Oklahoma football: Texas Tech’s Cornelius Douglas has OU ties

Texas Tech senior cornerback Cornelius Douglas is the Big 12′s reigning defensive player of the week. He’s also got a ton of OU bloodlines.

The senior from Lawton High is the nephew of former OU baseball player John Douglas and the nephew of Lawton quarterback legend Rodney Douglas, who in the 1981 All-State suffered a broken leg that effectively curtailed a promising football career. Rodney Douglas had signed with OU and was thought to be a potential wishbone star for Barry Switzer.

Cornelius Douglas was not recruited by OU, and now Douglas is part of a renaissance Tech defense that I wrote about for the Wednesday Oklahoman. You can read it here.

Douglas told the media in Lubbock on Monday that he doesn’t have any extra feelings, playing against the Sooners. “Not really,” Douglas said. “I’m kind of over that. That was freshman year they didn’t recruit me. It’s just a business trip now, I’ve got to get the W.”

Douglas, who had been a receiver most of his Tech career before moving to defense in the middle of last season, had the first two interceptions of his career last Saturday in a 24-13 victory over Iowa State. He is Tech’s first Big 12 defensive player of the week in four years.

Here is part of Douglas’ interview from Lubbock on Monday.

Q: Talk about coach (Art) Kaufman.

Douglas: “Coach Kaufman, man, he’s a good coach. Everybody listens to him. Every day he preaches to us, just really to run to the ball, be in the play. You can see on the film every game that we’re running to the ball, everybody. You look on the film and you see all 11 hats right there on the ball. That’s what he’s been coaching and preaching.”

Q: You guys are playing a lot tighter coverage. Is that different from last year a little bit?

Douglas: “It is. We played off more. Well, I can’t say that. The last three games I played, we weren’t playing tight on them. But now he’s really emphasized us really getting on them, and getting pressure on them. I mean, that makes it harder for the quarterback. It’s been working, so…”