NORMAN, Okla. — Oklahoma's defensive captain and leading tackler, Travis Lewis, will miss up to eight weeks because of a broken bone in his left foot, leaving the Sooners without one of their best defensive players for a few crucial early season games.

Athletic trainer Scott Anderson said Tuesday that Lewis' injury will not require surgery, and will be treated with rest and immobilization. Lewis, selected as the Big 12 Conference's preseason defensive player of the year by media, was injured Monday during Oklahoma's first practice in pads of training camp.

"We're disappointed for Travis," Sooners coach Bob Stoops said. "He has worked very hard and I know he'll want to get back as quickly as possible. We'll adapt in the meantime. We've recruited very well and have some excellent athletes in those positions."

Stoops said sophomore Corey Nelson will take over Lewis' outside-linebacker spot on the weak side.

Lewis announced in January he wouldn't enter the NFL draft and instead was "coming back to win a national championship, point blank."

Virginia hires

ex-Hawk Roberts

Ray Roberts, a former Seahawks offensive lineman and high-school coach in the area, has been hired as Virginia's director of life skills for football.

Roberts, 42, was an All-American offensive tackle for the Virginia Cavaliers before playing for the Seahawks in the 1992 through 1995 seasons.

Roberts, who has a master's degree from Washington, worked as an assistant coach at Interlake High in Bellevue. He was head coach at Lake Washington High in Kirkland for the 2008 and 2009 seasons. He has been an analyst for area radio and TV stations.

"I'm excited about coming back to a place that means so much to me," Roberts was quoted as saying by Virginia officials.

Notes

• Hall of Fame coach Joe Paterno, 84, was released from a hospital, two days after getting blindsided at Penn State practice by a player and injuring his right shoulder and pelvis.

The school said in a statement Paterno was looking forward to returning to practice Wednesday.

"It's time for everyone to turn the attention to the team," Paterno said in the brief statement. "We have a lot of hard work ahead in order to be as good as we think we can be."

• Jim Tressel made $21.7 million as Ohio State coach over his decadelong tenure before resigning under pressure this year after breaking NCAA rules, school records show.

• Jimmy Harris, the starting quarterback for much of Oklahoma's record 47-game winning streak in the 1950s, died in Louisiana. He was 76.

Harris took over as quarterback during the 1954 season and never lost a game, leading the Sooners to national titles in 1955 and 1956.