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ujetsales · 8 years ago

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Oklahoma starts slowly, then routs Tulane

NORMAN, Okla. — It took Oklahoma awhile to get rolling but the No. 2 Sooners finally did, blowing past Tulane 56-14 on Saturday night at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium.

Quarterback Baker Mayfield threw for 331 yards and four touchdowns to continue his hot start.

Through three games, Mayfield is 63 of 82 for 1,046 yards and 10 touchdowns with no interceptions.

Mayfield once again spread the ball out, hitting six different receivers in the game and throwing touchdown passes to three different players.

Freshman CeeDee Lamb had four catches for 131 yards and two touchdowns, including one for 82 yards early in the game to answer Tulane’s quick start.

Lamb also added a 22-yard touchdown reception later but was ejected for targeting early in the second quarter for a hit on Green Wave free safety Taris Shenall.

With Lamb out the rest of the way, Marquise Brown became Oklahoma’s big-play target. Brown had six catches for 155 yards and a touchdown — an 87-yard score from backup quarterback Kyler Murray late in the game.

Oklahoma had 631 yards of total offense. The Sooners’ 197 rushing yards were their most so far this season.

While the Sooners’ offense was once again running on all cylinders, Tulane’s spread option gave Oklahoma fits early before the Sooners settled in late in the first half.

The Green Wave’s Dontrell Hillard and Johnathan Brantley hurt the Sooners early as Tulane rushed for 184 yards in the first half but managed just 53 yards on the ground in the second half. Hilliard finished as the game’s leading rusher with 104 yards.

Oklahoma’s defense, after holding Ohio State’s offense in check a week earlier, struggled from the start.

The Sooners turned the ball over on their initial drive, and the Green Wave drove 65 yards on eight plays to take the lead.

Tulane grabbed the lead again late in the first quarter after a nine-play, 75-yard drive.

While the Green Wave’s two scoring drives were extended, Oklahoma struck quickly with a pair of first-half touchdown catches by Lamb.

Oklahoma didn’t go in front, though, until cornerback Parnell Motley jumped in front of Jacob Robertson Jr. and intercepted a pass from Brantley, returning it 77 yards for a touchdown early in the second quarter. Cornerback Jordan Thomas helped Motley finish off the defensive score with a block on Brantley at the Tulane 31.

Brantley finished 5 of 9 for 43 yards.

NOTES: Sooners DT Matt Romar left the game on the third OU defensive play of the game and did not return. Romar was replaced by Marquise Overton and Dillon Faamatau. … Tulane QB Jonathan Banks, who was injured early in a loss to Navy a week before, did not play. Johnathan Brantley started in his place. … Oklahoma OG Cody Ford and S Robert Barnes did not play after suffering injuries a week earlier against Ohio State. … Tulane RB Dontrell Hilliard surpassed the 2,000-yard career rushing mark in the first half. … The Sooners open Big 12 play next Saturday at Baylor. … Tulane hosts Army the same day.

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Quotes of the week: Observations on civic affairs in Oklahoma City

They said it: Observations on development, transit, public schools and elections from inside and outside City Hall.

"The citizens in Canadian County who live in Oklahoma City also are really sensitive to — do we really care about them or do we only care about people in, quote, downtown, unquote. This would seem to possibly add fuel to that argument, which is an invalid argument, because we obviously do care."

— Ward 3 Councilman Larry McAtee, commenting on plans for an Oklahoma County Criminal Justice Advisory Council. McAtee said Canadian County was not included in the council despite "tremendous" growth in parts of the county that are within the Oklahoma City limits. City Manager Jim Couch said the "urgent" focus was on Oklahoma City and Oklahoma County but "it doesn’t mean this couldn’t be broadened in the future." Ward 1 Councilman James Greiner noted the long-troubled Oklahoma County jail "is the backdrop on all this."

"There are solutions out there to help improve funding for public education. All of them require either legislative or constitutional changes. And it would be fruitless for the city to get engaged until more global solutions can be agreed to."

— Jim Couch, Oklahoma City’s city manager

"Unanimous support of the Oklahoma City Council marks a significant step toward the completion of the American Indian Cultural Center and Museum, with rewards that go well beyond the economic benefits to include a legacy of cultural and historic value beyond measure."

— Chickasaw Nation Gov. Bill Anoatubby, commenting on the Oklahoma City Council’s approval of agreements among the city, state of Oklahoma, Chickasaw Nation and others to complete and open the long-stalled American Indian Cultural Center and Museum near downtown.

"Oklahoma City has changed slower than other areas for a couple of reasons. One is because of our lack of density, two is because of our cheap outside housing. And No. 3 is our lack of congestion, and No. 4 probably is our cheap downtown parking."

— Jim Couch, Oklahoma City city manager, commenting on the pace of public transit development. When downtown parking costs increase, and suburbs with free parking and cheaper rent gain a competitive advantage, he said, "then you’re not going to have any offices downtown."

"This will allow us to hire 129 more officers. That is vital for public safety. We want to thank the citizens for this support."

— John George, president of Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 123, commenting on passage of a quarter-cent sales tax hike in Tuesday’s election. The city expects to raise an estimated $26 million per year, primarily to hire additional police officers and firefighters.

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Best Apartments for Rent and Sale in North Carolina

There are plenty of apartments and property dealing companies that claim to offer the best apartments for sale and purchase as well as on rent. If you are looking for one such company to get a good offer on rental apartments, then it is highly advisable that you consider maximum companies possible while selecting the company whose services you intend to utilize. If a company claims that it has the vastest network and may offer the best apartments for you, it does not mean that you should trust their claim as such and hire them. Do a little research on your own to find the best company within the area where you wish to have an apartment.

A selection of the best company is more crucial if you want an apartment within any other city. If you do not know the new city and any of its locations, but your job has been shifted there, you should ask a good company to find you the best apartment in that place. In addition to this, you may have certain other reasons to have an apartment in some other city as well, like making property in the new place with the purpose of offering the place on rent.

Whatever the reason is, if you want to purchase apartment, condos, houses or flats in some other city it is suggested that you seek services of a good company so that they guide you about the perfect place where you should invest your money. However, before hiring any company, you should make sure that the personals dealing with your case are professional enough to guide you properly and invest your money in the right area. For this purpose, you should check the company portfolio and the previous projects accomplished by them.

Investment in the purchase of a house, condo, apartment or flat is not a small deal. You have to spare heavy budget for this purpose, therefore, to make sure that you money is going in the right direction you have to do a little research on your end. Do not let the whole matter under the control of the company and show some interest so that they keep coming up with different ideas for you. Sometimes, these companies own their apartment, and you may purchase a good apartment from them.

