OU Football Quick-Hitters: Sooners Should Be at Full Strength This Weekend
By Chip Rouse
When the Sooners return to action this Saturday, Bob Stoops said on Monday that the OU football team should be at full strength when it hosts West Virginia.
The OU head coach said at his regular weekly press conference that center Ty Darlington, fellow offensive lineman Nila Kasitati and defensive back Jordan Thomas are expected to practice this week.
Oct 11, 2014; Dallas, TX, USA; Oklahoma Sooners guard Nila Kasitati (54) in action against theTexas Longhorns during the Red River showdown at the Cotton Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports
Darlington and Kasitati were both injured in the Tennessee game. Darlington did not play against Tulsa. Kasitati tried to go on his injured ankle in the Sooners’ last game but wasn’t able to remain in the game.
Regarding Thomas, who was forced to sit out against Tulsa because of disciplinary reasons, Stoops said the junior cornerback practiced well last week and was expected to practice again this week. Asked if he would be back as a starter on Saturday, Stoops responded, “We’ll see.”
No Team Has Been Ranked More Weeks in the Top 5 of the AP Poll Than Oklahoma
The Sooners have been ranked in the top five of the Associated Press college football poll for more weeks (389) than any other program in the country. Oklahoma is a ways from that this season, at No. 15 in the AP Top 25, but the Sooners have done very well in the rankings since Bob Stoops became the head coach in 1999.
According to the OU athletic department, during Stoops’ time at Oklahoma, the Sooners have been ranked in 234 of 270 AP weekly polls. Only Alabama has appeared more times (237) than OU in the AP poll in Stoops’ 17 seasons at OU.
Former OU Baseball Coach Sunny Golloway Dismissed at Auburn
Former Oklahoma baseball coach Sunny Golloway was fired Sunday as the head coach at Auburn. Golloway completed just two seasons at Auburn.
Auburn school officials said Golloway was fired “with cause,” but would not elaborate further, according to a news report in the Tulsa World newspaper on Monday.
Golloway coached nine seasons in the head role at Oklahoma, compiling a record of 346-181-1. He led the Sooners to NCAA postseason play in eight of the seasons, including an appearance in the College World Series in 2010. With Golloway as head coach, Auburn made its first NCAA appearance in five seasons this past season. Auburn was 62-50 in two seasons under Golloway.
Oklahoma Has Just Two Turnovers in Three Games This Season
One of the takeaways from Bob Stoops’ regular Monday press conference this week was that the Sooners need to do a better job of forcing turnovers. So far this season, OU has just two turnovers (an interception in overtime against Tennessee and a fumble recovery in the season-opening win over Akron). That’s just half the story, however. The Sooners rank last in the Big 12 with a turnover margin of minus-4 (4 giveaways to go with the 2 OU takeaways).
While Oklahoma ranks last in the conference in turnover margin this season, West Virginia, the Sooners’ opponent on Saturday, owns the best turnover stat in the conference at plus-9. That is also No. 1 in the country.
The Mountaineers have forced nine interceptions in three games and recovered two fumbles. West Virginia has done a much better job than its opponents in the turnover category, allowing just two takeaways (1 fumble and 1 pass interception).