Oklahoma
Ambiguity Swirls Oklahoma Kicker Battle Inside 10 Days From Season-Opener
NORMAN — Do you know who’s starting at kicker for the Oklahoma Sooners next Friday? If so, pass that information along to Brent Venables’ office.
By Tuesday night, the competition pitting incumbent Zach Schmit against Florida State transfer Tyler Keltner had yielded no more clarity than it did when Keltner arrived in Norman during the spring. All Venables revealed Tuesday was that it had trimmed to the two — no mention of freshman sensation Liam Evans, who was a Kohl’s Kicking 5-star.
“[I] love where we’re at in the kicking game right now,” Venables told media near Memorial Stadium’s south end zone. “Still have a battle there with our placekickers. That’ll go through the end of this week and then we’ll make a decision. Really feel like we would need both guys potentially this season. Zach’s got a really big leg, and he’s really good at the kickoffs. . . Liam Evans has done some good things there.”
SoonerScoop’s George Stoia reported that Venables called Keltner the “odds on favorite” to win the job four weeks ago. It isn’t clear if that has changed.
Schmit hit 15-of-21 field goals last year (71.4 percent), good for sixth best in the Big 12, and hit a long of 46 yards. Fifty of his 93 kickoffs resulted touchbacks. His running streak of 124 made extra point attempts ranks fifth in program history. But — his struggles to connect on crucial kicks prompted the Sooners’ staff to bring on Keltner, a fifth-year senior who cut his teeth at the FCS level for four years, earned first team All-SoCon nods at East Tennessee State each of his last two seasons, then moved home to Tallahassee to back up Ryan Fitzgerald at Florida State.
“The competition will help bring out the best in everybody is my expectation, so Tyler Keltner and Liam Evans will have a chance to come in here and make us better that way,” Venables said in March.
The Sooners open the season Friday, Aug. 30 against Temple. Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. If the Sooners kick first, it will likely be by Schmit’s leg. Keltner could be the field goal guy. Oklahoma fans could see a different specialist starting at kickoff, field goal and punt for the first time since Nick Hodgson, Michael Hunnicut and Jed Barnett split duties in 2014. Luke Elzinga appears to be Venables’ Week 1 starter.
In the April 20 Spring Game, Keltner missed his lone attempt from 44 and Schmit hit his only try from 29. All three kickers were 2-of-2 on touchbacks and 2-of-2 on PATs.
Special teams analyst Doug Deakin will be able to coach both at practice and from the sideline under the NCAA’s new rules. Should either kicker struggle — or both — Deakin will be able to consult players directly and make a switch should it become necessary.
“It gives you a chance to really make some improvement in the areas that you need to,” Venables said. “But that’s been a lot of fun. Doug’s incredibly passionate, high energy, really smart, great teacher, inspires and motivates as good as any coach as I’ve been around. The players have tremendous respect for him and he’s just a really effective communicator. So I expect us to improve from where we were.”
Oklahoma
Oklahoma State outlasts UCF in overtime, Houston next
The Oklahoma State Cowboys men’s basketball bounced back in a big way Tuesday night.
Anthony Roy scored 27 points and Kanye Clary added 23, including seven in overtime, as Oklahoma State defeated the UCF Knights men’s basketball 111-104 in Orlando.
The Cowboys controlled the extra period, finishing overtime on an 11-4 run and outscoring UCF 17-10.
Clary played a major role in closing it out. He hit a key 3-pointer and went 4-for-4 from the free throw line in overtime to help seal the win.
The victory moves Oklahoma State to 18-12 overall and 6-11 in the Big 12, and gives the Cowboys two wins in their last three games after snapping a five-game losing streak. UCF, now 20-9 (9-8 Big 12), has dropped two straight.
Roy and Clary led a balanced offensive effort. Jaylen Curry and Christian Coleman each added 16 points, while the Cowboys shot 49% from the field (35-of-72) and 80% from the free throw line (32-of-40).
Themus Fulks led UCF with 22 points, while Riley Kugel added 18.
Late-game drama forces overtime
The final seconds of regulation were chaotic.
With 24 seconds remaining, Isaiah Coleman threw down a dunk to give Oklahoma State a 94-91 lead.
But UCF answered quickly when Chris Johnson hit a 3-pointer with 11 seconds left, tying the game at 94-94.
Oklahoma State had a chance to win it at the buzzer, but Jaylen Curry missed a shot, and John Bol blocked Roy’s attempt, sending the game to overtime.
Cowboys respond after tough loss
The Cowboys showed resilience after Saturday’s lopsided loss to Cincinnati.
The team traveled directly to Orlando following that defeat and was pushed through two intense practices by head coach Steve Lutz and the coaching staff.
The response was clear.
Led by Roy’s scoring and Clary’s clutch overtime performance, Oklahoma State delivered a gritty win and swept the season series against UCF
Oklahoma
Oklahoma City police are investigating after a man was shot near Yukon
YUKON, Okla. (KOKH) — Oklahoma City Police are investigating after a man was shot near Yukon Monday night.
The shooting happened near Northwest 10th Street and South Yukon Parkway near the border of Yukon and Oklahoma City.
Police are on the scene, and officials said the victim was transported to the hospital in critical condition with a gunshot wound to the hip.
OKCPD said they have at least one person in custody.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
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Oklahoma
Oklahoma lawmakers consider bill to require annual fee for transmission lines on private property
As consumer electricity needs grow, lawmakers are discussing strategies to ease the burden on landowners who don’t want the towers and wires carrying that energy on their property.
As it’s written now, the bill would require transmission owners to pay landowners $2 per foot of line annually. During the committee meeting, Murdock said he introduced the legislation to “start a conversation.”
“ This is an idea of, maybe moving forward, if the landowners are getting a royalty off of the power being pushed across their property, it may make it a little more palatable for someone to have a transmission line go across their property,” he said.
Landowners can enter into easement agreements with companies to set aside portions of their land for the builds. But in some cases, eminent domain is used to obtain a right-of-way.
“ I’m not saying that this is going to do away with eminent domain,” Murdock said. “What I’m hoping is this just makes it a little more palatable.”
Murdock said he spoke with utility companies about the legislation, though he didn’t name them. The bill’s language could change after creating an alternative rate based on conversations with the companies, he said.
Sen. Dave Rader, R-Tulsa, said the bill could raise utility rates for consumers living in Oklahoma’s most populous counties if companies charge more to make up for the annual fee.
Murdock pushed back, noting the lines are necessary to deliver electricity to other counties.
“You understand that you flip that light on because — and have that ability to have electricity because — the people in my district have a transmission line that goes across them, getting you that power,” he said.
StateImpact Oklahoma is a partnership of Oklahoma’s public radio stations which relies on contributions from readers and listeners to fulfill its mission of public service to Oklahoma and beyond. Donate online.
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