Oklahoma Sooners
Preview 2008
By
Pete Fiutak
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2008 CFN Oklahoma Preview |
2008 Oklahoma
Offense
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2008 Oklahoma
Defense |
2008 Oklahoma Depth
Chart
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2007 CFN Oklahoma Preview |
2006 CFN Oklahoma
Preview
All Oklahoma has
done is win 90 games in eight years with a national title, five Big
12 championships, and six BCS appearances. and yet it all seems so
empty.
For all the
success and all the great numbers, the program that was such a
killer in every big game now doesn't seem nearly as bad or nearly
as intimidating.
When the Sooners turn it on and have the full focus from the opening
kickoff, which was obvious in games against Miami, Missouri (both of
them), and Texas A&M, forget about it. When they don't appear to
have much in the way of energy and the other team has the momentum
early, like Texas Tech and West Virginia had, OU loses.
Head coach: Bob Stoops
9th year: 86-19
Returning Lettermen:
Off. 25, Def. 20, ST 5
Lettermen Lost: 10 |
Ten
Best Sooner Players
1. QB Sam Bradford, Soph.
2. OG Duke Robinson, Sr.
3. OT Phil Loadholt, Sr.
4. DT Gerald McCoy, Soph.
5. DE Auston English, Jr.
6. TE Jermaine Gresham, Jr.
7. RB DeMarco Murray, Soph.
8. FS Nic Harris, Sr.
9. C Jon Cooper, Sr.
10. DT DeMarcus Granger, Jr. |
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2008 Schedule
CFN Prediction: 10-2
2008 Record: 0-0
Aug. 30
UT Chattanooga
Sept. 6 Cincinnati
Sept. 13 at Washington
Sept. 20 OPEN DATE
Sept. 27 TCU
Oct. 4 at Baylor
Oct. 11 Texas (Dallas)
Oct. 18 Kansas
Oct. 25 at Kansas State
Nov. 1 Nebraska
Nov. 8 at Texas A&M
Nov. 15 OPEN DATE
Nov. 22 Texas Tech
Nov. 29 at Oklahoma State
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2007 Schedule
CFN Prediction: 10-2
2007 Record: 11-3
Sept. 1
North Texas
W 79-10
Sept. 8
Miami
W 51-13
Sept. 15
Utah State
W 54-3
Sept. 21
at Tulsa
W 62-21
Sept. 29
at Colorado
L 27-24
Oct.
6 vs.
Texas W 28-21
Oct.
13
Missouri
W 41-31
Oct.
20
at Iowa State
W 17-7
Nov.
3
Texas A&M W 42-14
Nov.
10
Baylor
W 52-21
Nov.
17
at Texas Tech
L 34-27
Nov.
24
Oklahoma State
W 49-17
Big 12 Championship
Dec. 1 Missouri W 38-17
Fiesta Bowl
Jan. 2 West Virginia L 48-28 |
So
the key for OU has to be to get out to a hot start early in every game
and then ride the talent level the rest of the way. On experience,
skill, NFL talent, depth, and any other way you want to measure, no one
on the schedule, including Kansas, Texas, and Texas Tech, can stay with
the Sooners. But everyone gets up for OU and brings its A game, and now,
as it needs to realize, OU has to find a way to get up for everyone and
bring its A game, too.
More than anything else, the Sooners have to be hungry again. The
earlier teams in the Bob Stoops era couldn't hang with the OU teams of the
last few years on talent, but they brought an attitude and nastiness
week in and week out that the current versions only seem able to find
every once in a while. If the Oklahoma that beat Missouri in the 2007
Big 12 Championship can come up with that focus and fire from UT
Chattanooga to Oklahoma State, it'll be in the BCS Championship Game.
No, this isn't going to be a slam-dunk run to a third straight Big 12
title with several young, but talented, players needing shine on defense
in place of some big-time stars like LB Curtis Lofton and CB Reggie
Smith, and the running backs need to be healthy, but there's no reason
to shoot for anything lower than yet another Fiesta Bowl berth.
