OU Continues Preparations in Miami

MIAMI, Fla. -- Oklahoma completed its third practice in south Florida Wednesday afternoon. The Sooners worked for two-plus hours at Barry University in preparation for the FedEx Orange Bowl on January 4, 2005.

"I thought we had a very good day, very physical again," said head coach Bob Stoops. "We really went after it again today in a good way. We will get into game week preparations and start cutting back on how hard we go at practice.”

The day's schedule was similar to Tuesday with position meetings in the morning at the team's hotel in Bal Harbour. The players and staff then boarded the buses for the now-familiar trip to the practice facility.

The windy weather continued on Wednesday but the team finally enjoyed sporadic sunshine. The commute to the practice facility crosses Biscayne Bay and the view looked more like the postcard Florida images we were expecting.

December 29 Practice & Interview Photos | Practice Video

Although the police escort keeps the team buses moving through lights and traffic, OU's fleet was held up temporarily by yachts crossing under a drawbridge over the Bay. Once the boats passed through, the bridge settled back down and the Sooners rolled on to practice.

The Florida natives have center stage this week in leading the team in stretching exercises. Today, sophomore defensive end Laenar Nixon -- a Miami native -- showed off his moves. Yesterday, it was junior offensive guard Davin Joseph (Hallandale, Fla.) and junior tight end Willie Roberts (Miami, Fla.) got things started in OU's first practice on Monday.

Just as Coach Stoops finished his press conference at the end of practice, a light mist turned to rain. Jason White and Adrian Peterson met with the media under the weight tent but most of the players scurried back to the locker room.

Jerry Schmidt on Sooner Strength & Conditioning

Be sure to check out today's photo gallery for images of the strength and conditioning setup and a closer look at the team buses.

O-Zone Orange Bowl Central | National Championship Central

The team and staff had chicken, fish and jambalaya for lunch and then it was back to the team hotel. Tonight's entertainment involves a steak dinner at Smith & Wollensky's and then the players have some free time before curfew.

Iowa State provided the Big 12 a 1-0 record in bowl games with a 17-13 victory against Miami (Ohio) last night and two more conference teams hit the field tonight. Colorado plays UTEP in Houston and Oklahoma State battles Ohio State in San Antonio. I'm sure a few players and coaches will give the games a glance.

Coach Stoops with Media | Jammal Brown | Brandon Shelby

ESPN.com's Pat Forde wrote an interesting story on the hype and buildup surrounding the OU-USC title game.

Here at SoonerSports.com, we'll continue to post photos and video (thanks to Dan Cavanaugh of SoonerVision) at O-Zone Orange Bowl Central for OU fans across the country. A look at the website statistics also show a sizable contingent of military overseas keeping tabs on the Crimson & Cream. A big Boomer Sooner to everyone from Miami!

- Jason

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SoonerSports.com director Jason Matheson will post daily reports from Miami as the team prepares for the BCS National Championship Game. Follow the Sooners with photo galleries, SoonerVision videos and more at O-Zone Orange Bowl Central.

O-Zone Orange Bowl Central | National Championship Central

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