Weakside linebacker Travis Lewis played against Nebraska despite grieving over the death of his infant daughter earlier in the week. Lewis’ daughter, who was born prematurely, died Monday of last week.

The redshirt freshman missed Tuesday’s and Wednesday’s practices and OU had figured it would be without him for the Nebraska game. Defensive coordinator Brent Venables said Lewis made the decision to play Thursday.

“You can’t say enough about the courage and strength that he showed and how he handled it,” Venables said. “Everybody handles that stuff different. There’s no book or manual on how you handle a situation like that. I was very surprised that he had the ability to be able to come back. I think this was kind of his sanctuary.”

Lewis had a team-leading nine tackles in the game.

Dropping spots wasn’t a shock

Stoops said he wasn’t stunned that OU dropped two spots in the latest BCS rankings despite the 35-point victory over the Huskers. He isn’t going to panic because of the situation either.

OU still has three games left to get back into the national championship picture.

“We still have three big games left,” Stoops said during the Big 12 coaches teleconference. “In the end that’s what matters, what you do from here on out. Other teams have some big games left as well. There’s a lot that can still happen.”

The final two games on OU’s schedule — Texas Tech and Oklahoma State — provide the opportunity to jump up in the rankings. Both figure to be top 15 teams when OU faces them. The strength of the Big 12 — and especially the South division — should benefit the Sooners if they can win out.

“It’s incredibly competitive, in particular in our conference, especially in this division in the South,” Stoops said. “It’s challenging. There are good teams, good players, not just quarterbacks, but good skill players. It’s challenging every week. Each week you have to be prepared and fight through the rest of it.”

John Shinn

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jshinn@normantranscript.com