I had no idea this was such a touchy topic. I considered it an overreaction, nothing more than an exaggerated entry in the “Politically Incorrect” file. Fans throughout America often replace the word “brave” with their team nickname. No big deal. Mountain out of a molehill.

But after reading the passionate pleas of those who are offended, I have quickly reversed field.

This controversy reminds me of the debate concerning athletic teams using Native Americans as team nicknames/mascots. I thought that, too, was an overreaction.

I asked legendary basketball coach Abe Lemons, who was at Oklahoma City University at the time, if depicting Native Americans should be considered offensive. Back then, OCU’s mascot was Chiefs.

As was often the case with Lemons, he deflected with humor. “How do people know what kind of chief it is?” Lemons said. “Could be a Fire Chief. Could be a Police Chief.” Shortly thereafter, OCU changed its nickname from Chiefs to Stars.

I also discussed this matter with Bethany native and former New York Yankees pitcher Allie Reynolds, who was part-Indian and nicknamed “Superchief,” which actually was the name of a popular passenger train.

Reynolds said it was embarrassing Native Americans viewed it so negatively. I figured if a prominent Native American such as Reynolds was not offended, why should I be? And yet, numerous Native American depictions in sports are now gone.

This “home of the brave” debate is easily correctable. Just don’t shout “Sooners.” Now that the shouters are more aware of the issue’s sensitivity, hopefully the conclusion of Saturday night’s national anthem at Owen Field will have a different ending.

All it takes is a little restraint, and imagine the overwhelming sign of respect if not a single fan screamed “Sooners.” Forget your freedom of speech for one measly word. Starting Saturday, don’t shout “Sooners.” Your word of silence would speak much louder than you could ever imagine.

Sunday or Monday are the optimum days to fill out that week’s starting lineup. Waiting until Tuesday is considered late. Wednesday might be acceptable in an either-or scenario at a certain position where a starter is nicked up and his backup gets extra reps.

However, potential changes along the Sooners’ offensive line are not an either-or scenario. It’s more like a free-for-all.

After last Saturday’s 14-13 loss against Brigham Young, during which 12 offensive penalties were committed, OU’s O-line is in the midst of a line dance.

During Tuesday’s media luncheon, Sooners coach Bob Stoops and offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson did not share specifics as to which player might play where and replace whom.

“To me, I’ve got a couple of guys who I think can and should perform well who didn’t,” Wilson said. “I’m wondering and questioning why, and I’m tired of waiting and asking, so there needs to be a great sense of urgency from men to play at a better level, or some young guys are going to have an opportunity. ‘If you want to play, let’s go. It’s not a tryout. It’s not an open door. It’s not a mind game.’

“But it is concerning if you’re a third-, fourth- or fifth-year guy and you’re not playing at the level that we can play at. And if that’s the case, maybe you don’t want to, or maybe you can’t, and maybe we need to make some adjustments. I don’t think you wait until Friday and say, ‘You’re the starter.’ And I don’t think you come in (Monday) and make wholesale changes.

“The way we performed (against BYU) is unacceptable, and it needs to be fixed immediately. Right now. Either you choose to fix it or we’re going to fix it with something else, or another direction, or another player, another scheme or huddle-up, whatever. We can not and are not going to play that way.”

With its entire upper deck now enclosed, the 76-year-old facility had early arriving fans gawking their approval.

As the sun rose over the jumbo scoreboard in the South end zone at 8:02 a.m., several thousand fans already were on State Fair Park grounds, which feature some wider walking areas thanks to some fresh concrete.

The ESPN GameDay stage outside the stadium was drawing a crowd in preparation for its 9 a.m. launch.  The second halfd of the show will move onto the field along the west sideline.

The South tunnel remains intact, although is more engulfed by seats.

OU-Texas is as captivating as it’s ever been on the field, but the $57 million renovation is a shot in the arm the State Fair of Texas desperately needed to keep the series where it should be.

Arkansas backup tailback Roland Sales is the most prominent figure who comes to mind, rushing for an Orange Bowl record 205 yards in the Razorbacks’ stunning 31-6 victory over the Sooners in 1978. At kickoff, Arkansas was a 24-point underdog.

Three years later, OU tight end Forrest Valora caught a pass on a game-winnning two-point conversion to beat Florida State 18-17 in the 1981 Orange Bowl.

Who might be the wildcard player in Wednesday night’s Fiesta Bowl between OU and West Virginia? 

OU’s depleted defense has a number of candidates thanks to starters Reggie Smith, Lendy Holmes and DeMarcus Granger missing the contest for various reasons. Defensive back Dominique Franks plus linemen Jeremy Beal, Cory Bennett and Steven Coleman are good wildcard choices. (The Sooners are so deep offensively, no player really qualifies as a wildcard.)

The loss of Granger is expected to add firepower to the Mountaineers’ already explosive rushing attack, which ranks No. 4 nationally. This is why my pregame wildcard vote goes to WVU freshman running back Noel Devine.

Devine backs up one of the nation’s premier backs in Steve Slaton. But Slaton has had a somewhat pedestrian junior season, averaging 87.8 yards per game and failing to gain 100 yards in six of the last eight games.

The 5-foot-8, 170-pound Devine has had flashes of brilliance this season, averaging a school record 27.2 yards per carry against Maryland (136 yards on five carries). Devine’s 8.65 yards-per-carry average is second only to Arkansas’ Felix Jones (9.08). Devine has 519 rushing yards and is averaging 89.5 all-purpose yards per game.

Will Devine win the game for the Mountaineers? Possibly. But I still like the Sooners to win by about 10 points.

Devine might not even touch the ball against OU. But if he does, things could get a little wild.

Much has been written and re-written about Steve Owens carrying the ball 55 times all by himself against the Cowboys in 1969, just days after learning he won the 1969 Heisman Trophy. Owens gained 261 yards and the Sooners stopped a two-point conversion to hang on for a 28-27.

A Friday story in The Oklahoman quoted former OU assistant Larry Lacewell as saying Owens’ heroics that day probably saved jobs for the Sooners’ entire coaching staff. Barry Switzer has often said the same. But some credit also should go to Owens’ former teammate Steve Zabel.

One of the best athletes in OU history, Zabel played tight end and defensive end for the Sooners. Countless times, Zabel has heard people ask Owens about his 55-carry day in Stillwater. This is when Zabel can’t resist taking a playful jab at Owens, his close friend of more than 40 years.

“People always tell Steve, ‘I can’t believe you carried the ball 55 times against Oklahoma State,’ ” Zabel said. ”Well, I couldn’t believe it either. Because every down I played, I had either (All-American offensive tackle) John Ward or (future four-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle) Jerry Sherk on my nose that entire game. 

“So you tell me, who did the work?”

On paper, Halzle’s numbers looked acceptable enough. But on the field, the performance lacked what the Sooners need to keep up with the explosive Red Raiders. Halzle completed 21 of 41 for 291 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. But such a line qualifies as mediocre when you’ve grown accustomed to watching Bradford complete 70 percent of his passing while leading the nation in passing efficiency (which he still does).

Bradford suffered a concussion on OU’s first offensive play of the game after making a tackle. If the Oklahoma playbook is 50 pages thick for Bradford, it might be roughly five pages for Halzle. It is still unclear why the Sooners didn’t attempt to run the ball more than they did after Bradford’s departure — which would have taken pressure off Halzle while burning more clock time.

The longer Halzle played, the more he seemed to relax.  What transpired Saturday night in Lubbock will only make Halzle better the next time he is needed. But more than any other player, a healthy Bradford is what OU needs most.

We all knew that already. Saturday night simply proved it.