Oklahoma Sooners

OKLAHOMA SOONERS

2012 record: 10-3

2012 conference record: 8-1 (tied for first, Big 12)

Returning starters: Offense: 7; defense: 4; kicker/punter: 1

Top returners

RB Damien Williams, FB Trey Millard, WR Jalen Saunders, WR Sterling Shepard, C Gabe Ikard, DE/DT Chuka Ndulue, LB Corey Nelson, CB Aaron Colvin

Key losses

QB Landry Jones, WR Justin Brown, WR Kenny Stills, OT Lane Johnson, DE David King, CB Demontre Hurst, FS Tony Jefferson, SS Javon Harris

2012 statistical leaders (*returners)

Rushing: Damien Williams* (946 yards)
Passing: Landry Jones (4,267yards)
Receiving: Kenny Stills (959 yards)
Tackles: Tony Jefferson (119)
Sacks: Chuka Ndulue* (5)
Interceptions: Javon Harris (6)

Spring answers

1. Playmakers abound: The Sooners might have lost leading receivers Kenny Stills and Justin Brown, but there’s plenty of firepower back to support whoever wins the starting quarterback job. Jalen Saunders was actually Oklahoma’s most efficient receiver the second half of last season and seems primed to take over as the go-to target. The Sooners also have several talented up-and-coming receivers who had good springs, led by slot extraordinaire Sterling Shepard. The backfield is even deeper, with leading rushers Damien Williams and Brennan Clay back, to go along with Trey Millard, one of the top all-around fullbacks in the country.

2. Cortez will flank Colvin: The secondary was decimated by graduation and Tony Jefferson’s early entry into the NFL draft. One of those voids was cornerback, where Demontre Hurst had started the previous years. That void at least, however, appears to have been filled. Arizona transfer Cortez Johnson seized the job from the first day of spring drills, and has given the Sooners every indication to believe they’ll have a big, physical corner to pair with All-American candidate Aaron Colvin in the fall.

3. The linebackers will play: In a desperate move to slow down the high-powered passing attacks of the Big 12, defensive coordinator Mike Stoops pulled his linebackers off the field. The plan backfired, as opposing offenses ran at will over the linebacker-less Sooners. This spring, Stoops has renewed his commitment to the linebacker, which, ironically, could be the strength of the defense. Corey Nelson, Frank Shannon and Aaron Franklin are all athletic and capable of generating negative plays, something Oklahoma’s defense sorely lacked last season.

Fall questions

1. Who the QB will be in October: Bob Stoops said he would wait until the fall before naming a starter, and so far, he’s made good on his word. Junior Blake Bell took a lead in the competition during the spring, as expected. But sophomore Kendal Thompson and redshirt freshman Trevor Knight, who both got equal reps as Bell, played well at times, too. It’s hard to see Bell not starting the first game. But if he struggles against a tough September schedule, it’s not unthinkable one of the younger QBs would be given a shot.

2. How the new offense will fare: Looking to utilize the skill sets of their mobile quarterbacks, the Sooners will be running a very different offense from the one Sam Bradford and Landry Jones both operated. Offensive coordinator Josh Heupel kept most of these new plays - including loads of read option -- in his hip pocket during the spring game. But it will be interesting to see how the Sooners -- and just as important, opposing defenses -- adjust to this new era of offense in Norman.

3. Defensive line play: The Sooners went into spring ball with just three defensive tackles on the roster, and little experience at defensive end. The unit showed strides during the spring, with Chuka Ndulue making a smooth transition from end to tackle, and tackle Jordan Phillips coming up big in the spring game. But that was the spring. The defensive line will have to continue to grow rapidly in the fall for the Sooners to have any hope of improving from last year defensively.

NORMAN, Okla. -- It’s rare to hear teammates rave about a player who has done so little on Saturdays. Offensive linemen who have to deal with him during practice at Oklahoma describe him with statements that include "future All-American," "the next Gerald McCoy" and "a handful."

Yet all that praise means nothing unless Jordan Phillips becomes a difference-maker at defensive tackle for the Sooners.

The last 12 months have seen progress from Phillips as he worked his way into the defensive tackle rotation in the season’s final few weeks in 2012. This spring, as all eyes turned his way as the lone defensive tackle on the roster with any experience, he continued to improve.

Sophomore center Ty Darlington, who spent a large portion of the spring battling Phillips, called him the toughest one-on-one matchup on the squad.

“He’s made me look like a child a couple of times,” Darlington said with a chuckle. “He’s athletic for his size, he moves so well and he has long arms.”

The sophomore followed up a strong spring with a strong Red-White spring game, as Phillips showed his continued improvement by spending a good portion of the game in the offense's backfield, finishing with three tackles and a sack. When he keeps his 6-foot-6, 318-pound frame low along the line of scrimmage, he can be a powerful force in the middle that is difficult for one offensive lineman to contain.

