Oklahoma Football: 10 Items on the Summer To-Do List
Bob Stoops led the University of Oklahoma Sooners to the seventh Big 12 Championship of his tenure last season with a 23-20 win over the University of Nebraska Cornhuskers. His team backed it up with a victory over the University of Connecticut (UConn) Huskies in the Fiesta Bowl to finish the season ranked sixth in the nation.
Stoops has been at the helm of the Sooners since 1999 and has won over 80 percent of his games. He has only gone 6-6 in bowl games, however. The pressure will be on Stoops in 2011 as his team enters the season as one of favorites to win the National Championship.
Quarterback Landry Jones returns to lead the offense and should be in contention for the Heisman Trophy at the end of the season. Jones finished 2010 with over 4,700 yards and 38 touchdowns while completing 66 percent of his passes.
Jones' main target will once again be Ryan Broyles. Broyles caught 131 balls last season for 1,622 yards and 14 touchdowns. Early projections have him as a late first round pick in next year's NFL Draft and another big season could boost his value.
Running back is a position that will be sorted out during the early weeks of the season. Sophomore Brennan Clay will likely get the first crack to earn the job. Clay suffered an injury against Florida State in the second week of the season. As a result, he carried the ball just 36 times.
The tailback that Oklahoma fans are most excited about, however, is freshman Brandon Williams. The Texas-native was the fifth-ranked running back in the class. He is an explosive player that would bring big-play potential to the Sooners' offense.
On defense, Oklahoma is led by senior linebacker Travis Lewis. Lewis recorded 109 tackles last season. Overall, there will be eight returning starters on the Sooners' defense. Judging by the Sooners' early two-deep depth chart, they won't be relying too heavily on any freshman defenders. That should bode well in the big games this season.
Senior kicker Jimmy Stevens and junior punter Tress Way should provide stability on special teams for the Sooners.
Oklahoma opens the season at home against Tulsa on September 3. They then travel to Doak Campbell Stadium to take on another projected top-10 team, the Florida State Seminoles, on September 17.
Remember Austin Box
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Austin Box was in the running to start at middle linebacker for Oklahoma this season before passing away in May. He was 22.
The first thing that needs to be done before the start of the season is to make sure everybody involved with the team is at peace with Box's death. These situations are difficult to navigate for a coaching staff. Box undoubtedly touched many lives during his career at Oklahoma and beyond. Stoops needs to ensure his team, as difficult as it may be, is ready to focus on football from the opening kickoff against Tulsa.
This type of situation can either provide inspiration to a team and push them to heights they never felt possible or send the team off the tracks. Since Box's untimely death happened in May, the Sooners should be ready to roll by September.
This is a team that will likely be near the top of the BCS standings all season long and although Box won't be on the field to help the team, the players will be carrying his legacy every play they make this season.
Work in the Young Wide Receivers
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Everybody knows that the Jones to Broyles combination will the be the main focus of Oklahoma's offense in 2011 which makes the other receivers extremely important. In the big games, the opponent is going on slowing down Broyles and forcing the other wideouts to beat them.
Sophomores Kenny Stills and Trey Franks are likely to earn the most snaps alongside Broyles. Stills was the more productive of the two least season, catching 61 passes. Franks caught 29. Jones should be spending extra time with both of these guys this summer to ensure they are all on the same page moving forward.
Both are similar players, however, so don't be surprised if two red-shirt freshmen, Sheldon McClain and Justin McCay, see playing time due to their size.
Make Sure to Rest Jones and Broyles
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Once Landry Jones feels confident with his cluster of receivers, make sure to give him and Broyles ample rest leading up to the season opener. The last thing Oklahoma fans want to hear is that one of their two superstars was injured in practice and their title chances are gone.
Oklahoma has solid depth at many positions, but quarterback and wide receiver are not among them. As mentioned on the previous slide, outside of Broyles the rest of the receiving corps are either sophomores or red-shirt freshmen.
At quarterback, Drew Allen is a talented signal caller, but doesn't have enough experience to lead a National Championship contender.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
Fine Tune the Offensive Line
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The Oklahoma offensive line only allowed 21 sacks last season, so it might be a surprise to see them on the list. They had a couple tough outing against Texas A&M, however, allowing four sacks and never letting the offense find a rhythm in a 33-19 loss.
The line has an anchor on each side, with senior Donald Stephenson at left tackle and Jarvis Jones at right tackle. Tyler Evans is also locked into the right guard spot. The other two positions are more up in the air.
Sophomore Gabe Ikard is battling senior Stephen Good for the left guard spot. Junior Ben Habern is the favorite against sophomore Austin Woods at center.
