Oklahoma Football: Winners and Losers from Sooners' First Month

During the first month of football, we have seen a lot of good out of the Sooners, so "winners" on the team aren't hard to come by. What about the "losers?" What justifies being a "loser" on an undefeated team?

After getting off to a 4-0 start, the Oklahoma Sooners don't have too much to complain about.

However, despite their unblemished record, the Sooners have seen their ranking move from No. 1 in the AP Poll to No. 3 in the first month.

This should come as no surprise to most fans, as current No. 1 LSU and No. 2 Alabama have definitely proved themselves so far with more impressive victories than any other team in the nation. With LSU and Alabama playing each other early in November, the Sooners have to remember that their chance to move back up is just around the corner.

For now, the Sooners have to keep playing winning football week by week. With the Red River Rivalry coming up this weekend against the undefeated Texas Longhorns, the Sooners have no reason to think ahead farther than their current task.

Let's recap the Sooners' first month of football, starting with the "winners."

WINNER: Landry Jones: Quarterback

Landry Jones is an obvious "winner" when it comes to the first month of Oklahoma football. The junior quarterback has led his team to an undefeated record while still keeping his Heisman Trophy-hopeful season intact.

Jones has been busy this season, as he has thrown for 1,447 yards and 10 touchdowns through the first four games. That's an average of 361.8 yards per game. The Sooners as a team are averaging 377.8 passing yards per game, which is good enough for fifth in the country.

Jones has also completed 111 of his 155 passes this season, which is a 71.6 percent completion rating, the highest of his career. His passer rating is also the best it's ever been at 164.9, up from 146.3 last season.

On top of all that, Jones officially became the University of Oklahoma's No. 1 quarterback in terms of career passing yards. He has thrown for 9,363 yards in his career, which beats out Sam Bradford at No. 2 with 8,403 passing yards.

With all that being said, Jones still has some issues he needs to work on. When he gets pressured, he frequently makes bad decisions, such as trying to force passes instead of getting rid of the ball. This can't happen if the Sooners want to win a championship.

Jones will have to work on his composure if he ever wants to beat a defense like LSU or Alabama.

WINNER: Ryan Broyles: Wide Receiver

Ryan Broyles is a winner every single week for the Sooners. He is hands down their best offensive player, and he has proven that he is one of the best receivers in the country.

Through four games this season, Broyles has caught 38 passes for 476 yards and six touchdowns. He leads the team in every receiving category, and is also in the top 10 in receptions and touchdowns in the NCAA.

Broyles just keeps adding on to his stats for the OU record books. Broyles is currently Oklahoma's all-time leader in receptions (304), yards (3,905) and touchdowns (41). With 304 receptions, Broyles is actually the Big 12's all-time leader, not just Oklahoma. This record was broken last weekend during Oklahoma's victory against Ball State.

He has been the go-to guy for Landry Jones all year, and that's because he doesn't drop passes. Ever. I'm serious. Broyles didn't drop a single pass all last season, and the only pass he has "dropped" this season came when he was falling out of bounds.

The guy is a winner in every shape and form. He has great stats throughout the first month of play, and he recently got engaged on top of everything!

What a month for Broyles.

WINNER: Dominique Whaley: Running Back

Junior running back Dominique Whaley may be the biggest winner on this list, and the guy doesn't even have a scholarship to show for it.

That's right, the No. 3 Oklahoma Sooners are starting a walk-on at running back...and he's killing it.

Whaley and Brennan Clay have combined for most of the Sooners' rushing attempts this season, as the two have seemingly been competing for the starting job. Whaley immediately stood out in the season opener against Tulsa, as he rushed for 131 yards and four touchdowns.

Since that performance, Whaley hasn't looked back. He has outperformed Clay in every game this season, and because of this, he keeps getting the bulk of the carries.

Whaley has ran the ball 70 times for 379 yards and seven touchdowns through four games this season. Not too bad for a walk-on.

With Clay questionable for this weekend's matchup with Texas, Whaley will be called upon once again to carry the load in the backfield. Whaley's second month of the season can only hope to be as good as his first.

Will somebody please get this man a scholarship?

WINNER: Travis Lewis: Linebacker

Travis Lewis should have been making his return to the lineup this weekend for the Red River Rivalry, but the All-American linebacker surprised everybody when he played in Oklahoma's crucial Week 3 matchup against Florida State.

After suffering a toe injury in the spring, Lewis was supposed to be out for six weeks, but after his rehabilitation went well, coach Bob Stoops decided the Sooners would be better off with Lewis sooner rather than later.

Lewis was only going to play limited snaps in the Florida State game. However, as the game went on, Lewis stayed on the field. He definitely played the majority, if not the entire game, at linebacker for the Sooners and finished with eight tackles.

