The Oklahoma Sooners are a serious national title contender – again. One problem though: Bob Stoops has been unable to get his team ready for bowl games the last few seasons. Something tells me that won’t be a problem if they are fortunate enough to make it back to the national championship game again.
OFFENSE
Quarterback Sam Bradford turned in a better performance in 2007 than even Stoops and the coaching staff could have imagined. He broke all the Big XII freshman records that Colt McCoy set in 2006 (3,121 passing yards, 36 tds against only 8 ints) while displaying excellent accuracy (69.5% completions) and steady leadership beyond his years.
One of the big reasons for Bradford’s success was the stellar play of the offensive line. The Sooners O-Line was one of the best in the nation for much of the ’07 season, and every single lineman that provided a significant contribution is back. The unit is led by left tackle Phil Loadholt (6-foot-8, 350 lbs) and left guard Duke Robinson (6-foot5, 330 lbs), and aided by TE/FB Brody Eldridge (6-foot-5, 258 lbs). These guys are maulers who devour defensive linemen and linebackers for breakfast, and are the main reasons for Oklahoma’s status as a favorite to receive a Gold Wrench in 2008.
There will be plenty of skill position talent available to Bradford as well. Tight end Jermaine Gresham (11 td receptions) is the best in the Big XII and should establish himself as one of the best in the nation this year. Sophomore running back DeMarco Murray is a Sayers Trophy candidate who steps into the starting lineup full time now that Allen Patrick is gone. Murray is also an explosive kick returner (29.3 average, 2 tds) and a threat to score any time he touches the football. Increasing his touches will only improve Oklahoma’s offensive output.
Losing Malcolm Kelly from the receiving corps leaves a hole that will be difficult to fill. Juaquin Iglesias is a solid receiver, but he’s not the threat Kelly was. Quentin Chaney has the size to replace Kelly, but he has yet to flash similar receiving skills on a full time basis.
The Sooners are installing a no-huddle attack this year in an attempt to run more offensive plays per game, which means there is more pressure on the receivers and Sam Bradford to step up their game. How well they handle the accelerated offense (it didn’t go well in the spring game) will determine whether they maintain the impressive 42.3 points per game they scored in ’07 or not.
DEFENSE
The defense was hit hard by early NFL Draft defections. The linebacking corps in particular will feel the void left by defensive leader Curtis Lofton. Not only was he tops on the team in tackles (157) and forced fumbles (4), he was also the heart and soul of the defense who provided a spark whenever the Sooners needed a stop. He even managed to reach the end zone twice after turnovers.
In his stead is inexperience galore and a lot of “if”s. Ryan Reynolds and Austin Box were highly sought after recruits, but Box hasn’t seen the field yet and Reynolds has been injured much of his career. Keenan Clayton was moved from safety to play the strong side which means athleticism shouldn’t be an issue. The Sooners expect a lot out of their linebackers though, so this group will have to grow up quickly because Cincinnati’s potent offense and a road trip to face Jake Locker in Seattle loom early on the schedule. Oh yeah, and that Red River Rivalry too.
There are no such issues facing the defensive line. The Sooners return an athletic unit headlined by DeMarcus Granger and Auston English. Granger is one of the most disruptive tackles in the Big XII - he eats up blockers and frees up English to roam opposing backfields. English led the conference in sacks (9.5) despite missing three games due to injury. He’ll continue to terrorize quarterbacks in ’08. There’s plenty of depth up front too. There are six other guys on the depth chart with experience, and each one is capable of stepping up and making a game-changing play.
The secondary should be fine with Dominique Franks, Nic Harris, and Lendy Holmes stepping into playmaking roles. Harris and Holmes gained extensive playing time last season and Franks had a huge spring game.
After being exposed by West Virginia in the Fiesta Bowl, the defense has a lot to prove. They were gutted for almost a million yards that night and the prevailing excuse is they weren’t “motivated” to play the Mountaineers - that’s not a good sign. No matter how good you are, once you start turning that switch on and off, it gets harder and harder to turn back on when you really need to.
