NORMAN (AP) — Shielding his mouth with a towel as if it were a bandanna, Gerald McCoy ducked down and gave Auston English a big bear hug.

With their top pass rusher back in practice, McCoy and the fourth-ranked Sooners have reason to be glad.

English, the preseason Big 12 Conference’s defensive player of the year, participated in contact drills for the first time in fall camp Monday after having an emergency appendectomy just before practice started.

He had been recovering for just over three weeks before joining his teammates for the last of two open practices before Oklahoma opens the season Aug. 30 against Chattanooga.

“Last night when I was going to bed, it kind of felt like I was getting up for a game the next morning because it’s been a while since I’ve taken snaps like that,” English said. “I really just wanted to be able to get out there and not miss a step.”

Coach Bob Stoops put some limits on English, who led the Sooners with 9 1/2 sacks last season, by pulling him out of some goal-line situations, but the starting defensive end said he came through without any pain and was fine except for feeling “a little winded.”

“He didn’t want to come out, but I don’t need to see him right now. He got a lot of work today, though, and felt good,” Stoops said.

English had at least one sack in four straight games last season before he suffered a hairline fracture in his right ankle that turned into a full break, and he had to have a pin surgically inserted. He missed the last three games of the regular season and returned for the Big 12 title game, but was then slowed by a flu bug before the Fiesta Bowl.

When he finally became healthy, English felt like he was having a strong summer improving his quickness off the line. That’s when he started feeling discomfort in his stomach, 10 days before players reported to Norman for football practice.

He called team trainers, went through some tests and ended up having surgery on July 26 after a CT scan revealed that his appendix was causing the problem.

“It really kind of went on for a few days and just kind of got progressively worse,” English said. “Even up ’til right before they came in and told me I had appendicitis, that was the last thing on my mind. It kind of really snuck up on me and really wasn’t the telltale signs of appendicitis.”

After being careful to let his incision heal, English returned for some non-contact work before finally getting his first snaps during a two-hour Monday morning practice that about 50 fans stuck around to watch despite constant rainfall. English said he felt a little rusty at first, but got back into the swing of things after a few snaps.

“Any time you are out, nothing can replace the pounding and change of direction and shedding blocks like just good old-fashioned getting in there and getting the work done,” English said. “I’m really hoping to build that up as we progress through these last weeks of camp.”

If there’s a silver lining, at least English didn’t miss any games with this latest setback.

“If it’s something that has to happen, I’d rather it happen then than during the season,” English said.