The more you show yourself to be keen in your investment the more the company will put efforts to satisfy your demands. Taking an interest in this matter will give you more knowledge and information regarding your property. If you are getting into this business and wish to offer the purchased apartment on rent, getting as much experience as possible is good for you. The only thing that needs your attention and consideration is the choice of the company with which you wish to do the business and from whom you intend to purchase an apartment.

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Reasons Why Colorado Is So Popular

Colorado is one of the hottest places to live right now. It isn’t near a coast, so you don’t have to worry about hurricanes and earthquakes, and it is very close to the mountains. If you are looking for an outdoorsy lifestyle in a state that has a great job market and beautiful surroundings, then you will understand why so many people are moving to Colorado.

Colorado has always been popular, but it is even more popular now. It offers affordable housing and the weather is generally good. While it does snow in the winter, there is always going to be sun and the temperatures fluctuate so it doesn’t seem so cold. Summer can be hot, but the heat is dry and it doesn’t seem so hot.

Many people move to Colorado to be closer to the mountains. You can get to them quickly from Denver and you can enjoy all the things that the Colorado lifestyle has to offer. The job market is fantastic in Colorado and there is always some new company opening up shop there.

Housing prices keep going up, but they are affordable still, especially compared to coastal areas. if you want to try something new or move somewhere that has culture but isn’t coastal, then Colorado could be a good place to live.

If you are thinking about moving to Colorado, you want to learn everything you can about the state. The more you know about the different cities the better and you should also have an idea about what you want to spend when you move there. Visit a few times before you go to make sure that the city is what you want. Visiting a few times can help you decide where you want to move in Colorado.

Each city has something different to offer and you can learn much more about each city by actually visiting it instead of just reading about it. When you get out and visit the Colorado cities you are interested in moving to, you are going to learn much more about and get a real feel for how they are to live in.

There are plenty of great cities in Colorado and you will have to figure out where you want to live when you move there. Colorado is a great state and there are plenty of good living options to choose from.

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Oklahoma City Thunder: 5 bold predictions for 2017-18 NBA season

The Oklahoma City Thunder Thunder are looking to have a good 2017-18 season. Here are five bold predictions for the upcoming campaign.

The Oklahoma City Thunder will be looking to be more of a force than they were last year when they were booted out in five games to the Houston Rockets in the first round of the playoffs.

The OKC Thunder knew they needed a replacement for Kevin Durant, so they traded Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis for Paul George. Also, they signed Patrick Patterson and Raymond Felton to add depth, scoring, experience and shooting. They made sure they kept their defensive stud when they re-signed Andre Roberson as well.

These moves have the Thunder looking to make waves in the crowded Western Conference. To be able to make the impact that they want to see this season, it will take efforts from every player on the roster.

A superstar performance all season from Russell Westbrook helped catapult the Thunder into the playoffs last year. They will need marvelous individual and team performances from other players to be able to take this team to the next level though.

The Thunder will want to be in games with the best of the best. They will want Westbrook to have the same season that he had last year. They will definitely want the 3-point shooting to be better than last year. Finally, they will want Westbrook and Paul George to jell. Bearing all this in mind, here are five bold predictions for the Thunder in 2017-18.

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Oklahoma isn’t working. Can anyone fix this failing American state?

A teacher panhandles on a roadside to buy supplies for her third-grade classroom. Entire school districts resort to four-day school weeks. Nearly one in four children struggle with hunger.

A city overpass crumbles and swarms of earthquakes shake the region – the underground disposal of oil and gas industry wastes have caused the tremors. Wildfires burn out of control: cuts to state forestry services mean that out-of-state firefighting crews must be called in.

A paralyzed and mentally ill veteran is left on the floor of a county jail. Guards watch for days until the prisoner dies. A death row inmate violently convulses on the gurney as prison officials experiment with an untested cocktail for execution.

Added up, the facts evoke a social breakdown across the board. Not only does Oklahoma lead the country in cuts to education, it’s also number one in rates of female incarceration, places second in male incarceration, and also leads in school expulsion rates. One in twelve Oklahomans have a felony conviction.

Rosa Brooks of Georgetown University Law Center wrote in an essay that states begin to fail when the contract between citizens and public institutions breaks down. States “lose control over the means of violence, and cannot create peace or stability for their populations or control their territories. They cannot ensure economic growth or any reasonable distribution of social goods.”

It may be hard to believe, but entry-level employees with a high school diploma at the popular convenience store QuikTrip make more than teachers in Oklahoma.

For four years running, the state has led the nation in tax cuts to education, outpacing second-place Alabama by double digits. Years of tax cuts and budget shortfalls mean that Oklahoma has fallen to 49th in teacher pay. Spending per pupil has dropped by 26.9% since 2008.

Things have become so bad that the Cherokee nation, a tribe systematically cheated out of its land allotments in the creation of the modern state of Oklahoma, recently donated $5m to the state’s education fund.

Some schools in Oklahoma are planning to reduce the school week to four days next year as a result of a nearly $1m budget cut. Photograph: Reuters Staff/Reuters

Lisa Newman, a high school teacher from El Reno, for instance, recounts a history of cutbacks, increases in class sizes, and her stagnant salary. She takes in less than $1,000 a month after all her bills are paid.

Newman, who recently moved back into her parents’ house at age 39, contemplates a declining standard of living while she raises two boys and works about 50 hours a week.

Shelby Eagan, Mitchell elementary school’s 2016 teacher of the year, decided she’d had enough after a referendum to raise teacher pay through an increase in state sales tax was defeated in last November’s election.

“I would like to have kids some day,” she says. But that’s unlikely for now: her rent has gone up. She also buys her own supplies for her classroom.

Eagan is originally from Kansas City but she loves Oklahoma. She found her calling teaching in an urban elementary school. She teaches the children “how to tie their shoes, blow their nose, have superhero fights that don’t turn violent”, among other things. All of her students are on free or reduced-fee lunch programs.

After the referendum defeat of SQ 779, Eagan decided to look elsewhere for a better gig. Eagan found a job in the area that would increase her salary by $10,000 right off the bat.

Eagan’s decision to leave was mirrored in May by the 2016 Oklahoma teacher of the year, Shawn Sheehan, who wrote in an op-ed: “Teaching in Oklahoma is a dysfunctional relationship.”

At Oklahoma Policy Institute, a progressive thinktank, the policy analyst Carly Putnam says education is only one part of the state’s dysfunction. Putnam cites the example of a popular support program for developmental disabilities which gave families of limited means resources to take care of their loved ones. It takes roughly 10 years just to get on a waiting list to be considered for the support waiver to help a disabled person, meaning applications filed in 2006 are just now being considered. Many of the disabled patients have died by the time their files are being considered.

