OU football notebook

Published: October 10, 2007

Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops won't accept the blanket statement that his special teams have struggled this season.

"Some of them have been outstanding,” he said Tuesday.

But Stoops recognizes where they've had problems, too.

"Kickoff coverage is the issue,” Stoops said. "I thought our kickoff coverage was again poor (against Texas).”

Kick coverage could play a factor Saturday with the spark redshirt freshman Jeremy Maclin has provided the Tiger return game.

The Sooners have struggled the last two weeks in coverage and rank ninth in the Big 12 in kickoff coverage, allowing 17.2 yards per return.

Maclin has two punt return touchdowns and is averaging nearly 23 yards per kickoff return. And that's not all he does. Maclin is second on the team in receiving with 25 catches for 306 yards and third in rushing, averaging 10.9 yards per carry. He has six total touchdowns.

Maclin has an interesting Oklahoma connection. The St. Louis area product initially committed to the Sooners, but later backed out to sign with Missouri.

He committed to OU in August 2005, but continued to visit other schools. By December, he had reopened his recruiting and committed to Missouri later that month.

• No hangover: Stoops has never bought into the theory of the "Texas Hangover,” or the emotional letdown the week after playing Texas. Stoops' teams are 8-0 the week after Texas.

"I just don't get the hangover deal,” he said. "There isn't anyone here walking around like we've done something. In the end, what does beating Texas do? It doesn't do anything.

"We're in the middle of a season. We've only played half of it. We're used to trying to compete and win championships here. You're not gonna get a lot of pats on the back around here for not doing that. The only way to do it is to win this week and keep winning.”

• Hoop fan: OU offensive lineman Brian Simmons was disappointed to see the NBA's Hornets leave Oklahoma City after last season. A North Carolina native, Simmons' first love was basketball, but that's not why he followed the team.

Former Hornets forward Cedric Simmons is his cousin. Simmons, the 15th pick in last year's NBA Draft, was traded to Cleveland on Sept. 29 in a deal that sent guard David Wesley to New Orleans.

"It's not gonna be as fun now that they're gone,” Brian Simmons said. "I enjoyed going to the games last season.”

Simmons had hoped to make it to the Hornets' preseason exhibition game against Houston Tuesday night at the Ford Center — the team's only appearance in Oklahoma City this season.

Simmons is one of three OU players with an NBA relative. Branndon Braxton is the cousin of Samaki Walker of the Milwaukee Bucks and DeMarcus Granger's cousin is Danny Granger of the Indiana Pacers.

By Scott Wright

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