TULSA WORLD HOMEPAGE | Wednesday, February 10, 2010 | WIRELESS
CONTACT US | SUBSCRIBER SERVICES | SIGN IN SIGN OUT | MY PROFILE PAGE | MY ACCOUNT

Follow us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter Follow us on RSS
Sports Extra!
Follow us on ...
OU | OSU | TU | ORU | HIGH SCHOOLS | COLLEGE FOOTBALL | COLLEGE BASKETBALL | NFL | FANTASY | OUTDOORS | GOLF | PROS | ALL




SPORTS EXTRA BLOGS
    Sports Editor
Mike Strain
Sports Columnist
Dave Sittler
The Picker
Entertaining & Infuriating

LOCAL PROS

ALL SPORTS

PHOTOS & VIDEOS

OUTDOORS

FIND A STORY

EMAIL ALERTS

SOCIAL MEDIA

RSS FEEDS

CONTACT US
BUY PHOTOS & PAGES

TULSA WORLD

ADVERTISE ON SPORTS EXTRA



Newspaper View Newspaper View      Print this story Print      Email this story Email     
Share      Bookmark Bookmark

OU Notebook
 
By GUERIN EMIG, World sports writer
Published: 11/19/2008  2:12 AM
Last Modified: 11/19/2008  2:45 AM

 Nothing new: Some fans used Oklahoma's bye week to circulate a message board rumor that the Sooners would have a new kicker by Saturday night's game against No. 2 Texas Tech.

Not true, according to coach Bob Stoops.

"Same guys," he said Tuesday. "Hopefully they'll be better."

That goes for kicker — Jimmy Stevens is 4-of-7 on field goals and has missed four extra points — and a kickoff coverage unit that has allowed three returns for touchdowns despite constant personnel adjustments.

"We've worked it every day for the last two weeks," Stoops said of the kick coverage. "It sure looks good in practice."

Tech coach Mike Leach encountered similar trouble with his kicker, until he brought in a student who won a field goal kicking contest in late October. Would Stoops consider it, too?

"We're a little far down the road for that right now, for me to trust somebody I just saw this week," he said.

Box will be there: The last time OU hosted a pass-happy offense with no traditional run sets, it moved safety Nic Harris to middle linebacker against Kansas Oct. 18. Against Tech, freshman Austin Box will make his fourth consecutive start in the middle.

"I'm taking all the (practice) reps," Box said. "It's not like we've got a bunch of different packages. We're going with our defense, and the guys who've been playing."

Box is playing both the run and pass more confidently with each start. His drops into coverage will be critical Saturday.

"I feel like I've come a ways," Box said. "I've still got a ways to go, but I feel a lot more comfortable relating to routes."

Putting off a playoff: Now that president-elect Barack Obama has trumpeted the idea of a college football playoff, it seems playoff proponents like Stoops have a pretty important guy in their corner.

"He's probably got a lot more pull than I do, there's no question about that," Stoops said. "We'll see. I'm sure he's got some more important issues to handle before that. I'm not worried about it. I've got Tech coming here this Saturday."
By GUERIN EMIG, World sports writer

Newspaper View Newspaper View      Print this story Print      Email this story Email     
Share      Bookmark Bookmark


COMMENTS 
      Add your comment Show: Most Recent Comment First

3 comments have been made for this team so far. Tell us what you think below!
Report Comment Reporting Comments

If you see a comment that violates our terms and conditions, please help us by clicking the "Report this Comment" link next to a comment. That will alert the web staff to review the comment. Thank you.  -- Web Editor Jason Collington
 

 
Report Comment
5055567475852000, Euless (11/19/2008 6:42:17 AM)
"Some fans used Oklahoma's bye week to circulate a message board rumor that the Sooners would have a new kicker by Saturday night's game against No. 2 Texas Tech. "
Wrong. It's not a rumor, bro. His name is Spencer Covey and he has been kicking with the intentions of replacing Moreland. It just so happens that he's not, at this time, better than what they have so they make no change. I guarantee that OUinsider dot com and Scout dot com are far more timely in information than here, so you might want to go check them out sometime..

Word up
Report Comment
soonerguy, Tulsa (11/19/2008 2:09:54 PM)
Why isn't this Covey kid even listed on the roster then?
Report Comment
Rocky A., (11/20/2008 4:49:50 AM)
Box said they are going with their guys who have been playing. If Venables runs 4-3 with 3 linebackers in there, we are sure to get beat by these guys. IF he does that, then he needs to be gone. Any average fan knows that you can't cover TT's 4-5 wideouts with linebackers! Get a clue Venables!
 

 
Add Your Comment 
In order to post a comment on this article, you must sign in to Tulsaworld.com. If you do not have a site account, you can create an account for free.

 
Post Your Comment
 



Home | About Tulsa World | Advertise With Us | Privacy | Usage Agreement | FAQ and Help | Contact Us | Today's Headlines
Copyright © 2010, World Publishing Co. All rights reserved.