Oklahoma Sooners

While Oklahoma was having one of its biggest recruiting weekends in recent memory, more than 1,000 miles away Sooners verbal commit Eric Striker (Seffner, Fla./Armwood) was making his own memories.

Something just felt a little different for Striker heading into the Florida Class 6A state championship. He knew it was going to be his final game, and he wanted to make a big impact.

He delivered. Striker had 12 tackles, two sacks and two quarterback hurries in Armwood’s 40-31 victory against Miami (Fla.) Central on Saturday.

A day later, the state title hasn’t sunk in yet for the prospect.

“I know we won, but I don’t think it has hit me yet,” Striker said. “I haven’t done a big celebration yet, but I’m sure it will happen.”

Striker, 6-foot and 190 pounds, plays linebacker for Armwood and said he doesn’t care if he is a linebacker or safety when he plays for the Sooners. But one thing still remains clear: he's firmly committed to playing for the Sooners.

“Oh yeah, nothing has changed,” Striker said. “I’ve still been able to keep in touch with the coaching staff.

“I’m going to have to put on weight no matter what position I play. If they want me at linebacker, I can do that. If it’s safety, that’s fine, too.”

Striker only added to his all-time school record sack total, and he saved his last sack for the best moment possible.

With Central trying to make one last run, Striker got his last sack on a fourth-down play that clinched the championship.

“It was one of the best games I’ve ever played,” Striker said. “I’ve had some good ones. Because of the opponent and the stage I was on, this is my best memory.

“Fourth down, and I wanted to get a good jump off the ball. I got closer and closer and the QB still had the ball so I knew I could make the play.”

Striker was the second Oklahoma commit to win a state championship this season. The other, defensive back Kevin Peterson (Wagoner, Okla./Wagoner), wasn’t committed to the Sooners when he won the championship two weeks ago. He committed to OU on Sunday.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Florida has gained a commitment from Walnut (Calif.) Mt. San Antonio College defensive tackle Visesio Salt.

Salt confirmed to ESPN.com via text message that he committed to the Gators after officially visiting Florida this weekend. He joins Quinteze Williams, Dante Phillips and Jafar Mann as Florida defensive tackle commits.

"It just felt right," he said.

At 6-foot-3 and 340 pounds, Salt will be used as a nose tackle in Florida's 3-4 defense. He visited Cal last weekend, and some thought the Golden Bears were his leader. But after visiting Gainesville, Salt decided to make his pledge to Florida.

With the addition of Salt, Florida now has commitments from 17 prospects, including seven from the ESPNU 150.

NORMAN, Okla. -- Defensive back Kevin Peterson (Wagoner, Okla./Wagoner) had heard about the prestige of Oklahoma. He just needed to see it for himself.

Once he did, it was only a matter of time as Peterson verbally committed to the Sooners on Sunday morning.

"Excited, I don't know what else to say right now," Peterson said. "I talked to my parents before the breakfast this morning to confirm everything, and I knew I was going to commit."

Read the rest of the story here.

Steven Pledger refused to let his team go down without a fight.

Pledger scored 19 of his 31 points in the second half as Oklahoma defeated Houston 79-74 at Chesapeake Energy Arena on Saturday night. The Sooners guard was 10 of 13 from the field as he helped OU rally from a nine-point deficit with 15:41 remaining.

It was a valuable learning experience for the Sooners who held a 40-37 halftime lead but quickly squandered that advantage in the first few minutes of the second half. Seven points from Pledger sparked an OU run which tied the game at 55 with 11:11 remaining.

Then, with the game in doubt, OU outscored Houston 14-7 in the final 5:07 to secure the win.

Player of the Game: Pledger. The junior was 4 of 5 from the 3-point line and 7 of 7 from the foul line as he had 31 points on just 13 field goal attempts. It was the second straight game of deadly efficiency from Pledger, who has scored 53 points on 19 of 25 shooting from the field in OU’s last two games.

Unsung Hero: Sam Grooms. The junior college transfer finished the game with eight assists and zero turnovers. He added 10 points in his 38 minutes of action.

Key Stat: Nine. The Sooners had just nine points off the bench, all from Tyler Neal. The impact of Calvin Newell’s decision to transfer was felt on Saturday despite Neal’s increased aggressiveness.

Key Stat, Part II: 12. The Sooners made 12 more free throws than Houston attempted. OU was 19 of 24 from the foul line while U of H finished 5 of 7.

