Bob Stoops was nervous about Ty Darlington as a starting center

Oklahoma true freshman center Ty Darlington (photo courtesy of SoonerSports.com)

He had lost starting center Ben Habern before the season even began. Then he lost Gabe Ikard for the week due to a concussion.

That’s when he found himself counting on the third-string center, a true freshman, to start the Baylor game, a contest Oklahoma lost a year ago.

But OU’s coach said he had confidence in freshman Ty Darlington:

“A coach’s son, he was ready for the moment,” Stoops said. “He didn’t flinch. Even before the game, I was excited to see his demeanor, and he was ready to play.”

The freshman from Apopka, Fla. made his first true start, helped lead Oklahoma to two scoring drives to start the game and had two false starts, which Stoops referred to as “hiccups.”

“There’s a guy you feel, as things progress, you can go to and possibly move Gabe around if you need to,” Stoops said. “Just proud of Ty to play like he did.”