Oklahoma Sooners

A week after struggling with Idaho State's zone defense in a close win, the Sooners came out prepared Friday night.

Turns out, all Oklahoma needed was its best perimeter shooter.

Junior guard Steven Pledger, who was suspended for OU's 78-74 win over Idaho State because he participated in a pro-am game last summer, returned to score 20 points on 8-of-14 shooting to lead the Sooners to a 92-65 rout over Coppin State.

Pledger, who admitted to being nervous in his first game of the season, led the Sooners on a 23-0 run early in the first half as OU jumped out to a 30-6 lead. They shot 45 percent from the field and 42 percent from three-point range against the Eagles.

Oklahoma coach Lon Kruger said Pledger's return to the starting lineup sparked the Sooners, but it wasn't just his shooting.

"He does so much more," Kruger said. "He sees the floor well. He's got a good feel for the game. He makes plays for others. Defensively, he's got a good feel."

Player of the Game: Steven Pledger.

Unsung Hero: Romero Osby. With 11 points and 10 rebounds, he has back-to-back double-doubles in his first two games as a Sooner.

Key Stat: 61. The Sooners out-rebounded Coppin State 61 to 27. The 61 rebounds are Oklahoma's most in a single game since joining the Big 12. Andrew Fitzgerald, C.J. Washington, Casey Arent and Osby each had at least 8 rebounds tonight.

Quotable: “Coach (Kruger) always preaches rebounding.” -- Osby, who had 10 rebounds for Oklahoma.

"We practiced really hard this week. Coach (Kruger) preached to us about how we have to create our own energy and I think we brought it tonight." -- Fitzgerald on the team's energy level.

"This is not a vacation; it's more of a business trip." -- Pledger on playing in the 76 Classic tournament next week.

A season-ending knee injury derailed the junior season for wide receiver Dejuan Miller and spurred Cameron Kenney to make big plays down the stretch.

Now with star Ryan Broyles out for the season, Miller is looking for a role reversal and is hoping to make the last four games of his OU career memorable.

Miller has 11 catches for 121 yards and a touchdown this season.

SoonerNation: It’s been more than a week now since Broyles’ injury, what has changed for you?

Dejuan Miller: It’s about going out and having good practice habits. When you have the confidence and develop that certain type of swagger, you start self-talking you know you can make this play. That attitude translates into the game. Next three weeks honing in on practicing a lot better.

SN: One player who has stepped it up is Jaz Reynolds, has anything surprised you about his emergence this season?

Miller: I’ve never seen anybody just pluck it out like that with one hand. Jaz, as a person and a player, has really progressed throughout the season. Any player once they get confidence, you start to develop a swagger. You go out there and really start to believe you can make every play.

SN: Winding down to the final games of your career, how would you characterize your time at OU?

Miller: I’ve had a good time here at OU. I want to end my senior year 4-0 and hopefully playing in New Orleans for the national championship. I’m looking forward to the challenge of these next three games and seeing what the future holds for us.

SN: Going from New Jersey to Oklahoma was a big move, has OU been everything that you hoped it would be?

Miller: I can’t really say it has. I mean nobody really expects to get hurt their junior year. I was starting and getting into my groove. It’s not like starting all over again, but I had to pick up the pieces and look within myself. But OU has been a lot of fun, met a lot of great people. And I got some of the best coaching in the country from [Bob] Stoops, [Jay] Norvell, [Josh] Heupel and even coach [Kevin] Wilson before he left for Indiana. They’ve all taught me so much.

SN: The injury to Broyles, though a huge loss for the team on and off the field, is going to give other players a chance to show what they can do.

Miller: It is bittersweet. Me and Ryan have been playing together for so long, four years, definitely hate to see him go down at this time in his career. On the sweet side, other guys get a chance to step up and show what they can do. Everybody is talented with this receiving group. From Jaz to Trey to Kameel to Kenny, they can all catch and make things happen. Landry is capable enough to spread the ball around. I think we’re going to have good balance with the receivers.

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

Jack in Sedalia, Mo., writes: Ryan Broyles was one of the best players in OU history. Where do you think he will be drafted in the NFL and what round?

Jake Trotter: It’s too early to speculate where he might get picked, but what about the St. Louis Rams? Sam Bradford needs receivers, and the Rams like to utilize the slot. I see Broyles being a second day pick, somewhere in the third round.

Randy Jordan in Manila, Philippines, writes: With the year most likely turning out to not end in a national championship game, do you think Landry Jones will stay for another year? Are his chances of going high in the draft still good?


