OU football notebook: Ravens’ Mark Clayton stops by

Ex-Sooner and current Baltimore Ravens wideout Mark Clayton made an impromptu appearance at OU’s press conference Sunday morning at the Harbor Beach Marriott Resort & Spa.

Clayton wished defensive coordinator Brent Venables and several Sooner players luck in the BCS National Championship before heading to Dolphin Stadium for Baltimore’s NFL playoff game against Miami.

The Ravens stayed at the Harbor Beach Marriott over the weekend, the same hotel where all the BCS National Championship press conferences were held.

Later on Sunday, Clayton had two catches as Baltimore beat Miami 27-9.

The Sooners have been practicing at Barry University in Miami Shores, the same practice location OU used in preparing for the 2000 and 2004 national championships at the Orange Bowl.

"They tell you what hotel and where your practice site is,” coach Bob Stoops said. "Fortunately, we’re in the same hotel and same practice facility as 2000.”

The Fontainebleau hotel on Miami Beach, OU’s Orange Bowl headquarters for half a century, has undergone renovations, and offensive tackle Phil Loadholt gave the accommodations a thumbs-up.

The beds are plenty big for the 6-foot-8, 337-pounder.

That’s not the case with every road trip.

"Sometimes, my feet hang off the bed a little bit,” Loadholt said.

Venables said he expects both Mike Balogun and Austin Box to see time at middle linebacker Thursday.

Box, who started the second half of the season, is coming back from a knee sprain that sidelined him in the Big 12 Championship. In his place, Balogun made his first career start in the Big 12 title.

"They’ll both play,” Venables said.

Despite being blessed with several standout quarterbacks in the last decade, OU quarterbacks haven’t had their finest performances in BCS bowl games.

In fact, in OU’s last four BCS bowl games, all losses, Sooner quarterbacks have thrown nine interceptions to just six touchdowns.

"We’ve had turnovers,” Stoops said. "But I think in the end, when you’re really successful at quarterback, or when you’ve had struggles, I don’t really see it as always just the quarterback. I think when we’ve had troubles with protection or being one-dimensional. That’s what I see when our production isn’t what we’re used to. I think it’s the whole team.”

Most of the Gators never have been to Oklahoma. Some of the Gators didn’t pretend to know anything about Oklahoma, outside of football.

"Nothing, honestly,” linebacker Ryan Stamper said. "I’ve never been to Oklahoma. Never been to Texas. Never been to south Florida, and I’m from Jacksonville.”

Safety Ahmad Black said, "I think they’ve got tornadoes, right?”

Florida quarterback Tim Tebow is renowned for appearing comfortable in public settings such as Sunday morning’s press conference.

Tebow said he improved his public speaking by talking to kids during his mission trips to the Philippines.

"I was nervous at first talking to people,” he said. "But the more you do it, the easier it gets. It really made me a better public speaker.”

In a press conference over the weekend, OU center Jon Cooper sat with Sam Bradford, Juaquin Iglesias and Jermaine Gresham. Of the first seven questions, five went to Bradford and the other two went to Iglesias and Gresham about Bradford.

Finally, on the 10th question, Cooper was acknowledged. He was asked about Bradford.

"I’m just excited you asked me a question,” Cooper said.

Said Gresham, "I don’t like doing this anyway, so I’m happy you ask him the questions.”

The Sooners ate dinner Sunday night at Fogo de Chao, a Brazilian steakhouse on Miami Beach. OU had a barbeque party on the beach on Saturday night.

BY BERRY TRAMEL AND JAKE TROTTER

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