Lewis is the heart and soul of the Sooners' defense. He is their unquestioned leader, and his return to the lineup in Week 3 was a huge boost of confidence to a defense that didn't look fantastic in their season opening win against Tulsa.

However, with Lewis in the lineup, the Sooners' defense stepped up and shut down a Florida State offense that had been averaging well over 500 yards per game.

In the three games he has played in, Lewis has amassed 25 tackles and one forced fumble.

Welcome back, Lewis.

Winner Honorable Mentions

Frank Alexander, Defensive End

Frank Alexander is a winner because he is the only consistent defensive lineman who Oklahoma has right now.

Throughout four games, Alexander has notched 22 tackles and 2.5 sacks, and he is seemingly the only person who knows how to put pressure on an opposing quarterback.

Ronnell Lewis, Defensive End/Linebacker

Alexander is the only consistent defensive lineman that Oklahoma has because I cannot classify Ronnell Lewis as a legitimate defensive lineman. He is a hybrid defensive freak who goes where he needs to go.

Lewis is always around the ball, and through four games, he currently leads the Sooners in tackles with 27. He also has 1.5 sacks to go along with all his tackles.

Jaz Reynolds, Wide Receiver

Reynolds is a winner solely for his performances in the Sooners' last two games. With fellow sophomore WR Kenny Stills out against Missouri in Week 4, Reynolds stepped up with five catches for 93 yards.

His solid play most certainly earned him a few more looks last week against Ball State, and once again, Reynolds did not disappoint. He finished the game with five more catches, this time for 141 yards and a touchdown.

He has more than earned his playing time, and his leaping ability has shown his ability to be a red zone target for Landry Jones.

Even with Trey Franks returning to the lineup this week, Reynolds will surely see his fair share of snaps.

LOSER: Roy Finch: Running Back

Once again, Roy Finch has been the surprise of the season. However, this time it's not for a good reason.

After showcasing his abilities during his freshman year, many, including myself, had to believe that Finch had the starting RB spot all but won this season.

When the first glimpse of the depth chart emerged, I thought there had to be a problem. Finch was...third...string? How was that even possible?

He is easily the most dynamic running back on the roster. He has the speed, agility and juking ability to break a big play every time he touches the ball. So, the question remains, why is Finch getting such little playing time?

Honestly, I have no idea. Bob Stoops confirmed that Finch is not "in the doghouse," but something has to be up, right?

Maybe Dominique Whaley and Brennan Clay are actually a lot better than him, and I just wasn't aware. With those two getting the bulk of the carries every week, Finch is just seeing spot minutes.

Hopefully as the season progresses, Finch will start seeing more playing time, but for now, he has to be the biggest "loser"* on the roster.

*Loser, in the terms of not playing as projected.

LOSER: Dejuan Miller: Wide Receiver

As a senior, this is the year that Dejuan Miller has to step up and make a name for himself. Unfortunately, Miller has been outperformed by his teammates.

The 6'4" wide receiver has been a bust since his arrival at Oklahoma. Although his NFL size is alluring, he just doesn't have the hands or the speed to be a big-time receiver in Oklahoma's offense.

Through four games, Miller has only caught seven passes for 66 yards, and, once again, drops have been an issue.

With an All-American in Broyles on one side of the field, and the sensational sophomores (Stills, Reynolds, Franks) on the other side, Miller just shouldn't see as many snaps as he might like.

His seven receptions are good enough to tie him for fifth on the team, but he's tied with James Hanna, a tight end who rarely gets involved in the passing game, and Trey Franks, who has played in one game this season.

To be fair, Broyles' 38 receptions dwarf Stills' 14, who is No. 2 on the team in receptions, but seven receptions through four games just isn't enough to get noticed.

Miller is still a good red zone target for Landry Jones solely based on his frame, but he won't get a target over Broyles, Stills or Reynolds.

Loser: Jimmy Stevens: Kicker

The senior kicker doesn't have much to be happy about after the first month of play. After starting the first two games for the Sooners, Stevens was replaced by freshman Michael Hunnicutt.

This could be due to Stevens' last made field goal, a low line-drive that barely made it over the uprights during the Sooners' Week 2 victory at Florida State.

That kick got one of the best reactions out of Bob Stoops I've ever seen.

For many OU fans, Stevens being replaced has felt like a need-to-happen move for a long time. Even though Stevens sat out last week due to a quad injury, I think it's safe to say that the position is going to be Hunnicutt's to own for the rest of the season.

Hunnicutt has looked more impressive than Stevens with his kicks, though he did miss a 30-yard field goal at the end of the second quarter against Ball State.

Regardless, Stevens and his shaky kicking have been a problem. Hopefully Hunnicutt will bring back the kicking game that former OU kicker Garrett Hartley left behind.