Seniors Brianne Barker and Caitlin Higgins and sophomore Eden Williams form this notori-ous band of volleyball talent.

Barker and Williams were born in Amarillo, and Higgins — born in Mississippi — moved in when she was less than a year old.

The Panhandle Trio assumed their monicker in response to football sophomores Kenny Stills, Brennan Clay and Tony Jefferson dubbing themselves the Cali Trio.

“I kept seeing them tweeting about the Cali Trio, and it’s like trending on Twitter,” Higgins said.

“So I decided since there is three of us from Amarillo, why not be the Panhandle Trio for volleyball.”

Barker said it’s not organized, but something the three of them communicate through Twitter.

“Anytime we tweeted each other, we always put #panhand-letrio at the end,” Barker said. “So it’s just kind of stuck.”

Amarillo rootsThe Panhandle Trio may have

just formed, but the relationships between these three players began long before arriving in Norman.

Barker and Higgins played for the same club team since age 11, although they went to different high schools.

INSIDENews .......................... A2Classi� eds .................. B2Life & Arts .................. B1Opinion ...................... A3Sports ......................... B3

NOW ON

OPINIONStudents need a sayThe Daily examines Boren’s recent smoking ban announcement. (Page A3)

NEWSCreating machines that can nurtureOU professor builds robots able to care for other robots. (Page A4)

SPORTSLandry Jones could be greatest OU QBJunior expected to pass Sam Bradford in career passing yards. (Page B4)

MULTIMEDIAWatch Gould Hall dedication todayThe Daily will livestream the morning dedication. (OUDaily.com)

VOL. 97, NO. 20© 2011 OU Publications Board

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Sooner defender to return in time for Florida State game (Page B4)

MELODIE LETTKEMAN/THE DAILY

Seniors Brianne Barker (1), Caitlyn Higgins (10) and sophomore Eden Williams (6) comprise the “Panhandle Trio.” All three come from Amarillo, Texas. Barker and Higgins played on the same team in high school.

VOLLEYBALL

Texas trio teams up at OULUKE MCCONNELLSports Reporter

In the Texas panhandle, where the wind kicks up clouds of dust and blows tumbleweeds to and fro, sits the town of Amarillo.

In this West Texas town, three young vol-leyball players once spent their time as

friends, teammates and neighbors, only to eventually make the move to Norman to join forces as Sooners.

They call themselves the Panhandle Trio.

Old neighbors strengthen bond on the court

BIO BOXCaitlin HigginsYear: Senior Position: Outside hitter Season stats: 2.06 kills per set, .120 hitting percentage

BIO BOXBrianne BarkerYear: Senior Position: Setter Season stats: 10.14 assists per set, 2.82 digs per set

BIO BOXEden WilliamsYear: Sophomore Position: Defensive specialist Season stats: 1.71 digs per set, 60 total digs

SEE TRIO PAGE B3

TRANSPORTATION

Few riding rail to Texas

‘Dracula’ draws Soonerblood

DONATION

UNY CHANCampus Reporter

Students may be painful-ly aware of the railroad track that backs up traffic at Classen Boulevard and East Lindsey Street, but few know much about the passenger train that runs on it.

T h e He a r t l a n d Fl y e r, a n Amtrak service, runs between Oklahoma City and Fort Worth, Texas, with a stop in Norman. The train comes up in conver-sation when students hash out plans for OU-Texas, but the Heartland Flyer is an option few students take advantage of.

The Daily randomly selected and interviewed 30 students from Texas, and 29 of them had not traveled via the Heartland Flyer.

Some students said they were put off by the price and sched-ule. Others cited a lack of con-nections within Texas as the problem.

“It costs $87 to go to Houston via Fort Worth. Even a plane ticket would be cheaper,” said Suzanne Varughese, energy management junior. “The price ruined the excitement. It doesn’t fit my college budget.”

The train takes nearly 16 hours to go to Houston, another drawback for Varughese.

“If Amtrak could make it faster and drive the price down to $30 or $50, I would definitely take the Heartland Flyer,” she said.

But for the one student who said she has used the service, it was a decent alternative.

Ali Browning, geography and economics junior from Southlake, Texas, has traveled on the Heartland Flyer five times.

“The train takes a little longer, but you can do homework and rest well on the train,” Browning said. “With driving, you can’t.”

But for Browning, a car is still a necessity and many times a better option.

“ T h e t r a i n l e a v e s f r o m Norman really early in the morning, but the bus doesn’t run that early,” she said. “The station is too far from campus to walk. It’s not very practical to use the train now.”

KIERSTIN KITEStaff Reporter

Vampires invaded Grayce B. Kerr Gothic Hall in Catlett Music Center on Tuesday to draw blood from students, fac-ulty and staff.

T h e “ D r a c u l a B l o o d Drive,” a collaboration of the Weitzenhoffer Family College of Fine Arts and the Oklahoma Blood Institute, promoted the University Theatre’s production of William McNulty’s adapta-tion of Bram Stoker’s “Dracula”

SEE BLOOD PAGE A2

SEE TRAIN PAGE A2

Sooners seldom use Amtrak service linking to Fort Worth

Collection drive promotes upcoming OU drama production

Portable eateries offer break from normKristy Ordonez, international business sophomore, enjoys her food from Taco Loco on Tuesday. Taco Loco’s kitchen is stationed in a trailer with no consumer space that travels in the area, but pro-vides outdoor seating with stackable chairs and fold-up tables. (Page B1)

DARIAN HARMON/THE DAILY

CAMPUS BRIEFS

CEREMONY

Architecture hall to be dedicated today

Gould Hall will finally get its dedication ceremony today even though students, faculty and staff have used the build-ing since the beginning of the semester.

The $33 million building was scheduled to open in January after three years of renovation, but construction setbacks due to asbestos delayed the opening.

The dedication ceremony will be held 10:30 a.m. Wednesday in Gould Hall, 830 Van Vleet Oval.

Lilly Chapa,Campus Reporter

JOBS

Career fair open to all, director says

Students interested in busi-ness or government careers should make their way to the OU Sooner Showcase career fair from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. today at Lloyd Noble Center.

OU Career Services Director Bette Scott said 114 companies will attend and talk with stu-dents about summer internships and full-time positions.

Scott said a common miscon-ception about the fair is that be-cause it’s a business career fair, it’s only for business students.

Angela To,Campus Reporter

SPEAKER

Business college to host CEO this week

One of the country’s most out-spoken advocates for business will be on campus Friday talk to with students.

Tom Donohue, president and CEO of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce since 1997, will be the featured speaker for the Price College of Business Distinguished Speaker Series.

The lecture will be 11 a.m. in the Oklahoma Memorial Union’s Molly Shi Boren Ballroom.

Donohue’s lecture will focus on the chamber’s role and how it relates to current events, said Kate Burch, college spokeswoman.

