Sooner Report: Floridians Fired Up

Sunshine State Sooners Extolling Virtues of Bowl Destination

When news spread about the Oklahoma Sooners accepting the Russell Athletic Bowl's invitation to play Clemson in Orlando, Florida on Dec. 29, it was impossible to find two players more excited than junior center Ty Darlington and junior linebacker Eric Striker, both natives of the area.

“I'm excited to play in front of my friends and family,” said Darlington, who played at nearby Apopka High School for his father, Rick, who is the team's head coach.

“Not many of them are able to make it up [to Norman],” the younger Darlington explained. “I have never been able to play in front of my family in its entirety, a couple come up at a time, but I have close to 60 people who want to come to the game.”

Hopefully, the success of Apopka High School at the Citrus Bowl rubs off on the Sooners as Rick Darlington's squad captured their second Florida 8A State Championship in the past three seasons last Saturday with a win over Miami Columbus in the same stadium where OU will meet Clemson.

One of the things Darlington is looking forward to is finally being able to show his teammates around his home turf.

“All my teammates have gotten to show me their homes here [in Oklahoma],” said Darlington. “I have gone down to Texas and seen the home of the Knights and some other people. I'm excited to be able to show everyone where I'm from. Hopefully we get to go to Gatorland, which would be really cool for everyone to see.”

Your Florida Tour Guide – Eric Striker

It's official. No one of the Sooners is more enthusiastic about a Florida homecoming later this month than LB Eric Striker.

“I'm really excited to get to see and play in front of my friends and family,” said Striker, who hails from Seffner, Fla. “That will be really cool.”

When asked what he is most looking forward to showing his teammates, one thing immediately comes to Striker's mind: The Incredible Hulk Coaster at Universal Studios.

“The Hulk is the best ride,” gushed Striker. “I'm telling you, we are going to ride it around 15 times before we leave the park, that's how good it is. There is also a ride called The Mummy that is really good. The Hulk and The Mummy are my two favorite rides at Universal.”

Darlington agrees with Striker's assessment on The Incredible Hulk Coaster and adds a few more rides and places to check out when in Orlando.

“The cool rides to go on at Universal Studios are the Dueling Dragons or The Hulk,” said the junior center. “At Disney, Space Mountain is probably the best ride, mainly for the experience. The City Walk is really cool, too. There are a lot of cool shops and restaurants on it. Another cool place to check out is an indoor sky-diving place called iFLY. I went there last time I was home and it was pretty awesome.”

Darlington also offered some insight into some area eateries, but in the interest of keeping him in the good graces of nutritionist Tiffany Byrd, we won't reveal the exact location of Gator's Dockside. Rumor has it that one can reportedly order all-you-can-eat wings there on Monday nights. To use some Barry Switzer terminology, it wouldn't be shocking if some unnamed members of the Darlington family have hung “half-a-hundred” chicken bones on their plates.

Darlington and Striker are not the only two Sooners eager to make the trek to the Sunshine State later this month, as junior offensive guard Nila Kasitati and junior defensive end Charles Tapper are both looking forward to warm weather among other things.

“I'm excited about the possibility of going to Disney World,” said Kasitati. “The weather is going to be great. That is one of the best parts about going to Orlando for the bowl. I'm excited about the whole experience, I have never been to Disney World or Orlando so it's going to be a great trip.”

“I'm looking forward to the weather,” said Tapper. “This will be my first warm Christmas. Hopefully we can see some alligators or something. I'm also excited about going to the NBA Store. That's going to be live. I will definitely also go shopping at the outlet malls, too.”

For more info on Orlando attractions, click here.

Senior Sooner All-Stars

Four OU seniors have already accepted invitations to play in all-star games after the conclusion of the 2014 season. Offensive tackle Daryl Williams and linebacker Geneo Grissom are set to play in the Reese's Senior Bowl.

The Reese's Senior Bowl has invited 110 players to fill the rosters of the North and South squads for this year's game. Practices are scheduled to begin on Tuesday, January 20, 2015. The game is set to kickoff at 3 p.m. CT on Saturday, January 24 at Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile, Alabama.

The Sooners announced that two more of its players will be featured in the 2015 NFLPA Collegiate Bowl, as defensive end Chuka Ndulue and cornerback Julian Wilson have accepted invites to play in the all-star game.

The 2015 NFLPA Collegiate Bowl will be played on Saturday, January 17 at StubHub Center on the campus of California State University Dominguez Hills in Carson, California. Kickoff is scheduled for 3 p.m. CT, and the game will be televised live on ESPN2. ESPNU will also air live broadcasts from practices on Wednesday, January 14 and Thursday, January 15.

Russell Athletic Bowl Info

The Sooners will make their 48th bowl appearance, earning their 16th straight bowl bid under head coach Bob Stoops. Only three schools have longer active consecutive streaks of bowl appearances recognized by the NCAA – Virginia Tech (22), Georgia (18) and Georgia Tech (18).

The Sooners have an all-time bowl record of 28-18-1 and have won four of their last five bowl appearances under Stoops. Oklahoma will be making its inaugural appearance in the Russell Athletic Bowl.

Among schools from Power Five conferences, only four schools – Alabama (84), Oregon (79), Ohio State (75) and Florida State (74) – have more victories since the start of the 2008 season than Oklahoma (71).

For complete Russell Athletic Bowl coverage and to purchase tickets, go to the Oklahoma Bowl Center.

Pricing options for the Russell Athletic Bowl tickets are as follows:

· $60-75 – Terrace Level (200 Level)

· $100 - $110 – Plaza level (P36-P40)

The OU Athletics Ticket Office will also accept orders in person or via phone during regular business hours at (405) 325-2424 or toll-free (800) 456-GoOU.

Sunshine State Sooners Extolling Virtues of Bowl Destination

Your Florida Tour Guide – Eric Striker

Senior Sooner All-Stars

Russell Athletic Bowl Info

Players Mentioned

Ty Darlington

Geneo Grissom

Nila Kasitati

Chuka Ndulue

Eric Striker

Charles Tapper

Daryl Williams

Julian Wilson

Sponsors

University of Oklahoma Athletics