Paul Thompson says Oklahoma hasn't yet played its best game this season.
Advertisement
With only the Fiesta Bowl against Boise State remaining, the Sooners' fifth-year senior quarterback hopes they can pull it together in his final game.
"Being the competitor that I am, it doesn't seem like I've had a good practice in the five years I've been here,” Thompson said. "There's always something we can improve on. There's always maybe a turnover or something and a lot of times we come away with a win, but there might be one or two things where we didn't achieve our goals.”
The Sooners have gone 11-2 and won the Big 12 championship with Thompson at quarterback.
"I definitely don't think we've played our best ball yet,” Thompson said. "We have one more chance to do that, and I'm looking forward to seeing how the guys respond and compete.”
• All grown up: OU guard Duke Robinson is only a sophomore, but after playing 10 games as a true freshman and starting every game this year, he already feels like a veteran.
"I was just thinking about how fast I've grown and how much I've grown,” the Atlanta native said. "Now the young guys are coming in, and I was thinking how I was just like those guys when I came in.”
Robinson has been one of the strengths of OU's young, talented offensive line, but he's always looking to improve.
"I'm trying to get it where it's just natural,” he said of his powerful blocking ability. "I really feel like my full potential of what I can do hasn't even creased the surface yet. I'm still working hard every day. I'm gonna work hard, till it's time for me to leave, to be the best that I can be.”
• Fiesta Bowl parking: For Sooner fans heading to Glendale, Ariz., for the Fiesta Bowl, parking for the game at University of Phoenix Stadium is limited.
Parking passes are $30 for cars and $150 for RVs. Passes can be purchased in advance by calling 1-800-635-5748.
RV parking lots at the stadium open at 9 a.m. the day of the game. Car lots open at 11 a.m.
• Running the show: Former Oklahoma football player Joe Dan Rogershas been named the executive director of the Hula Bowl, a college all-star game played in Honolulu.
Rogers played at OU in 1996 and '97. He later worked as a coach at TCU and Alabama. Most recently, he was a scout for the NFL's Atlanta Falcons.
The 2007 Hula Bowl will be held Jan. 14.
• Pendleton a finalist: The recognition keeps coming for OU defensive tackle Carl Pendleton.
The OU junior was named Thursday as a finalist for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes' Bobby Bowden Award, which honors a college football player for his achievements on the field and in the classroom, along with his conduct as a faith model in the community.
It is one of many awards Pendleton has been nominated for. Earlier this year, he received a post-graduate scholarship from the National Football Foundation.
Pendleton has said he will forgo his senior season to focus on his education and raising his 11-year-old adopted brother, Kierstan. He recently became Kierstan's legal guardian.
Pendleton, a regular speaker at Fellowship of Christian Athletes events, teaches Sunday school each week at a Norman church. He recently took over responsibility for the church's ministry to fifth- and sixth-graders.
The award will be presented Jan. 6 in Phoenix.
By Scott Wright
Prev
