Claremore Daily Progress

Sports

August 30, 2012

Sooners leaving comfort of home

JOHN SHINN CNHI News Services

NORMAN — If Oklahoma had its druthers, the grounds crew would be painting the turf at Owen Field, RVs would be settling into the parking lot at Lloyd Noble Center and all the local hallmarks of a home football game would be popping up around Norman.



That will all have to wait until next week. The fourth-ranked Sooners will make their season debut at Sun Bowl Stadium in El Paso, Texas, Saturday night against UTEP.



Hitting the road isn’t the typical way OU starts the season. Players have taken note of it.



“It’s interesting to start the season on the road. I don’t think I’ve experienced that,” center Gabe Ikard said. “I’m excited to go on the road for game one. It’s going to be a tough test. I’m sure they sold it out and the place is going to be rocking. It’s a good test for us and our maturity in week one, to get on the road and play in a hostile environment. I think it will be good for us.”



The last time OU started a season away from the friendly confines of Owen Field was in 2009 and it didn’t turn out well. It lost to BYU at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, and lost Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Sam Bradford to a shoulder injury.



The Sooners haven’t kicked off a season in an opponent’s home stadium since 2002. They struggled through the first half before claiming a 37-0 victory over Tulsa. That game marked the only time in Bob Stoops’ tenure as coach that OU started a season in an opponent’s stadium.



Teams like smooth starts to the season.



“This is one of the most important games of the season because the first game sets the tone,” cornerback Aaron Colvin said.



Getting on a plane for two-hour flight and spending the night, and a very long day, at a strange hotel can make things bumpy.



Stoops doesn’t see it as an issue.



“Guys that are playing at this level should be ready for it,” he said. “It’s really just trust your instincts, trust your practice. Work hard to know what to expect as far as your preparation and then play hard as much as anything.”



But it’s far from normal for big-time programs.



The only Top 25 teams that will play true road games this week are No. 9 South Carolina, at Vanderbilt tonight in an SEC game, and No. 24 Boise State, which travels to No. 13 Michigan State on Friday.



That game is high risk, but high reward for both teams. Opening the season at UTEP only appears to offer the risks. It’s the hand OU was dealt after TCU joined the Big 12 Conference and it was left scrambling to find a non-conference game. OU found one, but the circumstances aren’t ideal.

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