Jake Trotter: Randy, I think you’re underrating OU’s chances of sneaking into the national title game. If the Sooners win out, I think they get in. But if OU doesn’t win it all, I can see Jones coming back, especially considering his situation with fiancé and OU women’s basketball star Whitney Hand. Jones’ stock has slipped a bit this year, but he’d still probably be a first round pick. By coming back, he could play his way into be a high first round in 2013.

Michael Schultz in Frankfurt, Germany, writes: The Huskers and Sooners in the Fiesta Bowl? That would be a great game, and definitely would pull in the fans from both sides.

Jake Trotter: The Fiesta Bowl is very aware of OU fans having fatigue with another trip to Phoenix, where the Sooners have been three of the last five years. But the Fiesta also believes it can get a matchup that would excite the OU fan base. That’s why it’s looking very hard at Nebraska.

Michael Henson in Lake Havasu City, Ariz., writes: What is your opinion of the Big 12 adding Central and South Florida? They are in metropolitan areas, in great recruiting areas, have large student populations and are great big donor travel destinations.

Jake Trotter: All great points, Michael, but you’re leaving out one major negative: proximity. That would be a killer for Olympic sports. If anyone else gets added to the Big 12, I believe it will be Louisville first.

Charles McDonald in Dallas writes: Do you think the fact that Brent Venables hasn't been in touch with Brian Nance in quite awhile is contributed to either Oklahoma not wanting to cater to his entitled ego? Or more likely that they've seen something in someone else they like more and they're silently okay with him going to Baylor or USC instead?

Jake Trotter: I called in OU recruiting expert Bob Przybylo to give you a more thorough answer to this question. Here’s what he said:

It's a good question because OU still doesn't have a verbal commit at linebacker. After talking to Brian Nance several times in the last two months, I don't believe it has anything to do with an entitled ego. He's been very open and honest about his situation and has actually stay level-headed through everything. The red flag on Nance, if there is one, is academically. I'm not sure if OU is willing to take a shot on someone who might not qualify academically. Nance has said he is putting all the time and dedication into his grades this year, but I cannot say that I know how he has done so far as a senior. I do agree Venables would reach out if it was a No. 1 priority. If he didn't have the time, he would make the time to stress to the recruit how important he is to OU.

With Nance taking a backseat, a lot of attention is now being geared toward LB Quanzell Lambert (Sicklerville, N.J./Timber Creek). Lambert made his official visit against Texas A&M and his father was very impressed with the atmosphere and campus. Lambert still has to take a visit to Alabama in December, but it sure seems like Lambert is the No. 1 linebacker on OU's board right now.

Oklahoma 49, Baylor 21
Even without Ryan Broyles, the Sooners put the points against a shaky Baylor defense, Landry Jones has a big day through the air. The defense gives up some big plays to Robert Griffin III early, but shores up in the second half.

Pick to click: Last year, a true freshman (Roy Finch) emerged to spark the OU offense late in the season. Saturday, another true freshman, wideout Kameel Jackson, gives the Sooners a spark out of the slot in place of Broyles.
- Jake Trotter

Oklahoma 35, Baylor 21
Three turnovers limit the Bears effectiveness as the Sooners speed gives Griffin problems. Ronnell Lewis and Frank Alexander set up a second home in Baylor's backfield, limiting the big play opportunities for Kendall Wright. Offensively, the loss of Broyles is felt throughout the game until fourth quarter touchdowns from Kenny Stills and Finch help put the game away.

Pick to click: Linebacker Corey Nelson has been relatively quiet in OU's recent games but has one of the best games of his career with three tackles for loss, two sacks and one forced fumble.
- Brandon Chatmon

Oklahoma 37, Baylor 23
Another big road game and another big outing by the Sooners. OU has found the ability to get up for the big road games this season and with Baylor being ranked No. 22, expect that to continue Saturday night. The Sooners solve Griffin in the second half to pick up the victory.

Pick to click: Finch's continues his emergence in the second half of the season. While all the talk will be about how OU replaces Broyles, Finch is going to have the best game of his career.
- Bob Przybylo

The loss of Ryan Broyles will impact everyone on the Sooners offense.

Expect Kameel Jackson to feel the impact more than most. The true freshman receiver will likely see an increased role in Oklahoma’s offense with Broyles sidelined for the remainder of the season.

Broyles had developed an uncanny quarterback-receiver relationship with signal-caller Landry Jones, a relationship Jackson is hoping to try to mimic during these final three games of the regular season.

