Oklahoma Commits Discuss Friday's Big Game, Relationships With OU Staff

EDMOND — Oklahoma commit Bergin Kysar was prominently featured in a hype video that played on Edmond Santa Fe's scoreboard Friday night. The video showed Kysar and some of his teammates wearing sunglasses, suggesting a bright future.

The Wolves, coming off a big win over Jenks in their season opener, were riding a wave of emotion that carried over against visiting Norman North.

Santa Fe brought the fight to North early, forcing punts on the T-Wolves' first two possessions and scoring each time to grab a 14-0 lead.

But Norman North got off the mat and started delivering some body blows of its own, led by speedy receiver Mason James, a 5-11 sophomore who has clocked 4.50 in the 40-yard dash.

With the T-Wolves trailing 21-6 in the second quarter, James rushed for a touchdown then ran in the 2-point conversion after the snap bounced off his helmet to make it 21-14.

His second touchdown came in the fourth quarter with the Timberwolves trailing 28-21 and facing fourth-and-12 from Santa Fe's 16-yard line.

On the play, a run to the right side, James was supposed to throw a pass to the end zone, but the receiver was covered "so I just took it and scored."

The touchdown made up for a punt James mishandled in the third quarter, a turnover the Wolves converted into points for a 28-14 lead.

"I think I got in my emotions a little bit but after that I turned it around," he said of the fumble. "We came out kind of soft in the first half. Second half, I think we really turned it on."

While James has yet to be offered he told AllSooners he has visited a couple of schools, including Kansas, where teammate Harrison Utley, a 6-4, 285-pound offensive tackle, has committed.

"I just love the family environment over there, they treat me like I'm a family," he said.

Utley's younger brother, Garrison Utley, a 6-foot-2, 250-pound defensive tackle, has yet to be offered but said he planned to take an unofficial visit to Norman on Saturday for Oklahoma's game against SMU

"It's been light so far," Garrison said of his recruitment. "Still getting into it, but looking forward to it. I've talked to a couple of coaches, but nothing yet."

Once the process gets rolling, Utley said he'll be glad to have big brother Harrison in his corner.

"He's there all the way, every step of the way, and he's helping me through it and showing me what to do," Garrison said. "And everyday at practice, helping me get better. It's just great having the extra resource there whenever I go on those visits, to just know what to do."

Utley said playing on the same college team as his older brother "is one of my biggest dreams."

In the game, Garrison squared off against Santa Fe tackle Josh Aisosa, a 6-foot-3, 305-pound OU commit.

"He's a good dude, he's really good," Garrison said. "Good on his feet, good hands. Hard competition, but I think we handled it well."

Aisosa, who also considered Tulsa and the University of North Texas, has been committed to Oklahoma since July. He announced his decision last month.

He took his official visit after the game Friday and attended OU's game Saturday against SMU.

"It takes a lot of pressure off," he said of his commitment. "I can play a lot more free and not tense, to worrying about if I'm going to get on a scholarship or not."

Aisosa said he could have played better against Norman North, but was complementary of Garrison Utley. Sort of.

"He plays like he's older than he is," Aisosa said. "He's big, he's skilled, he uses his arms very well. But once you get him in the habit of ... you're almost in his head, you can predict what he's about to do. And that happened a lot, I was chopping his hands a lot."

Kysar, meanwhile, rarely came off the field Friday. The 6-foot-4, 230-pound defensive end, also played tight end on offense, punted and held on extra point attempts.

"I like to try to control as much as I can to make the team win," he said. "Wherever they need me they're going to put me and if I can do it I love to do it."

On his decision to play as a preferred walk-on for OU, one of three schools he considered (Oklahoma State, Tulsa), Kysar called it a "great fit."

"I think it just came down to a great fit for me and the relationships that the coaches are willing to build, and where I fit in he program," he said

On defense, Kysar battled Harrison Utley much of the night.

"Harrison's a good player, definitely a Division I player," he said. "He's very skilled and a good competitor."

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