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Oklahoma National Guardsmen stand between two worlds in El Paso, Texas

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Oklahoma National Guardsmen stand between two worlds in El Paso, Texas


EL PASO, Texas — El Paso, Texas is where worlds collide. Standing in between these two worlds are 51 Oklahoma National Guardsmen. 2 News Oklahoma’s Brodie Myers traveled to El Paso to find out more about the work they’re doing to protect our homeland.

“Oklahoma guys is really big on going out to assist other states like that. You know, our guys is really good to push out and give any assistance that we can,” said Specialist Handsome Sheppard, who is stationed in El Paso.

Oklahoma National Guardsmen got their chance to help when Gov. Kevin Stitt authorized them to assist the state of Texas in Operation Lone Star. These guardsmen and airmen have lives outside their service right here in Oklahoma.

One of them is Broken Arrow’s Robert Hinton. Just twenty years old … protecting an international border with a rifle across his chest. That strap on Hinton’s shoulder is heavy. Reminding him of his duty.

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“It really shows the responsibility that we have down here. It’s not a safe task. We have these weapons to defend ourselves, if need be, and protect our battle buddies,” Specialist Hinton said.

Everyone in El Paso volunteered to help. Each one has their own reason, but for Hinton, he just wanted to lay eyes on the situation.

“I wanted to make a difference. You hear all the time about the border crisis on the news, different articles, all the time you hear about it,” Hinton said, “And I wanted to see what it was about. It can’t hurt to have more good people down here.”

What he saw was two different worlds.

Step off the plane in El Paso, and you’ll see a beautiful city, surrounded by mountainous terrain, with nothing but the sun in the sky, casting its glow over the city’s dry heat.

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Make your way closer to the border, and you’ll see the situation in Juarez, Mexico. 1.4 million people packed into a city about half the size of Tulsa.

“Literally, right across this canal, is almost what you could compare to a war torn city. It’s destroyed, you see family’s with nothing just completely desperate to cross,” Hinton said.

Oklahoma’s forces see those families on the daily. While our camera was rolling, a group of people from Mexico were glancing across the fence, while one of the guardsmen, rifle in hand, shook his head no.

They didn’t cross.

Some families aren’t so compliant. Some are even putting their children in harm’s way.

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“So we have the C-wire to protect the border, and just to get over, just seeing how, they don’t mind trying to slide through the wire and get cut up,” Sr. Airman Coleise Thomas said.

Part of operation lone star is keeping drugs out of the U.S. Back in April, at the very site where 2 News cameras rolled, authorities seized more than $400,000 worth of fentanyl.

There are well-intentioned people coming to the border, but there are plenty of criminals too, causing Thomas to reflect.

“Coming to volunteer for this mission to see how it is for them, as opposed to how it is, it makes you even prouder to be [an American], because that’s not a way that we have to live,” Thomas said.

A way of life envied by those a world away.

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Oklahoma

Oklahoma transfer LB Dasan McCullough commits to Nebraska

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Oklahoma transfer LB Dasan McCullough commits to Nebraska


Oklahoma transfer LB Dasan McCullough commits to Nebraska

Oklahoma transfer linebacker Dasan McCullough has committed to Nebraska, he confirmed on Instagram Sunday afternoon.

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The 6-foot-5, 235-pound McCullough spent the past two seasons in Norman with the Sooners. He began his college football career in 2022 at Indiana, where he earned Freshman All-American status.

McCullough will come to Nebraska with one season of eligibility remaining.

McCullough, who played Oklahoma’s versatile hybrid linebacker/safety position called the Cheetah, suffered an injury before the start of Oklahoma’s fall camp this season and missed the first five games. He returned to the field in October and played in the final seven games, the last five of which he started. He recorded 17 tackles and 2.5 tackles for loss in 2024.

In 2023 at Oklahoma, McCullough played in 10 games and started seven while making 30 tackles with 3.5 TFLs and three pass deflections.

McCullough, who was a star recruit and ranked No. 61 nationally in the 2022 class, comes from a football family. His dad, Deland McCullough, played running back in the NFL and is currently Notre Dame’s associate head coach and running backs coach.

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While Deland spent three seasons as the Kansas City Chiefs’ running backs coach from 2018-20, Dasan played his high school ball at Blue Valley North High School in Overland Park, Kansas. Deland became Indiana’s associate head coach and running backs coach in 2021, and Dasan, then an Ohio State verbal commit, flipped to Indiana not long after.

