Brown practices but game status remains uncertain
BOCA RATON, FLA. — Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley has been coy on Marquise Brown’s status for the College Football Playoff semifinal against Alabama in the Orange Bowl on Saturday (7 p.m., ESPN).
Maybe Brown won’t play in the game after suffering an ankle injury in the Big 12 Championship Game win over Texas, but he certainly looked like he was moving around effectively during the 15-minute open viewing period of Oklahoma’s practice at Florida Atlantic University. Brown didn’t do any heavy cutting during the time when media were allowed to view, but none of the Sooners did, running routes at less than full speed.
“He’s been doing well,” Sooners co-offensive coordinator Cale Gundy said earlier in the day about Brown, though he deferred to Riley answering a question about whether or not Brown had practiced.
Murray skips out on interviews, but practices
For the second consecutive season, a Heisman Trophy-winning Oklahoma quarterback missed media obligations during the lead-up to the College Football Playoff semifinal. Wednesday, Kyler Murray did not show up for interviews after telling an OU spokesman that he didn’t feel well the night before. But by the time practice rolled around, Murray didn’t appear to be too bothered by any illness.
A year ago, Baker Mayfield missed not only the first round of media interviews but also a team outing, though he did eventually make it to media day after catching a shuttle instead of riding with the team. Whatever illness Murray is battling appears much less serious than what Mayfield experienced a year ago.
Bledsoe: Likely end to college career adding to urgency
Oklahoma junior defensive lineman AmaniBledsoe’s eligibility is likely up after this season after a district judge in Cleveland County recently ruled in favor of the NCAA in Bledsoe’s lawsuit that sought to restore his lost year of eligibility after testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs as a freshman. Bledsoe has been reluctant to talk much about the situation but said it had added to his urgency late in the season as he has played some of his better games late.
“That would definitely play a role in it, knowing toward the end of the season, toward the end of your career,” Bledsoe said. “But at the end of the day, it’s just the execution and the preparation for each game, how well you’re going to prepare mentally and physically and spiritually for the game at hand.”