Stoops Pleased With Defense After First Scrimmage

NORMAN, Okla. (AP) _ Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops says he's pleased with the way his defense performed Saturday during its first major scrimmage of the season at Owen Field in Norman. <br/><br/>About

Saturday, August 11th 2007, 2:18 pm

By: News On 6

NORMAN, Okla. (AP) _ Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops says he's pleased with the way his defense performed Saturday during its first major scrimmage of the season at Owen Field in Norman.

About 7,000 fans turned out to see the Sooners in action.

And while Stoops says he was happy with the defense, the offense managed to punch in three touchdowns on the day. The first came on a 3-yard pass from Keith Nichol to Manuel Johnson. It capped a six-play, 45-yard drive.

Later, Joey Halzle hooked up with Malcolm Kelly on a 20-yard touchdown pass. That drive was the longest of the day and included 13 plays that covered 65 yards.

The final score came on a 53-yard run by Jacob Gutierrez.

All three quarterbacks vying for the starting job -- Halzle, Nichol and Sam Bradford -- took plenty of snaps.

Halzle hit on 12-21 passes for 85 yards, Nichol was 8-16 for 51 yards and Bradford was 11-18 for 83 yards with one interception.

Stoops says he hasn't established a timeline for choosing a starter.

Meanwhile, the defense notched five sacks, including three credited to defensive end Alan Davis.

Stoops also lauded the play of D.J. Wolfe, who moved to safety after playing cornerback last season.

Oklahoma's next scrimmage is set for August 18th.

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