Oklahoma Sooners RB Dominique Whaley Is Key To Victory over FSU

Bob Stoops knew his Oklahoma Sooners would have a chance to experience a special season in 2011. He also knew offensive coordinator Josh Heupel would have plenty of weapons to work with in his first full season calling plays.

What he didn't know was that a walk-on running back may provide the Sooners with the edge needed to pull out a victory in their huge Top Five matchup with Florida State.

Everybody knows about Oklahoma's dynamic duo of QB Landry Jones and WR Ryan Broyles. Until his 131-yard performance against Tulsa, nobody knew who Dominique Whaley was. A big game on Saturday against the Seminoles would ensure the entire country knows about the walk-on running back.

The approach for any defense facing this Sooners offense is similar to the approach teams took against Michael Jordan: You knew he was going to score his points—you just had to make sure you didn't let him get the rest of his team going.

Florida State defensive coordinator Mark Stoops probably knows the Sooners passing game is going to put up some good numbers. He just needs to make sure they don't get the running game going. Another four-touchdown performance for Whaley would pretty much guarantee an Oklahoma win.

Any coach will tell you that the key to winning a big game on the road is the running game. Coming into the season, Stoops and Heupel knew they had depth at running back, but the running game would probably be the weak link of the offense.

Maybe this Florida State defense really is better prepared to face the Sooners' fast tempo that gave them so much trouble last year. The problem is, Whaley could add a dimension to the Oklahoma offense they never even thought they would have to worry about.

Against Tulsa the Sooners averaged 5.3 yards per rush. Granted, the Seminoles should present a little tougher defense than did the Golden Hurricanes, but if Oklahoma is able to come anywhere close to that average, things are really going to open up for Broyles and WR Kenny Stills in the FSU secondary.

The scary thing is that the Sooners run 3-deep at running back with co-starter Brennan Clay and Roy Finch (who is always a threat to make big plays). So, even with the fast pace of Oklahoma's offense, Whaley should be able to stay fresh through four quarters.

A big game for Whaley on Saturday in Tallahassee would not only be the key to the Sooners beating Florida State, but also could make Whaley the story of the year in college football.