Norman, OK (U-WIRE) -- When OU takes the field Saturday against TCU, it will be one day shy of nine months since the Sooners played a football game.

The game, a 55-19 shellacking at the hands of USC, has long since been forgotten according to coaches and players. And while the talk is not centered around the past, several Sooners have a message to send.

OU senior defensive lineman Dusty Dvoracek sat out most of the 2004 season after being dismissed from the team. After being reinstated, Dvoracek tore his biceps in the Red-White spring game. Last week he was cleared to play against the Horned Frogs.

"I've been waiting a whole year to put the pads back on Saturday and can't wait," Dvoracek said. "TCU is going to get my best."

Dvoracek, who won't start the game because of lack of practice, said he has been playing with a brace and feels 100 percent. But as one of the 2005 team captains, he said he is ready to show the fans he let down and his teammates that he is back.

"You take for granted how much of a role model you are," Dvoracek said. "I took that for granted last year, and now I know that you can't."

Senior offensive linemen Davin Joseph, another team captain, said the line is ready to prove itself. He said many of the players are unknown, and he expects them to step up to the challenge.

"Every good team has always had a good line," Joseph said. "The last few years we had a great, consistent line. For us to be as good as we want to be, we have to be tough on the line.

"We are focusing on being consistent every day, and being tough and being physical," Joseph said. "For us to contend for another championship, we have to physical, have to be tough, have to be focused."

Joseph said the line reminds him of his freshman year, when the line was full of young guys "just trying to make it." He said the line has been reloading, not rebuilding.

For junior quarterback Paul Thompson, who has only played in games when the outcome has been decided, it is a chance to finally show his talents.

"The main thing is just getting the consistency, the leadership," Thompson said. "When I came in, I saw Jason (White) go down, and Nate (Hybl) stepped up. He was a great leader for this team, and that was one of the main reasons why we won the Rose Bowl that year."

Thompson said he was confident throughout the race, but at times there was some doubt that he would get his chance.

"I wasn't too sure (about starting)," Thompson said. "I knew that I had done everything I could to put myself in that position."

But the job is not secure, and Thompson has to prove himself to his coaches and teammates Saturday. OU head coach Bob Stoops said he would play both quarterbacks, and that the competition would continue.

Joseph said getting back on the field brings up a mixed bag of feelings.

"Nervous and anxious," Joseph said. "You're nervous, you're pumped. You're excited, you've been working hard and you're with your teammates. It's one of those things you only get to experience a few times in your career."

TCU head coach Gary Patterson said his team has no agenda and is just working hard together. He said he too is excited for the upcoming season and to see how good his team really is.

The game kicks off Saturday at 11 a.m. in Oklahoma Memorial Stadium.

(C) 2004 Oklahoma Daily via U-WIRE