Happy Friday, everybody! The Oklahoma Sooners are one day away from taking on the Kansas Jayhawks in Lawrence on what appears to be a quieter weekend across college football. Meanwhile, OU’s softball team, men’s golf team, and men’s and women’s gymnastics teams from last season are in D.C. today after winning national championships. Congratulations on all the players and coaches for their outstanding achievements! I hope they all have a great time touring our nation’s capital.
#ChampU visits DC!
— Oklahoma Sooners (@OU_Athletics) November 17, 2017
All four OU title teams from 2016-17 are in the nation's capital today!
Follow here ➡️ https://t.co/R8SKr67RYl pic.twitter.com/dcA0wKs0Lg
Now onto the Hot Links! In today’s edition, we’ve got Sooners making the semifinals for awards, some reasons why Baker Mayfield was overlooked coming out of high school, how QB Austin Kendall is growing in his redshirt year and more!
OU Links
- Orlando Brown has been named a semifinalist for the Outland Trophy, which is given to the nation’s best lineman (offense or defense). If Brown were to win the award, he would become OU’s sixth player to win it and the first since Jammal Brown in ‘04. Congratulations, Orlando!
Three-year anchor on left side of OU’s offensive line named one of six @outlandtrophy semifinalists tonight. Congrats to our guy Orlando Brown. #BuiltDifferent
— Oklahoma Football (@OU_Football) November 17, 2017
More➡️ https://t.co/ey3OwuMzh4 pic.twitter.com/bL3UmxFa2s
- Lincoln Riley was named 1 of 16 semifinalists for the George Munger College Coach of the Year Award. The job Riley has done this season might be overlooked by some, especially when there were questions about whether or not the Sooners would drop off to some degree after Bob Stoops retired.
- So how did so many college coaches whiff on Baker Mayfield during his high school recruitment? Does it really boil down to just his height? Whatever it was, it’s just another amazing aspect of Mayfield’s incredible journey to college football stardom.
- Outside linebacker Caleb Kelly wrote ‘PERRY’ on his wrist tape for the game against TCU as a tribute for Tony Perry, a DB guru and mentor for Kelly and many other kids growing up in the Fresno community. Tragically, Perry recently passed away. What an incredible story that is both heartbreaking and inspiring.
- Did you know Grant Calcaterra is a triplet? He also comes from an incredible family. Read more about Grant and the Calcaterra family in the link below.
Some things are just meant to be. For Grant Calcaterra, being a Sooner was destiny.
— Oklahoma Football (@OU_Football) November 17, 2017
Read/Watch ➡️ https://t.co/N39WOjUM9j pic.twitter.com/hFtRAmCzfa
- Austin Kendall, last season’s backup quarterback, is redshirting this season with transfer Kyler Murray now in the fold. Coach Riley praised Kendall for his performance on the Sooners’ scout team, as well as his development as a leader.
- Let’s face it: Oklahoma could use a nice break after all the down-to-the-wire games this season. Perhaps they’ll get that reprieve in Lawrence on Saturday.
- OU women’s basketball hosts SMU tonight at 7 p.m. CT. Catch up on all the details for this matchup here.
National Links
- If TCU wants to make it to the Big 12 Championship Game, they are most likely going to have to win out (I don’t think Oklahoma State will lose to K-State, but you never know). With Hill and others now ruled out with injuries, this opens the door a little wider for a potential Bedlam rematch.
#TCU will be without QB Kenny Hill, strong safety Niko Small and kicker Jonathan Song (all starters) this weekend when they visit #TexasTech.
— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) November 17, 2017
- The Boston Celtics defeated the Golden State Warriors last night, extending their NBA leading winning streak to 14 games. Did the win prove anything though?
- If Jon Gruden becomes coach of the Tennessee Volunteers, there are already lots of fans making outrageous promises. Getting tattoos, re-naming children, the list goes on and on, and quite frankly it’s hilarious.
- Pittsburgh Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger made the best audible of the season in last night’s win over the Tennessee Titans. If you’re familiar with the popular Bud Light medieval banquet commercial, you’ll have fun with this one. Dilly dilly!
Ben Dilly Dilly#Steelerspic.twitter.com/ZwvCsuC724
— Steelers Depot (@Steelersdepot) November 17, 2017
- So you wanna know how heated the Auburn-Alabama rivalry is? Well, one recent argument ended with somebody getting shot. Wait, what? This is absolutely insane.
- After 18 great years, Mike Greenberg and Mike Golic have signed off the Mike & Mike show for the final time. The early morning sports radio show has been a hit with fans across the country for nearly two decades, and their longevity at this level may not be rivaled for quite some time. Thank you, Mike and Mike.
One final sign-off. pic.twitter.com/Y6p0RTmZWR
— ESPN (@espn) November 17, 2017
“STICK TO SPORTS”
- The release date for the Avengers: Infinity War teaser trailer has been announced for December 4th. The trailer will be available online and in theaters in conjunction with Star Wars: The Last Jedi. I. Can’t. Wait.
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