The case of Elliot Williams is a stark example of how Oklamhoma’s public institutions is failing its citizens. Williams, who had been honorably discharged from the army, had a diagnosed bipolar condition. After he experienced a few nights of insomnia at his parents’ house in Owasso, relatives brought him to a hotel.

Williams threw a soda can in the lobby and walked into a door. Hotel staff called police. An officer who arrived at the scene found Williams “rambling on about God and eating dirt”. The officer and the staff concluded that Williams was suffering from “some kind of mental breakdown”.

They escorted him out of the hotel and called his parents. At some point, while outside the hotel, Williams threatened to kill himself. A cop ordered him to stay seated on a curb. Williams got up and moved towards a police officer, who pepper-sprayed him.

Elliott Williams, surrounded by emergency personnel in his cell. Photograph: AP

Police arrested Williams, charging him with obstruction. The small town jail of Owasso wasn’t equipped to deal with a case like Williams’s. Instead of a suitable mental health facility, Williams wound up Tulsa County Jail.

It was Williams’s bad luck to be transferred to a jail that only weeks earlier, federal agents had faulted for “a prevailing attitude of indifference”.

The jail was run by Sheriff Stanley Glanz, who would become infamous as the man who assigned his friend, Robert Bates, an insurance agent with no police training, to a violent crimes task force.

Tulsa County jail was certainly no place for a man with a bipolar condition. And yet, with Williams in the midst a breakdown, he was tackled and body-slammed to the ground by an officer. Williams had difficulty walking. He was transferred to a holding cell, where he rammed his head against a wall.

Seeing Williams unable to move, the head nurse allegedly told him to “quit fucking faking”. He defecated on himself and officers dragged him to a shower. He still didn’t move. To prove that it was an act, an officer put a small cup of water just outside Williams’s grasp. He never reached it.

For three days, jail officials – guards and medical staff – expressed “concern” about Williams but never called 911 or requested a hospital transfer. He was left in a medical cell, where a video camera recorded him lying there, unable to eat or drink. Five days after he was put in the Tulsa County jail, Williams had died of complications from a broken neck and serious dehydration.

Audits and inspections of the Tulsa County jail revealed decades of indifference to sexual abuse, overcrowding and overt racism. From one angle, the Tulsa County jail is par for the course of the American criminal justice system. But from another – and in the opinion of the jury that ultimately sided with Williams by awarding his estate $10.25m – Tulsa had seriously failed.

A pump jack rests idle in a residential lot of a lower-income neighborhood in Oklahoma City. Photograph: Brett Deering for the Guardian

Shane Matson is a geologist whose family has been in the Oklahoma oil business for three generations. For Matson, the discovery of new reserves in Oklahoma is a good thing. The “dark outlook about the future of energy” is gone, he says. Cheap oil and gas are now abundant.

Matson fought Obama-era regulations in Osage County, where he was exploring for oil. But his industry’s political influence has now reached untoward extremes, he thinks. Chesapeake Energy, Devon Energy and Continental Resources have lobbied to lower the state’s gross production tax, citing competition from other states. They’ve gotten their way, with Oklahoma’s oil and gas production taxes now significantly below those of its rival Texas.

One of the state’s richest men and its most renowned philanthropist, George Kaiser, has been urging an increase in the gross production tax for years. And there’s reason to believe it’s not necessarily a partisan issue. Until recently, North Dakota had been able to expand its education system with a 6.5% gross production tax.

And despite the tax cuts, the Tulsa-based Newfield Exploration moved most of its staff to Houston.

Industry leaders, not surprisingly, see the issue through an entirely different lens.

Chad Warmington, the president of the Oklahoma Oil & Gas Association, says that about a quarter of the state’s tax revenue comes from oil and gas while the industry employs about 13% of the state’s workforce. Dependence on taxes from oil and gas “has left the state unprepared for inevitable price downturns of a cyclical industry”, Warmington says. The current downturn, then, “has led many to question the state’s management of the tax dollar”.

The Oklahoma Policy Institute calculates that the current regime of tax breaks and refunds costs around half a billion dollars in decreased revenue ever year. That figure, if correct, would cover the current $220 million budget gap in education but would still not be enough to make up for the state’s entire budget shortfall.

Of course, many would not recognize their state in this description. One of the most respected bloggers in Tulsa, Michael Bates, said the whole idea of Oklahoma as a failing state was “hysterical and overwrought”.

After all, downtown Tulsa and Oklahoma City are thriving. The cities have been rated by Kiplinger among the “best cities in America to start a business”. Tulsa has rolling hills, parks and delicious barbecue: Tulsa People enumerates the city’s private schools. Affordable housing prices are the envy of the nation and suburban school districts boast gleaming new facilities. And yes, some conservatives think the four-day week is good for “traditional” families, allowing for more time with the kids. For affluent families, the extra day can be spent on college prep or sports. But for middle- and working- class parents, it means lost wages or added expenses for childcare.

Becky Blackmon, 54 and homeless, panhandles with a sign reading “need help” at an intersection in Oklahoma City. Photograph: Brett Deering for the Guardian

And for poor families, like those of Eagan’s students, who rely on the free lunch program, it means hunger. Local food banks have to pick up the slack and deliver meals when the kids aren’t in school.

Nearly everyone I talked to for this story – regardless of political affiliation – was startled by the downward spiral of basic social services.

There is something deeply ingrained and unyielding in the state’s conservatism.

When I was in elementary school, I remember seeing my mother struggle with hundreds of thousands of dollars of unpaid medical bills after my dad died of heart disease. She was suddenly a single mother with an incomplete college education, no professional training, and a mountain of debt. We depended on the generosity of friends and family to get by.

I recently asked her why she never went on welfare or food stamps while she worked as a daycare teacher and raised me.

“Welfare is for poor people,” she said. “We weren’t them.”

If you rely on the progressive account, it’s easy to think Red America is dominated by a majority of angry racists lighting a match to liberal democracy. And people in the hipper areas of Tulsa seem to want the city to divorce the state.

But there are signals that some Oklahomans want a change of direction. David Blatt, the executive director of Oklahoma Policy Institute, and someone who’s happy to work with “reasonable” Republicans, points to three referenda widely expected to be voted down that actually won.

Oklahomans voted to reclassify certain drug possession crimes from felonies to misdemeanors, bucking the “law and order” line of the Trump campaign. They also voted to deny public funds to return a Ten Commandments monument to the state capitol, and against a bill to rewrite the state’s constitution that would have made it harder to regulate big agribusiness. All this in a state that gave Trump the third-widest margin of victory in America.

Meanwhile, facing another budget meltdown and a teacher exodus, the state raised cigarette taxes to cover the shortfall only to have the supreme court rule the law unconstitutional.