The Price College of Business Distinguished Speaker Series hosts top-level business execu-tives coming from different back-grounds, industries and regions.

Uny Chan, Campus Reporter

The train’s ticket and onboard service revenue could only cover one-third of the cost, said John Dougherty, Rail Division Assistant Manager at the Oklahoma Department of Transportation.

“Also, Amtrak has a his-tory of developing cost, and they are the only game in town,” Dougherty said.

Despite the cost, ad-ditional rail options for students may be in the works.

Oklahoma, Texas and Arkansas all fall into the South-Central High Speed Rail Corridor plan.

O n M o n d a y , t h e Commission allocated $3 million of the Federal Grant to begin digitally mapping the environ-mental impact of the OKC–Tulsa line, which would provide a base for further decisions on the project, Dougherty said.

showing Sept. 23 to Oct. 1.The institute expected

about 45 people to donate blood at the event, which took place from 1:30 to 6 p.m. Each donor gives one pint of blood per donation and can donate once every 56 days, said Kelley McPhail, blood program consultant.

“We need about 700 do-nors every day to meet hos-pital needs,” McPhail said.

Some blood banks have only a one day supply of blood at any given time, but Oklahoma blood banks attempt to have at least a three-day supply on hand because of events such as tornadoes and the bombing of the Murrah building that rapidly deplete reserves, McPhail said.

O-negative is the most sought after blood type be-cause anyone can receive it regardless of their blood type; however, donations of all blood types are needed.

“I have O-negative, so I have recently tried to donate more because everyone al-ways needs blood, and I’m a universal donor,” said Betsy Bailey, University College freshman.

Potential donors were given free health screenings to determine their eligibility. Donors also received donor rewards points, which can be used to purchase merchan-dise at the institute’s online store, according to the insti-tute’s website.

All donors received an OU T-shirt and were given a chance to win tickets to the 2011 Bedlam football game.

The school gave away

20 pairs of tickets to the 11 p.m. Sept. 24 showing of “Dracula,” and 25 donors won T-shirts for the show.

The institute will host the second Bedlam Blood Drive Nov. 14-18 at the ROTC ar-mory, McPhail said. Last year, OSU beat OU by 89 donations.

This year the goal is to draw at least 1,500 units, McPhail said.

“There’s no substitute for human blood,” said Sandra Bent, spokeswoman for the OU School of Drama. “One donation can save up to three lives.”

Chase Cook, managing editordailynews@ou.edu • phone: 405-325-3666

A2 • Wednesday, September 14, 2011

NEWS

CORRECTIONSThe Oklahoma Daily has a commitment to serve readers with accurate coverage and analysis. Readers should bring errors to The Daily’s attention by emailing dailynews@ou.edu.

TODAY AROUND CAMPUSOU Sooner Showcase Career Fair 2011 will take place from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. at Lloyd Noble Center.

Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt will discuss health care reform’s impact on Oklahomans from 3 to 4:30 p.m. in Beaird Lounge at the Oklahoma Memorial Union.

The “Immoral Jokes” lecture will be from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. at the Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History. The lecture is free and is part of the 12th series of David Ross Boyd.

OU ethnomusicologist Zoe Sherinian will screen her film “This is Music: Reclaiming an Untouchable Drum” at 5 p.m. in the Catlett Music Center’s Pitman Recital Hall.

The Union Programming Board will host its general interest meeting from 9 to 10 p.m. in the union’s Scholar’s Room.

THURSDAY, SEPT. 15OU Engineering Career Fair will take place from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. at Lloyd Noble Center.

Free Seminar: Student Success Series will host a reading-speed improvement seminar from 5 to 6 p.m. in Room 245 in Wagner Hall.

A concert featuring Stephanie Leon Shames and Jonathan Shames will be from 8 to 10 p.m. in Sharp Concert Hall at Catlett Music Center.

FRIDAY, SEPT. 16Women’s volleyball will host Texas Southern at 2 p.m. and Arkansas-Little Rock at 7 p.m.

Women’s tennis will host the Sooner Fall Invitational all day in Headington Family Tennis Center.

BLOOD: Donors receive free T-shirtContinued from page 1

MELODIE LETTKEMAN/THE DAILY

University College freshman Kevin Jones waits to donate blood Tuesday. Each donor had to wait about 20 minutes but received a T-shirt that read “I bleed crimson” from the Oklahoma Blood Institute.

AT A GLANCEOU-Texas ratesThe Heartland Flyer is offering a $50 round-trip ticket to Dallas from Oct. 7-9.

Potential riders can use the fair code X539 and make reservations at www.amtrak.com.

TRAIN: Future tracks to open upContinued from page A1

OUDAILY.COMVideo: Students donate blood at a Dracula-themed collection drive

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Thursday, Sept. 15th at 7:00 p.m.There will be food and fellowship following Bible Study!

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Live Worship

The tradition of the local fair is older than America itself. Far from being just a place to exhibit local wares and the best livestock, fairs have tradition-

ally been events where people gather to be informed and entertained.

The county fair, especially in rural areas, was a place where the community could gather to exchange ideas, and it often included speeches by the local politicians. For many people, the yearly fair was the only access they had to their representatives, and they would travel great dis-tances to hear the speeches and used this forum to make their concerns known.

During an election year, fairs often included speeches by candidates on all levels and from all political parties. Politicking was part of the entertainment and the infor-mation people came to expect at their local fair.

The Cleveland County Fair, being held this weekend in Norman, has abandoned its role in this free exchange of political ideas. Instead of giving access to individual candidates who wish to be represented, it is attempt-

ing to exert control over the political process by refus-ing to grant booth space to the grassroots supporters of a declared presidential candidate.

In August, a local support-er of the Ron Paul campaign filled out all the necessary paperwork and paid the rental fee to set up a booth at the Cleveland County Fair. The application was, at that time, accepted. However, in the week before the fair, he was informed the group was no longer welcome at the fair and the booth rental fee would be returned. They were told the booth did not

conform to “fair policy” and that the local group was wel-come to share space with the Republicans, but they would not show “favoritism” toward any specific candidate.

This policy seems to be applied arbitrarily and with no written documentation. Nowhere in the Cleveland County rules for exhibitors does it mention restriction of political booths.

In the interest of full disclosure, I am also a supporter of Paul, but I would be outraged if this same treatment were applied to any political candidate attempting to share his or her message with the people in an orderly and reason-able fashion.

Does the First Amendment not guarantee the rights of people to peaceably assemble? What better place to spread ideas and information than at the local fair?

In her book “The Human Condition,” political philoso-pher Hannah Arendt warns against the tendency of soci-ety to eliminate what she calls “the public realm” — that space where people can come together freely out of “love for a body politic” and “share words and deeds.”

