OU's Chris Brown ready to step into DeMarco Murray’s spot

NORMAN — For most schools, losing a starting running back to injury before a bowl game would be devastating.

But if any offense can withstand the blow, it’s Oklahoma.

Tuesday, Sooner coach Bob Stoops announced that starting running back DeMarco Murray will have surgery to repair a partial rupture of his left hamstring tendon and will miss the Jan.8 BCS National Championship game against Florida.

Fortunately for the Sooners, they have another 1,000-yard rusher to insert into the lineup in junior Chris Brown, who will be asked to shoulder the rushing load against one of college football’s top defenses.

Brown has proven more than capable of meeting that challenge.

While he doesn’t possess Murray’s breakaway speed, Brown could probably start for every Big 12 team, except Oklahoma State.

Despite sharing carries with Murray and third-string running back Mossis Madu, Brown is second in the Big 12 with 1,110 rushing yards and leads the league with 20 rushing touchdowns.

After Murray suffered the injury on the opening kickoff of the Big 12 title game, Brown gashed Missouri for 122 rushing yards and three touchdowns as OU rolled to a 62-21 victory.

With Brown’s performance, the Sooners became the first team in NCAA history to have a 4,000-yard passer and two 1,000-yard rushers — Murray and Brown — in the same season.

"I have said this before, there’s no better guy we have than Chris Brown,” Stoops said last week. "He’s outstanding.”