Depth Doldrums and Drill Day Dramas
Tuesday’s open-practice session at Oklahoma’s Rugby Field offered a peek behind the Sooners’ helmets. Running backs coach Owen Heinecke fired up the troops with an impassioned pre-practice speech. Sophomore Tory Blaylock showed up in pads but held back full-speed drills alongside freshman Jonathan Hatton Jr., signaling lingering bumps. The offensive line took a hit: tackle Michael Fasusi and guard Heath Ozaeta departed early, prompting Ryan Fodje and Noah Best to shift positions. On defense, safety Michael Boganowski earned praises as the standard-bearer for crisp execution. Virginia transfer Trell Harris worked through rust and flashes of explosiveness, while young wideouts Jayden Petit and Jahsier Rogers battled drops and bursts. Edge duo Taylor Wein and Adepoju Adebawore sharpened each other under coach Miguel Chavis’s watch, and tight ends coach Jason Witten wasted no time scolding route cutters and drop-makers, with Trynae Washington showcasing a highlight catch from John Mateer’s pass.
The Sooners clearly treat practice like an all-you-can-smack buffet. While some runners nurse phantom injuries, others are auditioning for the next season of “Gridiron Gladiators.” The offensive line looks like a college dorm room after a pillow fight—everybody’s banged up, and the furniture’s gone. On defense, Boganowski seems to be the only guy who actually read the playbook cover to cover, earning MVP status in the “Stop Your Sloppy Self” drill. Meanwhile, Jason Witten’s giving tight ends the tough love of a drill sergeant who just discovered they’re late for basic training. It’s comforting to know your coaches are treating fall camp like a boot camp—body slams optional, sarcasm required.
Transfer Turned Play-Caller or Just Counting Plays?
Parker Livingstone, who left Texas for Oklahoma, has one goal: mastering fall camp before facing his former team. After practicing more than 1,600 non-contact reps this summer, the wideout has settled in with quarterbacks like John Mateer under OC Ben Arbuckle. Livingstone insists he’s not peeking ahead to the Red River Rivalry, focusing first on an opener against UTEP on Sept. 4. When asked about Texas, he now offers diplomatic “one‐game‐at‐a‐time” talk, though his March mantra was more blunt: “I want to beat the crap out of Texas.” With Oklahoma’s season opener four weeks away, Livingstone is immersed in installs, fundamentals, and mental reps to ensure he’s ready when game day arrives.
Ah, the art of the strategic snooze button—sleep on UTEP, wake up for Texas. Parker Livingstone’s commitment to ignoring the burning desire to dropkick his former teammates is truly Olympic-level self-control. He’s turned football practice into a PhD program in patience, endlessly drilling plays while Texas sits unspoiled in his rear-view mirror. His mantra: “First things first, then whoop ’em later.” It’s like training for the world’s longest multitasking contest: learn a playbook, resist trash-talking, and still look poised in pads. If fall camp had a Yelp review, it’d read five stars: “Great place to bury your rivalry funk and bone up on X’s and O’s.”
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