Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Annelise Russell, sports editor dailysports@ou.edu • phone: 325-7630 • fax: 325-6051
«FOOTBALL Go online over the break for a recap of Bedlam. OUDAILY.COM
Cross country caps off season with NCAA Championships ANNELISE RUSSELL Daily Sports Editor
The OU cross countr y team Monday’s NCAA championships as the No. 16 team in the country and finished 12th out of the 31team field with 386 team points. “I thought our performace today typified how competitively we have raced all year. Obviously this was the first time the team or any member of the team has been to the NCAA Championships,” said OU head coach Martin Smith in a press release. Sophomore Kevin Schwab led the Sooners Monday with a 2nd place finish and an overall time of 30:34.7.
SOONER FOOTBALL PRACTICE NOTES Lepak to start at center against Oklahoma State Head coach Bob Stoops said junior offensive lineman Brian Lepak will start at center Saturday against the No. 12 Oklahoma State Cowboys. Lepak is starting because freshman center Ben Habern will miss the rest of the season due to a broken fibula suffered in Saturday’s game at Texas Tech. “Brian’s done a good job,” Stoops said. “He’s been an excellent team guy, really a sharp guy and we’re excited about – of course – having him here.” Lepak is a walk-on lineman who transferred to OU prior to this season from Colorado State. Stoops said offensive linemen senior Trent Williams and sophomore Stephen Good will replace Lepak if he gets injured.
Junior Rob Sorrell finished close behind his teammate in 73rd with a time of 30:39.9. Finishing off scoring for the Sooners were redheaded into shirt freshman Kevin Willis coming in at 105th and junior Clay Mayes who ended in up 143rd overall. NCAA RESULTS The two runners were the 9th and 11th runners to finish out of Men’s Top Team Finishers: the Big 12. Bedlam rival No. 2 1. Oklahoma State Oklahoma State took the team 2. Oregon national title. 3. Alabama Smith said looking at the year 4. Northern Arizona as a whole, with so many young athletes, it is very exciting to Women’s Top Team Finishers: look toward the future. 1. Villanova This year’s roster had no se2. Florida State niors and will return all run3. Washingon ners for the 2010 cross country 4. Texas Tech season.
Sooners defending home win streak record Saturday The Sooners are putting their 29-game home winning streak on the line Saturday, and many players take pride in making sure the No. 12 Oklahoma State Cowboys do not end that streak. “We just want to keep this streak alive,” senior offensive lineman Brian Simmons said. “I don’t want to end the streak on my turn. I hope it never ends.” The last time OU lost at Owen Field was Sept. 3, 2005, against Texas Christian by the score of 17-10.
Seniors to play final home game this weekend
Sooners and Cowboys reverse roles The Sooners have been out of the top-25 rankings since the loss to Nebraska, and the Cowboys are sitting at No. 12. The Sooners lost their starting quarterback and the nation’s best tight end. The Cowboys lost their starting running back and their quarterback sat out a game, but OSU replaced them with a back who has eclipsed 1,000 yards and a quarterback who stepped in to lead the team to a comeback win. The roles have definitely been reversed. Analysts have been raving about the Cowboys, citing their tremendous depth at most positions and—except for the two losses—consistent play on both sides of the ball. Some have even declared the Cowboys are no longer second fiddle to their in-state rival Sooners. Saturday is OU’s chance to prove otherwise. The Sooners are underdogs this year for Bedlam, sure. The Sooners may be fighting to finish
This football season is very strange for OU. So strange that, in my ways, it’s backward from the way things usually are. I’m sure I don’t have to remind you, with Saturday’s loss to Texas Tech, OU now has five losses this season. It is easily the worst record in more than a decade under Stoops and equals the loss total of the Sooners’ previous two seasons combined. This 2009 team has fallen a bit from national prestige. JAMES On the opposite end, CORLEY O k l a h o ma St ate ha s never been higher. After starting this year ranked preseason No. 5, the Cowboys are 9-2. Despite injury issues and the loss of their star receiver, OSU has sailed to territory brand new to its program. Going into Bedlam this weekend, the roles have been reversed. The Sooners are fighting to stay above .500, and the Cowboys are seeking a spot in a major BCS bowl.
Saturday’s game against No. 12 Oklahoma State is the Sooners’ final home game of the season, which marks the final time OU seniors will take Owen field. The Sooners have 21 seniors in their lineup, and the underclassmen said they will be playing for those seniors. “This is our last time we’ll ever walk on that field in pads – you know – with that said we’re excited about it,” senior offensive lineman Brian Simmons said. Junior running back DeMarco Murray said he has become close to fellow running back senior Chris Brown and will play for him. “I want to play hard for Chris,” Murray said. “He deserves this game more than anything. He’s been around here for four years, worked hard and I know he wants it more than anything.” The last time the Sooners lost on Senior Day was in 2001 against the Cowboys.
in the middle of the Big 12’s bowleligible teams, sure. The Sooners may have stumbled a long way since the Texas game, sure. But now is the time to right the boat. This year’s Bedlam game is perhaps the most interesting matchup in the series’ history. Oklahoma State is looking to prove it is no longer the forgotten little brother. Oklahoma is looking to reassert itself as the dominant program in the state and salvage a rebuilding year. The usual roles for the teams have been switched. Things will be different after Saturday’s game, no matter the outcome. Win, and the Sooners keep the Cowboys from BCS bowling and prove that no matter how far they might fall, they’re still on top in this state. Lose, and the Sooners give OSU the validity the Cowboys have been yearning for and will likely end the season before New Year’s Day. The season boils down to this game. The roles have been reversed this season, but they don’t have to stay that way.
Murray wishes he got more touches against Texas Tech Junior running back DeMarco Murray admits he was frustrated he only got 11 touches in OU’s 41-13 loss Saturday against Texas Tech. Offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson said two weeks ago he would like to get Murray between 20 and 25 touches per game. “It was a little frustrating,” Murray said. “I thought I could have got the ball a little more, but [Texas Tech’s defense] just did a good job – you know – keying me.” Murray’s 11 touches were made up of seven rushes for 14 yards and four receptions for 14 yards. In the Sooners’ last victory against Texas A&M on Nov. 14, he got 23 touches and gained 223 total yards. –Jono Greco/The Daily
This weekend: OU v. Oklahoma State Saturday Oklahoma Memorial Stadium 11:30 a.m.
James Corley is a journalism senior.
THE OKLAHOMA DAILY
Sports
Staff Pick Results Oklahoma vs. Texas Tech (3) Texas vs. Kansas (10) Ohio State vs. Michigan Minnesota vs. (13) Iowa Mississippi vs. (8) LSU (14) Penn State vs. MSU (25) California vs. (17) Stanford Arizona vs. (11) Oregon
The Daily Consensus James Roth
Aaron Colen
Jono Greco
Steven Jones
Eric Dama
MJ Casiano
Annelise Russell
68-28
67-29
72-24
63-33
67-29
66-30
75-21
Texas Ohio State Iowa LSU Penn State California Oregon
Texas Ohio State Iowa Ole Miss Penn State California Oregon
OU
Texas Tech
Texas OU
Texas
OU
3
OU
Ohio State Ohio State Ohio State Iowa Iowa Iowa LSU LSU LSU Penn State Penn State Penn State Stanford Stanford California Oregon Oregon Oregon Texas
Texas Ohio State Iowa LSU Penn State Stanford Oregon Texas Tech
Texas Ohio State Iowa Ole Miss Penn State Stanford Oregon OU
OU Texas Ohio State Iowa LSU Penn State Stanford Oregon