Andrew Dieb-USA TODAY Sports
Also, T.J. Pledger’s breakout performance was a long time coming.
Happy Hump Day, friends and fans!
On Tuesday afternoon, Lincoln Riley confirmed the news that UCLA Bruins junior OL transfer Chris Murray has officially been declared eligible for the 2020 season and will be available for the Oklahoma Sooners against the TCU Horned Frogs on Oct. 24.
Lincoln Riley confirms UCLA OL transfer Chris Murray has been declared eligible and will be available against TCU in two weeks.
— SoonerScoop.com (@SoonerScoop) October 13, 2020
With the inconsistent play by OU’s offensive line through the first four games of the season, Murray ’s addition will be an extremely welcomed sight. The former Bruin started all 24 games in his first two collegiate seasons out west, and plays with a nastiness that’s been missing thus far from the Sooners ’ offensive trenches. Why it took the NCAA this long to approve it is beyond me, but that applies to just about everything the NCAA does.
If the O-line shores up and becomes a true strength from this point forward, there’s almost no reason why this team can’t run the table the rest of the way through its final six Big 12 contests. If that happens, there’s a chance Oklahoma will find itself back in Arlington playing for what would be a sixth consecutive conference championship.
Now onto today’s Hot Links! K1 earns another weekly NFL honor, P-Mot travels from coast-to-coast for his new NFL home, a big SEC matchup is in jeopardy and more!
OU Links
Following Oklahoma’s win over Texas, redshirt sophomore WR Drake Stoops echoed his team’s sentiments about fighting to the finish. While the Sooners came up short of that mantra against Kansas State and Iowa State , they made true by it versus the Longhorns .
Keep swinging.#OUDNA pic.twitter.com/iajqoqY6qd
— Oklahoma Football (@OU_Football) October 14, 2020
Junior RB T.J. Pledger had the best day of his OU career in last weekend’s Red River Showdown, and his family made sure he felt their praise . For him, this performance and their subsequent reception was a long time coming, writes SI Sooners’ John Hoover.
Redshirt sophomore kicker Gabe Brkic missed a potential game-winning field goal in the third OT period against Texas, but Lincoln Riley remains confident in his specialist who has spent the majority of his collegiate career successfully making kicks, writes SI Sooners’ Parker Thune.
Arizona Cardinals QB Kyler Murray recently earned the second NFC Offensive Player of the Week honor in his career after totaling more than 400 yards of offense in a win over the New York Jets . I see you, K1.
Kyler Murray has been named NFC Offensive Player of the Week.
Congratulations @K1 !
— Arizona Cardinals (@AZCardinals) October 14, 2020
Former Sooner CB Parnell Motley began his NFL career as a signed UDFA with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers , and on Tuesday the San Francisco 49ers claimed P-Mot off waivers from the Bucs. This is excellent news for the highly talented defender.
The #49ers have claimed CB Parnell Motley off waivers from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) October 13, 2020
On Tuesday, OU’s Lon Kruger caught up with the media to ring in the start of the 2020-21 college basketball season. Going forward, the Sooners will be in preseason practice, gearing up for an unprecedented campaign. Here’s a brief clip of his remarks on what’s new about this year and what has him most excited. You can find the rest of his presser through the link in the tweet.
Anxious to get going.@LonKruger breaks down OU’s progress, workouts and preparation for a challenging 2020-21 season as the #Sooners begin official practice Wednesday.
Full Video: https://t.co/mP9yV6qyFX pic.twitter.com/1MvGLE6RYT
— Oklahoma Basketball (@OU_MBBall) October 14, 2020
One week after announcing his decommitment from the Texas Longhorns , 2021 four-star WR Billy Bowman released his list of the top three schools still in play for his recruitment. Oklahoma, Georgia and LSU have each made the cut for the nation’s No. 33 overall prospect. Recruiting is obviously a fickle beast, but the Sooners are currently a heavy favorite to land an eventual commitment. It certainly helps that his girlfriend — Jayda Coleman — is a current OU softball commit.
pic.twitter.com/AWVKHbnerm
— ² (@Billy2Bowman) October 14, 2020
In case you missed it, BreakingT designer Nick Torres came up with this sweet Red River themed t-shirt to commemorate Oklahoma’s epic four-OT win over Texas. Not only will the Sooners retain the Golden Hat Trophy for another year, but the river that borders these two states indeed still runs red. I can’t think of a better way to celebrate one of the wildest games in the history of the series than to add this baby to your OU wardrobe right away!
After four overtimes and a bunch of missed holding calls, Oklahoma still reigns supreme over Texas in the Red River Shootout/Rivalry/Showdown/whatever.
Get yourself a t-shirt to celebrate the occasion! #Sooners https://t.co/gnMIdxEj6x
— Crimson & Scream Machine (@CCMachine) October 12, 2020
Around the Sports World
On Tuesday night, the Tennessee Titans decisively won a battle of unbeatens matchup against the Buffalo Bills , 42-16. The most viral play to come out of the game is undoubtedly Titans RB Derrick Henry ’s stiff arm/toss of Bills CB Josh Norman . My goodness, the man has a family.
Don’t test the King. @KingHenry_2
: Watch on CBS or Live https://t.co/JRosML4WEm pic.twitter.com/kgX91gvZij
— Tennessee Titans (@Titans) October 14, 2020
The New York Jets have officially released RB Le’Veon Bell . In 2020, Bell has only been available twice, most recently this past Sunday in a home loss against Arizona.
On Tuesday, Kansas State announced that WR and sensational kick returner Joshua Youngblood has entered the NCAA Transfer Portal . The talented playmaker had a big year in 2019, but this season he’s only made appearances in two games.
LSU QB Myles Brennan is reportedly doubtful to play on the road against the No. 10 Florida Gators this Saturday after suffering an apparent shoulder injury in the Tigers’ loss to Mizzou last weekend. In fact, the status of this game itself is up in the air as UF has paused all football activities as it deals with a program-wide COVID-19 outbreak.
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