Desire to Dominate Opponents Belies Oklahoma OT’s Jovial Personality

NORMAN — It is well after 7 p.m. on Monday and the sun is beginning to set, but big Walter Rouse is still holding court on the Oklahoma practice field.

Rouse, the Sooners’ 6-foot-6, 323-pound left tackle by way of Silver Springs, MD, and Stanford University, is no longer talking about football.

A young man of varied interests, the fifth-year senior is talking about attending medical school and cooking and a family member's involvement in the Peace Corps.

He said he hopes to one day create a 3D heart, and offered to make peach cobbler for the crowd of reporters gathered around him.

Rouse is a happy camper. He smiles a lot. After four seasons and 39 starts in Palo Alto, Norman suits him just fine. So does playing in front of OU fans, which he did for the first time Saturday, starting at left tackle in the Sooners' 73-0 rout of Arkansas State.

"Oh man. Impressions? First off, it was just great to be out there after nine months, going through training camp and then finally getting ready for that day, having fun, just being aggressive, just being out there with the O-line," he said.

Next to playing in the game, Rouse said lining up in the tunnel and running out behind the Sooner Schooner to a stadium full of cheering fans was "a sight to behold."

"That was amazing. I can’t wait for a night game against SMU this weekend," he said. "But yeah, I had an amazing time, had a lot of fun. First time I think I really had some fun in a football game in a long time, in awhile."

As well as the offensive line played against the Red Wolves — the Sooners scored on all but one of their 11 drives — there's always room for improvement, Rouse said.

"I thought we came out aggressive the whole time with first, second, third teams going out there," he said. "We didn’t let up, as you can see by the score, and we kept it on ‘em.

"Overall, I think it was a good showing by the O-line but I think the level of competition that we’re going to have, especially down the road and, you know, next week, is gonna be better than what we (have) played. So we’ve just got to step it up."

Rouse described the line's aggressive style of play.

"I think we are playing nasty and violent, but I think the key word … is just consistently nasty and violent," he said. "Every single play. Like if I don’t have anybody, I’m looking for work. Boom, hit his hip, get to the linebacker, pancake him.

"I’m not saying that we don’t have that mentality. Just consistently, doing it day in and day out. We’re putting the world on notice, this is Oklahoma football. This is the cream of the crop, one of the top programs. The top program when you look back at the history."

While OU dominated Arkansas State in every facet of the game, head coach Brent Venables said Saturday night's matchup with the Mustangs will present "a great challenge" for the offensive line.

"Defense played really well for them a week ago (against Louisiana Tech). Really got after it. Their front seven really got after it," Venables said. “Had six sacks. Doing a lot of really good things."

Asked about Rouse, Venables referenced the player's "servant attitude" and willingness to work hard to get better.

"He didn't show up here with a know-it-all attitude," Venables said. "He wanted to come here and be challenged. So his maturity (is) beyond his years, even for a ... fifth-year guy.

"He came here for all the right reasons, you know, said, 'OK, I'm not where I want to be. Oklahoma's going to give me a different type of challenge, different level of play, maybe.'"

Rouse's affable personality is growing on his teammates, particularly center Andrew Raym.

"He's a lover. That's about it," Raym said. "He's always got a smile. He's always laughing. He's always — there's never a bad moment with Walter. He keeps the energy well around the room. He might be the most interesting guy I've ran into, for sure."

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