http://www.yardbarker.com/college_football/teams/oklahoma_sooners/181 Recent articles about Oklahoma Sooners en-us Some odds and ends as we head into Memorial Day weekend. *I don't really pay much attention to college softball, but it's impossible to follow OU sports to any degree and not know about phenom Keilani Ricketts. Over at SBNation, the talented R.J. Young, who normally works with our friends at SoonerScoop.com, has penned a thoughtful longform piece on the superstar pitcher and slugger. This is a must-read if for no other reason than Young's ability to capture the experience of watching the most dominant athlete in college athletics today in action. *Bob Stoops took a break from helping out with the clean-up and recovery efforts in Moore yesterday to talk with sports talk radio host Jim Traber. It turned into what I thought was one of the most candid interviews with the coach that I've ever heard. Definitely worth a listen if you get a chance. *Insightful chalk talker Nickel Rover published a great two-part series this week at Football Study Hall on Baylor... Fri, 24 May 2013 08:17:34 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/college_football/article_external/linking_up_great_longform_on_keilani_ricketts_bob_stoops_opens_up/13685276 http://network.yardbarker.com/college_football/article_external/linking_up_great_longform_on_keilani_ricketts_bob_stoops_opens_up/13685276 Linking Up: Great longform on Keilani Ricketts; Bob Stoops opens up http://www.yardbarker.com/college_football/articles/linking_up_great_longform_on_keilani_ricketts_bob_stoops_opens_up/13685276 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/b/c/bc622e481df69351bacd2a1694dd213ef70e32eb/mini/tostitos-fiesta-bowl.jpg Oklahoma’s baseball team begins Big 12 tournament play Thursday in Oklahoma City, while the Sooners' softball team hosts Texas A&M in the super regional bracket. Both sports normally have good turnouts to cheer on the Crimson and Cream. It’s obvious that those who support the Sooners are mostly football fans and don’t give a rat's ass about the other 16 sports. I guess you can’t blame those football-only fans; after all, football does drive the Sooner Schooner down the boulevard of big revenue. Early on this year, baseball fans had something to be excited about. The team looked like a lock for the College World Series with a 25-5 record through March. So far in April and May, the team has gone 10-12, including dropping nine of the last 12 games. OU lost the last three conference series (only one win in three games each against West Virginia, Oklahoma State and Kansas State). So we can put this in terms Sooner fans might better understand, let's equate t... Wed, 22 May 2013 22:27:44 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/college_football/article_external/postseason_in_full_swing_for_sooner_baseball_softball_squads/13675625 http://network.yardbarker.com/college_football/article_external/postseason_in_full_swing_for_sooner_baseball_softball_squads/13675625 Postseason in full swing for Sooner baseball, softball squads http://www.yardbarker.com/college_football/articles/postseason_in_full_swing_for_sooner_baseball_softball_squads/13675625 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png On May 20, the Rimington Trophy committee released the 2013 Spring Watch List. The Rimington Trophy is awarded annually to the "Most Outstanding Center in NCAA Division I-A College Football". With 44 players listed, there is a good chance that your favorite center is on it, but Conference USA still failed to have a player named on the watch, despite being a 14 team conference. The SEC had the most named with nine while next up were the Mountain West with six and PAC-12 with five. The smallest FBS conference, the Sun Belt, had three players make the list. Arkansas' Travis Swanson, Oklahoma's Gabe Ikard, and Florida State's Bryan Stork are some of the early favorites for the Rimington.Swanson is one of 17 players listed returning from the 2012 Spring Watch List and started all 38 games of his collegiate career for the Razorbacks while being selected for the All-SEC Second Team by the Associated Press last season. He is also No. 11 on the 2013 Freaks List and is r... Wed, 22 May 2013 18:27:38 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/college_football/article_external/rimington_trophy_spring_watch_list_swanson_ikard_stork_lead_the_way_c_usa_snubbed/13674331 