As the recent articles about the university protest policy indicate, that space where citizens can come together, air grievances and fight for changes in their world has become smaller and smaller. There are fewer and fewer places for people to gather and exchange ideas, a notion that would shock and appall our founding fathers.

We are a country founded on men (and women) who gathered in town halls, pubs and street corners to fight for liberty and freedom. Our democratic republic rests on the idea that thoughts, no matter how extreme, have the right to be expressed, and censoring an idea is tantamount to tyranny.

Disseminating information is crucial to the function-ing of a healthy democracy, for only when citizens have all the information available can they make an educated, informed choice about the best course of action.

President David Boren said (quoting John Stuart Mill) the university should be a free market place of ideas. I wonder why this free marketplace limited to the univer-sity? Shouldn’t the county fair, with its rich tradition of populism and politicking, also be a place where all ideas are welcomed?

If any candidate or special interest group wishes to spread their message in a family-friendly, orderly fashion, should they not only be allowed, but encouraged to do so?

The Cleveland County Fair apparently disagrees.

Kalen Kattestad is a social studies education senior.

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Our View: The proposed smoking ban should be put to a campuswide vote.

President David Boren announced his plan for a campuswide smoking ban during his State of the University speech Monday.

Boren said a committee of faculty, staff and stu-dents is in the works to draft the language of the proposed ban. Once this language is drafted, the OU Board of Regents will decide whether to ap-prove the ban, university spokesman Michael Nash said, leaving no room for large-scale public input.

This isn’t the first time a smoking ban has been championed. A UOSA referendum proposing a smoking ban was approved by 49 percent of stu-dents who voted in April 2009, with 29 percent agreeing to a partial ban and only 22 percent want-ing no policy change, according to Daily archives.

Student Congress passed a resolution encourag-ing Boren to restrict smoking on campus in March 2010. These events failed to inspire any direct action, until now. And they still haven’t, judging by Boren’s description of the inspiration for the ban — faculty mem-bers’ own experiences seeing cigarette butts littering campus and an email from the landscape director (sent less than two hours before Boren’s speech) detailing the costs of cigarette-related cleaning.

Fewer than 12 percent of students voted in the 2009 UOSA election, so the results can’t be taken as a strong mandate. But the bigger question is, if this newest push isn’t directly related to past actions by the student body — instead a result of a last-minute staff email and epiphanies brought on by cool weather strolling — then we have to question whether anyone in the administration cares to take student opinion into account.

Why wasn’t something done immediately after these decisions, if they played a role in Boren’s an-nouncement? And if, as Boren suggested, they didn’t play any role, what does that say about the relative importance of UOSA and the student con-cerns it represents?

If Boren is serious about this ban, a few student representatives on an advisory panel aren’t going to cut it. This issue must be put to a campuswide vote. Every member of the campus community should be given a chance to weigh in on the pro-posed ban. And both sides should be given a chance to publicly defend their position.

The administration and those in sup-port of the ban need to present solid evi-dence that campus smoking is creating a less healthy environment and that a smoking ban will be an effective deter-rent. Those opposed to the ban will have to convince the OU community that smoking is an important privilege and present plans to curtail the littering, de-

struction and rude behavior that led to the call for this ban in the first place.

Democracy, not unilateral actions, will result in the best outcome in this case. This is, of course, not always true. Many social issues are not best de-cided by majority opinion, particularly when it in-volves the rights of a minority.

But in this instance, when approval and disap-proval of the ban would both affect the rights of community members — the former curtailing the rights of smokers to pursue a legal activity, the lat-ter restricting the rights of all students to enjoy a clean and healthy campus — the best course is to follow the decision of those affected by the ban.

Comment on this at OUDaily.com

Comment of the day on OUDaily.com ››“If they want to raise awareness about the potential health impact of smoking, why not fund additional programs for smoking cessation?.” (star� eetjustin, Re: Boren hopes to make campus smoke-free by spring 2012 semester)

The Our View is the majority opinion of The Daily’s 10-member editorial board

?Should President David Boren put a campuswide smoking ban to a vote?

» Poll question of the day

To cast your vote, visit

EDITORIAL

Students need voice in affairs

GUEST COLUMN

Disseminate messages at county fair

COLUMN

Judge morals, not skin pigment

Sooners prideful of university, sportsLETTER TO THE EDITOR

Background: This is the � rst editorial in a three-part series on a smoking ban proposed by President David Boren.

Today: We examine the motivation behind the suggested ban and urge a campuswide vote on the issue.

Thursday: We will lay out the important questions raised by both sides of the debate.

Friday: We will explore the implications of Boren’s ban suggestion and the importance of democratic representation on campus.

UPDATE Editorial series

I was at dinner the other night with some friends when we start-

ed talking about my friend’s new cat.

“So, what did you name the cat?” I asked.

She smirked at me, “Calypso Aquanicha.”

“What’s with the ocean theme? Calypso is goddess of the sea, and ‘aqua’ as in water,” I said.

She started laughing. “You don’t get it do you?” I stared at her again, and then I got it. My friend, who is

Hispanic, had named her black cat a racially charged name. She’s been known to do this before; she has a Chihuahua named Pablo Escobar Rodriguez Lopez and his sister Peppa Left-Eye Lopez.

She started laughing hysterically, but I just shook my head. I didn’t want to be seen as the white girl laughing at something so racist. Which brings me to my question: Is it OK for anyone, even minorities, to use racial stereotypes in a humorous way, or is it just adding fuel to the fire?

The musical “Avenue Q,” an adult version of “Sesame Street,” played by actors and puppets, deals with this issue in a song titled “Everyone’s a Little Bit Racist.”

From my stand point, “Avenue Q” has it right. As much as we like to think we are color-blind, the truth is that we aren’t.

And I’m not sure we ever will be. The fact of the matter is, while we like to think we aren’t racist, we all make snap judg-ments based on race. For instance, a friend of mine asked me about my roommate. When I told her my roommate was a National Merit Scholar, she immediately asked if she was Asian. My roommate is in fact white.

But these snap judgments aren’t always a sign of underly-ing hatred. I think we live in such a racially charged country that we end up pussy footing around the subject unneces-sarily. I am tired of living in a politically correct world.

I’m a white girl with no rhythm whatsoever; my Latina friend can shake her hips until I turn green with envy, but race itself is not the problem. The problem arises when a message of hate and/or violence is spread. That’s ultimately what racism is: hating someone because of stereotypes. People should be judged by their actions and character, not defined by skin color. But that doesn’t mean we have to be blind to cultural differences that often have to do with race.

For everyone out there, I say make fun of me and my whiteness, or my dumb-blonde moments. Make fun of me because I can’t dance, or because when I try to rap you can’t understand a word I say. I’m OK with those little insignifi-cant details.

But when it comes to actually judging me, look at my morals and my character. Look at what really defines me. Because you won’t know if you like me or not based on the color of my skin.

