OU notebook

Published: September 6, 2007

Running backs coach Cale Gundy said Wednesday that OU will try to keep Allen Patrick off special teams as long as possible while he recovers from a high-ankle sprain.

"We'll hold him at least one week, maybe another two or three,” Gundy said. "We feel like we have some other guys.”

Patrick was one of OU's top kick-coverage players a year ago, and OU coaches have said they hope to use him as often as possible on special teams, once they feel better about his ankle.

Patrick is expected to play at running back Saturday against Miami.

•Poncho party: There won't be any hurricanes, but weather forecasts show that scattered thunderstorms could arrive in Norman during Saturday's game.

The Sooners, though, won't be totally unprepared. OU scrimmaged in a perpetual downpour Aug. 18.

In that scrimmage, the rain didn't bother redshirt freshman quarterback Sam Bradford, who completed 12 of 17 passes for 130 yards and four touchdowns.

•No Wright way: Miami coach Randy Shannon implied this week that junior starting quarterback Kirby Freeman would take all the snaps against OU.

Asked whether senior Kyle Wright, who started most of last year, could play some against the Sooners, Shannon said: "I'm not worried about Kyle right now. We've still got Kirby Freeman. Kirby's our guy. If something happens to go wrong, a shoe comes off, then Kyle will go in. You never know what can happen in a game.”

•Hurricane watch: One of Miami's top receivers, sophomore Sam Shields, will return to the lineup after serving a one-game suspension in the opener for an undisclosed violation. The 6-foot, 175-pound Shields caught 37 passes for 501 yards and four touchdowns last season.

Starting corner Glenn Sharpe, however, will not play because of injury, Shannon told reporters Tuesday.

Also, reserve freshman quarterback Robert Marve and freshman receiver Jermaine McKenzie were in uniform on the Miami practice field Tuesday, six weeks after suffering serious injuries in a rollover crash.

McKenzie, who fell asleep while driving, broke a neck vertebrae. Marve broke his wrist and dislocated a finger. Both are still limited in what they can do, however, and no timetable has been set for their full return.

•Power of the press: Saturday's OU-Miami showdown has drawn interest outside the states of Florida and Oklahoma. Ivan Maisel from ESPN.com and Dennis Dodd from CBS Sportsline, along with writers from the Austin American-Statesman, Kansas City Star, Omaha World-Herald, Washington Times and Wichita Eagle have requested media credentials.

Also, seven pro teams are sending scouts, at least five more than a normal Sooner home game, OU spokesman Kenny Mossman said.

By Jake Trotter

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