What’s up, folks? Now I’ll only speak for myself, but I’m sure many of you are also starting to get that itch to watch more Oklahoma Sooners Football. Bye weeks are a drag, especially after a loss. Thankfully, it won’t be too much longer now.

Speaking of coming up quick, if you blink, you’ll miss this guy. That’s right, Marquise Brown is that dude, and he isn’t just one of the fastest receivers in college, he’s also related the best all-around receiver in the pros today.

Pittsburgh Steelers star wideout Antonio Brown has worked out with his cousin, Marquise, throughout his career, and he knows full well what kind of career potential Hollywood has.

It was about this time last season when Brown took off and set the college football world ablaze. He’s since kept up that pace for the most part this season, but could he actually take his game to yet another level for the second half of 2018? Sooner fans can only hope for such a leap.

Now for your daily dose of Hot Links! Oklahoma’s defense is working with a new sense of urgency, Dimitri Flowers and Baker Mayfield could be reconnecting on the football field once again, the Big 12 and the Big East are setting up an annual challenge on the hardwood and more!

OU Links

• With what’s transpired with the football team over the last week or so, there’s a new energy surrounding the defensive staff and players. With that new energy also comes a heightened sense of urgency.
• Marquise Brown and Kenneth Murray were named Sporting News mid-season All-Americans. These two also made Sports Illustrated’s mid-season All-American list, with Brown on the first team and Murray on the second team. Congratulations to both of them, and I’m sure we’ll see them on more lists by season’s end.
• Dimitri Flowers, one of Baker Mayfield’s most dynamic weapons in college, went through a workout with his ex-teammate’s squad on Monday. If the Browns know what’s good for them, they’ll sign the ultra-talented fullback in the future. Then they’d just need Oklahoma’s playbook.

• If you haven’t already, make sure to check out how some former Sooners performed in the NFL over the weekend. Running backs Adrian Peterson, Samaje Perine and Joe Mixon made plays, while Baker Mayfield had a bit of a rough go of things in a tough loss to the Chargers.
• Speaking of Sooners in the NFL, Ogbonnia Okoronkwo is finally eligible to return to practice for the Rams after rehabbing a foot injury he suffered in the offseason.

• Continuing with the trend of news on former Sooners, Blake Bell has been signed to the Jacksonville Jaguars’ 53-man roster.

• In case you missed it, here are the presser notes from Lincoln Riley’s Monday media session. Riley covered topics ranging from the Mike Stoops situation to the upcoming game against TCU.

Around the Sports World

• The Big 12 and the Big East are two of the strongest conferences in college basketball from top to bottom, and starting next year the two powerhouse leagues will collide on an annual basis.

• Texas has risen up to No. 7 in the latest AP Poll after winning six consecutive games, but Bill Connelly has the Longhorns as one of seven teams that aren’t as good as their ranking indicates.
• Which FBS head coach would you least want to fight? There are some top-flight contenders, but I guess they left Bill Snyder off this list because his wizardry would be way too unfair of an advantage.
• Kansas City Chiefs’ Tyreek Hill is seeking charges against a New England Patriots fan who threw beer in his face after he scored a touchdown Sunday night. The fan was ID’d at the game and banned from returning in the future.
• Raiders coach Jon Gruden definitely handled things poorly with Khalil Mack, and now he is reportedly looking to trade away receiver Amari Cooper and safety Karl Joseph. What’s going on in Oakland?
• Ohio State’s Nick Bosa has decided to focus on the 2019 NFL Draft instead of a possible return to the field in 2018.
• The Oklahoma City Thunder open the 2018-19 season tonight, so make sure to read this great article about the trajectory of the franchise.

Stick to Sports!

• Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen — who also owned the Portland Trailblazers and Seattle Seahawks — passed away on Monday at the age of 65. While most people think of Bill Gates when they reflect on the origin of the groundbreaking company, Allen was just as instrumental in creating the enterprise that changed the world.

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