Delaney Harness is a University College freshman.

“Disseminating information is crucial to the

functioning of a healthy democracy,

for only when citizens have all the information

available can they make an educated,

informed choice about the best

course of action.”

Re: “Analyzing school spirit from an outsider’s perspective”I feel like the goal of targeted dissent has been perverted

over time, by writers such as Jacob Oller, into a pretentious slap fight pursued for the sole purpose of inflaming others into a response.

There is not one idea more important to this university than school spirit. Without school spirit, what would per-suade alumni to give back? Without school spirit, what would draw people to Oklahoma Memorial Stadium each Saturday in the fall? Without school spirit, why would there be any reason for the organizations, the involvement and the leaders that stretch across every corner of our campus?

Beyond requirements and curriculums there exists a tangible pride that enables us to enjoy and love this uni-versity. And when practiced, this pride leads to the estab-lishment of a legacy beyond ourselves. That is the Sooner spirit, and I’m damn proud of it.

While Oller may not understand or participate in this same fanfare in which thousands of others believe, there is no reason he should insult or discourage it either.

But since Oller doesn’t want to think that hard, I guess it doesn’t really matter anyway.

Oh well, Boomer Sooner.David Postic, accounting junior

Delaney Harnessdharness@ou.edu

OPINION COLUMNIST

Mary Stan� eld, opinion editordailyopinion@ou.edu • phone: 405-325-3666OPINION

Wednesday, September 14, 2011 • A3

Kathleen evansSenior Campus Reporter

Robots may one day learn to care for and nurture one another, according to re-search by an OU professor.

Computer science profes-sor Dean Hougen studies robotics in the OU Robotic Intelligence and Machine Learning Lab, founded by him in 2001.

Hougen’s most recent project investigates whether robots can learn to care for one another and, eventually, humans.

“I am hoping one of the things we will evolve is the capacity for empathy, to look at another individual and say, ‘I see what this per-son needs. I am going to re-spond to it,’” Hougen said. “There are people who try to write code to make a robot empathetic, but it’s hard to sit down and say, ‘OK, this is what it means.’”

Born nurturersHougen said he realized

most organisms are born with instincts that tell them how to survive, but if an or-ganism is in a rapidly chang-ing environment, these skills may not be applicable, and it will have to learn new skills.

From there, the idea of having a nurturer seemed most logical.

“What if you had some-one taking care of you, pro-tecting you from predators, finding food for you, keep-ing you warm, all these things you don’t know how to do for yourself?” Hougen asked. “Maybe if you have nurturing first and you’re in a changing environment,

ReseaRch

Professor teaches robots for new era

t h e n y o u w o u l d e v o l v e learning mechanisms as opposed to going extinct or someone with instincts not appropriate.”

Birth of an ideaHougen said he hashed

out a lot of these ideas through conversations with one of his graduate students, Mark Woehrer.

The two found this was not an unusual idea, and re-searchers in the OU zoology department supported the concept that nurturing leads to learning.

To instruct the robots to learn, the lab designed a simple experiment with a

computer-simulated robot in the middle of a circle with a light switch and a light bulb, Hougen said.

The goal was to manipu-late the robot to turn on the switch, then sit under the bulb to charge itself.

“Over time, they got bet-ter and better, and then they would turn and head right for the switch and then head straight back to the light,” Hougen said. “Then we said, ‘OK, what if we wanted a par-ent nurturing a child.’”

Parent and childHougen and a French ex-

change student working in the lab this summer tweaked

Photos by Aubrie hill/the DAily

the experiment to have two robots in the same circle, one acting as a parent and one as a child, Hougen said.

The robots had similar algorithms that made them related and had the ability to turn on the switch. However, only the child would benefit from going under the light this time, he said.

“Over time, the parent learned to go to the light switch while the child went to the light,” Hougen said. “Now the parent is taking care of the child and doing what it can within its envi-ronment to provide for its

offspring.”These results show robots,

as parents, were indeed learning to be nurturers and children were also learn-ing to be nurtured, Hougen said.

ResearchComputer science senior

Bryan Hoke will take over work on the project to con-tinue expanding the abil-ity of robots to nurture one another.

H o k e i s w o r k i n g o n the project through the O U H o n o r s C o l l e g e ’s Honors Research Assistant

Program.“The prospect of working

on problems that have not yet been solved is very excit-ing to me because I will be able to fully and freely use my intellect in the attempt to develop solutions to these new problems,” Hoke said.

Even with robots, the re-search could take nearly 20 years, but Hoke said he is still excited about contrib-uting what he can during his 10-week work with the project.

Hoke said he has always been interested in Darwin and his theories of evolution and wants to apply these to robots.

“Even now — after having three years of college educa-tion in computer engineer-ing and computer science, physics and math — I find Darwin’s theory of evolu-tion by natural selection to be one of the greatest, most robust theories of all time,” Hoke said.

A lot of Hougen’s personal interest in this project came from his work as a graduate student with robots, he said.

Hougen also worked with teaching robots to perform simple tasks but realized even simple robots required maintenance and a human to take care of it, such as un-tangling wires.

If a robot could take care of another robot, it would re-duce the amount of required human attention.

The experiment could eventually expand to in-clude other social sciences, such as psychology and an-thropology, to see what ro-bots are capable of learning, Hougen said.

Hougen said he sees a strong potential for having robots learn to teach one another.

Left: Computer science profes-sor Dean Hougen looks through simulation data on the possibility of nurturing robots Monday in the Stephenson Research and Technology Center. Hougen has been researching whether robots can learn to care for one another and, eventually, humans.

Bottom: The parent and child robots that will be tested. The parent robot switches on a lights with while the child scurries to the light so it can charge. Unfortunately, the parent does not benefit from the light’s charge. The research has poten-tial of expanding through the next 20 years, computer science senior Bryan Hoke said.

Experiment cast to test robot’s nurturing ability

“I am hoping one of the things we will evolve is the capacity for empathy, to look at another

individual and say, ‘I see what this person needs. I am going to respond to it.’”Dean HoUgen, CoMpUTeR SCienCe pRofeSSoR

A4 • Wednesday, September 14, 2011 news

�����������������������The University of Oklahoma is an equal opportunity institution.

WELCOME

Principals and Counselors to the University of Oklahoma for the

2011 OU Principal and Counselor Conference.We’re glad you’re here!

LocaL Food

Tasty tacos perfect for warm weather

Lauren DuffLife & Arts Reporter

Get your fiesta on before summer is gone.

Many students flock to the typical Mexican restaurants in Norman: Fuzzy’s, Chipotle and La Luna to name a few.

But as they drive down Highway 9 about to merge onto Interstate-35, there stands a taco truck that sometimes goes unnoticed.

Taco Loco — a taco stand that has b e en op en for nearly a year now — is situ-ated across the street from Atwoods by a dirt parking lot. While standing outside the truck waiting to order, cus-tomers stir up the dirt as they find a parking spot.