Once Stoops decides on all five starters, he needs to get them out there as much as possible during practices because the early season schedule is no cakewalk.
Decide on a Linebacking Core
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The aforementioned Travis Lewis has the right outside linebacker spot locked up, but the other two positions are up for grabs.
Tom Wort will attempt to fill the big shoes left by Box at middle linebacker. Wort made 66 tackles last season, including 4.5 sacks. After missing 2009 with an injury, his production last season was a pleasant surprise. With last season's experience under his belt, he should provide solid leadership on the interior.
There is a good battle between sophomore Tony Jefferson and junior Joseph Ibiloye at left outside linebacker. Jefferson spent most of last season as a defensive back but is working on bulking up to move to linebacker.
Ibiloye has spent his first two seasons as a reserve but may finally be ready to join the starting lineup. He provides better size for the position right now, but isn't as talented as Jefferson.
Prepare for the Road
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Both of Oklahoma's losses last season came on the road. On October 23, they lost to Missouri by a 36-27 score and on November 6, they lost the previously mentioned Texas A&M game. The first road test of 2011 will come almost immediately against Florida State.
As much heat as the BCS system gets for its flaws, the one thing it does well is make every game important. Whereas in the NFL an early loss is no big deal, an early loss in college football can cost you a chance at the National Championship.
An early trip to Tallahassee will be a huge hurdle for the Sooners. Stoops and his staff will have to make sure to pipe in extra noise during practice to have his team prepare for the raucous crowd. It is especially difficult for a no-huddle offense, who will need to be on the same page with their signals to avoid costly mistakes.
The good news for Oklahoma is that the BCS has proven that an early-season loss is easier to overcome than a late-season loss. So a road loss to Florida State might not be the end of the National Championship dream. A loss at Oklahoma State in the season's final week, however, would probably the end of those dreams.
Understand the Importance of the Early Games
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The Florida State game is just one of four tough games within the first five weeks of the season.
The University of Tulsa finished last season in the top 25 with a 10-3 record, including a win over Notre Dame and a Hawaii Bowl victory over, you guessed it, Hawaii. Although they aren't expected to be as potent this season, they can't be taken lightly in the first week of the season.
Following the much anticipated game against Florida State, University of Missouri comes into town with new quarterback James Franklin. Missouri will likely be ranked around 15th when they come to Norman.
After what should be a slam dunk victory over Ball State University, the Sooners travel to Texas to take on the University of Texas Longhorns. Texas will probably be ranked within the top 20 for this game as well.
Although the Sooners will be favorites in all of these games, it will be a tough road to navigate. The schedule lightens up after the early rush of tough opponents, but if the Sooners suffer a loss or two during this stretch they likely won't reach their ultimate goal.
Emphasize the Big-Game Atmosphere
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If all goes as planned for the Sooners this season, they will be playing about six high-profile games. Stoops will have to make sure his team (and himself) are ready for the challenge. He has to emphasize the importance of every possession because the National Championship depends on it.
Jones, Broyles, Lewis and the other stars have experienced the big-game atmosphere, but some of the younger players who will be stepping into big roles this season haven't. One key mistake can cause the season to go awry, but one big play can make it a season to remember.
With that in mind, Stoops can't shy away from the importance of big stage. He needs to prepare his guys for it so they can thrive when it matters most.
Ignore the Media
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This should be the golden rule for every college coach in America. It seems like every time the media says a team is the best thing since sliced bread, they proceed to lose the next week. Stoops should advise his players to maintain focus on the task at hand and ignore the media.
If Oklahoma does indeed navigate through that tough early stretch of games, ESPN will undoubtedly start asking its analysts if Oklahoma will go undefeated. It is this type of talk that can become a cancer to a locker room because the players start believing they are invincible.
With a solid group of leaders on the roster, this shouldn't become a major problem for the Sooners.
Keep It Clean
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With the recent downfalls of USC and Ohio State, the Oklahoma players need to be on their best behavior off the playing field. The tactic that Stoops should use is putting the pressure on each individual not the be the reason for any future investigations.
This could be a special season in Norman; the last thing Sooner fans want is to be ruined because a player wanted a tattoo. Peer pressure is an amazing thing. If every player knows he will be held accountable by every other guy in that locker room, they are much less likely to partake in idiotic behavior.
For some reason there is a recent trend of players making these type of mistakes. Most of it stems from the belief that they won't get caught. Despite the fact that so many players have been caught in the past, including Reggie Bush and Terrelle Pryor, they think they are smarter and can avoid punishment.
This goes back to the strong leaders at Oklahoma who need to keep everything in line so they can win a championship and never have to give it back.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
