Oklahoma Sooners

SAN ANTONIO -- Twenty juniors have given verbal commitments to play in the 2013 U.S. Army All-American Bowl next January. Four of the players -- receiver Ahmad Fullwood (Jacksonville, Fla./Bishop Kenny), linebacker Dorian O’Daniel (Olney, Md./Our Lady Of Good Counsel) and defensive backs Eli Woodard (Voorhees, N.J./Eastern) and Kendall Fuller (Olney, Md./Our Lady Of Good Counsel) -- were announced during the second quarter of this year’s game.

Here’s the list of the other 16 players expected to play next year:

DE Kenny Bigelow (Bear, Del./Red Lion Christian)
QB Max Browne (Sammamish, Wash./Skyline)
QB Ryan Burns (Ashburn, Va./Stone Bridge)
DB Cam Burrows (Trotwood, Ohio/Trotwood-Madison)
DB Su’a Cravens (Vista Murrieta, Calif.)
OL Austin Golson (Prattville, Ala.)
WR Derrick Griffin (Rosenberg, Texas/Terry)
LB Peter Kalambayi (Matthews, N.C./Butler)
LB E.J. Levenberry (Woodbridge, Va./E.D. Hylton)
LB Daniel McMillian (Jacksonville, Fla./First Coast)
OL Khaliel Rodgers (Bear, Del./Red Lion Christian)
DL Garrett Sickels (Little Silver, N.J./Red Bank)
TE DeSean Smith (Lake Charles, La./Barbe)
QB Tyrone Swoopes (Whitewright, Texas)
OL Laremy Tunsil (Lake City, Fla./Whitewright)
DB Nick Washington (Jacksonville, Fla./Trinity Christian)

Kansas coach Bill Self didn’t feel like his team outplayed Oklahoma in the Jayhawks’ 72-61 win over the Sooners at the Lloyd Noble Center on Saturday afternoon.

Except for a 11-minute stretch to begin the second half. And that was more than enough.

After battling the No. 15-ranked Jayhawks head-to-head for the first 20 minutes, even taking their 34-33 halftime lead. The Sooners then came out flat to open the second half with careless turnovers and poor shooting. KU went on a 29-6 run to take a 62-40 lead with 8:41 left.

OU outscored KU 55-43 in the other 28:41 of the game.

Player of the Game: Carl Blair. The senior point guard provided a solid spark for OU off the bench. He scored 11 points on 2 of 3 shooting along with 3 assists and one turnover in 12 minutes of action. If Blair can provide similar production for the rest of the Big 12 schedule, he will provide allow OU to go small and matchup better with some of the league’s quicker teams.

Unsung Hero: Romero Osby. The junior was solid with nine points and nine rebounds but ended up with a team-high five turnovers. But Osby should have been more aggressive, particularly in the second half as KU began to pull away. The transfer from Mississippi State is a mismatch for most big men with his athleticism and needs to take advantage of that more often.

Key Stat: 48. KU finished the game with 48 points in the paint. The Jayhawks got several dunks and layups thanks to their penetration and offensive rebounding.

Key Stat, Part II: 14. The Jayhawks had 14 steals which helped contribute to their 48 points in the paint and 50 percent shooting (29 of 58 field goal attempts).

Quotable: “Not only did we turn it over, but we turned it over with them shooting layups, which is the worst of both worlds, of course.” - OU coach Lon Kruger on the Sooners carelessness with the ball in the first 10 minutes of the second half.

“I think we came out kind of flat on both ends of the court. We made a couple of costly turnovers. Like Coach said, they equal points on the other end for them. So I think that’s really where it started.” - Osby on KU’s second half run.

“I thought that the 10 minutes, or whatever it was, to start the second half was probably the best run we’ve had all year. I thought our defense was active and we got our hands on balls and we were able to get out in transition. We’re pretty good when we get out in transition.” - KU coach Bill Self

Up Next: at Oklahoma State on Monday at 6 p.m.

Cornerback De’Vante Harris (Mesquite, Texas/Horn), who has been committed to Oklahoma since the spring, announced on Twitter that he has decommitted from the Sooners on Saturday and confirmed with a text message that the decommitment was true.

Harris, a four-star prospect ranked No. 14 at cornerback, had been one of the biggest recruiters for the Sooners since committing. He had made several unofficial visits and an official visit and had coaches for in-home visits recently. There were rumors two weeks ago of Harris looking at Texas, but Harris quickly shot those down.

Reports have also surfaced of OU defensive backs coach Willie Martinez being considered for other jobs. He has been reported as a defensive coordinator candidate at both Kansas and Illinois in the last 24 hours. Martinez has been the primary recruiter for Harris.

The news wasn’t just a shock to OU fans, but also to Mesquite Horn coach Rodney Webb.

“Really? I have no knowledge of that,” Webb said about Harris decommitting. “I was with him in Orlando this week, and he was doing his thing.

“I saw him briefly after the game. Nothing seemed wrong. He seemed like himself, like he always is with his personality. I’m kind of at a loss because he has been such a solid commitment.”

Harris was in Florida all week for the Under Armour All-America game and returned home Friday still talking up the Sooners. Calls to Harris’ cell phone were not returned though he did text the confirmation so there would be no speculation about his Twitter account being hacked.

Harris had also developed a good bond with the secondary, including sophomore Tony Jefferson. When a fan tweeted Jefferson that the Cali Trio needed to bring back Harris, Jefferson replied: “if he wanna go let EM. Gotta go where his best for him. No hard feelings.”

Harris, in his first tweet after the announcement, tweeted back: “Thanks Tony.”