Inside, the taco truck is cluttered with cooking sup-plies and ingredients. Bottles of hot sauce are set along the ridge of the truck.

Aluminum foil outlines some windows and black tarp sits on top. The smell of cooked beef and onions seeps through the screen windows, teasing you and making it hard to select only one item on the relatively in-expensive menu.

“I love the cooking,” said owner Laura Martinez, saying

the chicken tacos are her fa-vorite item on the menu.

The menu consists of a wider variety than just tacos.

Barbeque, chicken and steak burritos; Mexican sau-sage, pork and poblano pep-per gorditas and ham and chicken tortas are a few of the many options a customer can choose from.

Although business can be slow, Martinez said she can always count on her regular customers to keep the busi-ness going.

If students are up for a drive to downtown Oklahoma City and can bear the grueling gas prices, then Big Truck Taco’s is the place to go with an empty stomach.

After taking exit 2A and turning left onto North West 23rd Street, Big Truck Tacos is hard to miss.

About to celebrate its two-year anniversary, the taco stand is located in an old-fashioned diner. The sides of the building are painted in a

DARIAN HARMON/tHe DAIly

Kristy Ordonez, international business sophomore, gets her food from the Taco Loco taco truck on 24th Street on Tuesday. Taco Loco and Big Truck Tacos in Oklahoma City are two of the few free free-standing taco stands around Norman.

terra-cotta color and multi-color lights are strung around the sides of the roof hovering over the outside seating area.

As soon as you step in-side the restaurant, a strong aroma of cilantro and on-ions will make your stomach growl.

The red-and green-tiled ta-bletops are scattered around the restaurant. Five different

kinds of salsa, including “OMFG”, the hottest salsa; “OMG” and “Big Truck Red” sit on top of each table.

“This is a great place to work mainly because of the atmosphere and the peo-ple that come in here,” said Kristen Bliss, restaurant manager. “The owners (Cally Johnson and Kathryn Mathis) have made it a priority to give

back to the customers ... and let them know how much we appreciate their business and support.”

With more than 20,000 fans on Facebook from all over the country, Big Truck Tacos’ main source for ad-vertisement is through social networking.

“It has helped us get feed-back from our fans daily,”

Bliss said. Many of the items on

t h e m e n u h a v e c a t c h y names. “Flaming Lips”, “5th Amendment”, and “1-40 Pile-Up” to name a few.

If you can’t make the drive, then don’t worry, Big Truck Tacos owns a food truck that shows and sells their items on the OU campus as much as possible.

Local businesses offer alternatives to typical food chains

GO AND DOBig Truck TacosWHAT: Free food

WHEN: Oct. 9

WHERE: 530 N.W. 23rd St. in Oklahoma City

We’ve heard about the foods we should eat to

promote a healthful lifestyle and lose weight. The list is long and repetitive.

What about the foods you should avoid — the diet kill-ers? Sometimes they’re dis-guised as seemingly health-ful choices; other times bla-tantly obvious edible objects of desire.

They are everywhere, and it’s up to you to say no.

Here are five of the most obvious, yet unhealthful diet busters you see every day:

campbell’s chicken noodle soup

Though there are only 60 calories per serving in it, there are 890mg of sodium in one half cup. That’s more than half of the daily recom-mended salt intake.

Too much salt in your diet raises blood pressure which is a risk factor for heart disease.

chipotle barbacoa burrito with corn salsa, cheese, sour cream and guacamole

This burrito alone could account for breakfast,

lunch, dinner and a snack fat 1,495 calories. But what makes it unhealthful are its 570 calories from fat and 3,480mg of sodium.

cheesecake Factory chocolate tower truffle cake

It’s scrumptious, yes, but it comes at a price. There are more than 1,600 calories, 49 grams of fat and 206 grams of carbohydrates per slice in this dessert. That’s long time spent on a treadmill burning calories.

Ben and Jerry’s Schweddy Balls

This vanilla, fudge and malt ball-flavored ice cream packs 270 calories per half cup with 15 grams of fat and 26 grams of sugar. It’s still hot outside, but not at the expense of adding empty calories to your diet.

Starbucks venti white chocolate mocha

The Starbucks venti cup holds just 20 ounces, but this drink packs 520

calories with much of it coming from refined sugar. Few people have this kind of diet buster in mind when ordering an afternoon pick-me-up.

You would do well to opt for the same concoction with nonfat milk and no whipped cream.

RJ Young is a professional writing graduate student. Young has a bachelor’s degree in exercise and sports science from the University of Tulsa and has worked as a personal trainer.

coLumn

Tempting treats around every corner, but say no to these unhealthful choices

MuSiC

New music blasts into concerts New music festival Love

Feast will introduce music never before heard to the OU community this weekend.

The event will take place from Thursday to Sunday in Pitman Recital Hall in Catlett Music Center. Music pro-fessor Michael Lee came up with the idea for the festival while performing in a new music festival in Seattle.

“I thought to myself, ‘something like this should happen in Norman,’” Lee said.

Students will hear first-rate musicians who will play music not heard before in Norman, Lee said.

“I think students who derive ecstatic pleasure from un-expected sources will be especially pleased by these events. It’s fun to encounter things you’ve never encountered be-fore,” he said.

The event is free and open to the public.Lauren Duff, Life & Arts Reporter

enTerTainmenT BrieF

MoRE oNliNEVisit oUDaily.com to read the full concert schedule

W e d n e s d a y, s e p t e m b e r 14 , 2 0 1 1Life&arts b

RJ Youngroy.a.young-1@ou.edu

LiFe & ARTS COLuMNiST

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OTHER HIGH-TECH COMPANY.

WE’RE HIRING.

No one told you the hardest part of being an engineer would be finding your first job. Of course, it’s still possible to get the high-tech work you want by joining the U.S. Air Force. You can leverage your degree immediately and get hands-on experience with some of the most sophisticated technology on earth.

©2009 Paid for by the U.S. Air Force. All rights reserved.

For more information contact SSgt Gillian at (405) 732-7392

Randall Balmer is professor of American religious history at Barnard College/ Colum-bia University. His book, “Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory: A Journey into the Evan-

gelical Subculture in America,” was made into a three-part documentary for PBS.

This lecture is presented in conjunction with the Presidential Dream Course RELS 3313 World Religions in America, taught by Charles Kimball, Presidential Professor and Director of the Program. Sponsored by the offi ce of OU President David Boren and

Provost Nancy Mergler, this event is free and open to the public.

