Oklahoma Sooners

NORMAN, Okla. -- With nothing open from his initial reads, quarterback Blake Bell abandoned the pocket. But instead of attempting to truck his way into the end zone, the artist formerly known as the "Belldozer" rolled right.

Near the sidelines, he waited, and waited. And then when he couldn’t wait any longer, Bell stuck a pass into the chest of receiver Durron Neal for a three-yard touchdown.

Bell said after Oklahoma’s Red-White spring game that he wanted to show he could "sling it around a little bit, too."

And sling it he did, demonstrating that the power running that made him a fan-favorite the past two seasons is just one facet of his arsenal.

Bell completed 14 of 23 passes for 213 yards and two touchdowns -- with no turnovers -- Saturday. He also showed the most poise and precision among the quarterbacks to seize momentum in the QB competition heading into the summer.

"I missed a couple throws," Bell said, "But overall, I thought I made some good plays, and was pretty accurate with the ball."

Bell displayed that accuracy from the opening possession, quickly moving the offense down the field with three completions to Jalen Saunders. The drive ultimately ended in a touchdown, when wide receiver Lacoltan Bester scooped up a Damien Williams fumble and raced 35 yards for the score.

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NORMAN, Okla. -- Oklahoma’s special teams units have had their ups-and-downs in the past five years. Multiple kickers on scholarship and shoddy coverage teams left lasting images in the minds of Sooners fans. Fortunately for OU, the production of its special teams units has improved recently, including a stellar performance in 2012 as those units played direct roles in helping OU win multiple games.

Jay Boulware hopes to take the Sooners’ special teams units to another level.

The Sooners' new special teams coordinator has several talented pieces to work with, including punt returner Jalen Saunders and kickoff returners Roy Finch and Brennan Clay. Saunders broke open Bedlam with his 81-yard punt return for a touchdown, Clay helped the Sooners capture a Big 12 road win at West Virginia with his 46-yard kickoff return in the final minutes and Finch had OU’s lone kickoff return for a touchdown with his 100-yard gallop against Kansas.

“None of the kids that I've been around at my last two stops were nearly as talented as these kids are as return men,” said Boulware, who coached Iowa State and Auburn before his arrival in Norman. “I tell these kids all the time, there's no reason they shouldn't be the most feared return unit in the country because they are that talented.”

Kicker Michael Hunnicutt, too, has provided much-needed stability in the kicking game for the past two seasons. He has made 36 of 43 career field goal attempts, but the Sooners are looking to transform Hunnicutt into a better weapon from 40 yards and beyond.

“He’s an 80-percent field goal guy,” Boulware said. “We just need to continue working and progressing on our field goals outside of 40 yards.”

The major concerns with the special teams this spring are replacing four-year starter Tress Way at punter and finding a kickoff specialist. OU recruited junior college punter Jed Barnett to replace Way and he’s been solid so far.

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NORMAN, Okla. -- Even though they were set at running back last fall with Damien Williams and others, the Sooners nearly still played Alex Ross as a true freshman. He was that impressive through summer workouts and two-a-days, drawing comparisons from position coach Cale Gundy to former OU standout Mike Gaddis, who glided past defenders until he tore his ACL in 1989.

This spring, after an offseason in which he’s gotten stronger and faster, Ross has continued to impress.

“He’s really good,” said fellow running back Brennan Clay. “He’s big, and he’s going to be physical. He’s a one-cut, type of guy and he’s just fast. Once he hits that vertical, he’s going to be good. We like backs like that at Oklahoma, and he’s going to do a great job.”

The 6-foot-1, 218-pound Ross tore up OU’s winter testing, posting a 40-yard dash time of 4.46 seconds, third-best among the Sooners’ offensive players. The only two to beat him in the 40 -- Roy Finch and Sterling Shepard -- weigh just 167 and 188 pounds, respectively.

That combination of speed and power has allowed Ross to reel off several big plays in OU’s team sessions so far this spring.

“He’s done some positive things, made some explosive plays with the ball in his hands in some of our run game, which is what you expect,” said offensive coordinator Josh Heupel. “He has great speed, a physical runner. And he’s got a much better grasp of what we’re doing offensively, too, which has given him a better chance to perform at a high level.”

It will be interesting to see how many carries Ross gets this season. In Williams and Clay, the Sooners return their top two backs from last season. Fullback Trey Millard also is back. Notwithstanding all that, OU is likely to run its quarterback a good amount in 2013. Carries will be scarce.

