BACK IN THE GAME
Tre Norwood is happy to be back healthy again for Sooners
NORMAN — There were few OU players more excited to start the season than Tre Norwood.
“Just being out there and being able to contribute in any way possible, that was very exciting,” Norwood said.
The defensive back f rom Fort Smith, Arkansas, was expected to be a key piece for Alex Grinch's defense a year ago.
But a torn ACL he suffered in preseason camp ended his season and what little depth OU had in the secondary was reduced even further.
Norwood returned last week against Missouri State in a reserve role, but his versatility figures to give him plenty of opportunities to contribute in 2020.
Norwood s poke publicly Thursday for the first time since his injury.
“It was long, but it was beneficial never having had to deal with a serious injury like that,”
Norwood said. “The mental part was tough and something I had to gradually grow with.”
Norwood has played every position in the secondary during his time at OU but is mostly being used as a nickelback right now, backing up starter Brendan Radley-Hiles.
“He's just a big brother,” Radley-Hiles said. “He does things correctly. He's just a person you want to be around. When he was down last year, he was a person who was here at all costs, making sure his efforts were showing and present. When he's back up, he's the same guy.”
Norwood has missed significant time this fall due to COVID- 19 contact- tracing precautions, he said Thursday.
“It' s tough just for the mental part,” Norwood said. “It's frustrating just dealing with the circumstances we have. It's tough mentally. It's one of those things now that I'm back out there I do feel like I'm getting back into the groove after having a week of preparation and after having game one. It's one of those things that you have to adapt to it.
“I can't change what happened to me. I was upset with the whole contact tracing thing, but I just had to make the best of that opportunity that I had.”
OU changing student section guidelines after `disappointing' behavior
The student section at Gaylord Family — Oklahoma Memorial Stadium will change for OU's second home game of the season and the rest of the season after “disappointing” behaviors by some in the student section at the Sept. 12 season opener.
The changes include: •Designation of seating section son student ticket s to eliminate previous confusion.
• Clearer concourse signage f or entry ramps to student sections.
• Creation of seating clusters of two to 10 seats.
•Prohibited sections marked off with tape.
•Additional security personnel in student sections to provide direction, monitor compliance and provide support.
Staff will work with attendees toward compliance with seating and masking requirements but attendees who do not cooperate are subject to removal and “may have future game attendance privileges revoked.”
The changes came about after meetings between school officials and student leaders after the student section was tightly clustered together — many without masks — with large swaths of empty rows for the opener.
Fans in all areas of the stadium are required to wear masks except when eating or drinking and are to maintain social distancing at all times.
In announcing the changes, a university release said the school is considering reducing or eliminating student tickets and seating, but those measures would be put on hold to see how effective the measures are at achieving compliance with the guidelines that have been put in place due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Sooners host Kansas State on Sept .26(11 a.m ., Fox).