Dasan followed his father to Bloomington and made an impact right away. He played in all 12 games with four starts and racked up 51 tackles, 6.5 TFLs, four sacks and four pass deflections. He gained Freshman All-American honors and a Big Ten honorable mention selection.

— Steve Marik, Inside Nebraska staff writer,

Analysis

McCullough is a versatile backend defender that can play a variety of roles in Nebraska’s defense.

A rare blend of size and athleticism at 6-5, McCullough shows good speed and change-of-direction ability for his size. Has high-end instincts and IQ, which shows up in zone coverage and reacting against the run. Has had some intriguing flashes as a pass-rusher, but largely relies on athleticism to get into the backfield, still developing consistent pass rush moves.

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Technically sound tackler, though lean he’s got wiry body strength. Consistent aggression could improve as could hip fluidity. Athletic enough to hold his own in man coverage, technique can continue to improve, better in zone at this point in his career.

In Nebraska’s scheme, McCullough can play all three linebacker positions, rover or even safety if needed. He’s likely best at inside linebacker with a few pass-rush opportunities.

This addition provides Nebraska defensive coordinator John Butler something of a chess piece to move around his defense.

— Tim Verghese, Inside Nebraska recruiting analyst

Additional analysis

McCullough is a versatile and sizable defender who played both a traditional linebacker position and Oklahoma’s “cheetah” spot, which is roughly equivalent to the nickel. He also saw some periodic snaps as an edge rusher for the Sooners during his two years in Norman.

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McCullough at his best against the run, as he takes good pursuit angles, fills gaps responsibly and is a reliable tackler. That said, he’s intelligent and instinctive in zone coverage and can generally be trusted to hold his own in man-to-man matchups against tight ends and running backs.

McCullough ought to be quite the chess piece in John Butler’s defense, and could truly thrive in Lincoln depending on the Huskers’ specific vision for his diverse skill set.

— OUInsider writer Parker Thune

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Fears leads No. 14 Oklahoma against Central Arkansas

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Fears leads No. 14 Oklahoma against Central Arkansas


Associated Press

Central Arkansas Bears (3-8) at Oklahoma Sooners (11-0)

Norman, Oklahoma; Sunday, 1 p.m. EST

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BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Sooners -28.5; over/under is 145.5

BOTTOM LINE: No. 14 Oklahoma hosts Central Arkansas after Jeremiah Fears scored 30 points in Oklahoma’s 87-86 victory over the Michigan Wolverines.

The Sooners have gone 6-0 at home. Oklahoma has a 2-0 record in games decided by less than 4 points.

The Bears are 0-6 on the road. Central Arkansas ranks fourth in the ASUN with 23.8 defensive rebounds per game led by Brayden Fagbemi averaging 4.6.

Oklahoma averages 82.0 points, 5.2 more per game than the 76.8 Central Arkansas allows. Central Arkansas averages 9.0 made 3-pointers per game this season, 2.5 more made shots on average than the 6.5 per game Oklahoma allows.

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TOP PERFORMERS: Fears is scoring 17.9 points per game with 3.5 rebounds and 4.6 assists for the Sooners.

Layne Taylor is scoring 17.0 points per game and averaging 4.4 rebounds for the Bears.

LAST 10 GAMES: Sooners: 10-0, averaging 80.9 points, 29.3 rebounds, 14.1 assists, 10.1 steals and 1.9 blocks per game while shooting 47.3% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 68.5 points per game.

Bears: 3-7, averaging 73.0 points, 34.3 rebounds, 14.3 assists, 8.8 steals and 1.8 blocks per game while shooting 38.9% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 75.7 points.

___

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.




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Firefighters respond to commercial fire in Oklahoma City

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Firefighters respond to commercial fire in Oklahoma City


OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) – The Oklahoma City Fire Department responded to a commercial fire near the area of NW 10th and N Western Avenue.

OKCFD were at the scene of a commercial fire around 7 p.m. Saturday night, when they arrived there was heavy smoke visible from multiple floors of a boarded up building.

One adult female was found in the building and taken to the hospital for smoke inhalation.

At this time no cause has been reported.

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Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KFOR.com Oklahoma City.



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