http://network.yardbarker.com/college_football/article_external/rimington_trophy_spring_watch_list_swanson_ikard_stork_lead_the_way_c_usa_snubbed/13674331 Rimington Trophy Spring Watch List: Swanson, Ikard, & Stork lead the way, C-USA snubbed http://www.yardbarker.com/college_football/articles/rimington_trophy_spring_watch_list_swanson_ikard_stork_lead_the_way_c_usa_snubbed/13674331 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png Oklahoma Sooners coach Bob Stoops said that the tornado which devastated Moore passed only mile away from his home, while his family was inside. Wed, 22 May 2013 07:45:18 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/college_football/article_external/video_bob_stoops_says_oklahoma_tornado_struck_mile_from_home/13669258 http://network.yardbarker.com/college_football/article_external/video_bob_stoops_says_oklahoma_tornado_struck_mile_from_home/13669258 Video: Bob Stoops says Oklahoma tornado struck mile from home http://www.yardbarker.com/college_football/articles/video_bob_stoops_says_oklahoma_tornado_struck_mile_from_home/13669258 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/4/8/48ca80e408ff1d1e4abddb3193a5ae1bbc197f04/mini/oklahoma-sooners-baylor.jpg NORMAN, Okla. (AP) -- Oklahoma football coach Bob Stoops says one of his graduate assistants and a strength coach had their homes destroyed in the tornado that hit suburban Oklahoma City. Stoops told ESPN in an interview Tuesday that he doesn't know of any Sooners players or their families who were hurt when the twister hit Moore on Monday. Stoops' home is just south of Moore in the northern section of Norman, and he says his family saw the tornado through the back window of their home and was ready to go into their storm shelter. Stoops says he was at the football offices and watching on television. The athletic department posted photos on Twitter on Tuesday of Stoops visiting with families displaced by the tornado who took shelter at the university. Wed, 22 May 2013 00:16:32 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/college_football/article_external/tornado_could_be_soon_from_stoops_home/13668097 http://network.yardbarker.com/college_football/article_external/tornado_could_be_soon_from_stoops_home/13668097 Tornado could be soon from Stoops' home http://www.yardbarker.com/college_football/articles/tornado_could_be_soon_from_stoops_home/13668097 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/1/a/1a0ac547928f85f9dc9030232332e2e1266fa2a2/mini/byu-oklahoma.jpg Oklahoma football coach Bob Stoops says one of his graduate assistants and a strength coach had their homes destroyed in the tornado that hit suburban Oklahoma City. Stoops told ESPN in an interview Tuesday that he doesn't know of any of Sooners players or their families who were hurt when the twister hit Moore on Monday. Stoops' home is just south of Moore in the northern section of Norman, and he says his family saw the tornado through the back window of their home and was ready to go into their storm shelter. Stoops says he was at the football offices and watching on television. The athletic department posted photos on Twitter on Tuesday of Stoops visiting with families displaced by the tornado who took shelter at the university. Coach Stoops and student athletes visit with displaced families from #Moore who have found a home @ uofoklahoma twitter.com/OU_Alumni/stat... -- OU Alumni (@OU_Alumni) May 21, 2013 Tue, 21 May 2013 19:13:17 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/college_football/article_external/tornado_hit_close_to_home_for_stoops/13666471 http://network.yardbarker.com/college_football/article_external/tornado_hit_close_to_home_for_stoops/13666471 Tornado hit close to home for Stoops http://www.yardbarker.com/college_football/articles/tornado_hit_close_to_home_for_stoops/13666471 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/b/7/b7aa11c0771e6de7ccb6a98ee58ba6bda34dc369/mini/b6.jpg On Tuesday Oklahoma Coach Bob Stoops discussed Monday’s devastating tornadoes.  His family watched the tornado from the back of their home as it passed about a mile away. Stoops was quoted as saying “Just thinking of all these, so, so many families that are devastated,” Stoops said. “This will be a long-term effort to get everyone back on their feet.” Monday’s tornado has claimed more than 24 lives, including children.  It has been initially rated as an EF4, with winds between 166-200 MPH.  The city of Moore has been hit twice before in recent history with great damage and loss of life.  