Birdine Sticks by His ‘Rating’ of Leinart

In the days leading up to the Orange Bowl, players from Oklahoma and USC have been so unfailingly polite and complimentary -- if not downright boring -- it’s no surprise that when the teams assembled for media day at Pro Player Stadium on Sunday, reporters rushed to Larry Birdine.

Birdine, a Sooner defensive end, had been off limits all week after calling USC quarterback Matt Leinart “overrated.”

“Of course you’re going to stand by your word,” he said Sunday. Later, he added: “I feel like I said what a lot of people felt.”

While many of the Oklahoma players sat on podiums or wandered through the gathering, the 6-foot-5, 251-pound sophomore stood off to the side.

That did not stop him from drawing a crowd.

And though Oklahoma Coach Bob Stoops had advised him to take care when speaking to reporters, the lesson did not seem to take hold.

“I think it would be good if a lot of people spoke their minds,” Birdine said. “I think a lot of people try to be too professional about things and say it’s a classy way to do things. I feel like ... do what you want to do.”

Besides, he figured a little controversy might stir more interest in the national championship game Tuesday night.

“I thought it was good for the game,” he said. “But I’m just a player and I don’t matter.”

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Frostee Rucker and Chris Chester are former teammates at Tustin High, but don’t expect them to join hands and sing their fight song during the game.

Rucker and Chester, both juniors, are on opposite sides now.

Rucker plays defensive end for USC while Chester is a backup tight end for Oklahoma.

So how much fun is this going to be?

“To be here, playing against him, on national TV, it’s amazing,” Rucker said Sunday.

Look for Rucker and Chester to make direct eye contact.

Chester doesn’t start, but will be on the field as a blocker in short-yardage and goal-line situations.

“It’s going to be like old times,” Chester said of meeting up with Rucker again. “I haven’t played against him in a while.”

Rucker likes to talk to his opponents during games and he said he’ll have no problem giving Chester some lip.

“I’ll have a couple of things to say,” Rucker joked.

Asked if Chester would be able to block him, Rucker said, “Of course not. He’ll have to hold me because I’m too fast! He can’t block anybody.”

Chester would only say that he is looking forward to the matchup.

“Frostee’s a smart player, he knows football real well and he’s a student of the game,” Chester said. “He has great instincts. I know I’ll have to be on my game all the time.”

Rucker and Chester are two of four former Tustin High players who will participate in Tuesday’s game.

The others are USC offensive lineman Sam Baker and tight end/defensive end Chris Barrett.