Happy Hump Day, friends and fans!

The Oklahoma Sooners are in full swing at fall practice, and since voluntary workouts began in July, all players have grown accustomed to training while wearing a mask or face covering of some kind. According to Lincoln Riley, the current plan going forward is to continue experimenting with different types of protective gear throughout the preseason and eventually the actual games. SI Sooners’ John Hoover has more details from the fourth year head coach.

Although the masks somewhat limit the players’ ability to catch their breath, it’s been relatively easy to manage with more frequent breaks and deeper rotations. As you can see in the photo gallery linked below, the team went through its first scrimmage of fall camp while wearing the face coverings and plastic shields, and from the sounds of it things ran about as smoothly as one could hope for in regards to any equipment complications.

Once again, OU has done its due diligence every step of the way to prioritize the safety of its student-athletes while preparing for what will be one of the most unusual seasons in college football history. It’s been a challenge just to reach this point, but at Oklahoma, the Sooners have the right kind of leadership in their corner.

Now onto today’s Hot Links! Lincoln Riley’s squad tests itself in a scrimmage, K9 draws praise from the Bolts’ DC, Dame D.O.L.L.A. gets the dub over L.A. and more!

OU Links

• Oklahoma held its first scrimmage of the preseason on Tuesday. It’s nice to see UCLA grad transfer WR Theo Howard out there in the action. Also, according to Lincoln Riley, one of the main things he’d like to see moving forward is the team committing fewer penalties.

• With less than four weeks until OU kicks off the 2020 college football season, Sooners Wire’s Kegan Reneau broke down Oklahoma’s scholarship situation. Check it out to find out how many spots are currently open and how those numbers shake out across the board.
• Our own Allen Kenney teamed up with writers Steve Lassan and Mark Ross over at Athlon Sports to predict each game on Oklahoma’s schedule. All three agree on a 9-1 regular season finish for the Sooners, but there is some discrepancy among the group when it comes to predicting where that loss might come from.
• The folks over at CBS Sports updated their college football rankings to adjust for the teams who will not be playing this fall, and Oklahoma checks in at No. 3. Four other Big 12 teams — Oklahoma State (10), Texas (11), Iowa State (17) and Baylor (23) — also made the top 25.
• Heading into his second year as a pro, Marquise ‘Hollywood’ Brown is absolutely thriving with the Baltimore Ravens. Check him out as he cooks Marlon Humphrey in this one-on-one drill. Boomer!

• Los Angeles Chargers defensive coordinator Gus Bradley shared glowing reviews of rookie linebacker Kenneth Murray during training camp. The former Sooner’s football IQ is well above average for his age, and his instincts combined with his natural ability give his coaches cause for excitement.

Around the Sports World

• On Tuesday, Damian Lillard and his eighth-seeded Portland Trail Blazers pulled off the upset over LeBron James and his Los Angeles Lakers, 100-93 in Game 1 of their first round series. In case you missed it last night, check out the highlights of the Blazers’ convincing win.

• Speaking of the NBA, the eight teams that were not invited to the Orlando bubble for the season restart will be able to start voluntary workouts in a training camp setting by mid-September.
• The Notre Dame Fighting Irish have decided to suspend in-person classes for the fall semester due to COVID-19, but ND Athletics will continue forward as planned.
• Cleveland Browns starting running back Nick Chubb is in concussion protocol after being tackled during a team scrimmage.
• Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Derek Holland has a great sense of humor, and for his latest stunt he set up cardboard cutouts of different characters played by comedian Rob Schneider around PNC Park. I don’t care who you are, that’s *Schneider voice* friggin’ hilarious.

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