“No,” said Bob Stoops, interrupting the question.

A moment earlier, Tuesday night after practice, the Oklahoma football coach said middle linebacker Austin Box would practice again today for the first time since spraining a knee against Oklahoma State.

However, “No,” Stoops could not possibly project how far along Box might be in time for OU’s BCS national championship showdown against Florida Jan. 8 in Miami.

Perhaps the most important defensive position on the field in any three-linebacker scheme, Box solidified the middle linebacker spot following a season-ending knee injury suffered by Ryan Reynolds late in the Texas game.

But when Box went down against the Cowboys, the Sooners were down to third-teamer Mike Balogun. Balogun managed three tackles in the Bedlam game in very limited action. Yet at the Big 12 championship game, Balogun made only one tackle; although he was frequently off the field as OU went with an extra defensive back.

Defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Brent Venables is either very confident on the issue or putting up a strong front.

“The best case scenario is having somebody ready to play at a high level and we’ll have that,” he said. “It’s going to be Austin or Mike.”

Venables said Box will be medically cleared to play in the national championship game, and “it’s just a matter of getting reps and familiarity and confidence.”

Though Venables did not mention it, it might also be a matter of Box’s pain threshold.

Already, Box is running on his own and changing direction. But he’s yet to practice. And the only thing certain about today is that he will try to practice.

“I’ve been running with the ones and, right now, I’m just prepared to play,” said Balogun, who admitted the extra time prior to a bowl game has been a real help to his preparation. “I’m going to be ready, regardless.”

Between the two of them, Box and Balogun, Venables believes the position is in good hands.

“Absolutely,” he said.

Clay Horning

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