Notes from Stoops’ Presser: a Much-Needed Break

Some predicted a Sooner victory against the Mountaineers, but I don’t think anybody could have foreseen OU’s display of superiority—and not to mention composure—in Morgantown on Saturday. That combined with the Sooners’ bye week should make for a chipper Bob, right?

It certainly seemed that way. In fact, all of the coaches and players seemed to be in a pretty good mood, and deservedly so.

The only people upset on the day were the fans, with the announcement of Bedlam’s kickoff time:

11:30 is a strange kickoff time, but I guess it’s better than 11? Remember fans, you have a duty. Take one for the team—literally:

It was an emotional game for both the Sooners and the Mountaineers, and Oklahoma composed themselves much better than West Virginia did. It was a wintry night, but Stoops worried that wouldn’t matter much:

The midfield scuffle before the game, Bob said, was simply a matter of showing that they wouldn’t be intimidated.

In injury news for the Sooners, it appears that Jordan Evans (who authored yet another amazing interception return against West Virginia) suffered a sprain, but the practice time he misses will be precautionary:

Stoops also mentioned that Erick Wren, injured against WVU, could have come back into the game. Jonathan Alvarez was simply playing well in Wren’s absence.

Bob Stoops teams typically play well when given a week or more to prepare. Stoops definitely relishes the time off, and the eternally banged up Sooners need it:

The Sooners typically keep the major injury news close to their vest. Minor injuries, however, almost always fly under the radar. That’s not just an OU thing; if each team listed every little scrape or bruise, the injury report would be the length of War & Peace. A little holiday time off will be just what the Sooners need. The Cowboys also have the week off, so the two teams will go at each other at full strength, more or less.