Happy Hump Day, friends and fans!

Over the years of my Oklahoma Sooners fandom, I’ve had the pleasure of watching some of the best to ever do it on Owen Field. My personal favorite OU alum is WR Ryan Broyles. The Norman native was ultra-reliable in the slot, and the epitome of consistency. After some time away from the gridiron, he’s now in play to enter next week’s XFL Draft.

Broyles is not the only former Sooner to be in the XFL’s inaugural draft pool. QB Landry Jones has already entered his name in the mix, and so far DE Frank Alexander, LB Emmanuel Beal, CB Demontre Hurst, WR Durron Neal, and WR Jalen Saunders are also up for selection.

With complete rosters needed to be filled, the XFL Draft will work much differently than the NFL Draft. On Tuesday, Oct. 15, skill players, offensive linemen and defensive front guys will be chosen. Then the following day will be reserved for secondary players, specialists and all remaining draftees.

As more names are revealed heading into Draft Day, keep your eye out for more former Oklahoma players. With Bob Stoops running the show for the Dallas Renegades, plus all the aforementioned Sooners potentially finding roster spots, there is sure to be a sizable amount of Sooner Magic in the reboot of this professional football league.

Now onto today’s Hot Links! B.J Foster thinks he wants the smoke, Bill Bedenbaugh’s O-Line is having a promising week of practice, OKC’s favorite Kiwi hit from deep and more!

OU Links

• Maybe for Texas it was Trash Talk Tuesday, because there were multiple quotes from Longhorns directed at Sooners ahead of this weekend’s shootout. Perhaps the most inflammatory remark was made by UT safety B.J. Foster. In effect, he told Jalen Hurts to slide, or else... This is why I love this rivalry. I can hardly wait to see how much bite is really behind B.J.’s bark.
• SoonerScoop’s Eddie Radosevich asked sophomore DE Ronnie Perkins about Texas OT Sam Cosmi’s slights from Tuesday, and the pass rusher plans on letting his game speak for itself come Saturday.

• The offensive line remains the biggest question mark on the team after numerous shuffling attempts to accommodate for injuries. On Tuesday, Bill Bedenbaugh did not provide an update on OU’s starting tackles, but had some positive news to share.

• OU Insider’s Kevin Flaherty took a closer look at a breakdown of Jalen Hurts’ passing chart through five games. It’s stating the obvious to say he’s been efficient when he leads the nation in passing efficiency and QBR, but on which parts of the field has Hurts been the most effective?
• One of the challenges Alex Grinch’s secondary will face against the Longhorns will be trying to cover the tall Texas receivers with mostly shorter defensive backs. The Norman Transcript’s Tyler Palmateer reports on how Oklahoma’s DC is approaching this apparent mismatch.
• Speaking of Grinch — while this Saturday will be his coaching debut in the Red River Shootout/Showdown/Rivalry/whatever, it’ll also be a chance at redemption for the Sooners’ defense. Eric Bailey of the Tulsa World has more.
• In case you missed it, the cast and crew members here at Crimson & Cream Machine offered our takes on the new Texas State Fair food items. Some are can’t-miss picks, some seem like winners, and others are creations that simply should not exist. Find out what they all are and what we had to say about them!
• In case you also missed this, make sure you check out Allen Kenney’s breakdown of the Texas passing game, and how the horizontal plays could either hurt Oklahoma’s secondary or play right into the defense’s favor.
• It’s that time again! The Beat Texas Edition of the Oklahoma Breakdown Podcast is here with your usual hosts, Jack and Kamiar. For this week’s episode, the guys are joined by Barking Carnival’s Kyle Carpenter to discuss all things related to the upcoming OU-Texas game in Dallas. There’s been quite a bit of trash talk already, plus the State Fair offers plenty to talk about when it comes to odd and interesting food choices. Check it out now, and as usual, there is some NSFW language used on the pod.

Around the Sports World

• Former Baylor Bears head coach Art Briles was found to have two Mount Vernon players ruled ineligible after it was deemed they moved to the district for athletic purposes. The school is not facing game forfeiture.
• Rutgers Scarlet Knights QB McLane Carter has retired from football after suffering a concussion following two starts to open the 2019 season. Carter originally arrived in Piscataway as a Texas Tech Red Raiders transfer.
• SB Nation’s Natalie Weiner wrote about how women actually had their own football teams and leagues all the way back in the 1930s, but it was short-lived because of backlash and a lack of support. A very insightful read on the history of the sport as well as the nation around it.
• Oklahoma City Thunder big man and fan favorite Steven Adams knocked down a three-pointer off a Chris Paul assist in Tuesday night’s preseason game against the Dallas Mavericks. Splish. Splash.

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