Officials are still trying to come up with an accurate death toll for this tragedy. See on newsok.com    Photo: Oklahoman Archive Tue, 21 May 2013 15:41:24 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/college_football/article_external/bob_stoops_family_watched_the_tornado_from_their_home/13664983 http://network.yardbarker.com/college_football/article_external/bob_stoops_family_watched_the_tornado_from_their_home/13664983 Bob Stoops’ Family Watched The Tornado From Their Home http://www.yardbarker.com/college_football/articles/bob_stoops_family_watched_the_tornado_from_their_home/13664983 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png Will another team from another conference win the national title in 2013?  After seven straight national titles for the SEC is it even feasible that an SEC team won’t take it all again in 2013?   These are two questions that are on millions of college football fans minds. Well here are five teams that have a legitimate shot at unseating the SEC from the top perch.  After all, remember in 2000 when Oklahoma had no chance against a supposed un-defeatable Florida State playing in Florida? Remember how Texas A&M was going to be routed in the SEC and crushed by Alabama in Tuscaloosa?  Well, we know how those turned out.  So, anything is possible and these five teams have the potential at least on paper to beat an SEC champion and win a national title in 2013. Clemson (2012 Record 11-2 (7-1) Dabo Swinney’s Clemson team is talking about even going faster and executing more plays in their hurry up spread offense in 2013.  They have returning quarterback Tajh Boyd and all everything receiver Sammy Mon, 20 May 2013 16:54:28 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/college_football/article_external/five_teams_that_can_unseat_the_sec_for_the_national_title_in_2013/13657852 http://network.yardbarker.com/college_football/article_external/five_teams_that_can_unseat_the_sec_for_the_national_title_in_2013/13657852 Five Teams That Can Unseat The SEC For The National Title In 2013 http://www.yardbarker.com/college_football/articles/five_teams_that_can_unseat_the_sec_for_the_national_title_in_2013/13657852 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png At least one other head coach agrees with Oklahoma’s Bob Stoops’ opinion that the SEC’s dominance... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]] Mon, 13 May 2013 13:35:09 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/college_football/article_external/weis_defends_stoops_criticism_of_sec/13606826 http://network.yardbarker.com/college_football/article_external/weis_defends_stoops_criticism_of_sec/13606826 Weis Defends Stoops’ Criticism of SEC http://www.yardbarker.com/college_football/articles/weis_defends_stoops_criticism_of_sec/13606826 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png If the Oklahoma Sooners were looking to build a little good karma for the upcoming football season, a trio of offensive linemen has done a job that can't be matched. According to The Oklahoman, three of the players showed up at The Children's Center in Bethany, Okla., to surprise Hayle Savage, who has spina bifida and is in a wheelchair. Savage has been at the center because of a leg infection and the sophomore will miss her regular high school prom. But thanks to the Sooners, Savage has a memory that can't be matched. The center held a prom of its own and when Savage entered, lineman Bronson Irwin was there as her date. Irwin has volunteered at the center in the past. If that wasn't enough for the Sooner fan, linemen Gabe Ikard and John-Phillip Hughes joined in the fun and showed Savage how to do "The Twist." If that wasn't enough of a memory for Savage, she was also named the prom queen. "It's cool because it's my first prom, and I got chosen as queen," S Sun, 12 May 2013 20:57:40 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/college_football/article_external/oklahoma_linemen_make_prom_memorable_for_girl/13602881 http://network.yardbarker.com/college_football/article_external/oklahoma_linemen_make_prom_memorable_for_girl/13602881 Oklahoma linemen make prom memorable for girl http://www.yardbarker.com/college_football/articles/oklahoma_linemen_make_prom_memorable_for_girl/13602881 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png The SEC is the nation's most dominant conference, and while Florida's Will Muschamp and Bama's Nick Saban get it, Oklahoma's Bob Stoops has missed the memo. Sun, 12 May 2013 20:54:39 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/oklahoma_coach_bob_stoops_rips_sec_nick_saban_and_will_muschamp_swing_back/13602941 http://network.