The Religious Studies Programat the University of Oklahoma presentsA Presidential Dream Course Lecture

PLACE AN ADPhone: 405-325-2521E-mail: classifi eds@ou.edu

Fax: 405-325-7517Campus Address: COH 149A

Payment is required at the time the ad is placed. Credit cards, cash, money orders or local checks accepted.

rrs TM

Line AdThere is a 2 line minimum charge; approximately 42 characters per line, including spaces and punctuation.(Cost = Days x # lines x $/line)

Classifi ed Display, Classifi ed Card Ad orGame SponsorshipContact an Acct Executive for details at 325-2521.

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The Oklahoma Daily is responsible for one day’s incorrect advertising. If your ad appears incorrectly, or if you wish to cancel your ad call 325-2521, before the deadline for cancellation in the next issue. Errors not the fault of the advertiser will be adjusted. Refunds will not be issued for late cancellations.

The Oklahoma Daily will not knowingly accept advertisements that discriminate on the basis of race, color, gender, religious preference, national origin or sexual orientation. Violations of this policy should be reported to The Oklahoma Daily Business Offi ce at325-2521. Help Wanted ads in The Oklahoma Daily are not to separate as to gender. Advertisers may not discriminate in employment ads based on race, color, religion or gender unless such qualifying factors are essential to a given position. All ads are subject to acceptance by The Oklahoma Daily. Ad acceptance may be re-evaluated at any time.

DEADLINES

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AUTO INSURANCE

Auto InsuranceQuotations AnytimeForeign Students Welcomed

JIM HOLMES INSURANCE, 321-4664

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Criminal Defense Including DUI and Drug Charges. Downtown Norman Attorney with 35 years defense experience has represented OU students in state and municipal courts and in OU discipline pro-ceedings. Visit Jim’s website atwww.jimdrummondlaw.com. Call Jim Drummond (or his OU Law student as-sistant, William Brumley) at 310-4040 or 818-3851.

HELP WANTEDPT Leasing Agent needed. Flexible schedule. 20-25 hours per week. Must be able to work Saturdays. Experience in customer service preferred. $7.50 - $8.00 hourly. Call 364-3603.

NOTE TAKERS WANTED!!!!!!Available positions in the OU Athletics De-partment!!! Junior, Senior, Graduate, and Post-graduate applicants only!!! Hiring for Fall 2011. Call 325-4828 for more info!!!

Bartending! Up to $300/day. No exp nec. Training courses avail 800-965-6520 x133

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Mon-Fri 10am-5pmApply in person

THEO’S MARKETPLACE3720 W Robinson, Ste 100, 364-0728.

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WANT TO MAKE A DIFFERENCEIN THE LIFE OF A CHILD?

Bright Start Early Education is seeking FT and PT teaching positions. Apply in person at 1344 North Interstate Drive or 1212 McGee or submit resume by email at brightstart@sbcglobal.net. EOE.

Gymnastics Instructors for pre-school girls and boys classes, tumbling and cheerleading, P/T, flex sched. Bart Con-ner Gymnastics, 447-7500.

Research volunteers needed! Re-searchers at OU Health Sciences Center need healthy volunteers ages 18 to 30 who have a parent with or without a his-tory of an alcohol or drug problem. Quali-fied participants will be compensated for their time. Call 456-4303 to learn more about the study and to see if you qualify. The University of Oklahoma is an equal opportunity institution.

$5,000-$7,000PAID EGG DONORS up to 6 donations,

+ Exps, non-smokers, Ages 18-29,SAT>1100/ACT>24/GPA>3.00

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Progressive United Methodist Church seeks PT Childcare workers - send re-sume to ststephensumc@coxinet.net or call 321-4988

FAST LANESGreat Pay & Benefit Opportunities. Now Hiring Detailers and Supervisors. Must be available to work weekends. Apply @ 1235 W Main St.

TUTORS WANTED!!!Available positions in the OU Athletics De-partment!!! Junior, Senior, Graduate, and Post-graduate applicants only!!! MATH, COMM, SOC, ZOO, ANTH!!! Hiring for Fall 2011. Call 325-8376 for more info!!!

Housing RentalsJ

APTS. FURNISHEDEffic. LOFTS FURNISHED downtown over Mister Robert Furn. 109 E Main. $450-$660 bills PAID. Inquire store office.

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3 bd /2 ba /2 car, CH/A, $895. 364-9008.

GREAT BRICK HOME4 blocks west of OU, 3/2, new kitchen, CH/A, w/d, dw, 2 car w/openers, deck, smoke-free, 920 Hoover. 321-1818.

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ROOMS FURNISHEDNEAR OU, privacy, $250, bills paid in-cludes cable, neat, clean, parking. New paint, carpet. Prefer male student. Call 405-410-4407.

HELP WANTED HELP WANTED

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2 column x 3”-Black and White $452 column x 3”-1 Spot Color $80

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ADVERTISING DEPARTMENT FOR DETAILS325-2521

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Give your friend or loved one a gift they will never forget.

Celebrate with the rest of campus in The Oklahoma Daily!

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Cameron Jones, advertising managerclassifieds@ou.edu • phone: 405-325-2521

B2 • Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Classifieds

number crisisline9

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8 p.m.-4 a.m. every dayexcept OU holidays and breaks

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FROMONLY

Instructions:Fill in the grid so that every row, every column and every 3x3 box contains the digits 1 through 9. That means that no number is repeated in any row, column or box.

Previous Solution

Monday- Very EasyTuesday-EasyWednesday- EasyThursday- MediumFriday - Hard

ACROSS 1 In front of 6 Aid and ___ 10 Tire near the

finish 14 Zoroastrian 15 Mumbai

dress 16 Big cats do

it 17 Variety of

beet 19 You hope

they meet 20 ___ out a

living (barely scrape by)

21 Fawning females

22 Author Hemingway

24 Tools with teeth

25 Political clique

26 Sketching tool

29 Intense dis-like

33 “The lights ___ but nobody’s home”

34 12 p.m. 35 Work hard 36 Mondrian

the artist 37 Squash or

pumpkin, e.g.

