Sooners Star RB Murray Out Of Title Game - December 16th

By WagerWeb.com Contributing Writer

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Big, big news out of Norman, Okla., on Tuesday as the No. 2 Oklahoma Sooners will not have leading rusher DeMarco Murray for the BCS National Championship Game against the No. 1 Florida Gators.

UF is currently a 3-point favorite on WagerWeb.com, although this injury certainly could shift the line slightly higher.

Murray will undergo surgery on Dec. 22. He has a partial rupture of a hamstring tendon in his left leg. Murray was the team’s leading rusher before getting hurt on the opening kickoff of the Big 12 Championship Game against Missouri on Dec. 6. Initially, it was thought that Murray had sustained a bruise and he would play vs. UF, but an MRI performed on Dec. 8 revealed the additional damage.

The sophomore is now OU’s second-leading rusher (just 8 yards behind Chris Brown) with 1,002 yards (5.6 yards per carry) and is the team leader in all-purpose yards with 2,171. He was second on the team with 18 touchdowns and third in points scored (108). Murray is the best receiver among the running backs, and his injury removes an important element of the Sooners’ offense.

Murray and Brown were the first pair of running backs on the same team to exceed 1,000 yards rushing in the same season in Big 12 history. While five league teams have produced quarterback-running back duos with 1,000 yards each, OU was the first to do it with two running backs.



“Obviously we’re very disappointed for DeMarco,” said OU coach Bob Stoops. “He has been an important part of our success this year and we will miss his contributions. DeMarco has had an incredible year. With Chris Brown and Mossis Madu, we still have two very fine backs. Our team has a lot of confidence in their abilities.”

Madu has rushed for 463 yards and six touchdowns as the third-team back. He filled in for Murray in the Big 12 title game and carried 15 times for 114 yards and three touchdowns.

In other injury related news, OU quarterback Sam Bradford will have the large cast removed from his left hand Wednesday. It will be replaced by a smaller cast. It’s not a huge deal because it’s his non-throwing hand.

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