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/oklahoma_coach_bob_stoops_rips_sec_nick_saban_and_will_muschamp_swing_back/13602941 Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops rips SEC, Nick Saban and Will Muschamp swing back http://www.yardbarker.com/all_sports/articles/oklahoma_coach_bob_stoops_rips_sec_nick_saban_and_will_muschamp_swing_back/13602941 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png Like with Jenkins I also reached out to a Oklahoma blogger, this time right here on the Bloguin Network, to get a little info on our job Kenny Stills. Allen Kenney of Blatant Homerism was nice enough to give me a little input on the Saints' new receiver. Make sure you check this guy out on twitter too. I didn't get his input on this ridiculous picture of Stills that you've probably heard me reference at some point, but here's what he had to say about the player: In his three years at Oklahoma, Kenny Stills was one of my favorite players. Between the piercings, the mohawk and the tattoos, he comes across as a iconoclast, but he's far from the diva type. I think he's a genuinely interesting character (so he should fit in well in the Big Easy). Maybe the best way to think of Stills is as a spread version of a possession receiver. He's fast and does a good job finding holes in coverage within 10-15 yards of the line of scrimmage. He doesn&#39... Sat, 11 May 2013 20:04:44 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/college_football/article_external/saints_nation_oklahoma_bloggers_thoughts_on_kenny_stills/13598342 http://network.yardbarker.com/college_football/article_external/saints_nation_oklahoma_bloggers_thoughts_on_kenny_stills/13598342 Saints Nation: Oklahoma Blogger's Thoughts on Kenny Stills http://www.yardbarker.com/college_football/articles/saints_nation_oklahoma_bloggers_thoughts_on_kenny_stills/13598342 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/4/4/446f96c5a9e1a95967b75f50d518328a313b8d2f/mini/oklahoma-university.jpg The post-Landry Jones era at Oklahoma was never going to be smooth-sailing, but Bob Stoops would have liked to have gotten a better start than this. According to USA Today, Sooners quarterback Kendal Thompson was arrested early Friday morning and charged with public intoxication and interference. SoonerScoop.com tells us that police were responding to a loud party complaint when Thompson was found sleeping on a hill. Here, an officer smelled alcohol on Thompson’s breath. "As I was speaking with him, he was not making sense with incomplete sentences and was becoming harder to understand him," said officer Steven Boxford in the affidavit. Like most under a heavy influence of alcohol, Thompson would not obey the officer’s commands—probably completely unaware of his surroundings—which led to Thompson’s interference charge as well. Thompson, a sophomore, has been vying for the starting job since Jones’ departure with counterparts Trevor Knight (a freshman) and Bl... Sat, 11 May 2013 14:06:00 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/college_football/article_external/oklahoma_football_kendal_thompson_may_have_just_blown_his_chance/13596983 http://network.yardbarker.com/college_football/article_external/oklahoma_football_kendal_thompson_may_have_just_blown_his_chance/13596983 Oklahoma Football: Kendal Thompson may have just blown his chance http://www.yardbarker.com/college_football/articles/oklahoma_football_kendal_thompson_may_have_just_blown_his_chance/13596983 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png Oklahoma sophomore quarterback Kendal Thompson has been arrested for public intoxication and refusing to obey a police officer's orders. School spokesman Pete Moris issued a statement Friday saying OU officials are aware of the arrest ''and are handling it internally.'' Moris said coach Bob Stoops was not available for comment. Oklahoma City television station KOCO says Norman police were investigating a loud party early Friday when they found Thompson lying in the grass outside an apartment. Authorities say Thompson reportedly refused to obey orders and tried to walk away. Thompson was in a three-way battle for the starting quarterback job at OU. He is the son of former Sooner quarterback Charles Thompson. Police did not immediately return messages left by The Associated Press. Fri, 10 May 2013 15:05:18 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/college_football/article_external/oklahoma_quarterback_kendal_thompson_arrested/13591673 http://network.yardbarker.com/college_football/article_external/oklahoma_quarterback_kendal_thompson_arrested/13591673 Oklahoma quarterback Kendal Thompson arrested http://www.yardbarker.com/college_football/articles/oklahoma_quarterback_kendal_thompson_arrested/13591673 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png On Wednesday, USA Today released their compilation of athletic department revenue for all the public universities across the country.  