38 “Hang ___ your hats”

39 Versatile, electrically

40 Tropical wading bird

41 Expos 42 Not needing

dry-cleaning 44 Aquarius

follower 45 Party

cheese 46 “Red” coin 47 Dry and

desolate 50 Gratis 51 Miner’s vein

contents 54 Bar in a nar-

row dish 55 Feta-and-

olive first course

58 Strain, as flour

59 Certain Euro forerunner

60 Jellyfish’s defense

61 Plastic alternative

62 Jerk sharply 63 Be a ham in

“Hamlet”DOWN 1 Choir recess 2 Dove’s op-

posite 3 Canal for Sal 4 Long-eared

animal 5 Feeling of

contempt 6 Phoenix’s

birthplace 7 Calls to

Mary? 8 Make a

mistake 9 Area often

covered by flooding

10 Breakfast dish from Paris

11 Top-notch steak sauce?

12 June cel-

ebrants 13 Prefix with

“while” 18 Hood-

shaped cover

23 Go bad, as a plum

24 Soup dish from Glas-gow

25 Churlish chaps

26 Fruit tree with pur-plish flowers

27 Susan Lucci’s Emmy role

28 Necessary things

29 One of Don-ald Duck’s nephews

30 Column style

31 Gunpowder ingredient, to a Brit

32 Lip shiner

34 Peer of the realm

37 In a taunting manner

41 Tactful handling

43 Is in the plural?

44 Cheat at hide and seek

46 Old floorboard sound

47 Kind of pear 48 Inter ___

(among oth-ers)

49 They assess penalties

50 Common houseplant

51 Hodge-podge

52 ___ and rave 53 Part of a

skate blade 56 Small inlet 57 Money

machine

Universal CrosswordEdited by Timothy E. Parker September 14, 2011

PREVIOUS PUZZLE ANSWER

© 2011 Universal Uclickwww.upuzzles.com

INTERNATIONAL CUISINE By Carl Cranby9/14

9/13

WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 14, 2011

Wonderful benefi ts could develop for you during the next solar cycle, through one of your many contacts or large social organizations. It behooves you to take an active role in group activities that contain multiple opportunities.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) -- You won’t fi nd a better day to sort out a problem that’s been on your mind. You should easily be able to take it apart and fi nd the intrinsic clues that will lead you to the perfect solution.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) -- Don’t take any unnecessary or wild risks, but do follow any instincts and/or hunches pertaining to your fi nancial dealings. Your perceptions are better than usual.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 22) -- Imme-diately disassociate yourself from any negative thinkers. Instead, associate yourself with those you believe to be lucky. Some of their good instincts will rub off on you.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23-Dec. 21) -- Sublime conditions will quickly replace any leftover negativity that you wake up with. Be on your toes, because anticipation will help you spot opportunities and gain much power.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) -- After a bumpy start, Lady Luck will look extremely kindly on you. This will be especially true in areas where you are able to express your personal creativity.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) -- Be particularly watchful for developments that would enhance your fi nancial well-being and position. This could be a better than usual time for you.

PISCES (Feb. 20-March 20) -- Good news is on its way pertaining to one of your larger, personal interests. Be sure to take advantage of it in a manner that would enhance all possibilities.

ARIES (March 21-April 19) -- It behooves you to focus your efforts and energies on work-related issues that can yield you a large profi t and/or enhance your material interests in some manner.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20) -- Certain friends and contacts could be luckier for you than usual. Hang out with those who provide you with fun and have an interest in your personal affairs.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20) -- If you need some type of help or assistance, turn to those who you know have the expertise you require. If there is one person in particular whom you’ve previ-ously aided, go to him or her fi rst.

CANCER (June 21-July 22) -- You should put aside whatever is bothering you and turn toward optimism and ac-complishment. You stand a good chance of succeeding.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) -- No one is better than you at sorting out critical issues in ways that are advantageous to yourself and others. Use your gifts to handle something very important.

HOROSCOPE By Bernice Bede Osol

Copyright 2011, Newspaper Enterprise Assn.

and unity and friendship. It’s a comfort.”

Barker said the size of Amarillo makes it a wonder-ful place to live.

“Perfect place to raise kids,” Barker said without hesitation. “It’s big enough to be a big city but small enough to be a small town. It’s the perfect mix of small town/big city.”

Higgins said she didn’t al-ways see Amarillo as a great place, but now, after being in college for three years, her perspective has changed.

“ W h e n I w a s i n h i g h

school, I thought it was so bad and nothing to do, bor-ing,” Higgins said. “I just wanted to get out of there. But I feel like now there are a lot more things. It’s not that bad when I go back now.”

All of them talked about how close their friendships are with people they went to high school with, even to this day. It was obvious those re-lationships they have had for so many years mean a lot to them.

“My group of friends, we were born together, and we all played together when we

were 1 year old, and they’re still my best friends now,” Higgins said.

Despite the intense rivalry between Amarillo High and Tascosa, Williams said she has maintained many close friendships with people from both high schools.

“Since I switched schools, I went from one district to another, so throughout ba-sically my whole life, I knew someone at each school,” Williams said. “It didn’t mat-ter where we were, we would all meet up. We were all re-ally good friends.”

The longevity of the friend-ships made them particular-ly unique, Barker said.

“We, collectively as a com-munity, we just take friend-ships and relationships so seriously,” Barker said. “Your friends that are with you, they could be with you from first grade all the way up until your senior year, and they’re still your best friends.”

The Panhandle Trio is more than just a nickname — it stands for friendships that last a lifetime and the values that make up a West Texas city.

Above all, it defines a trio of athletes who remember the experiences that helped shaped them into the women they are today.

Despite Barker’s efforts to get her to come to Amarillo High School, Higgins stayed at Tascosa High School.

Higgins said it was better due to the competition that resulted from them being at different schools.

“ I t h o u g h t i t w a s a l -ways fun being able to play Brianne instead of being on her team because I don’t think it would have been as fun if I was on Amarillo High, and there was really no one on Tascosa,” Higgins said.

Williams came on the scene as a sophomore in high school when she made the Amarillo High varsity team. That team won the 2007 Texas 5A state champi-onship and had three players go on to star at Big 12 univer-sities — Barker at OU, Kelsey Black at Texas A&M and Tori Campbell at Baylor.

“If you could have a team that was almost perfect, that team was almost perfect,” Williams said. “They only lost one game the whole year, and they shouldn’t have lost it.”

However, her and Higgins’ paths crossed long before high school. When they were younger, their backyards backed up against each other when they lived in the Woflin neighborhood of Amarillo.

“We shared the alley, but we didn’t have an alley, so it was backyard to backyard,” Higgins said.

Williams spent a lot of time hanging out with Higgins’ younger brother but said Higgins never spent time with them.

“She thought she was too cool for us,” Williams said, laughing. “She didn’t want to mess with the little ones, thought she was so cool walking in.”

Higgins said the time they spent as neighbors — and now as teammates — has al-lowed their mothers to be-come close friends.

“My mom and her mom are like besties now,” Higgins said. “They’re just the same person, I swear — crazy.”

Williams would have gone to Tascosa with Higgins, but she switched districts after middle school.

S t u d e n t s w h o a t t e n d Crockett Middle School — like Williams did — could ei-ther attend Amarillo High or Tascosa High. Williams said her friends made it an easy choice.

“My friends at that point

James Corley, sports editordailysports@ou.edu • phone: 405-325-3666SPORTS

Wednesday, September 14, 2011 • B3

OUDaily.com ››Florida State fans’ smack talk is getting out of hand — and completely inappropriate — on Twitter, The Daily’s James Corley says.