“Our situation is dire,” Oklahoma finance director Preston Doerflinger said. “To use a pretty harsh word, our revenues are difficult at best. Maybe they fall into the category of somewhat pathetic.”

Governor Mary Fallin had an answer: prayer. The governor issued an official proclamation making 13 October Oilfield Prayer Day. Christians were to gather in churches and hope for a little divine intervention targeting falling worldwide oil prices. Fallin quickly back-pedalled when it was pointed out that her proclamation only included Christians. “Prayer is good for everyone,” she reasoned.

Prayer Day came and went. The price of oil has barely budged since. Three weeks after Prayer Day, however, the earth shook. A 5.0 magnitude earthquake hit the town of Cushing, a place whose claim to fame is the “Oil Pipeline Crossroads of the World”.

Maybe God had something to say about Oklahoma after all.

Russell Cobb is an associate professor in modern languages and cultural studies at the University of Alberta. He is at work on a book provisionally titled You Dumb Okie: Race, Class, and Lies in Flyover Country

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College football 2017: Oklahoma headlines a top-heavy Big 12 in search of national respect

USA TODAY Sports’ Paul Myerberg previews the 2017 Big 12 football conference. (Photo: Kevin Jairaj, USA TODAY Sports)

Ignore as best you can the bottom half of the Big 12 Conference, which will spend the 2017 season bordering on the verge of bowl eligibility – if not much, much worse – while serving as cupcakes for those five teams with legitimate postseason aspirations.

Those five: Oklahoma, of course, with its eyes on the national title; rival Oklahoma State, which could be hampered by a questionable offensive line; TCU, which aims to rebound from a rare losing season; Kansas State, that annual pest; and Texas, rejuvenated by the arrival of Tom Herman from Houston.

These are good teams – with maybe one or two great teams, in fact, with Oklahoma the safest bet to plow through conference play and once again represent the conference in the College Football Playoff.

CONFERENCE PREVIEWS

But this is very clearly a league lacking in proven depth. Why is that a larger concern? Because this has a profound impact on the conference’s national reputation, which in turn has a negative influence on the minds of Playoff selection committee.

Maybe that’s an overblown concept. Maybe it’s not. One thing I can say with confidence: The Big 12 has an image problem. That’s not new. But while conducting an informal straw poll might lead to some dissension at the top – maybe some believe the SEC is the best in the Football Bowl Subdivision, others the ACC or Big Ten – there is a consensus at the bottom: everyone puts the Big 12 last among the Power Five leagues.

A national title would change all of that. And while the Big 12 does have a sloppy and ineffective bottom half, that top half is worthy of some degree of commendation. Better yet, what if Texas rebounds? What if the league has two powers, OU and UT, to tout on a national level? That’s the foundation upon which the latter-day Big 12 was built.

PRESEASON ALL-CONFERENCE

OFFENSE

QB: Baker Mayfield, Oklahoma

RB: Justice Hill, Oklahoma State

RB: Justin Crawford, West Virginia

WR: James Washington, Oklahoma State

WR: Allen Lazard, Iowa State

TE: Mark Andrews, Oklahoma

OL: Orlando Brown, Oklahoma

OL: Zachary Crabtree, Oklahoma State

OL: Reid Najvar, Kansas State

OL: Dalton Risner, Kansas State

OL: Connor Williams, Texas

DEFENSE

DL: Reggie Walker, Kansas State

DL: Will Geary, Kansas State

DL: Poona Ford, Texas

DL: Dorance Armstrong, Kansas

LB: Ogbonnia Okoronkwo, Oklahoma

LB: Travin Howard, TCU

LB: Malik Jefferson, Texas

CB: Jordan Thomas, Oklahoma

CB: D.J. Reed, Kansas State

S: Nick Orr, TCU

S: Kamari Cotton-Moya, Iowa State

SPECIALISTS

K: Clayton Hatfield, Texas Tech

P: Michael Dickson, Texas

RET: KaVontae Turpin, TCU

BEST UNITS

Quarterback: Oklahoma. There are few better in college football than Baker Mayfield, who may should rightfully be considered the preseason favorite for the Heisman Trophy.

Running back: West Virginia. It’s very exciting to consider what senior Justin Crawford could achieve statistically if given 200-plus touches.

Wide receivers and tight ends: Oklahoma State. This James Washington-led unit ranks among the best in the FBS.

Oklahoma State wide receiver James Washington leaps to make a catch against Texas Tech.

Offensive line: Oklahoma. With all five starters back in the fold and a few key additions for depth purposes, this offensive front is an obvious strength for the Sooners.

Defensive line: Kansas State. The most appealing aspect of the Wildcats’ line is the projected growth from two sophomores – Reggie Walker and Trey Dishon – who impressed as rookies.

Linebacker: TCU. The Horned Frogs’ group deserves praise, but don’t sleep on what Texas brings to the table on the second level.

Secondary: TCU. Vastly more experienced than at this point a year ago, this secondary combines with the linebacker crew to give TCU the top back seven in the Big 12.

Special teams: Kansas State. You can set your watch to Kansas State’s consistent excellence on special teams.

RANKING THE STARTING QUARTERBACKS

1. Baker Mayfield, Oklahoma. He’s back for his third stab at the Heisman Trophy and the national championship.

2. Mason Rudolph, Oklahoma State. With his monster arm, Rudolph is a perfect fit for the Cowboys’ explosive passing game.

3. Nic Shimonek, Texas Tech. It won’t be easy to match Patrick Mahomes’ impact, though Shimonek was absolutely terrific in backup duty last season.

4. Shane Buechele, Texas. Buechele is the starter for UT, but whether he remains the answer for Tom Herman – and can fend off true freshman Sam Ehlinger – hinges on his performance in September.

5. Jesse Ertz, Kansas State. Recent history has shown that Bill Snyder’s Wildcats tend to flourish behind second-year starters.

6. Kenny Hill, TCU. Hill would be a feel-good story on a national scale should he lead the Horned Frogs to a top-three finish in the Big 12.

7. Will Grier, West Virginia. The Mountaineers are a year away, in my opinion, but I expect Grier to challenge for all-conference honors in 2017.

8. Zach Smith, Baylor. The overall numbers will slide under the new staff, but Smith looks the part of a multiple-year starter for Matt Rhule and the Bears.

9. Jacob Park, Iowa State. The former Georgia transfer will really benefit from being the Cyclones’ unquestioned starter.

10. Peyton Bender, Kansas. David Beaty could also go with sophomore Carter Stanley over Bender, though the latter’s experience running an Air Raid system should give him the nod.

