Copyright ©2010. The Associated Press. Produced by NewsOK.com All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
BCS National Championship: OU's Travis Lewis goes from sideline to spotlight
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Without a freak accident, Travis Lewis would have watched this season from the sidelines.
If not for a freak accident, Travis Lewis would have watched this season from the sidelines. AP photo
Multimedia
Related content
NewsOK Related Articles
-
OU, BYU set for Dallas opener
01/07/2009 MIAMI SHORES, Fla. — A strong nonconference schedule saved Oklahoma in the BCS this season. The Sooners have put together another challenging...
-
Quotable: What the Sooners are saying about Travis Lewis
01/07/2009 What the Sooners are saying about Travis Lewis "He’s been very impressive. He’s made a lot of big plays. He’s been consistent, and you...
-
BCS National Championship: Oklahomans play a big part in Sooners’ run to BCS title game
01/07/2009 MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — The Sooner locker room often is filled with good-natured, but competitive, banter. Oklahoma high school football vs. Texas high...
-
OU football notebook: Balogun to start at linebacker
01/07/2009 Balogun to start at linebacker Oklahoma defensive coordinator Brent Venables said after Tuesday’s practice that Mike Balogun will start at middle...
-
Florida's Maurkice and Mike Pouncey share tastes and classes off the field, are competitive with each other on it
01/07/2009 FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Louis Murphy plays receiver for Florida. Mike and Maurkice Pouncey block for the Gators on the very same offense. But...
-
BCS National Championship: The Rock Star QBs - OU's Sam Bradford vs. Florida's Tim Tebow
01/07/2009 FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Tim Tebow walked into the Harbor Beach Marriott the other day, and the clamor could not have been greater had Elvis Presley...
During preseason practice, starting weak-side linebacker Austin Box was doing non-contact drills when he slipped and injured his knee. For a while, junior-college transfer Mike Balogun worked with the first team. But the week of Oklahoma’s opener, defensive coordinator Brent Venables decided to start Lewis.
"He was just the best option,” Venables said. "He was not quite as lost as the next guy.”
Not exactly a glowing endorsement.
But Thursday in the BCS National Championship, no player will be more important in stopping quarterback Tim Tebow and the Florida offense than Lewis, whom Venables now calls the best freshman linebacker he’s ever coached.
"He came from nowhere,” Venables said. "His improvement from then to now is remarkable.”
Remarkable is right.
The former third-stringer has 136 tackles and counting, breaking Brian Bosworth’s school record for tackles by a freshman.
Lewis earned first-team Freshman All-American honors and was named the Big 12 Defensive Newcomer of the Year by the Associated Press and the Big 12 Freshman of the Year by the league’s coaches.
Sports Photo Galleriesview all
Prev
If you prefer your thoughts to appear in The Oklahoman, we encourage you to submit a letter to the editor.
Would you like to leave a comment?
Log in or sign up (it's free).