He put that time to good use, studying the playbook, learning the Sooners’ system and then when he was well enough, going against the No. 1 defense as a member of the scout team.

“Sure, it was frustrating,” Murray said of the injury. “I don’t think it hurt me at all. I’m more comfortable now. Going against the No. 1 defense, I’m not timid anymore.”

Now that all that quickness and speed is at full strength, it creates an interesting situation at running back.

The Sooners also have senior Allen Patrick, who starred in place of an injured Adrian Peterson last year. They also have sophomore Chris Brown, who played well last year. And then there’s redshirt freshman Mossis Madu, a slasher like Murray who was held out of Saturday’s game because of an ankle sprain.

Senior Jacob Gutierrez, a poor man’s Quentin Griffin, is also back. Brown had 11 carries for 67 yards Saturday, while Patrick had 15 yards on nine attempts with one fumble and a 1-yard touchdown. Gutierrez had 10 yards on seven carries.

“All those guys, and I think you saw a little bit of it today, are going to give us a change of pace,” Stoops said. “There’s enough snaps in an 80-85-play game to give them all opportunities.”

Murray isn’t concerned about snaps. He’s knows he’ll get his chances and he plans on making the most of them.

“We all have a good chance to play and show what we can do,” Murray said. “I’m not worried about competition. We’re all rooting for each other. We’re all going to get to play and have a good time.”