PHOTOS: TOP 25 TEAMS IN THE AMWAY COACHES POLL

TOP NEWCOMERS

Kansas RB Octavius Matthews. The Jayhawks will be relying on the junior-college transfer to produce in the running game.

Oklahoma QB Kyler Murray. Now eligible after transferring from Texas A&M, Murray could provide a huge spark in certain packages.

Kansas State DB Elijah Walker. The addition of Walker plus last season’s experience – painful as it was – should lift Kansas State’s secondary to a significantly better performance in 2017.

Baylor C Ryan Miller. That Miller is headed for a starting role in the middle is a testament to the true freshman’s ability and potential as well as the Bears’ worries along the offensive line.

Texas Tech DL Tony Jones. A linebacker at junior college, Jones is expected to transition into a rush end role for the Red Raiders’ woebegone defense.

GAMES OF THE YEAR

Oklahoma at Ohio State, Sept. 9. The Sooners are fully aware that this game presents an outstanding opportunity to bolster their case for the Playoff.

TCU at Arkansas, Sept. 9. A win here would provide TCU a jolt in the polls and set up a can’t-miss date with Oklahoma State two weeks later.

Texas at Southern California, Sept. 16. Maybe you can recall the last time these two met.

TCU at Oklahoma State, Sept. 23. The matchup of Oklahoma State’s receiver corps against TCU’s secondary is one of the best in the Big 12.

Oklahoma vs. Texas (in Dallas), Oct. 14. The annual rivalry takes on a different feel with new coaches: Lincoln Riley at OU, Tom Herman at UT.

Oklahoma State at Texas, Oct. 21. The Cowboys aim to continue their recent dominance in the series.

Oklahoma at Kansas State, Oct. 21. Riley was just 6 when Bill Snyder coached his first game at Kansas State.

Oklahoma at Oklahoma State, Nov. 4. That this one comes on the first Saturday of November is idiotic, for one, but it also affords the loser some time to make up ground before the end of the regular season.

TCU at Oklahoma, Nov. 11. It’s totally reasonable to view OU and TCU as the two best teams in the Big 12.

BEST CHANCE AT THE PLAYOFF

Texas is going to be dramatically improved in its debut under Tom Herman, but let’s be real: The Longhorns aren’t competing for a national title. Not yet, at least.

TCU has finished with a losing record three times under Gary Patterson, most recently last season. What happened the past two times? A year later TCU won its conference. That’s in play for the Horned Frogs in 2017. Quarterback play and the performance of the defensive line are my two biggest concerns.

Kansas State resembles a vintage Bill Snyder-coached team, especially if the secondary bounces back from a miserable season to finish in the top third of the Big 12 in the key categories – yards per attempt, opposing completion percentage and turnover margin, most notably. No one will enjoy playing the Wildcats in 2017.

Oklahoma State is locked and loaded … but what about this offensive line? And the secondary? A wonderful quarterback, an explosive offense and a just-good-enough defense will put the Cowboys on a course for a New Year’s Six bowl, but the potential sticking points are numerous enough to have me questioning this team’s ability to lose just once during the regular season.

That leaves Oklahoma. This isn’t a perfect team, either. There’s a hole at running back. No clear go-to receiver. The Sooners are more experienced on defense, but much does depend on the health of the defensive line. Still, this is the strongest, most cohesive roster in the Big 12; it doesn’t hurt to have the league’s best player in Baker Mayfield.

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Silver Run Acquisition strikes deal for two Oklahoma energy companies

HOUSTON (Reuters) – Silver Run Acquisition II, a private equity backed oil and gas startup led by the former chief executive of Anadarko Petroleum Corp, has agreed to acquire two Oklahoma energy companies.

Silver Run, which raised $1.03 billion in an initial public offering in March, said in a statement it reached agreements with oil and gas producer Alta Mesa Holdings LP and Kingfisher Midstream LLC, a pipeline and gas gathering company. Terms of the deals were not disclosed.

James Hackett, the former head of Anadarko, will be executive chairman of the combined company, which will take the name Alta Mesa Resources. The deal is expected to close in the fourth quarter.

A spokesman for Alta Mesa was unavailable for comment on terms of the agreement. Silver Run said it expected the market value of the combined companies to be about $3.8 billion based on its projections of future earnings.

Energy investor Riverstone Holdings LLC earlier this year formed Silver Run as a special purpose acquisition company, or SPAC, an investment vehicle that raises money on the reputation of its managers and then goes hunting for a business to buy.

Riverstone quadrupled its investment in an earlier energy SPAC led by former EOG Resources CEO Mark Papa. That SPAC acquired Centennial Resource Development, a shale oil producer. Riverstone and Alta Mesa’s existing owners will hold about 34 percent of the combined company’s shares. Kingfisher’s existing owners also will own a significant portion of the new company’s shares, according to a statement by Hackett.

The company will operate in the central Oklahoma energy basin known as the Stack, a fast-growing and low cost area for oil and gas production.

Alta Mesa in May filed confidentially for an initial public offering of stock that was never completed. The Houston-based company reported a net loss of $167.9 million on revenue of $210.7 million last year.

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Getting Ready To Check Out Oklahoma City

You should go to Oklahoma city once you have properly prepared your trip there. Since there is a lot to do there, it can be overwhelming when planning your trip at first. Use the guide here to make your life a lot easier before heading there.

When you want to fly into the area, make sure you book your flight a few weeks to a few months in advance. If you try to book a flight or anything like a motel room when there is only a day or two left until you leave, they are going to charge you up to hundreds more for your reservations because they know you have no other choices. Shop around a little because some websites give you better deals than others and also make sure you find any coupon codes that may be available to save even more.

When you are going to a new area, you should make a list of all of the places you’re going to visit. Creating a schedule helps because then you won’t have to spend time when you are there trying to figure out where the best places to go are. Of course, if you’re there and need to make plans, make sure you check the internet using the WiFi at your motel or wherever you can use it to help you read up on what’s out there and what you can expect to pay when visiting the places.

Anyone can go have a good time in Oklahoma City if they know how to plan their trip well. Be careful about where you spend your money and it should make your trip that much better. Just prepare early so after that all you have to do is worry about having a nice time.

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Lincoln Riley’s hometown thought he would work for NASA; so how’d he end up as Oklahoma Sooners coach?

This Story is About…

Staff/The Dallas Morning News, courtesy

Background photos of Muleshoe, Texas — Tom Fox/The Dallas Morning News; high school picture of Lincoln Riley courtesy of parents Marilyn, Mike Riley

MULESHOE, Texas – Magann Rennels has been on the job as a local television newshound for almost four decades. Still, the savvy proprietor of the town’s only cable station can’t possibly know what stories might fall into her lap for the three times a week "Muletrain" report on her family-operated Channel 6.

