Harris offers versatility
At 6-foot-3 and 226 pounds,
Oklahoma safety
Nic Harris is a few cheeseburgers away from a permanent move to linebacker.
For now, his athletic ability and in-between size have made him the utility man of the OU defense.
“We’ve played Nic at several spots,” OU secondary coach
Bobby Jack Wright said. “We’ve worked him at nickel. He continues to work at strong safety and free safety. (Defensive coordinator) Brent (Venables) has even used him some at Sam linebacker, because of his body type.
“He’s really been a surprise for us from a standpoint of how many different places we can use him at. If we can get him real comfortable at one spot, we’d certainly like to leave him there, because it is hard when you’re trying to train and learn two or three different positions.”
Owens statue to be unveiled: A statue of Steve Owens will be unveiled outside Gaylord Family - Oklahoma Memorial Stadium next week.
The statue is the second of four crafted to honor the Sooners’ Heisman Trophy winners, a project of the Oklahoma Centennial Commission in conjunction with the University of Oklahoma. The statue was designed by the late Oklahoma sculptor Nick Calcagno. Owens won the Heisman in 1969. A statue representing 1952 winner Billy Vessels was unveiled in September 2005.
The ceremony to dedicate Owens’ statue will be Sept. 2 at 3:30 p.m., two and-a-half hours before Oklahoma’s season opener against UAB, on the east side of the stadium.
Statues of OU Heisman winners Billy Sims (1978) and Jason White (2003) are to be dedicated in 2007.
Center discussions: There’s no doubt that, if healthy, Jon Cooper will be the starter at center on OU’s offensive line.
But with Cooper nagged by an injury during the preseason, two players have seen time backing him up. True freshman Chase Beeler and starting tackle Chris Messner each have worked at center.
And it’s a little unclear who will be used first if Cooper goes down during a game.
Coach Bob Stoops said both have looked good in practice.
Keller claims: If Mike Keller can be believed - and his claims during his son’s transfer saga were curious - Oklahoma made a hard push to land the former Arizona State quarterback.
The father told the Arizona Republic that he received an estimated 10 phone calls Wednesday lobbying for Oklahoma over Nebraska. And he told the newspaper that half of those came from Sooners coach Bob Stoops.
The elder Keller also said the Cornhuskers made the most sense to Sam.
Surprise Scrimmage: Oklahoma fans arriving early for Thursday night’s Big Red Rally were treated to an impromptu scrimmage from the first and second teams.
It marked only the second time this fall that Sooner fans have been allowed to see the squad in action.
Paul Thompson and company focused mainly on executing short-yardage plays, with Malcolm Kelly in the slot and Allen Patrick lined up in the backfield. Reggie Smith played a few defensive series but never took the field with the offense.
Several players were sporting different numbers from the ones worn during the Sooners’ previous scrimmage. Among the most notable changes, star freshman Jermaine Gresham wore No. 18 instead of No. 2, and backup quarterback Joey Halzle wore No. 15 instead of No. 11.
The Sooners also announced their captains for this season - seniors Paul Thompson, Chris Messner, C.J. Ah You and Rufus Alexander. Thompson, Alexander and Ah You spoke briefly to the crowd, while Messner left the event early to attend class.
By Scott Wright, John Helsley and Blake Jackson