Melodie lettkeMan/the daily

Seniors Caitlin Higgins (10) and Brianne Barker (1) celebrate after a game earlier this season. The pair, along with sophomore Eden Williams, grew up playing volleyball together in Amarillo, Texas.

trio: Players shared backyard fences, courts before coming to OUContinued from page A1

WHAT’S NEXTWichita StateWHEN: 6 p.m. Wednesday

WHERE: Charles Koch Arena in Wichita, Kan.

AT A GLANCEWSU Shockers2011 record: 4-4

Last game: Lost to Northern Colorado, 3-1

Key Players: OH Camri Zwiesler, L Sarah Waldorf, OH Emily Adney

Coach restrepo’s take: “They provide a very big challenge as far as they have very good outside hitters, which is what we’re going to see most of the time in our conference. We’re going to have to defend the outside hitters really well and put a really big block on the outside hitters and do a better job of blocking and defending them.”

in time, which are now my friends forever, they went to Amarillo High,” Williams said. “I’m glad I went there because my friends were there.”

The impact of a cityKnowing one another has

had a profound impact on these three athletes, but they have been shaped more by the culture of their home-town — one that values

friendships and relationships more than most places.

Barker said the sense of loyalty and trust developed by people from Amarillo is a stronger bond than any-thing she’s experienced elsewhere.

“I know Eden and Caitlin always have my back, but I couldn’t always say that about some of the people I’ve met here,” Barker said. “So I feel it’s like a sense of trust

“I know Eden and Caitlin always have my

back, but I couldn’t always say that about some of the people I’ve met here. So I

feel it’s like a sense of trust and unity and

friendship.”BriANNE BArKEr, SENiOr SETTEr

BIGGER IS NOT ALWAYS BETTER

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HAPPY H UR$1.75 Bud/Bud Light

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sushi stir fry steaks cocktails fi ne sake and wine

Adopt - An - AreaAdopt an Area starts next week! Look for your organization!

Delta Tau Delta

Delta Upsilon

Gamma Phi Beta

Engineers Without Borders

Hispanic American Student Association

Iota Phi Theta

Kappa Alpha

Kappa Alpha Psi

Kappa Alpha Theta

Kappa Delta Chi

Kappa Kappa Gamma

Kappa Kappa Psi

Kappa Sigma

Lambda Chi Alpha

Non-Traditional Student Assoc.

Okla. Student Volunteers

Omega Delta Phi

Omega Psi Phi

Our Earth

Phi Beta Sigma

Phi Delta Theta

Phi Gamma Delta

Phi Kappa Psi

Phi Kappa Sigma

Pi Beta Phi

Pi Kappa Alpha

RUF/NEK Lil Sis

Sigma Alpha Epsilon

Sigma Chi

Sigma Gamma Rho

Sigma Lambda Gamma

Sigma Nu

Sigma Phi Epsilon

Zeta Phi Beta

Adams

Cate

Couch

Sooner

Walker

Will your area have a thumbs up or thumbs down?

ALFA Flight

Air Force R.O.T.C.

Alpha Chi Omega

Alpha Gamma Delta

Alpha Kappa Alpha

Alpha Kappa Delta Phi

Alpha Omicron Pi

Alpha Phi

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TobI NEIdySports reporter

The Sooners, who did not play during last Saturday’s bye week, refuse to listen to the hype surrounding this week’s matchup against No. 5 Florida State.

“Everyone is taking the mindset that we just need to be prepared,” sophomore linebacker Tom Wort said. “This week’s all about prepa-ration, and everyone’s put-ting in that extra step, getting excited in the weight room and at practice.”

Although the Seminoles didn’t have a weekend off, Wort believes OU’s first bye week was an opportunity for the Sooners.

“It’s bittersweet,” Wort said. “You want to get in a rhythm, but having that extra week allows you to get healthier and prepare. We’ve made the most of it.”

One of the things the team has concentrated on this week is learning the mechan-ics of FSU quarterback E.J. Manuel.

“E.J. is a big, physical, fast guy, and he’ll stay in the pocket. He’s more of a pass-er than a runner, but he gets credit for his running game too,” Wort said.

Although the defense

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Sooners preparing for Manuel, FSU

Phil SearS/the aSSociated PreSS

Florida State quarterback E.J. Manuel scans the field against Charleston Southern in FSU’s game Saturday. The Sooners spent extra time last week and this week preparing for Manuel’s style of play.

L andry Jones has come a long way after being thrown

to the cougars against BYU in the 2009 season opener.

The junior endured a lot of flack from fans and the media who called him everything from inconsis-tent, a step down from Sam Bradford and the guy who will gladly head back to the bench.

Now, he has the opportunity to be called Oklahoma’s all-time passing leader.

Going into Saturday’s top-five matchup against Florida State, Jones needs just 112 yards to leap-frog Bradford to hold OU’s passing record. And barring injury, Jones should claim the record this weekend in Tallahassee, Fla.

Last season, Jones threw for 4,718 yards and 38 touch-downs to give the Sooners a third-place national ranking on offense.

Should the Artesia, N.M., native repeat or come close to replicating last year’s stats, Jones should expect not only to blow Bradford’s record out of the water, but he also should distance himself as the team leader with numbers that may never be matched.

And another key factor in Jones’ success is his capabil-ity to produce touchdown passes. He needs just 23 more to match Bradford’s career total (88), a feat that’s more than feasible considering Jones threw for 26 touchdowns in OU’s first 10 games last season.

And while records are great, I’m confident Jones knows numbers don’t mean anything in comparison to the na-tional title.

But ultimately, even if the Sooners fall short of the cham-pionship this season, give credit to Jones where credit is due.

And now it’s Jones’ time to show the Sooner nation that OU’s best quarterback hasn’t left yet.

Tobi Neidy is a multidisciplinary studies senior. You can follow her on Twitter at @TobiAnn.

FootbaLL

oU ramping up for game Jones can be OU’s reckoning force

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continues to prepare this week without senior line-backer Travis Lewis, there will be one Sooner who is looking to make this season’s debut in Tallahassee, Fla.

“Tulsa week, I was told I was going to get to the play, and I was really excited, then that Friday I found out I wasn’t going to play,” defen-sive tackle Stacy McGee said.

“We’re going to have to play fast,” McGee said. “They

play east-and-west, and we’re used to going north-and-south, and that’s something different for us. Stopping the run, that’s our goal.”

Apart from stopping the run mechanics of FSU’s run-ning backs, James Wilder Jr. and Chris Thompson, OU coach Bob Stoops said he wants to see his team take care of the fundamentals and fix some of the mistakes they made in Week 1.

“We have to be strong with fundamentals such as how they’re protecting, getting as-signments correct when we blitz and making sure that we have the right people ac-counted for,” Stoops said.

But Stoops was quick to point out he will be leav-ing the hype at home when the Sooners head east this weekend.

“Everything’s brand new this year,” Stoops said.

Tobi NeidyTobi.A.Neidy-1@ou.edu

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