KEEP AN EYE ON
The new linebackers
RISING STAR
DeMarco Murray
OFFENSE
Quarterback Sam Bradford turned in a better performance in 2007 than even Stoops and the coaching staff could have imagined. He broke all the Big XII freshman records that Colt McCoy set in 2006 (3,121 passing yards, 36 tds against only 8 ints) while displaying excellent accuracy (69.5% completions) and steady leadership beyond his years.
One of the big reasons for Bradford’s success was the stellar play of the offensive line. The Sooners O-Line was one of the best in the nation for much of the ’07 season, and every single lineman that provided a significant contribution is back. The unit is led by left tackle Phil Loadholt (6-foot-8, 350 lbs) and left guard Duke Robinson (6-foot5, 330 lbs), and aided by TE/FB Brody Eldridge (6-foot-5, 258 lbs). These guys are maulers who devour defensive linemen and linebackers for breakfast, and are the main reasons for Oklahoma’s status as a favorite to receive a Gold Wrench in 2008.
There will be plenty of skill position talent available to Bradford as well. Tight end Jermaine Gresham (11 td receptions) is the best in the Big XII and should establish himself as one of the best in the nation this year. Sophomore running back DeMarco Murray is a Sayers Trophy candidate who steps into the starting lineup full time now that Allen Patrick is gone. Murray is also an explosive kick returner (29.3 average, 2 tds) and a threat to score any time he touches the football. Increasing his touches will only improve Oklahoma’s offensive output.
Losing Malcolm Kelly from the receiving corps leaves a hole that will be difficult to fill. Juaquin Iglesias is a solid receiver, but he’s not the threat Kelly was. Quentin Chaney has the size to replace Kelly, but he has yet to flash similar receiving skills on a full time basis.
The Sooners are installing a no-huddle attack this year in an attempt to run more offensive plays per game, which means there is more pressure on the receivers and Sam Bradford to step up their game. How well they handle the accelerated offense (it didn’t go well in the spring game) will determine whether they maintain the impressive 42.3 points per game they scored in ’07 or not.
DEFENSE
The defense was hit hard by early NFL Draft defections. The linebacking corps in particular will feel the void left by defensive leader Curtis Lofton. Not only was he tops on the team in tackles (157) and forced fumbles (4), he was also the heart and soul of the defense who provided a spark whenever the Sooners needed a stop. He even managed to reach the end zone twice after turnovers.
In his stead is inexperience galore and a lot of “if”s. Ryan Reynolds and Austin Box were highly sought after recruits, but Box hasn’t seen the field yet and Reynolds has been injured much of his career. Keenan Clayton was moved from safety to play the strong side which means athleticism shouldn’t be an issue. The Sooners expect a lot out of their linebackers though, so this group will have to grow up quickly because Cincinnati’s potent offense and a road trip to face Jake Locker in Seattle loom early on the schedule. Oh yeah, and that Red River Rivalry too.
There are no such issues facing the defensive line. The Sooners return an athletic unit headlined by DeMarcus Granger and Auston English. Granger is one of the most disruptive tackles in the Big XII - he eats up blockers and frees up English to roam opposing backfields. English led the conference in sacks (9.5) despite missing three games due to injury. He’ll continue to terrorize quarterbacks in ’08. There’s plenty of depth up front too. There are six other guys on the depth chart with experience, and each one is capable of stepping up and making a game-changing play.
The secondary should be fine with Dominique Franks, Nic Harris, and Lendy Holmes stepping into playmaking roles. Harris and Holmes gained extensive playing time last season and Franks had a huge spring game.
After being exposed by West Virginia in the Fiesta Bowl, the defense has a lot to prove. They were gutted for almost a million yards that night and the prevailing excuse is they weren’t “motivated” to play the Mountaineers - that’s not a good sign. No matter how good you are, once you start turning that switch on and off, it gets harder and harder to turn back on when you really need to.
KEEP AN EYE ON
The new linebackers
RISING STAR
DeMarco Murray
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