OU seniors reap rewards after tough years

NORMAN, Okla. (AP) _ Seth Littrell figures he'll have some mixed feelings Saturday when he takes the field to play Texas Tech. <br><br>Littrell, a fullback, is among the seniors who will be playing

Thursday, November 16th 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

NORMAN, Okla. (AP) _ Seth Littrell figures he'll have some mixed feelings Saturday when he takes the field to play Texas Tech.

Littrell, a fullback, is among the seniors who will be playing their final home game. He's one of those who was part of the bleakest years in the program's history and now is getting to enjoy one of the best years.

``I think it's going to be a very special moment, just going out there for the last time, standing on that field, the field I always wanted to play on,'' Littrell said. ``It's going to be a good feeling and a bad feeling _ the good feeling being I've got to fulfill my dream and play at the University of Oklahoma, but I don't want to leave yet.''

Littrell came to OU in 1997 from Muskogee, and along with J.T. Thatcher was the only true freshman to start on offense that year. The Sooners finished 4-8, including a 69-7 loss to Nebraska and a 51-7 loss to Texas A&M.

Things got only a little better the following season. Oklahoma finished 5-6 and John Blake was let go as coach.

Fortunes have changed since then, under coach Bob Stoops. The Sooners won seven games last year and went to a bowl game, and now they're 9-0, ranked No. 1 in the country and have a shot at the national title.

``You could probably do a movie over these four seasons,'' Littrell said. ``Even though the first two years weren't very good experiences, they were experiences that I feel like I needed to have.

``If someone came to me two years ago and said you're going to be in the hunt for the national championship in two years, it'd be hard to believe. I'm not going to lie,'' he said. ``But I think coach Stoops did a great job of coming in here and getting the team together and getting all the players to where they need to be. It's been real nice.''

Center Bubba Burcham, another senior, said he has learned a lot as a result of the highs and lows he has experienced with the Sooners. He said it's difficult to grasp the magnitude of the turnaround that has occurred.

``Maybe about 10 years down the road I'll look back and say 'Wow, look what happened, look what we did,' '' he said. ``Sometimes you just can't put words to things.''

The opponent Saturday is Texas Tech, which beat the Sooners a year ago in Lubbock. A victory would give Oklahoma the Big 12 South title and ensure a trip to the conference championship game Dec. 2 in Kansas City.

``It's important for all of us to go out on a win,'' said senior quarterback Josh Heupel. ``We want to play well. You're going to remember your last game at home.''

Stoops said he will certainly remember this class of seniors for their leadership and dedication.

``This program and being back in this position means a great deal to them,'' he said. ``They've got a lot of pride in what they're doing and want to see it through, want to see it finished.''

The other seniors on the roster are Matt Anderson, Al Baysinger, Rocky Bright, Corey Callens, Ryan Fisher, Patrick Fletcher, Chris Hammons, Brent Jackson, Ontei Jones, Scott Kempenich, Buster Kuhn, Torrance Marshall, Ramon Richardson, Marvin Shoulders, Roger Steffen, Reese Travis, Jeremy Wilson-Guest and Jason Bronson.