CFB AM: Oklahoma players go all out to make child in hospital smile

Published Sep. 26, 2014 9:00 a.m. ET

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Teddy Mitrosilis

There’s no better way to end your week than this.

Two Oklahoma football players recently stopped by the children’s hospital at OU medical center to bring a little joy to a Sooners fan.

The fan, a young boy, was in need of a kidney transplant and going through a rough time.

So punter Jed Barnett and lineman Nila Kasitati thought it would bring a smile and some hope to the kid if they showed up in his hospital room and performed a few songs.

The boy’s mother posted a few videos on Facebook, and they are incredible.

Here’s one example, with Barnett on the guitar and Kasitati singing a beautiful rendition of Maroon 5’s “Sunday Morning.”

Two other videos were posted as well. Well done, guys. What a great way to help someone in need and set the bar high for Oklahoma’s best moment of the year.

THREE THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW

1. The UCLA team we all expected to see this season finally showed up in Week 5 at Arizona State. No. 11 UCLA beat No. 15 ASU 62-27 in Tempe, with Brett Hundley going 18 of 23 for 355 yards and four TDs with zero interceptions, while also rushing for 72 yards and a TD. Through the first three games of the season, the Bruins lacked explosiveness on offense as they battled injuries along the O-line and Hundley injured his elbow against Texas in Week 3.

That wasn’t the case Thursday night. In addition to Hundley’s huge night, Paul Perkins rushed for 137 yards on 14 carries — a crazy 9.8 yards per pop — and Jordan Payton caught five balls for 151 yards and two TDs. Eldridge Massington caught only one pass, but he broke a tackle and took it 80 yards for a score. On defense, UCLA picked off two passes, with Ishmael Adams taking one back 95 yards for a touchdown right before halftime. Adams also had a 100-yard kickoff return TD. If that’s not enough, enjoy this Anthony Jennings no-look interception and please explain to me how in the hell he did that:

For Arizona State, it was always going to be a tough night without starting QB Taylor Kelly, but backup Mike Bercovici did well despite throwing two picks — 42 of 68, 488 yards and three TDs. His arm strength was impressive, and a few quality throws resulted in dropped passes rather than big plays, which crushed the Sun Devils. Other than Jaelen Strong’s big night — 12 catches, 146 yards — the only other notable ASU performer was WR Cameron Smith, who chipped in eight catches for 95 yards and a touchdown. ASU had a below-average night running the football, at 3.7 yards per clip, and couldn’t overcome poor tackling and soft coverage on defense to really threaten the Bruins.

And then there was this, which I can’t explain:

UCLA fans can breathe easier now, writes Chris Foster.

2. The other game of consequence Thursday evening was Texas Tech at No. 24 Oklahoma State, which the Cowboys won 45-35. Texas Tech tried to take away the run from OK State, Kliff Kingsbury said, and OK State QB Daxx Garman took a bunch of shots downfield and made the Red Raiders pay on many of them. Garman finished 17 of 31 for 370 yards and four TDs (two picks). Sophomore wideout Marcell Ateman didn’t catch one of the four scores, but he had a big night with six catches for 130 yards.

It was mostly a frustrating night for Tech, which did have success on defense limiting the run but not much else. More importantly, quarterback Davis Webb left the game early in the fourth quarter with an jury to his left (non-throwing) shoulder and didn’t return. Kingsbury didn’t provide any update on his injury or status after the game. Here’s a GIF of the play and you’ll see at the end how Webb rolls over and his left arm goes limp (courtesy of SB Nation):

Tech is now 2-2 and has squandered all of the buzz it took into this season after beating down Arizona State in the bowl game last year. On a night that included three turnovers and 16 penalties, this pretty much sums it up:

Garman has the arm and receivers to make big plays for the Cowboys, writers Berry Tramel.

3. Terrible news out of Cincinnati: Running back Chamoda Kennedy-Palmore, 19, was killed in a motorcycle accident on Thursday.

"Our football program and University has suffered another great tragedy," Head coach Tommy Tuberville said in a statement. "I'm a father first and a coach second and it's always hard to put your thoughts into words during times like these. Chamoda was a talented non-scholarship player and a key member of our scout teams. He worked hard and earned his spot on the roster. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family."

Condolences to his family and the Bearcats program.

THREE THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW

1. Mack Brown appeared on the radio and was asked about Charlie Strong’s discipline at Texas — Strong has dismissed nine players so far — and the kind of task he’s facing in rebuilding Texas. “When I asked Coach Royal the best thing about coaching at Texas, he said 27 million people care about what you do every day of your life,” Brown said. “I asked what is the worst thing about Texas and he said, '(That) 27 million people care about every moment of your life.” Interesting perspective from a guy who obviously understands Strong’s job better than anyone.

2. Florida State continues to battle significant injuries, as the Seminoles will now be down two defensive linemen and a running back against NC State this weekend. Defensive end Mario Edwards Jr. and RB Mario Pender will miss the game after suffering concussions last week against Clemson. It was announced earlier this week that DT Niles Lawrence-Stample would miss the rest of the season with a torn pectoral muscle. These injuries probably aren’t enough to cause real problems for the Noles this weekend, but keep chipping away at the depth of the nation’s most talented team and it’ll start to crack.

3. Couple Notre Dame scheduling notes for the future: The Fighting Irish and Texas A&M Aggies have scheduled a home-and-home series for 2024-25. Yes, that’s so far out that maybe Kenny Hill will be coaching the Ags by then, but nonetheless it’s reason to be excited. And as Notre Dame adds that series, it’s canceling a series with Texas for 2019-20. Those two games were part of a four-game agreement that included a home-and-home in 2015-16 as well, which are still scheduled to be played. Per the series contract, the Irish owe Texas $150,000 for cancelling the second pair of games.

THREE THINGS YOU MAY WANT TO KNOW

1. One more thing from the Texas Tech-Oklahoma State game: I don’t have kids and have never been through a childbirth class, but when fathers across America talk to their sons about growing up to be accountable men and accepting the responsibilities that come with adulthood, I suspect they’re talking about this guy:

Yes, he's streaming the game so every guy behind him can watch too. That’s a true leader and overall quality American citizen.

2. Good read from cleveland.com’s Bill Landis on how Ohio State coach Urban Meyer walked onto the Cincinnati football team after a brief attempt at playing professional baseball. “Back then he was just another guy on the Cincinnati football team,” a former teammate said. “Nobody knew he was going to be a national-championship-winning coach.”

3. College GameDay is running a feature on SEC wives this weekend and split a lot of what will air (I assume) into short snippets. What we learned: Terri Saban is the ruler of the Saban household and probably the only person around who can keep Nick in check. Watch this:

LASTLY

* OK, fine, one more SEC wives video: The Malzahns have date night at Waffle House after every Auburn win.

* Meet North Carolina’s “supervisor of morale.” This video is one of the finest moments in my alma mater’s history.

Have a great weekend, all, and enjoy Week 5.

Teddy Mitrosilis is an editor and writer for FOXSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @TMitrosilis and email him at tmitrosilis@gmail.com.

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