How could she possibly have known nefarious souls would steal the portable outdoor air conditioning system down at the nursing home necessitating an emergency fundraiser; or the success of the after-school healthy snack program? And, of course, who knows when those smitten might get engaged or married or when babies will be born? And then there are the obligatory obits about friends and neighbors.

Tom Fox/Staff Photographer

A real surprise blockbuster came in June when Muleshoe’s own Lincoln Riley, whose parents Mike and Marilyn still live in Rennels’ neighborhood, was named the football coach at the University of Oklahoma after the unexpected resignation of Bob Stoops. Now the youngest head coach in major college football hailed from the West Texas speck on the map that fell into Channel 6’s market.

Overnight, "Muletrain" was competing with "SportsCenter" for eyeballs.

"A really exciting time," Rennels called the high-adrenaline week that followed Riley’s ascension from offensive coordinator. "Surely not an everyday event in these parts."

SUB: When mules weren’t the biggest story in Muleshoe anymore

Of course, some weeks are slower than others in this farming town of 5,000, located 70 flat High Plains miles northwest of Lubbock. No matter how savvy the journalist, the decision to eliminate one of the town’s two traffic lights has a newsy shelf life.

Fortunately there is a simple, dependable, go-to staple for slow news cycles at Channel 6.

"Weather here is always important because this is an agricultural community," said Rennels, 74, sounding every bit a schoolmarm lecturing a student just off the turnip truck.

"Muletrain," it should be noted, actually has been around since the late 1950s as a radio offering on a station that beamed it in from Clovis, N.M., 30 miles away.

It may be a good thing that the show never has had a scripted length. After all, "Muletrain" isn’t "60 Minutes."

"It runs how long it needs to," Rennels said.

The Rennels house on West 3rd Street is conveniently located just down from Muleshoe High, whose Friday night football games the station videotapes for continuous airings on Saturdays and Sundays.

For years, Magann’s favorite "Muletrain" story focused on a local who grew tulip bulbs in a cotton field and shipped them to the Netherlands.

The biggest story in town history, she said, has to be the dedication of the National Mule Memorial, constructed in homage to the animal that was once farming’s beast of burden. It attracted 10,000 souls. But that was 1965, 15 years before the birth of Channel 6.

However "favorite" and "biggest" were eclipsed when 33-year-old Lincoln Riley, the wunderkind football coach, took over one of America’s most stories football programs.

Muleshoe (locals pronounce it mule-SHOE), named in honor of a nearby ranch and developed in 1913 to take advantage of commerce sure to come with newly laid railroad tracks linking Lubbock to New Mexico, was back on the map.

Deep roots, pure Muleshoe

No telling if the city founders had any inkling the name might itself become a celebrity of sorts.

"One of the greatest assets our town has is its name," Rennels said. "Muleshoe – don’t you like just hearing it?"

As you might expect, Runnels, who could double as a one-woman Chamber of Commerce, has a special sweet spot for Riley. Once she was his Sunday school teacher.

"Everybody in town knows him," she said. "Everybody loves him. Everybody is just so proud."

Surely, Lincoln Riley has surpassed actor Lee Horsley as Muleshoe’s most famous son. Back in the early 1980s Horsley starred on television as Texas oilman Matt Houston, who doubled as a private investigator. But truth be told, Horsley never really was an integral thread in the town’s fabric. Born in Muleshoe, he was raised and schooled primarily in Colorado.

On the flip side, Lincoln Riley is pure Muleshoe. He has deep roots here. He once played quarterback for the Muleshoe High Mules, just as his father Mike had done three decades earlier. His grandfather Claude Riley, who is 97 and lives at the nursing home with his wife, Evelyn, 89, was a quarterback there, as well.

Lincoln’s wife Caitlin is also pure West Texas even if she’s not from Muleshoe. She’s from Dimmitt, 45 miles away. Still, they somehow became aware of each other at basketball games while playing for rival high schools.

That Lincoln Riley isn’t coaching at the nearby college – Texas Tech – long-favored by most of his hometown folks, is an inconvenient truth. But he did go to school there, walked on to the football team there, and when it became evident that he didn’t have the skill to play quarterback there, transitioned to student assistant there, the first step on the coaching ladder that has led him to the University of Oklahoma where the population of Muleshoe could fit 17 times into the stands of Memorial Stadium.

But that’s not to say Muleshoe is a one-horse town when it comes to college football loyalty.

Take Riley’s own parents for example.

Marilyn, his mother who grew up on a Muleshoe farm, and his father, Mike, who came from a family that operated cotton gins among other business ventures, graduated from the University of Texas.

Mike and Marilyn returned home from Austin soon after graduation and eventually took over family-owned cotton warehouses in neighboring Sudan.

Their hearts belonged to the Longhorns until sons Lincoln and Garrett went off to college at Texas Tech.

Garrett, six years younger than his brother, is currently the quarterbacks coach at the University of Kansas.

But on this Tuesday, the first day of August, Mike Riley is sporting a crimson University of Oklahoma cap at lunch alongside Marilyn on Muleshoe’s main drag.

As is custom, Leal’s Mexican Restaurant on West American Boulevard, is packed by noon as pickup trucks clog the dusty parking lot in the shadow of a grain elevator skyline.

Like most everyone in town, restaurant owner Victor Leal has a favorite story about his favorite college football coach. Seems that back when Lincoln was the big man on campus at Muleshoe High, Victor marveled at how much time the older brother spent tutoring elementary school-aged Garrett on the football field.

Soon after, Todd and Starla Ellis, who run the local funeral home, stopped by the Riley’s table.

"We were Tech fans here because it’s close," Todd, the undertaker, announces. "Now we are Oklahoma fans because Lincoln is closer."

‘The kind of athlete you want running the show’

Muleshoe High football hit an extended drought in the second half of the 20th century as coaches came and went with remarkable regularity. Things got so bad that during Mike Riley’s sophomore year back in 1969, the Mules scored a single touchdown during the entire season.

The next year with Mike settling in as quarterback, the Mules won three games. Still, he opted not to play as a senior.

"Didn’t see eye-to-eye with the coach," Mike Riley says sternly in a slow West Texas drawl, leaving no doubt that there will be nothing further from him on the topic.

In 1996, fresh-faced David Wood arrived fresh off the offensive staff at Canyon Randall High to try to lead the Mules out of the desert.

Wood found a fragile Mules program. In a school of about 450 students, there were just enough players – 22 – to field only a varsity team. Some of the town’s better players seemed to migrate to more stable programs up in Nazareth or down in Sudan or out in Farwell.

