Tulsa World: OU Football Notebook

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OU Football Notebook

By JOHN E. HOOVER, World sports writer
Published: 10/29/2008 2:10 AM
Last Modified: 10/29/2008 2:52 AM

Injury update: Bob Stoops said Tuesday that wide receiver Manuel Johnson was "getting closer" to returning to the lineup for Saturday's game against Nebraska.

Johnson "caught some balls, did some drills yesterday, is supposed to do more today. So it should be just how comfortable he is at the end of the week and how much of the game plan, meaning in practice, he's able to execute. We'll just have to see by the end of the week."

Tight end Brody Eldridge was full speed at practice on Monday and is expected to play, Stoops said. Offensive lineman Branndon Braxton, coming off an ankle injury against TCU, sustained a shoulder injury last week, said offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson.

"I'm sure, being a senior, it's a little bit disappointing for him," Wilson said.

Shoulder burden: Austin Box, technically, still has yet to start at middle linebacker. Last week he was injured on the opening kickoff and took himself out, replaced for two defensive plays by Mike Balogun.

"I thought he had his shoulder ripped off," said linebackers coach Brent Venables. "I thought a shark bit him or something the way he was screaming and running off the field, 'Put it back! Put it back!' I thought, 'Oh, for the love of God.' It was so — it was so par for the course. He must never have had a stinger before. You feel like you're in boiling water."

Working out the kinks: Stoops said running back DeMarco Murray seems to be running with more confidence the past two weeks.

"It's natural that he just has more confidence putting that foot in the ground and making sharper cuts and making sudden cuts. Those are cuts that I think sometimes those guys don't even think about," Stoops said.

That is not entirely true. Murray, coming back from offseason knee surgery, said he actually has been practicing his cuts, what he calls "one-legged sticks. One time, I was like, 'Wow, it's back.'

"I found myself, every time I wanted that cut, just stopping my feet, chopping. But the last couple weeks of practice, I found myself just sticking it here and sticking it there and going full speed." By JOHN E. HOOVER, World sports writer

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