But with Williams, Clay, Millard and Roy Finch all being seniors, Ross could be the heir-apparent in the OU backfield for 2014. Which alone could warrant him time in the rotation this season.

After making a visit to take in an Oklahoma practice Tuesday, Samaje Perine knew he didn’t need to wait any longer.

The ESPN Watch List running back from Pflugerville (Texas) Hendrickson went home, talked it over with his parents and decided it was time to make it official: He’s going to be a Sooner.

On Wednesday, the 5-foot-11, 213-pound power back became Oklahoma’s third 2014 verbal commit.

“It feels great,” he said. “I had a good relationship with the coaches and I felt like home away from home.”

Perine chose Oklahoma over Alabama and TCU, and he also held offers from Tennessee, Houston and Purdue. The Sooners have been the favorite for a while now, especially after running backs coach Cale Gundy convinced Perine he’d have a chance to play right away when he gets to Norman, Okla.

With backs Damien Williams, Brennan Clay and Roy Finch set to graduate after this season, Perine likes the opportunity OU offers. That ended up being a major reason he had to turn down an offer from the national champion Crimson Tide.

“Alabama is a great school, but they just have so many backs right now and they’re going to have a lot of great backs when I graduate,” Perine said. “There wasn’t a need for me there.”

In the end, though, it was his relationship with Gundy that sealed the deal.

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Three keys for Oklahoma in tonight’s AT&T Cotton Bowl against Texas A&M:

1. Protect Landry Jones, and the ball: When the Sooners have kept Jones upright, he’s been lethal throwing the ball to a quartet of playmaking receivers. But the few times that opposing defenses have gotten pressure, Jones has been subject to major mistakes, notably in a loss to Kansas State earlier this season. This will be OU’s toughest protection test yet, as the Aggies feature one of the top sack artists in the country in Damontre Moore. But if OU can keep Moore and his cohorts out of Jones’ face, the Sooners should be able to move the ball through the air against what’s been an inconsistent Texas A&M secondary.

2. Contain Johnny Football: OU defensive coordinator Mike Stoops said this week that you can’t stop Johnny Manziel. But you can contain him. That’s obviously easier said than done. Just ask Alabama. But if the Sooners can keep Manziel in the pocket and prevent him from reeling off big plays on the move, they should be in good shape.

3. Win the special teams battle: The Sooners have their best special teams units in years, especially in the return game. Jalen Saunders’ punt return touchdown against Oklahoma State helped sparked the Sooners in a come-from-behind Bedlam win. Brennan Clay and Roy Finch have also been very good returning kicks, and punter Tress Way can swing field position with his leg. One way to counter Manziel is to make plays when he’s not on the field. The Sooners could use some big plays on special teams.

SoonerNation is counting down the top five moments of Oklahoma’s 2012 season this week.

Play No. 3

Few Sooners have been passed over on the depth chart more than Brennan Clay. In 2010, Clay was supplanted in the rotation by Roy Finch, after Finch returned from a foot injury. In 2011, Clay started the opener but was eventually replaced in the starting lineup by walk-on phenom Dominique Whaley. This season, junior-college transfer Damien Williams quickly took carries away from Clay on his way to winning the starting job.

But late this season, Clay’s patience finally paid off. After Williams was injured at the end of the Notre Dame loss, Clay got the nod at Iowa State. Clay made the most of 24 carries, rushing for 157 yards and a touchdown in the best performance of his career.

His shining moment, however, came three weeks later. After trailing Oklahoma State the entire game, the Sooners finally had a chance to win after the Pokes settled for a field goal in the first possession of overtime.

Trey Millard took the opening salvo seven yards. Then, riding the hot hand, offensive coordinator Josh Heupel called Clay’s number on a trap play. Clay maneuvered his way through the Cowboys' front line, spun out of Daytawion Lowe’s attempted tackle, then escaped Shamiel Gary's diving attempt at the ankles before lunging into the end zone.

Clay was mobbed by teammates in the end zone, and the Owen Field crowd hung around for several minutes to celebrate the Bedlam victory with the team.

The O-line did a great job getting blocks; shout-out to Gabe Ikard and Bronson [Irwin] and Adam [Shead],” Clay said afterward. “They hit their guy and parted the way and I was able to hit the hole and made a few guys miss and get the end zone.

“Being able to break a long one and being able to score the game-winning touchdown, it's really blessed me."