Rain and lightning forced Oklahoma into a two-location practice Friday morning. After starting practice at the usual locale of the OU rugby fields, the Sooners moved to the Everest Indoor Training Center when lightning was in the area.
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“The rain wasn’t a factor for us outside today, but once the lightning came we decided to move inside,” said OU coach Bob Stoops, who added that the players would have preferred to stay outdoors. “It’s hotter in here. They’d rather be outside. Nothing evaporates off you in here. So, they’d much rather be outside.”
Scrimmage time: Oklahoma will hold its first scrimmage of fall camp today at 6 p.m., in Gaylord Family - Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. The scrimmage is open to the public and there is no admission charge. Fans should enter through Gates 1 or 12. Concessions stands and restrooms will be open in the stadium. An updated team roster is available at Soonersports.com.
Asked what he would look for in today’s scrimmage, OU coach Bob Stoops said: “Good football play. Good, clean play. Being physical. Guys knowing what they’re doing. Avoiding mistakes and playing smart.”
As for assessing the play of quarterbacks Paul Thompson and Joey Halzle, Stoops said he expects to see the same improvement tonight as he’s seen in recent practices.
“It’s getting better all the time,” he said.
Thompson says arm is fine: Quarterback Paul Thompson said Friday that after some initial soreness from throwing the football early in preseason camp, his arm is now pain free.
“The first couple days it was hurting pretty bad, but I’m back to full-go now,” Thompson said. “I’m getting treatment on my shoulder. It’s not sore anymore.”
Among the things Thompson said he’s focusing on, one of the most important according to the senior has nothing to do with throwing the ball.
“Overall I’m surprised at the progress I’ve made,” he said. “It’s all starting to come back. One of the main things was the center exchange. I hadn’t worked on that in the spring or through the summer. That’s definitely gotten a lot better. I didn’t have any dropped snaps today and very few in the last couple of days.”
Still injury free: Stoops said Friday that the team remains injury free. Stoops gave a quick, “No,” when asked if anyone had been nicked up.
Walk-on dismissed from team: Walk-on Jermaine Hardison, a 6-3, 209-pound wide receiver from Midwest City has been dismissed from the squad for violating team rules. Hardison, a junior, was removed after a recent trip to a casino just south of Norman. The team has a mandate of no gambling and no visiting casinos.
Tickets for sale today: The OU ticket office, located at the southwest corner of the stadium, will be open from 4:30 to 7 p.m., selling single-game tickets for all OU home games except the Texas Tech contest. Also, the exhibit area of the Switzer Center will be open from 3 to 6 p.m.
By Justin Harper