Wood, determined to put an end to the exodus, noticed a seventh grader playing at the junior high with "lots football smarts" if not lots of blue-chip skills. He told his assistants, "We’ve got to keep him around."

And so, Wood said, he hitched his career to Riley.

"Lincoln helped me get established and stay here," Wood said as he prepares for his 22nd season at the school. "As long as I could have kids like Lincoln I knew I could compete."

In 1999, with Riley as a sophomore lineman, Wood began tinkering with a shotgun offense that called for more passing and demanded a quick-thinking triggerman.

In 2000, Riley as starting quarterback led the Mules 400 miles to a Class 3A state semifinal game at Texas Stadium in Irving.

"He wasn’t a blue-chip athlete," Wood said. "But he was the kind of athlete you wanted running the show. I had to explain everything to him only once. And sometimes he’d double back and explain to me what I was missing."

Wood said he envisioned his quarterback working someday for NASA.

"He knew where every kid was supposed to be on every play," the coach said. "He knew all the progressions. He was a computer on legs."

When Lincoln Riley was named the offensive coordinator at Oklahoma in 2015 after prepping for the position at East Carolina University, his first stop away from Texas Tech, his high school math teacher Debbie Conner told The Oklahoman newspaper Lincoln had been a "brilliant" student.

In Mrs. Conner’s honors math class, Lincoln routinely dissected problems using shortcuts she never considered and his fellow students never quite understood, she said.

When Lincoln filled out recruiting questionnaires, his SAT and ACT scores made more impact with some coaches than his measurable football skills. Seemingly overnight, the Ivy League discovered Muleshoe.

Who knows what would have become of Lincoln had he gone to Dartmouth, which seemed most interested, instead of his eventual landing spot at Texas Tech.

But it’s not as if Riley graduated at the top of his high school class. School was was only a means to a football end. He raced through his homework as soon as he got to the house simply so he could get back to football as quickly as possible, his mother recalled.

"School was not his primary motivation," Marilyn Riley said. "But he had a really good memory, was really good at math and he was very competitive. He wanted to win in the classroom like he won on the field."

Muleshoe to Lubbock to Norman: a broken streak

One thing for certain: Neither Lincoln nor Garrett wanted to follow their father into the cotton warehouse business. Mike Riley’s series of tin-roofed warehouses on the northern fringe of Sudan can feel like ovens in the unforgiving West Texas sun. Each of the thousands of bales waiting to be loaded and shipped off weighs up to 500 pounds. It can be backbreaking work.

But when they worked there during high school, the boys learned valuable life lessons such as time management and the importance of every worker in the chain.

Football offered a nice escape. But as much as he relished playing the game, Riley suspected his playing days were over when he passed on small-school college football to attend Texas Tech. Although rocket science was not to be, he considered pursuing his mother’s dream that he study to become a pharmacist.

It didn’t take much, however, to get his competitive football juices flowing in Lubbock. Success on the intramural field spurred him to attempt to walk onto the Tech team in the spring of his freshman season.

Riley showed the coaches just enough that he was invited to join the team in January of 2003. By June, however, Coach Mike Leach had seen enough. He took the whip-smart but physically limited quarterback aside and asked him to be a student assistant coach.

Lincoln shadowed Leach, a noted night owl, as much as he could. After three years of student coaching as an undergraduate and another as a graduate assistant, Leach, on Valentine’s Day 2007, offered Lincoln a job as an assistant coach who worked with receivers. Leach took to introducing Riley, then 23, as the youngest full-time major college assistant coach in the country.

"I don’t think they would have had to pay him," his father Mike said. "He loved the job and was used to working for nothing."

A decade later, Lincoln Riley’s new contract at Oklahoma calls for a guaranteed $3.1 million a year for five years. But it has come at a price.

In years past, he has made it back to Muleshoe every summer.

The streak ends this year. He’s been too busy.

"I get back as often as I can," Riley said via cellphone after a morning practice last week in Norman, Oklahoma. "But it’s never as much as I want to.

"It’s always been a special place I carry with me," he said. "Everybody knew everybody. They say you are raised by a village. Muleshoe will always be my special village."

Twitter: @bhorn55

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Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City Thunder to play Brooklyn Nets in Mexico City

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (C) is fouled by Houston Rockets guard James Harden (R) while going to the basket in the first half of Game 2 of the NBA Western Conference playoffs on April 19 at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. Photo by Larry W. Smith/EPA

Fans in Mexico will receive a first-hand look at reigning NBA Most Valuable Player Russell Westbrook next season when the Oklahoma City Thunder play the Brooklyn Nets in the nation’s capital.

The NBA Mexico City games feature the Nets playing a regular-season contest against Westbrook, four-time All-Star Paul George and the Thunder on Dec. 7. Brooklyn will then face the Miami Heat two days later.

"They will also mark the 25th anniversary of our first game in Mexico City, a milestone in our relationship with our Mexican fans and a further indication of our desire to strengthen our ties to Mexico and Latin America," NBA commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement.

In January, the NBA held two games in Mexico with the Phoenix Suns playing against the Dallas Mavericks and San Antonio Spurs.

Nets general manager Sean Marks was thrilled that his team is being able to represent the NBA in this capacity.

"The Brooklyn Nets are honored to be the host team for the 2017 NBA Mexico City games and help the league celebrate the 25th anniversary of the first NBA game in Mexico," Marks said. "We are excited to take part in fostering the NBA’s global outreach and to connect with the Nets current and growing fan base in Mexico. Our players and staff are looking forward to exploring Mexico City and its culture, while providing fans with the experience of two regular-season Brooklyn Nets games."

Thunder general manager Sam Presti offered a similar sentiment.

"We’re excited to be asked to participate in the NBA Mexico City games 2017 as the NBA expands its global reach," Presti said. "As we enter only our 10th season of Thunder Basketball in Oklahoma City, we feel incredibly fortunate that our team and fan base will get to experience our first regular-season game abroad."

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Compelling Reasons To Plan Your Next Trip To Oklahoma!

Oklahoma is often one of the most forgotten states when it comes to people planning their vacations. Though the state is famous for churning out Brad Pitt and Chuck Norris, it still has plenty to offer in terms of entertainment. If you haven’t already thought about it, here are some of the top reasons to head on over to Oklahoma!

*You may have heard the terms ‘where the buffalo roam’, and Oklahoma is still one of the few remaining states where bison can still be seen naturally roaming. Tallgrass Prairie Preserve boasts one of the largest herds in the country, so if you hope to see bison in the wild, it’s the perfect place to do so!

*Oklahoma is one of the most beautiful states in the union, and you can rest easy knowing that there are plenty of natural wonders to behold. There are numerous lakes and valleys that you can see for yourself if you’re looking to unwind a bit.

