#4 Oklahoma Sooners Preview

#4 Oklahoma Sooners Preview

You would think winning the Big 12 title would qualify as having a big season but there were many people who were disappointed with the Sooners in 2007. Especially after losing their fourth bowl game in five years under Bob Stoops. Can Stoops and the Sooners turn that trend around in 2008? DJ Boyer fills us in on how he feels the Sooners will fare this season. 

#4 Oklahoma Sooners
Head Coach – Bob Stoops
2007 Record – 11-3

2007 Review
You would think winning the Big 12 title would qualify as having a big season but there were many people who were disappointed with the Sooners in 2007. Especially after losing their fourth bowl game in five years under Bob Stoops as they were crushed by West Virginia in the Fiesta Bowl. The Sooners are 97-22 under Bob Stoops in his nine years but a quarter of his losses have come in bowl games.

 
Team MVP
Sam Bradford was the quarterback a season ago as a freshman when the season ended he led the NCAA in passing efficiency and rewrote the Oklahoma record book for single season statistics. Bradford
Is a drop back passer but he shows tremendous poise and knows when to throw a ball away and has a command of the type of defense he is facing, you will see him audible at the line of scrimmage.

Offense

Quarterback
Bradford is off to a fast start and could be the most successful quarterback we have seen come through the University. Oklahoma quarterbacks recently have a tendency to excel at the NCAA level and it doesn’t transfer to the pros (Jason White, Nate Hybl and Josh Heupel to name a few) but Bradford looks to be a different breed.  Bradford has shown he can excel in a hurry up offense, he can settle things down and play a relaxed style. He is comfortable handing the ball off and watching his running backs grind it out behind what looks to be the best line in college football. He plays with pro style two tight end sets and ones that feature four wide receivers in various formations. The Sooners have yet to come up with a scenario that seems to leave him flustered. If Bradford is hurt he has some backups behind him that know the system so Oklahoma has little to worry about at quarterback.

Running Back
Allen Patrick is gone but he was essentially already out of the starting lineup with the emergence of another super freshman at Oklahoma in DeMarco Murray. All Murray did was score 15 times as a freshman and run for 764 yards in just over 100 attempts. Murray bulked up a bit and still looks very quick and while he is the starter the battle has been for the role of understudy on the depth chart. Mossis Madu has made up some ground on Chris Brown and looks to be the official #2 but the Oklahoma backs will all have their chance in the backfield. Brody Eldridge and his importance is often overlooked. He is a tight end that will line up as a fullback when Oklahoma goes to the sets where a true fullback is needed. Eldridge is a very versatile player who seems to do all the right things at the right times.

Wide Receivers/Tight Ends     
The weakest area of the offense but not because it is a bad unit, Oklahoma is just so deep elsewhere. Juaquin Iglesias is the man with Malcolm Kelly now wearing a Washington Redskins uniform and Manuel Johnson and Quentin Cheney should also catch at least 35 passes a piece as fellow starters to Iglesias.  Ryan Broyles is a new face that could become an immediate deep threat and even help in the return game from time to time. The loss of Joe Jon Finley will hurt the passing game a bit but the combination of Eldridge and Jermaine Gresham bodes better for the blocking game.

Offensive Line
It’s this simple the Oklahoma offensive line is the strength of the offense, it’s the strength of the team. The line is the best in the conference and quite frankly the best in the country. All five starters return from last year and all five are seniors and three of them have over 30 starts on their college resume. It starts with Duke Robinson, perhaps the finest guard in the country at the NCAA level and sure fire first round pick when April of 2009 rolls around. At 345 pounds he is smaller than the tackle who lines up beside in the form of the 6-8 352 pound Phil Loadholt.  The right side or is the Bran(n)don side of the line with Pre Season All-America guard Brandon Walker and tackle Branndon Braxton. Center Jon Cooper is the only member of the like that will likely not be named to the All Big 12 team and he isn’t a slouch himself. What is most important is that there is depth behind the starters in the form of players like Trent Williams and Corey Brandon. The reserves are very versatile and can play in a number of different positions.
 


 


Defense

Defensive Line
The defensive line is among the best in the conference and the nation. Auston English is one of the most underrated pass rushers in the nation and he is joined by what may be the best junior defensive tackle at the NCAA level, DeMarcus Granger. Alan Davis occupies the other defensive end spot but he will be sharing time with the likes of R.J. Washington and Frank Alexander, a pair of freshman. Gerald McCoy played well with Granger last year and backups Adrian Taylor and Corey Bennett would likely start or even make their respective All-Conference teams if they played for a team other than Oklahoma. The defensive line and it’s depth is ridiculous and Oklahoma will be in the backfield more often than not.

Linebackers
Ryan Reynolds is back at middle linebacker but he is the only returning starter in the mix for the Sooners after losing Curtis Lofton early for the NFL. Keenan Clayton will be patrolling the outside and looks to be the next star to come out of the Oklahoma linebacking corps. Freshman Travis Lewis may have played his way into the starting lineup with his lightning speed and his ability to drop back in coverage. The linebacking corps is deeper than initially expected but they are generally inexperienced.

Secondary
Nic Harris is the top returning tackler for the Sooners and he looks like a potential first round pick in 2009. Harris goes 235 pounds at strong safety, his physical presence is similar to that of former Oklahoma player and current Dallas Cowboy Roy Williams. Freshman Joseph Ibiloye may have played his way into the starting rotation but we will still see a lot of senior Lendy Holmes. Marcus Walker and Reggie Smith were a pair of steady corners who are now both gone so enter Brian Jackson and Dominque Franks. Jonathan Nelson looks to be the third cornerback and look for packages where safeties Sam Proctor and Quinton Carter are brought into cornerback positions.

Special Teams
Mike Knall had a monster junior season punting the football and he should be even better this season. Jimmy Stevens takes over the kicking duties and has the range to go from beyond 50 yards despite his 5-4 frame. Freshman running back Jermie Calhoun could be the new punt return man as the Sooners will try to get the ball in his hands as much as possible. Iglesias may heed to newcomer Ryan Broyles on kick returns to keep him fresh for the offense but the Sooners will have a threat no matter who they choose to go with.

2008 Outlook
Oklahoma hasn’t had the postseason success they had hoped for in recent years but this could be the team outside the top 3 (Georgia, USC and Ohio State) that has the best chance at getting a National Title shot. The offensive and defensive lines are ridiculously talented the question comes down to whether the back seven can hold up for Oklahoma on defense. If so the offense is as balanced as any unit in the country and they will win a lot of games.

To post a comment, you need to login or sign up.	Fan Comments