HOUSTON -- Just days before Houston's 2016 season-opening upset of Oklahoma, when the college football world would be introduced to Ed Oliver, the then-18-year-old was already making his coaches shake their heads at his athletic feats in practice.
While practicing a Sooners play they'd scouted -- a quick pass to the running back in the flat, designed to get speedy Joe Mixon out into the open field -- they assigned Oliver, a defensive tackle, to "spy" the running back. So when Houston quarterback Greg Ward Jr. motioned running back Duke Catalon over and Catalon sprinted toward the sideline, imagine the surprise when the 280-pound Oliver beat him to the ball.