“Coming from high school, that’s something I didn’t really have to focus on, quarterback-receiver timing,” Jackson said. “At this level it’s key and Landry stressed that to me getting that timing down.”

Fortunately for Jackson, Jones and the Sooners offense, OU had a bye week after Broyles' injury allowing them to prepare for life without their All-American receiver. He had three practices last week to improve the timing with the Sooners junior quarterback.

“It helped a lot,” Jackson said on Monday. “I could tell today that it helped out a lot, like he’s trusting me a little more. I’ve seen a difference.”

Getting practice reps with Jones throwing to Jackson is critical so Jones can begin to recognize and get comfortable with how Jackson works to get open. Jones knew what Broyles was going to do before he did it, making the duo even more lethal. And that should be the goal for Jackson.

SoonerNation has released the latest edition of the Sooner Intel, a sneak peek inside Oklahoma Sooners football recruiting for SoonerNation subscribers only.

As with any good piece of intelligence, everything that is reported in Sooner Intel stays on the There’s Only One forum. Sometimes some of the information is so sensitive and for Sooner fans’ eyes only, that it simply doesn’t need to be passed on beyond this thread.

Some things discussed:

- A look inside OU's East Coast recruiting trip and recruits the Sooners' offered
- Is Durron Neal a solid commit to Oklahoma?
- A possible option at defensive back if other plans fall through
- An update on New Jersey linebacker Quanzell Lambert
- Polo Manukainiu and Brian Nance's busy Saturday
- Is Joshua Garnett visiting for the Iowa State game?

Check out the Sooner Intel here.

As much as Oklahoma will miss Ryan Broyles on game days, the Sooners will miss their All-American receiver on the practice field almost as much. Broyles was the unquestioned leader of the Sooners receiving corps and served as a mentor to the team's young receivers.

With Broyles out due to a torn ACL suffered in OU’s last game against Texas A&M, sophomore Kenny Stills is making a point to try to fill the leadership void in practice.

“It’s different,” Stills said of the Sooners’ practices since Broyles' injury. “We have different guys trying to step up and be leaders. I’ve been harping on the little things, making sure we get the depths in our routes, making sure our hands are up in our stances, just little things Ryan would remind us of.”

OU’s receivers have added little things to their practice routine including small huddles as a group between plays.

“We’ve tried to change a few things so we don’t feel like we are missing a piece,” Stills said. “We’ve tried to make it feel more like a brotherhood and more like we’re involved because we know we are all going to have to step up individually in Ryan’s absence.”

Stills will be counted on to have a big role in the Sooners offense but is clearly looking to take over as one of the leaders among the receiving corps, as well.

While losing Broyles and his video game-like production is a major blow to the offense, it could pay huge dividends next season as Stills gets an opportunity to experience all of the attention and responsibility that comes along with being considered “the man” at receiver.

So, Bob Stoops is passing up opportunities to convince voters his team deserves a chance to play for all the crawdads in the Bayou this January?

"I don't think we have to," Stoops said. "We'll see. I wasn't much on lobbying much the last time we were in that situation, and it worked pretty good."

The last time was back in 2008, when the Sooners got the Big 12 title nod over Texas and Texas Tech, eventually landing in the national title game.

But Stoops has especially good reason to save his breath for now. His team will have ample opportunities to prove itself before the year is over, its best chance to impress coming in its final outing.

The season finale against No. 2 Oklahoma State sticks out as the biggest megaphone for Oklahoma to make its case, but first, a trip to face a ranked Baylor team.

A blowout like the Sooners enjoyed in 2010 would be exactly what's needed.

"You get to this point and everybody wants to project the end, and you can’t. We talk about it every year," Stoops said. "Stay in the moment and really handle what we’re able to handle, and that’s being prepared as we can to go down to Baylor."

That's how you produce desired results, but if Stoops isn't willing to state his case yet off the field, he's already proven himself as a man willing to do whatever it takes to state it on the field. He infamously elected to punt from his own 7-yard line while trailing by nine with just more than two minutes remaining in a loss to Missouri last season.

"It's a long year. Who knows how poll people look at scores?" Stoops told reporters after the game. "Had we had a reasonable amount, some kind of field position, had we shown any signs the previous three plays of making a play, we would have (gone for it). But I didn't see that."

Alabama sits ahead of Oklahoma in the BCS standings, but likely won't play in its own conference title game after losing to No. 1 LSU earlier this month. Oregon lost to the Tigers on the season's opening weekend, but is still a spot behind Oklahoma in the BCS, despite winning at Stanford last week.