It's not exactly shocking news to see that Texas continues to lead the country in revenue by over $20 million. The Longhorns raked in over $163 million of revenue in 2012 which netted a profit of $25 million.  The Longhorns top line was nearly three times that of Iowa State who generated the smallest revenue in the Big 12 (it should be noted that since Baylor and TCU are private schools, they are not required to make their financial information public).… Fri, 10 May 2013 14:35:53 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/college_football/article_external/no_surprise_texas_leads_the_country_in_athletic_department_revenue/13592657 http://network.yardbarker.com/college_football/article_external/no_surprise_texas_leads_the_country_in_athletic_department_revenue/13592657 No surprise, Texas leads the country in athletic department revenue http://www.yardbarker.com/college_football/articles/no_surprise_texas_leads_the_country_in_athletic_department_revenue/13592657 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png The summer caravans are in full swing with coaches making the rounds like revival preachers. They speak to this group and that almost nightly in the hopes of firing up the fan base before summer practice begins. Usually the speeches dont amount to much -- a lot of we couldnt do it without the fans platitudes and boilerplate answers to questions most coaches can see coming from the parking lot. But Oklahomas Bob Stoops turned his Monday night appearance on the Sooner Caravan into a news-making event when he went on a tear about the SEC. Well, it depends on what gap you're talking about, Stoops told Tulsa World Sports in answer to a question about the gap between the SEC and other conferences. What are the bottom six (SEC teams) doing?The first answer that comes to mind is: theyre getting players drafted in the NFL. The SEC just sent a record 63 players to the NFL, a number which more than doubles any other conference. Not all of those came from the top three or four teams, either. Every SEC program except Wed, 08 May 2013 18:59:15 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/oklahoma_coach_stoops_questions_sec_dominance/13578779 http://network.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/oklahoma_coach_stoops_questions_sec_dominance/13578779 Oklahoma coach Stoops questions SEC dominance http://www.yardbarker.com/all_sports/articles/oklahoma_coach_stoops_questions_sec_dominance/13578779 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/b/7/b7aa11c0771e6de7ccb6a98ee58ba6bda34dc369/mini/b6.jpg Teams from the Southeastern Conference have won the last seven national titles. That pretty much ends any argument about which conference is the best in college football. Well, Bob Stoops likes to argue. The Oklahoma coach was feeling his oats this week at a fan caravan appearance in Tulsa. Despite evidence to the contrary, he's not willing to concede the title of best conference to the SEC. "So they've had the best team in college football," Stoops said, in comments reported by the Tulsa World. "They haven't had the whole conference. Because, again, half of em haven't done much at all. I'm just asking you. You tell me." True, the seven straight BCS titles have been spread out amongst just four teams: Alabama (3), Florida (2), LSU and Auburn. Of course, the 2012 BCS title game was a head-to-head matchup of SEC teams, Alabama and LSU. And in some years, the SEC conference championship game is basically a national semifinal, if not a better matchup than the BCS title Tue, 07 May 2013 22:27:18 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/college_football/article_external/ous_stoops_dares_to_question_sec_dominance/13572620 http://network.yardbarker.com/college_football/article_external/ous_stoops_dares_to_question_sec_dominance/13572620 OU's Stoops dares to question SEC dominance http://www.yardbarker.com/college_football/articles/ous_stoops_dares_to_question_sec_dominance/13572620 