Quotable: ”Pledge was just terrific all night long. Not only did he score, he rebounded.” --OU coach Lon Kruger on Pledger’s game.

”It was a great night for him. He got great shots in the flow of our offense and found his sweet spots. He made shots tonight and did a lot of things out of the ordinary, which I haven’t seen for a while. ” -- Grooms on Pledger.

”It was very good for us. Adversity tells a lot about teams. At one point in time, I think we were down nine and coach asked us basically, ‘How are you going to respond?’ I think it might have been the best thing for us, it’s not good to win by 20 every night.” -- Grooms on the Sooners having to rally to win.

“You just have to go out there, put things aside and keep playing basketball, don’t let it get to you.” -- Andrew Fitzgerald on hitting two key baskets down the stretch after struggling from the field.

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

Kevin Wilson in Bloomington, Ind., writes: Why is Josh Heupel getting a free pass for that brutal game plan in Stillwater, and mediocre offense down the stretch? It seems like I got killed by every armchair quarterback/Sooner fan in sight, despite installing the most prolific scoring offense in NCAA history. Meanwhile “Golden Boy” skates by. What gives?

Jake Trotter: Kevin, I think OU fans have begun to appreciate you a lot more now that you’re no longer here. You’re right, you did get a bum rap (exhibit A, the following question), despite orchestrating a Top 15 offense almost every season you were OU’s coordinator. As for Heupel, I thought he did a solid job for his first season calling plays. But agreed, the Bedlam game plan was bad. Even Bob Stoops halfway threw it under the bus during his postgame press conference. Many more outings like that and Heupel won’t skate by for long.

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Tanner Smith in Broken Arrow, Okla., writes: Hey Jake, the Sooners have been struggling for several seasons offensively, and it's hard for me to really pinpoint where the problem lies. It's hard to believe it’s a lack-of-talent issue when you look at the success we've had in recruiting. So is it purely coaching? Also, how about a follow-back on Twitter?

Jake Trotter: Struggling? The last four seasons, OU has ranked fourth, 10th, 24th (even after Sam Bradford got hurt) and third nationally in total offense. In ’08, the Sooners set a modern FBS record for points scored in a season. Yes, OU struggled down the stretch this year, but that tends to happen when a team loses its leading receiver and leading rusher to season-ending injuries. As for the Twitter follow, what’s in it for me?

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Chris in Tahlequah, Okla., writes: Why are the Sooners not getting the elite talent like Florida State, Alabama and Texas?

Jake Trotter: You must not be reading the SoonerNation recruiting updates. OU is scheduled to possibly host the ESPNU Nos. 1, 3, 10 and 41 overall prospects in the country for official visits this weekend. Even if the Sooners sign none of those players this will still probably end up being a Top 10 class.

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A.J. in Los Angeles writes: What happened to R.J. Washington late in the year? I hardly saw him, even after Ronnell Lewis got hurt. And what’s with all the defensive ends they're looking at? I heard such good things about Geneo Grissom and Chuka Ndulue coming into the season –I thought end was going to be one of OU's strongest positions.

Jake Trotter: A.J., I hadn’t thought about this until you mentioned it, but you’re right, Washington did disappear at the end of the season. He didn’t even appear on the defensive box score in OU’s final two games, when Lewis was sidelined. I do know Washington didn’t see the field much against Iowa State because the Sooners only played one end, Frank Alexander, that game. Frankly, though, it wasn’t a good ending for anyone on the defensive line. Through the first eight games of the season, OU registered 34 sacks. In the last four, the Sooners had just three. That said, end was still the strongest position of the entire team. Alexander was the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year, Lewis was all-conference caliber, and for most of the year King and Washington were solid backups. Grissom and Ndulue have talent and I expect them to be factors in the rotation next season.

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Joshua in Houston writes: Jake, who knew 3 losses could spell so much gloom and doom around the Oklahoma football program? Please, give us some positives heading into the offseason and looking toward 2012.

Jake Trotter: The Sooners have a ton of talent back next season, and they are hosting their biggest recruiting weekend in years this weekend. Remember, there was a lot of negativity around the program at the end of 2007. OU lost 48-28 in the Fiesta Bowl, then Reggie Smith, Curtis Lofton and Malcolm Kelly added to the doom and gloom by declaring for the draft. And what happened the next year? OU played for the national championship.

Todd McShay breaks down his top 5 quarterbacks for the 2012 NFL Draft.