*There’s a museum for just about everything and anything in Oklahoma. The state is the perfect place to expand your horizons and learn more about local culture. Make sure to check out museums in the city as they are widespread and varied.

*If you’re looking to go back in time and enjoy classic America, Oklahoma is the birthplace of the original Sonic drive-in restaurant. You can enjoy classic hamburgers and an overall nostalgic atmosphere that very few places in the world can truly provide.

Before you overlook a seemingly mundane state such as Oklahoma, consider all of the wonderful activities that you can do there. From relaxing at the beach to watching the buffalo roam, there are amazing natural elements to Oklahoma that every visitor should enjoy at least once in their lifetime.

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Concept for new raised medians on Harbor Boulevard in Costa Mesa gets green light from council

This rendering depicts a proposed raised landscaped median on a stretch of Harbor Boulevard between Wilson and 19th streets in Costa Mesa. (Courtesy of the city of Costa Mesa)

A proposal to build raised landscaped medians on Harbor Boulevard between Wilson and 19th streets in Costa Mesa cleared an initial hurdle Tuesday night.

The City Council voted 3-1 to approve a conceptual design for the medians but was hesitant to approve the project outright after listening to concerns from area residents and business owners.

Council members directed city staff to hold another meeting to solicit public input, finalize a landscaping plan and send the project back to the council for final approval.

Mayor Pro Tem Sandy Genis dissented without elaborating, and Councilman Jim Righeimer was absent.

Councilman Allen Mansoor said that while he approves of the project’s goal to beautify and improve safety along Harbor, he wants to see the final plans before moving to the construction phase.

“I want to make sure we’ve heard all the concerns of the public before we finalize anything,” he said.

Though an aim of the project is to enhance the look of the nearly 1-mile stretch of Harbor — where there’s currently an empty median — the main goal is to improve road safety, city Public Services Director Raja Sethuraman told council members Tuesday.

Between 2008 and 2013, 84 midblock, or non-intersection, traffic collisions were reported on that stretch. Many of the crashes resulted in injuries, and one was fatal, according to city data. Though the proposed raised medians wouldn’t eliminate crashes entirely, city staff expects they would reduce them by slowing traffic and limiting where drivers can make left turns.

“It would narrow down the wide appearance of the street and help bring speeds down, which will improve safety,” Sethuraman said.

Medians along another stretch of Harbor, north of Wilson Street, were installed two years ago and provide the same benefits, he said.

However, a handful of residents and business owners at Tuesday’s meeting questioned whether installing the medians might snarl traffic or make it difficult to access businesses along Harbor.

“If we kill off our small businesses we’re going to kill off the character of Costa Mesa,” resident Robin Leffler said.

Another issue raised at the meeting is that the line of cars waiting in left-turn pockets on Harbor sometimes stretches into the existing striped median. Building a raised median, some said, would cause those vehicles to back up into other lanes, disrupting traffic. Similar concerns were raised by community members at meetings about the project in August 2016 and May this year.

The city made several tweaks to the project following those meetings — such as eliminating proposed medians in front of the 99 Cents Only store and the Maaco body shop and reducing the size of the proposed medians at Harbor and 19th Street and Hamilton Avenue and Bay Street.

A few speakers Tuesday favored the project, noting that driving along Harbor has become a hazard.

“When you drive down that street, yes, the left-turn pockets back up and you have to be careful and aware, but the real kicker is the pedestrians who just walk out in the middle of the street,” resident Barrie Fisher said. “You have this very wide impression and [drivers] hit the gas and fly through the intersection at Wilson and Harbor. I would say it’s an accident waiting to happen, but I think this shows it’s already happening.

“Do whatever you have to do to make it safer,” she added.

The project, which is expected to cost more than $900,000, will be funded in part by a $423,100 grant from the Federal Highway Safety Improvement Program. The remaining cost will be funded through the state gas tax, Measure M2 — a county sales tax approved in 2011 for transportation projects — and the city’s general fund, according to a city staff report.

City staff plans to hold the community meeting requested by the council before the project moves to the Parks and Recreation Commission, which will weigh in on the proposed landscape design. The city plans to incorporate greenery such as drought-tolerant and Mediterranean-style landscaping that is already present in existing medians on Harbor.

Construction could begin by next spring or early summer and is estimated to take four months.

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Tiger Cub Rejected by Its Mother Gains New Mom, Siblings at Oklahoma City Zoo

Courtesy the Oklahoma City Zoo

Zoya has had quite the incredible two weeks.

Born on Monday, July 10, at the Philadelphia Zoo, the female Amur tiger cub was the only survivor in her litter of five; two of her siblings were stillborn, one died from an injury sustained by its mother and another suffered from a critical gastrointestinal issue.

Despite being a tiny miracle, Zoya was rejected by her mother, 10-year-old Koosaka — a behavior somewhat typical of first-time tiger moms. So the Philadelphia Zoo’s animal care team jumped in to raise her, bottle feeding her and keeping watch around the clock. However, something was missing — namely, peers.

“With this single cub, we knew that the best scenario for her was to find an opportunity for her to grow up with other tigers,” Dr. Andy Baker, COO of the Philadelphia Zoo, said in a release.

That’s where the Oklahoma City Zoo came in. The zoo had welcomed a three-cub litter of male Sumatran tigers around the time of Zoya’s birth, and offered to try to integrate her with the litter. Though they are different subspecies, they look almost identical as cubs, according to Eddie Witte, curator of carnivores at the Oklahoma City Zoo.

Courtesy Philadelphia Zoo

Last week, the Philadelphia Zoo staff made the 20-hour drive to Oklahoma, and got to work covering Zoya with the scent of the other cubs by rubbing her in hay from the den, tiger cub urine and even against the other cubs, Witte said. When mom Lola left her little ones for a moment, zookeepers swept in and added Zoya to the brood. Then staff watched via video monitors as Lola returned to the den, stood over Zoya — and promptly began licking her. Success!

Another sign of progress: bottle-fed Zoya successfully nursed from her new foster mom several times throughout the weekend, and zoo staff was able to confirm she was steadily gaining weight. So the Philadelphia Zoo staff left their little girl in Oklahoma City, confident that the cross-fostering process was working.

According to the zoos, cross-fostering among tigers is rare, with only a few cases having ever been attempted and documented. But with less than 500 Amur tigers left in the wild, “every cub is important for the species’ survival,” said Dr. Rebecca Snyder, curator of conservation and science at the Oklahoma City Zoo.

For now, the cubs will continue to bond with Lola in private, and in six to eight weeks, will be big enough start exploring their outdoor habitat, where visitors can see them.

By the way, the fateful meaning of Zoya’s Russian name? “Life.”

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