Granger's theft of coat foolish for many reasons

GLENDALE, Ariz. — It's been cold in the desert the last few days. Cold for Phoenix, at least. But that's no reason to steal a coat.

That's no reason to embarrass your school, leave your teammates short-handed, anger your coach and stain your football career for years to come.

All of that and more is the fallout of DeMarcus Granger's knuckleheaded move to stash a jacket in his bag and walk out of the Burlington Coat Factory without paying.

Which is a shame for reasons far beyond what it does to Oklahoma hopes in the Fiesta Bowl. This will follow Granger, even if he shapes up and decides there's no future in being a thief.

For this reason. Granger, a sophomore defensive tackle, was on his way to the spotlight. Granger was a budding star and probably still will bloom.

If Bob Stoops kept Ryan Broyles on the squad for stealing gas and then not cooperating with peace officers, there's no compelling reason to boot Granger. But it's too early to tell if Broyles will make something of his football career or go to pumping gas. It's not too early to tell on Granger.

This guy could play. A run-stuffing defensive tackle, 307 pounds worth, who also can get a pass rush on nimble-footed quarterbacks.

We haven't told you a lot about Granger. That's our bad. This OU defense is known for linebacker Curtis Lofton and rush-end Auston English and a battalion of strong defensive backs.

Granger ranks right with them. Granger has been playing a monster defensive tackle, the hardest position at which to find great players.

OU has excellent depth at d-tackle. Cory Bennett has nine career starts and Steven Coleman six; they were beaten out this season by Granger and G.K. McCoy, but both are solid players.

Stoops downplayed the loss of Granger, because that's Stoops's style. "Those other guys have played a lot of football,” Stoops said.

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