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Even After His Car Was Towed, Oklahoma LB Danny Stutsman's Big Night Was Undiminished

The Sooners' big-play linebacker turned in a lot of them Saturday night against SMU, but one little protocol slip-up sent his vehicle to the OU impound yard.

John E. Hoover

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NORMAN — Oklahoma linebacker Danny Stutsman — the Walter Camp national player of the week and the Big 12 Conference player of the week after a career game against SMU on Saturday night — has his car back from the impound yard.

“I did. I got it back,” he said.

Stutsman relayed the ironic if slightly humorous details of his ordeal after the No. 19-ranked Sooners wrapped up a rainy practice inside the Everest Training Center on Monday night, and it seems the crisis has been averted.

“Kind of my fault. I didn't have my parking pass, but it is what it is.”

Minutes after Stutsman’s impressive performance in OU’s 28-11 win over SMU — 17 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, a fumble recovery, a quarterback pressure — Stutsman carried his postgame pizza back to his parking space in the players’ lot — and it was empty.

The parking space, not the pizza box.

“My parents' flight (from Florida) got delayed so they couldn't pick up my car,” Stutsman said. “All the stuff in the universe, the stars aligned for that to happen.

“I honestly kind of expected it. I came out and I talked to my parents like, ‘You guys get my car?’ And they're like, ‘What do you mean?’ And I was like, ‘Yeah, it's probably gone.’ So it is what it is. You know. Great game. Not gonna let it downplay the night.”

That would be almost impossible. Stutsman was the driving force in another stellar strong defensive performance by the Sooners.

“I've seen him grow the most as a leader as far as his role and in embracing that role,” said defensive coordinator Ted Roof. “Because last year at this time, he was the guy that’s new to the system and new as a starter and trying to figure it out. He’s put a lot of effort and a lot of sweat equity in and he’s starting to see some of the results of that, and I'm real proud of him. And at the same time, (will) continue to push him. He's gonna push himself to get better. … So we're really proud of him.”

This week the Sooners hit the road for a 2:30 p.m. game at Tulsa. After two straight dominating performances, the Oklahoma defense will face another explosive offense — led by new TU coach Kevin Wilson, one of Bob Stoops’ most accomplished offensive coordinators.

“The offensive coordinator, man, he's a really smart guy,” Stutsman said. “Coach (Brent) Venables has gone up against him before. They kind of know — he said it earlier, their OC is kind of like a smarter Jimmy Greenbeans, is how he put it. So they're really going to know the soft spots in our coverages. Know where to attack us and the stress points in every single look we give them.”

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John E. Hoover
JOHN E. HOOVER

John is an award-winning journalist whose work spans five decades in Oklahoma, with multiple state, regional and national awards as a sportswriter at various newspapers. During his newspaper career, John covered the Dallas Cowboys, the Kansas City Chiefs, the Oklahoma Sooners, the Oklahoma State Cowboys, the Arkansas Razorbacks and much more. In 2016, John changed careers, migrating into radio and launching a YouTube channel, and has built a successful independent media company, DanCam Media. From there, John has written under the banners of Sporting News, Sports Illustrated, Fan Nation and a handful of local and national magazines while hosting daily sports talk radio shows in Oklahoma City, Tulsa and statewide. John has also spoken on Capitol Hill in Oklahoma City in a successful effort to put more certified athletic trainers in Oklahoma public high schools. Among the dozens of awards he has won, John most cherishes his national "Beat Writer of the Year" from the Associated Press Sports Editors, Oklahoma's "Best Sports Column" from the Society of Professional Journalists, and Two "Excellence in Sports Medicine Reporting" Awards from the National Athletic Trainers Association. John holds a bachelor's degree in Mass Communications from East Central University in Ada, OK. Born and raised in North Pole, Alaska, John played football and wrote for the school paper at Ada High School in Ada, OK. He enjoys books, movies and travel, and lives in Broken Arrow, OK, with his wife and two kids.

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