No 7 - Oklahoma Sooners 2010 Preview
Friday, September 03, 2010
by Aengus Moorehead
The 2009 season was sabotaged before it truly began for Oklahoma Sooners. Eventual 1st round picks Jermaine Gresham and Sam Bradford (2008’s Heisman winner!) combined to play less than a half of football and those key injuries really stopped the team’s efforts to get back the National Title Game after losing to Florida two years ago. In losing those two superstars, the suddenly rebuilding campaign produced some silver lining: promising young QB Landry Jones got a ton of experience and now has the experience to emerge as one of the best quarterbacks in the league.
Jones’ development is one of many reasons that there is so much optimism surrounding the Sooners this season. Along with a plethora of great skill position players, Landry Jones will guide one of the most experienced offenses in the Big 12. Despite losing four 1st Round Picks, a 4th round pick and two 5th round picks in the NFL draft, hopes are extremely high for Oklahoma Sooners.
2009 Results: 8-5, Won Sun Bowl vs. Stanford
Head Coach: Bob Stoops (12th year, @ Oklahoma, 117-29 Overall)
Home Venue: Gaylord Oklahoma Memorial Stadium (82,112), Norman, Oklahoma
While the offense had to deal with some unfortunate injury issues in 2009, it wasn’t as if the Oklahoma Sooners forgot how to score points. Sophomore Landry Jones (3,198 yards, 26 TDs, 14 INT in ’09) led the offense to 31 points per game, an impressive number if it wasn’t forced to compare to the previous season’s 51 point per game explosion. Jones’ passing numbers should only improve this season because his entire set of wide receivers is back, led by juniors Ryan Broyles (89 catches, 1120 yards, 15 TDs, 2nd Team All-Big 12) and Dejuan Miller (36 catches, 434 yards, 2 TDs). Ryan Broyles is probably the best receiver in the conference and the addition of superstar true freshman Kenny Stills, who enrolled early and dominated the spring, will only make this passing game more dangerous. There is no question that OU will have one of the best aerial attacks in the country this fall.
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But Oklahoma Sooners won’t be a one-dimensional offense. Senior tailback DeMarco Murray (705 rush yards, 41 catches, 522 receiving yards, 12 total TDs) is a superb playmaker whose only real concern is remaining healthy. Highly touted sophomore Jermie Calhoun (220 rush yards, 1 TD) impressed in limited action last season and appears primed to step in to complete a solid tandem in the backfield. Jermie Calhoun will carry the ball a lot this season because Coach Stoops put a priority on keeping Murray healthy by resting him this spring and that means Calhoun will see the field a ton.
What is most interesting about this unit is the offensive line. Oklahoma Sooners lost two starters to the NFL, including the 4th overall pick in April’s draft, but this could be a more productive group. Why? Because last season’s O-Line had only one returning starter after being swamped with graduation losses and this group is significantly more experienced from the outset. After a season of constant shuffling, a more consistent lineup looks appeared to be established in the spring.
The unsung hero of Oklahoma’s shock rebuilding year was the play of their defense. The Sooners allowed a paltry 14.5 points per game, finishing 2nd in the conference in scoring defense, run defense and pass defense. While there are a lot of great players to replace, there is also great talent returning.
While DT Gerald McCoy was the 3rd overall pick in the NFL draft last season, returning senior DE Jeremy Beal (70 tackles, 11 sacks, 1 INT) was a 3rd Team All-American in 2009 and classmate Adrian Taylor (37 tackles, 3.5 sacks) is a future NFL player in his own right at defensive tackle. Furthermore, junior DE Frank Alexander (23 tackles, 1.5 sacks) played extensively last season and should pair with Beal to give Oklahoma a solid pair of starting ends.
That’s a great sign for the run defense because junior Travis Lewis (109 tackles, 1 sack, 1 INT) was a 1st Team All-Big 12 performer last fall and he will anchor a great front seven. He is the only returning starter at linebacker but there are a lot of talented players around him. Junior Austin Box (33 tackles) has played extensively in the last two seasons and sophomore Ronnell Lewis (22 tackles, 1 sacks) started in the Sun Bowl as a true freshman.
But don’t expect the defensive backs to fail to live up to their end of the deal this fall, either. Both starting safeties return, led by senior Quinton Carter (88 tackles, 4 INT), who was a 2nd Team All-Big 12 choice last season. With junior Sam Proctor (44 tackles) lining up next to him, the only worry is replacing both of last season’s starting cornerbacks. Luckily, senior Jonathan Nelson (42 tackles, 1 sack, 3 INT) was one of the best nickel backs in the league and he should step in seamlessly at one of the vacant spots.
The schedule is going to be difficult, as they face nine teams who played in bowl games last fall. The biggest non-league game is a titanic September visit from Florida State that could feature two top ten teams, but that’s not their only tough game. Air Force also comes to town and the Oklahoma Sooners also travel to two time defending Big East Champion Cincinnati before September ends.
And the Big 12 schedule does them no favors, opening up with the Red River Shootout against archrival Texas coming off of FSU, Air Force and Cincy in consecutive weeks. The good news is that if Oklahoma Sooners gets through the first five weeks unscathed, they only have two legitimate road blocks to an undefeated season. Those two games are visits to Missouri and Texas A&M and that means that the Sooners avoid ancestral rival Nebraska. In the regular season, at least. This is a tough schedule for Oklahoma but the toughest stretch comes early for a pretty proven team.
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There are so many things to like about this Sooner squad. The offense is loaded in every aspect, the defense appears primed for another great season, heck, even their special teams are fantastic as they have the Big 12’s best punter and a kicker who made nearly 85% of his field goal attempts last year!
But Oklahoma Sooners does have a very tough schedule, as they play ten BCS conference teams this season, tied for the most in the country. Especially difficult is the aforementioned four week stretch that begins with Florida State and ends with Texas. Needless to say, those four games will definitely set the tone for the season. The good news is that the Sooners host FSU and get Texas at a neutral site, making a visit to retooling Cincinnati their only road trip during that portion. Oklahoma Sooners should start off this season with a 5-0 record and don’t be surprised whatsoever if they’re ranked #1 in the country after beating Texas.
PREDICTED RESULT: 11-1 (7-1 Big 12) - Bodog NCAA College Football Futures Lines
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adrian taylor - austin box - bob stoops - dejuan miller - demarco murray - frank alexander - gaylord oklahoma memorial stadium - gerald mccoy - jeremy beal - jermaine gresham
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