Notre Dame Football Pre-Spring Opponent Preview: Oklahoma

As spring practices commence around the nation, I’ll be looking at each of Notre Dame’s 12 opponents in the 2012 season and address some key questions and potential breakout players.

In this edition, we’ll look at Bob Stoops and the Oklahoma Sooners, who return to the Irish’s regular-season schedule for the first time in 13 years. They take the field for the first time on March 5^th, with their spring game coming on April 14^th.

On Friday, we'll look at BYU, as they also prepare to start practice on March 5^th.

Game Information

Date: October 27^th

Location: Memorial Stadium (Norman, OK)

Last Meeting: Notre Dame 34, Oklahoma 30 (1999)

Last Meeting in Norman: Notre Dame 13, Oklahoma 7 (1962)

Current Streak: Notre Dame – 5

2011 Recap

Record: 10-3 (6-3 Big 12)

Bowl: Insight Bowl (defeated Iowa, 31-14)

Leading Passer: Landry Jones (Jr.) – 335-for-562, 4,463 yards, 29 TD, 15 INT

Leading Rusher: Dominique Whaley (Jr.) – 113 rushes, 627 yards, 9 TD

Leading Receiver: Ryan Broyles (Sr.) – 83 catches, 1,157 yards, 10 TD

Quarterback

The 2011 season was expected to be the last for Landry Jones at Oklahoma, as the fourth-year junior was the projected No. 2 draft-eligible quarterback behind Andrew Luck. This past season was, relatively speaking, a disappointment for Jones and the Sooners, and Jones decided to return to Norman for the 2012 season.

Despite throwing for almost 4,500 yards, Jones often struggled at key moments, culminating in a 44-10 loss at Oklahoma State with the Big 12 title on the line. Jones failed to throw a touchdown pass in the Sooners’ final three games, two of them losses.

Jones got a taste of life without his favorite target Ryan Broyles after the leading receiver in Oklahoma history was lost for the season in early November. Jones still managed to find chemistry with his other wideouts, so expect much better numbers from him in 2012 than  2011.

Running Backs

One of the best stories in the Big 12 last season was the emergence of Dominique Whaley, a former walk-on who worked his way to the top of the Sooners’ depth chart. He rushed for 627 yards in six games before an ankle injury ended his season.

While Whaley should be back at 100 percent before fall camp starts, he’ll sit out spring practice. Whaley’s absence opened the door for Roy Finch. The versatile 5’7” rising junior will again work with the first team in the spring after starting the second half of the season.

The Sooners will often use fullback Trey Millard in short-yardage situations. As a sophomore in 2011, Millard rushed for 169 yards on 24 carries, including a 61-yard touchdown run in his only carry against Kansas State.

Receivers

Despite the departure of Broyles, the Sooners are in great shape on the outside with three rising juniors, all who have significant game experience, leading the way. 2011 signee Trey Metoyer is finally expected to be eligible for the fall and could be the most talented receiver on the roster.

Kenny Stills had eight touchdowns last season, but none came after his shift to the No. 1 spot after Broyles was injured. He has the talent and skills to come close to matching Broyles’ production, but must become more comfortable as Jones’ primary target.

Jaz Reynolds and Trey Franks emerged late in the season as viable options for Jones. Reynolds had 114 yards in a loss to Baylor, but injuries to his shoulder and kidney caused him to miss most of the final three games. This game, perhaps more so than any other, will test Notre Dame’s lack of depth in the secondary.

Offensive Line

Like many positions a year ago, the injury bug took its toll on the Sooners’ offensive line. Center Ben Habern missed six games with a broken arm, and offseason neck surgery will keep him out of spring practice.

Should Habern be back to full speed by the fall, Oklahoma will have to replace only one starter from 2011. Rising sophomore Darryl Williams will have the first opportunity to take over for Donald Stephenson at left tackle, while right tackle Lane Johnson could also shift to the left side.

Guards Tyler Evans and Gabe Ikard both return, giving the Sooners a strong middle of the line if Habern can stay healthy. Oklahoma allowed only 11 sacks last season, second in the Big 12 and tied for seventh in the nation.

Defensive Line

Like the offensive line, the middle of the defensive front is the strength. The three-man tackle rotation of Jamarkus McFarland, Stacy McGee and Casey Walker all return. All three will be seniors and have similar size, weighing in right around 300 pounds.

New coordinator Mike Stoops’ biggest challenge will be replacing defensive ends Frank Alexander and Ronnell Lewis. Alexander was the Big 12’s co-Defensive Player of the Year. Lewis struggled academically throughout his career, but was a force when he could stay on the field.

Rising seniors R.J. Washington and David King played in every game last year and are the projected starters at the two end positions. Stoops love to bring pressure, but he doesn’t have quite the talent off of the edge that he had in his first stint in Norman.

Linebackers

The unfortunate death of Austin Box last summer left a major hole in the linebacking corps. The sensation of spring practice a year ago, Corey Nelson, stepped into a starting role and played well at times, but the Sooners’ defense wilted over the second half of the season.

Four-year starter Travis Lewis departs, with Nelson and middle linebacker Tom Wort the two returning starters. Wort is the unquestioned leader of the group. He missed one game last season, the Sooners’ shocking loss at home to Texas Tech.

Kellen Jones, the projected replacement for Lewis on the strong side, played 12 games last year in a reserve role. All of the linebackers are on the smaller side, with none taller than 6’1”. Of the three, Nelson should show the most improvement from 2011 to 2012.      

Defensive Backs

Like the linebackers, the secondary only loses one starter from the 2011 unit. Cornerback Jamell Fleming returned from a suspension last spring to be an All-Big 12 performer, but must be replaced.

Safety Aaron Colvin is expected to shift to cornerback alongside Demontre Hurst. Hurst started all 13 games last season, while Colvin started 11.

Safety Tony Jefferson will often play close to the line of scrimmage as a linebacker-safety hybrid. With Colvin moving to cornerback, Jefferson is expected to play more of a traditional safety role this season. Javon Harris returns as the other safety starter.

Special Teams

Freshman Michael Hunnicutt took over the starting role in Week 3 last season after Jimmy Stevens was injured and held it for the rest of the season. He missed only three field goals, but all came from inside 40 yards. He connected on all 55 extra point attempts.

Tress Way will be back for his fourth season as the Sooners’ punter. Only 11 of his 57 punts last season were returned. Way’s longest punt of the season was a 62-yard boot against Texas A&M, a game in which four of his nine punts exceeded 50 yards.

Franks and Finch are expected to again share kickoff return duties. The Sooners did not return a kick for a touchdown last season. Broyles handled the majority of punt returns, but Stills is expected to take over the full-time role.

Outlook

Oklahoma should once again be the favorite in the Big 12, but there are some question marks with a new (but familiar) defensive coordinator and the loss of the school’s all-time leading receiver.

Jones took a step back after being the projected No. 2 quarterback in the NFL Draft last season. His numbers will again be fantastic, but he must be more consistent and will not have Broyles as a safety valve.

Defensively, the back end is the strength. The Sooners are always an aggressive defense, but may take it to another level under Mike Stoops. He’ll need some vast improvement from players like King and Nelson to make his defense the juggernaut it was a decade ago before he left for Arizona.