If the fire is there from the start, and it doesn't go away, the Sooners
might be going to to Miami instead of Glendale.
What to look for on
offense: The
no-huddle. It left a little something to be desired at the end of spring
ball as the ultra-efficient Sam Bradford starting throwing picks, but
the idea is to get the offense into a quicker tempo and into more of a
rhythm. Can the big, talented offensive line keep up with the pace? Will
the receivers be on the same page with Bradford? The big question is
whether or not the coaching staff is tinkering with something that
didn't need to be messed with.
What to look for on
defense: Is
the secondary really as good as it looked throughout spring ball?
Granted, the passing game was tinkering around and the receiving corps
needed to break in a few players, but the secondary that was supposed to
be a major issue after losing Reggie Smith, D.J. Wolfe, and
Marcus Walker was better than anyone could've hoped for. Dominique
Franks picked off three passes in the spring game as the leader of the
young, talented group.
This team will be much
better if…
it shows up for every road game. Including the game against Tulsa, OU
was 8-0 in the state of Oklahoma winning by a combined score of 430 to
130 (an average of 54 to 16). The Sooners were 3-3 in the other six
games outscoring their opponents by a combined score of 162 to 154 (an
average of 27 to 25.6). In case you were wondering, the games outside of
the Sooner State are at Washington, against Texas, at Kansas State, and
at Texas A&M.
The Schedule:
This is a schedule to win a national title with. Cincinnati and TCU are
good, but they both have to come to Norman. Going to Washington
shouldn't be that big a problem for a team with championship
aspirations, and almost all the key Big 12 games are at home. Of course
there's the Dallas date with Texas, but that comes after a tune-up at
Baylor. Getting Kansas, Nebraska and Texas Tech at home will help, but
the trip to Kansas State will be tougher than is might appear. Going to
Texas A&M and Oklahoma State is always tough, but again, this is an OU
team thinking national championship; it needs to win those showdowns.
Best Offensive Player:
Sophomore QB
Sam Bradford. Guard Duke Robinson will likely be a first round draft
pick, and there are several other good pro prospects, but Bradford's the
one who makes it all go. The nation's most efficient passer completed
70% of his throws for 3,121 yards and 36 touchdowns with eight
interceptions, and that when he supposedly didn't know what he was
doing.
Best Defensive Player:
Sophomore DT Gerald McCoy. Welcome to the new Tommie Harris. The
ultra-quick McCoy was a tremendous anchor for the front line and allowed
everyone else around him to work. The superstar recruit has lived up the
hype so far, and now he appears ready to take a big turn and become the
type of star who gets the NFL scouts drooling.
Key player to a
successful season:
Junior LB Ryan Reynolds. He has the talent and he has the potential to
be a top statistical star, but he hasn't been able to stay healthy. Now
he has to take over for Curtis Lofton, the team's heart-and-soul
defensive star, and try to replace the Big 12 Player of the Year's 156
stops.
The season will be a
success if
... OU wins the Big 12 title again and is in the hunt for the national
title. There are just enough concerns on both sides of the ball to keep
the Sooners from playing for the whole ball of wax, but as long as they
take care of business and win what might be the toughest top to bottom
conference in the country this year, everything else might fall into
place. The talent is there and the schedule isn't bad. Now the team has
to play up to its capabilities.
Key game:
Nov. 8 at Texas A&M. Of course the Texas showdown is the biggest
obstacle on the schedule, and the date with Kansas the following week
will be must-see TV, but the Sooners will get up for those two. The key
this year is improving on the road, and the game in College Station is
just the sort of letdown the team has to overcome. It'll be easy to
overlook the Aggies with an off-week coming the following week before
dealing with Texas Tech and the Bedlam rivalry against Oklahoma State.
2007 Fun Stats:
- Red zone
TDs: Oklahoma 48 of 68 (71%) – Opponents 21 of 41 (51%)
- Third down conversions: Oklahoma 93 of 189 (49%) – Opponents 69 of
210 (33%)
- Rushing yards per game: Oklahoma 190.7 – Opponents 110.3