Future teammates were also unaware of Harris’ departure. Cornerback commit Kevin Peterson (Wagoner, Okla./Wagoner) said he found out via a text message from Wagoner coach Dale Condict.

“It’s a big shock. Coach Condict texted me like two minutes before you called,” Peterson said. “I have no idea what happened.”

Peterson said he has not heard from Martinez in more than a week, fueling the speculation about the future of Martinez. During the dead period, it was Bob Stoops that called Peterson.

Harris was OU’s top-ranked defensive prospect for the 2012 class.

The start of Big 12 Conference play could not have been worse for Oklahoma. The Sooners were destroyed by No. 7 Missouri, 87-49, in a game that left forward Andrew Fitzgerald so disappointed with the outcome, he was embarrassed to look at the OU coaching staff.

Next up, Kansas.

The Sooners are looking to rebound from the upset loss when the No. 15 Jayhawks visit Lloyd Noble Center at 1 p.m. CT on Saturday. KU got their Big 12 schedule off to a good start with a 67-49 home victory over Kansas State.

Key to OU win: Attacking KU forward Thomas Robinson, the lone Big 12 player averaging a double-double (17.2 points, 12.3 rebounds), with Andrew Fitzgerald and Romero Osby on offense. If the Sooners can get Robinson into foul trouble, KU will have to count on its inexperienced depth, giving OU a potential advantage. Fitzgerald and Osby will need to be aggressive with the aim of getting 15-20 points apiece.

Key to Kansas win: Defense. The Jayhawks rank No. 12 nationally in opponent field goal percentage (36.9 percent) and are annually among the best defensive squads in the Big 12. OU has struggled to get good shots at times this season and the Jayhawks could take advantage of the Sooners lack of penetrating ball handlers.

Stat line that will tell the tale: OU field goal percentage. The Sooners will have to shoot extremely well from the outside or get easy shots through penetration or in transition. If KU forces OU to try to create open shots in one-on-one situations, the Jayhawks have the advantage.

Sooners X factor: Sam Grooms. The junior college transfer has proven to be the only Sooner who can consistently create a shot for himself or his teammates this season. He will need to do that on Saturday. If he struggles against KU’s defense, quality shots will be much harder to find.

Jayhawks X factor: Elijah Johnson. The incredibly athletic guard does a lot of things well and makes KU very hard to beat when he plays well. He’s averaging 9.7 points, 3.8 assists, 2.9 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game. A 40 percent shooter, Johnson could make KU impossible to beat if he scores efficiently on Saturday.

Jake Trotter answers readers' questions about Oklahoma football in his mailbag every Friday. Got a question for Jake? Submit it here.

Cody in Sapulpa, Okla., writes: Do you think OU will continue using the Belldozer package next year? Personally, I hope they do.

Jake Trotter: You’ll be pleased to know that the Belldozer isn’t going anywhere. If anything, it will be enhanced. The Sooners basically have been running only two plays out of the package: the power and the counter. I expect that to evolve quite a bit before next season, especially with the addition of a passing element.

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Hunter in Norman writes: Do you see the Sooners winning more or less than 8 games next season?

Jake Trotter: Eight is way too low for an over/under. The schedule will have a significant bearing, but I expect the over/under to be around 10-11 now that Landry Jones is returning.

(Read full post)

Many Oklahoma offers and targets are competing in the U.S. Army National Combine today in San Antonio. Modeled after the NFL combine, it's designed to test high school football prospects and have them compete against each other. Participants also get to attend the U.S. Army All-American Bowl on Saturday.

Here are some of the prospects competing that have Sooners offers:

DE Jason Hatcher (Louisville, Ky./Trinity)
CB Kendall Fuller (Olney, Md./Good Counsel)
LB Dorian O'Daniel (Olney, Md./Good Counsel)
TE Hunter Henry (Little Rock, Ark./Pulaski Academy)
DL Greg Webb (Erial, N.J./Timber Creek)

Check out the full list of Oklahoma targets here.

The fans around Oklahoma can be brutally tough on quarterback Landry Jones. But the Sooners’ chances of competing for a national championship next season are far greater now that he is returning to school for his senior year.

Jones announced his decision through the school on Thursday.

“We hope to have another opportunity to make a title run,” Jones said. “Most of the offensive line returns and we have several receivers and backs return, too. We’ve also got a lot of guys back on defense, so we’re confident that we can be a strong team.”

The Sooners have many questions to resolve before next season, notably how to retool an offense that sputtered after All-America receiver Ryan Broyles’ season-ending knee injury.

But with Jones at the helm, enough pieces are back that OU could have its most prolific offense since the record-setting attack of 2008.

The Sooners still have the Belldozer. Now they’ll have the Big 12’s most experienced quarterback and prolific passer, too.

Blake Bell’s running prowess rightfully excited OU fans. But according to those around the program, Bell remains a far cry from Jones in passing the ball.

Sure, the Belldozer was unstoppable after its mid-season implementation. But only as a gimmick offense. A full-time Belldozer attack, something coach Bob Stoops ruled out from ever happening last week, would have trouble keeping up with the high-octane offenses of the Big 12. It would also prevent some of OU’s best players -- Kenny Stills, Jaz Reynolds and Roy Finch -- from becoming major factors.

Truth is, the Sooners’ best chance of winning a national title remain with the hurry-up spread. And with Jones’ arm. Especially considering that OU returns a stout pass-protecting offensive line and welcomes perhaps the best recruiting class of receivers in school history.

The Sooners will be able to get even more creative with the Belldozer, as well, perhaps adding a passing element to the package.

Oklahoma is far from a perfect team going into next season.

But with Jones running the show and Bell bringing the Belldozer, the Sooners should be a load offensively next season. Perhaps placing OU in the national championship picture once again.