Oklahoma players took a liking to the Fiesta Bowl trophy, taking turns shooting photos of teammates posing beside it.
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Some might consider the trophy gaudy, with diamonds and gold and even a stained-glass window effect on a dome that serves as the base to a football topper.
Not the Sooners.
"We gotta have it,” said offensive lineman George "Duke” Robinson.
Asked what the trophy represented to him, senior safety Jason Carter said:
"Money. That looks like a lot of money right there. That's something nice. That's nicer than the national championship trophy.”
Molina Jewelers, an Arizona company, designed the trophy, which required more than 2,400 hours to produce.
The trophy, which has an LED lighting system that illuminates the dome and the football, features 2,187 diamonds with a total weight of 50 carats across the stripes of the 18-carat gold football.
"There's always room for a trophy like that at the University of Oklahoma,” Carter said.
One problem: The winning team walks off with a reproduction that resembles, but doesn't match the original.
• Game-day glimpse: OU and Boise State got their first close-up look at University of Phoenix Stadium on Saturday during the teams' media day.
"Man, this is the cream of the crop stadium right here,” Sooner linebacker Zach Latimer said. "I just want to walk on the field. That's all I want.”
The entire field but for a small sliver of one sideline was roped off to minimize foot traffic before game day. Several serious-looking security guards stood watch over the sod. They looked like they might even be willing to take on a curious linebacker.
"They got their MIB earpieces on,” Latimer said, laughing and referring to the movie ‘Men in Black.'
"They're gonna stop somebody and let you know, ‘You don't belong out here.' ”
Said Boise State coach Chris Petersen: "Boy, the builders and architects, I'm sure they won many awards getting this thing done. It's awesome.”
Boise State tailback Ian Johnson called it the greatest stadium he ever had seen. What's the worst?
"OK, the Kibbie Dome,” Johnson said, referring to the home of the University of Idaho, the Broncos' archrival. "There, I said it.”
•Roof closed: The retractable roof at the University of Phoenix Stadium will be put to use Monday.
The roof will be open for parachutists to descend through the opening shortly before kickoff, then close for the game.
"We're doing it for fan comfort,” said Shawn Schoeffler, Fiesta Bowl media relations liaison. "The game will kick off at 6:50 (7:50 central) and probably won't be over until after 10.”
Temperatures regularly drop into the 40s after dark this time of year in Glendale.
• Dry hole: The Broncos' Johnson has become a media darling during Fiesta Bowl week. But he was speechless when asked his impressions about the state of Oklahoma.
"I got nothin',” Johnson admitted. "It's back East, right? It's considered back East?
"I've been to Oklahoma once. Nine years old. I was ring bearer in a wedding. I thought it was cool to ride a motor home (to Oklahoma) for four days.”
By John Helsley, Berry Tramel, Jenni Carlson and George Schroeder
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