nd DeMarco Murray, the next best had to be 103-year-old Caroline Blue.
The Norman resident was honored as a longtime Sooner season-ticket holder during a second-quarter timeout. Blue has been attending Sooner games since The Great Depression and walked -- unassisted -- to the end zone to be honored on the SoonerVision jumbo video screen for all 84,472 in attendance to see.
Her great nephew, Dr. Barney Blue, was one of her escorts. He said two of her longevity secrets are that she has young friends and that each evening she drinks White Zinfandel. Not a large glass, but a glass nonetheless.
Heisman trophy winner Billy Sims' statue in Heisman Park was unveiled before the game. Sims was introduced at midfield during halftime and attempted to show the Sooner crowd his high-kneed running style. Not only was his professional career ended with a massive knee injury but Sims is pushing 50 years old and the fan favorite gave it a great effort. Bet he needs some aspirin and Ben Gay tomorrow morning. Thanks for literally giving it the old college try.
Among the most exhausted from the 79-point Sooner performance "? aside from kicker Garrett Hartley who had to kick off a dozen times in the game "? had to be the cheerleaders. The squad tumbles from sideline to sideline across the end zone when the team scores. By the time Oklahoma scored a safety midway through the fourth-quarter, the back handsprings were missing spring and zing.
The squad also performs standing back tuck flips as some sort of ritual when the team prepares for a kickoff. By the end of the game, the flips were getting shorter and flatter. Had the Sooners scored again, some of the ladies might have been eating end-zone turf. Poor things.
The other seemingly exhausted game peripherals had to be the Fox Sports Network camera operators. Not too many casual viewers would be tuning in for a romp "? heck, the paying fans were cruising out of Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium "? and the sideline reporter tried to interview the parents of quarterback Sam Bradford. Talk about pulling teeth. The Bradfords were not exactly loquacious with the reporter who traversed the bleachers. But who can blame them? Ask better questions and get better answers.
And then after North Texas managed to string together a few plays and score a touchdown, the camera operator broadcast a shot of OU pom pom girls frowning. Surely a painted college kid or a sleeping child could have been found.
The athletic department's pregame video -- using the same "There is only one Oklahoma" theme as previous seasons -- has been updated for the season. Using players from the recent and distant past, the video got the crowd whooping and hollering. However, the would-be crescendo ending was somewhat subdued when the team came running onto the field before the video completed.