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png During a stop in Tulsa during the Sooner Caravan tour, Oklahoma head coach Bob Stoops made some comments which are likely to whip the SEC sycophant media into a frenzy, even if what he said has more than a hint of truth. Stoops’ grand claim? The SEC is more myth than reality. Per the Tulsa World, Stoops had the following to say about the vaunted SEC: “So they’ve had the best team in college football,” Stoops said. “They haven’t had the whole conference. Because, again, half of ‘em haven’t done much at all. I’m just asking you. You tell me.” “It depends on who you want to listen to,” Stoops said. “Listen, they’ve had the best team in college football, meaning they’ve won the national championship. That doesn’t mean everything else is always the best.” “So you’re listening to a lot of propaganda that gets fed out to you,” he said. “You’re more than smart enough to figure it out. Again, you can look at the top two, three, four, five, six teams, and you can look at the Tue, 07 May 2013 17:07:23 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/college_football/article_external/bob_stoops_is_trolling_the_sec_media/13569728 http://network.yardbarker.com/college_football/article_external/bob_stoops_is_trolling_the_sec_media/13569728 Bob Stoops is not impressed with SEC http://www.yardbarker.com/college_football/articles/bob_stoops_is_trolling_the_sec_media/13569728 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/9/9/99100c8416066ac173d0d4ac54f23a4195114325/mini/stoopsy.jpg Jacksonville Jaguars receiver Justin Blackmon styaed out of trouble during his up and down rookie season in 2012. His second season however, will start a little late. The NFL has suspended Blackmon for the first four games of the 2013 NFL season for violating the leagues Policy and Program for Substances of Abuse, reports Gregg Rosenthal of NFL.com. He'll be eligible to return on September 30th, a day after their game with the Indianapolis Colts. The news is sure to leave a terrible first impression with the new regime in Jacksonville under GM David Caldwell.  Blackmon raised a few red flags before the 2012 season when he was arrested for DUI on June 3rd in Stillwater, Oklahoma. He was previously arrested for DUI in 2010. The suspension looks to be bad news to an already lethargic offense. Rosenthal writes: ' The news is a significant blow to a moribund Jaguars offense that is trying to find new life under coach Gus Bradley. Without Blackmon in the mix, the team's ... Tue, 30 Apr 2013 16:47:28 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/college_football/article_external/justin_blackmon_suspended_four_games/13522232 http://network.yardbarker.com/college_football/article_external/justin_blackmon_suspended_four_games/13522232 Justin Blackmon suspended four games http://www.yardbarker.com/college_football/articles/justin_blackmon_suspended_four_games/13522232 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/7/a/7a1ff0454bf04c0d5091f5c1ec27040d195aa094/mini/6351014.jpg It seems as if over the past few seasons the coaching carousel has just never stopped going around and this offseason it's been crazier than usual. However, one team has seemed to master the art of "stealing" a coach away and that's the University of Oklahoma.  Their latest victim was Wisconsin, who saw their tight end/special teams coach bolting for the Sooners just this past Friday. Overall there have been three coaches that have been taken away from other programs in somewhat interesting circumstances.  You could get pisesd about it if it happened to your team, or you could do what the fine folks of LandThieves did and make fun of it: Pure classic if you ask me. The use of Old School, Bucky, and the fat Packers fan wearing a cheeshead are simply classic. Well played folks and why get mad when you can get even in viral video format, right? For all of Andy's musings on the world of college sports & more follow him on twitter @andycoppens and mak... Thu, 07 Mar 2013 18:22:36 -0500 http://network.yardbarker.com/college_football/article_external/are_the_sooners_becoming_coach_thieves/13080358 http://network.yardbarker.com/college_football/article_external/are_the_sooners_becoming_coach_thieves/13080358 Are the Sooners becoming coach thieves? http://www.yardbarker.com/college_football/articles/are_the_sooners_becoming_coach_thieves/13080358 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png