The task ahead is simple, and whether Stoops says it or not, he knows what could happen. Wins by big points could put Oklahoma in the title game.

"In some instances, there’s a certain point it doesn’t matter, depending on where the game’s at or how it’s played, but I guess as a voter, it’s considered to a point," Stoops said.

The Sooners must outrun a quizzical loss to Texas Tech that's now the Red Raiders' only win in their past six games. Stoops can elect to politick if he wants, but the truth is this: His best argument is having his team ready to win its final three games by big numbers.

It’s been a struggle for Oklahoma senior center Ben Habern to get back on the field after breaking a bone in his forearm in September.

But his injury forced the Sooners to find depth in their offensive line. And with Habern back, it’s giving OU options it has rarely had before with the interior linemen.

Following the bye week, Habern, like most other players trying to recover from injuries, said he feels a lot better.

SoonerNation: First off, how is the forearm?

Ben Habern: To just jump right back into things after being out for five weeks was probably a little quick, but I felt like I handled it well. I feel completely healthy now. I have no pain.

SN: It had to help to have that bye week to rest up. What did you do last weekend?

Habern: Having Friday and the weekend off was nice, felt good to recuperate. I went home and hung out with my family watched football all day. It was great because we never get a chance to do that.

SN: A lot happened in terms of the national championship picture with the games last week, do you pay attention to that?

Habern: No, not really. Most of the guys know about it, but we can’t be worried about that. We know we have a tough road test against Baylor. We’re focused on what we need to improve on every game.

SN: To an outsider, it’s easy to overlook Baylor because OU is undefeated against the Bears, but you guys certainly aren’t approaching it that way, right?

Habern: I didn’t even know that they were 0-19. I know they’re 5-0 at home this season. I know they’re a good team and play really well at home. The crowd will be real into it and excited. They’ve got a great offense and will score some. We have to keep up with them. (Note: The Sooners are actually 20-0 against Baylor all-time)

SN: Your injury shook up the offensive line, but the guys bounced back in a big way. How tough was it to get back into the flow of things?

Habern: It’s been interesting because when I went out, guys had to step up quickly. Adam Shead stepped up. Bronson Irwin stepped up. It raised everybody’s level of play. It’s raised my level of play. If I’m going to compete, I have to raise my level of play. It’s not like we’re against each other or anything like that. We’re a tight group, the guards and centers.

SN: With everybody raising each other’s level of play, how has that helped the depth of the offensive line?

Habern: It’s definitely helped. We have the depth to rotate two experienced centers in me and Gabe [Ikard]. For him to be able to rotate at center and guard, you don’t see that often. I’ve taken a few reps at guard. I feel confident playing at guard. It’s a lot like center, you just don’t snap the ball.

Monday night, sophomore nickelback Tony Jefferson revealed the injury that has been bothering him is a sprained MCL on his right knee.

Jefferson suffered the injury during the loss to Texas Tech last month. He actually played through the injury the following week against Kansas State, and recorded six tackles, a sack and a forced fumble. But against Texas A&M, Jefferson played only one defensive snap, though Bob Stoops and defensive coordinator Brent Venables cited the main reason was that Joe Ibiloye’s size matched up better against the Aggies’ pro-set offense.

Jefferson said the open date has helped him get closer to 100 percent.

“I feel much better now,” said Jefferson, who practiced Monday.

On the season, Jefferson is fourth on the team with 47 tackles, and leads the Sooners with four interceptions.

The Big 12 boasts some of the top quarterbacks in the nation.

But none puts more stress on a defense than Baylor’s Robert Griffin III. The Bears quarterback, who combines Olympic-level speed and a solid arm, forces defenses to prepare for his various talents.

“He’s not just a runner, he’s not just a thrower, he does both,” Oklahoma defensive coordinator Brent Venables said. “He’s a very explosive player, he’s like having a bigger Ryan Broyles at quarterback.

"He’s got great incredible speed, great burst to him and great short-area quickness in space. He’s kind of got it all.”

While Griffin brings unique talent to the table, the Sooners defense could be well-equipped to face the junior quarterback. OU features several versatile defenders including defensive end Ronnell Lewis, linebacker/safety Tony Jefferson and safety Aaron Colvin.

Lewis has unique athleticism that could help him corral Griffin in the pocket, Jefferson can help support the run like a linebacker with his physical play yet feels comfortable in coverage like a safety and Colvin brings the ballhawking skills and range of a safety along with the coverage abilities of a cornerback.

Expect Venables to take advantage of the Sooners speed and versatility to put Griffin in difficult situations with the goal of forcing mental mistakes.