and we still lost. And if I'd had the guts to call it, we might have gotten a possession, been in scoring position on their end of the field and really changed the game. I'd rather go down swinging than not called it just because of fear you guys (the media) might get on me about it." By GUERIN EMIG World sports writer

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