“He’s a monster on the inside,” defensive end Geneo Grissom said after Phillips’ inside pressure helped free Grissom up to record four tackles and one sack in the spring game.

Phillips, who can do a back flip and dunk a basketball with ease, has amazing athleticism. Those physical traits should provide a foundation that could make him a terror in the future for Big 12 offenses.

But the next three months could be the most critical time for the sophomore. And it could be even more important to the Sooners’ defense.

“He has to be a player for us,” defensive coordinator Mike Stoops said. “Getting Jordan to where he can play 50 snaps a game is going to be a necessity for us to be successful and play effectively for 50 snaps. And that is where he has to have to have a great summer, with conditioning, for us to be able to rely on him for 50 snaps.”

In other words the Sooners are counting on him to approach this summer as if the success of the entire defense is resting upon his broad shoulders. And, in some ways, it is.

“Jordan is real good, he just needs someone to push him,” linebacker Corey Nelson said. “Going against the offense he’ll get a little gassed and I’ll have to say ‘Jordan, pick it up.’ He’ll pick it up and get to the next gear. His potential is far beyond any potential I can think of as far as our defensive line goes. he has the potential to be one of the greatest to come out of here.”

Phillips knows he still has a long way to go. And Nelson -- who has expressed a desire to be one of the senior leaders on this year’s squad -- believes he knows how Phillips can change his potential into production.

“Play fast, play with a motor and be physical, even when he’s tired,” Nelson said. “Being physical, being able to play fast and play smart, that will make him the player he needs to be.”

NORMAN, Okla. -- Defensive end Geneo Grissom wants the Oklahoma defensive line to ignite emotions from within opponents this fall.

“I want to make sure, when we step on the field, O-linemen are scared,” Grissom said. “I want our D-line to invoke fear in opposing O-lines.”

The Sooners' defensive line took some positive steps in that direction during the Red-White spring game at Oklahoma Memorial Stadium on Saturday. Defensive linemen accounted for four of the five sacks in the game, including two from defensive tackle Rashod Favors and one apiece from Grissom and defensive tackle Jordan Phillips.

“I thought the D-line overall did a really good job,” coach Bob Stoops said. “I thought they got good pressure, and for the most part, playing the run, I thought they did a pretty good job.”

The Sooners' quarterbacks spent a good part of the scrimmage on the run evading pressure, a sign the defensive line is improving.

And in a game that featured 112 total offensive plays, OU’s defensive front limited the big run, with Brennan Clay’s 35-yard scamper ranking as the longest ground gain.

“We did what we had to do,” Grissom said. “You always feel you can get better and do better, but we were completing our assignments and doing what we’re being taught to do.”

The Sooners' defensive line isn’t quite there yet. While OU’s front was disruptive at times, it struggled to get pressure at times and got off to a slow start in the first quarter.

“We still need to develop playmakers up front,” defensive coordinator Mike Stoops said. “But I thought they got better as the game went along.”

(Read full post)

NORMAN, Okla. -- Uplifting. Intense. Intelligent.

Those are a few of the words that have been used describe Jerry Montgomery during his first spring as defensive line coach at Oklahoma. There’s been a change at practice as the Sooners' energetic new assistant starts to make his mark, and it has been noticed, even by players at other positions.

“He is outspoken,” linebacker Corey Nelson said. “He remains positive no matter what. He uplifts a lot of the players. He coaches them up very well and just teaches them how to have character on the field and to work hard with that character.”

Several Sooners have pointed toward Montgomery’s intensity on the field and sincerity off the field as key attributes that the former Michigan defensive line coach has infused into the program.

“I see the intensity on the field,” said center Ty Darlington, who was recruited to Michigan by Montgomery out of high school. “But I think it’s great he couples it with what seems like sincere care for his players off the field and developing relationships with those guys. He seems like an easygoing guy away from the field.”

He has combined a laid back off-field demeanor with intensity while making a point to hold his guys accountable with a positive slant behind his words.

(Read full post)

NORMAN, Okla. -- Asked about his individual goals heading into the 2013 season, Oklahoma safety Gabe Lynn answered without hesitation.

“Be a leader to my teammates and make as many plays as I can,” said the fifth-year senior from Jenks, Okla.

Make no mistake, Lynn will have plenty of eyes on him. From Mike Stoops to his defensive teammates to Sooners fans, every step Lynn takes will be noted this fall. As one of three senior starters on the defense, Lynn will need to emerge as a vocal leader and calm presence at free safety.

“I’ve been around here long enough, so it’s definitely something I have to be,” Lynn said of taking on a leadership role on defense alongside fellow seniors Corey Nelson and Aaron Colvin. “I have to be more vocal since I’m in the middle now.”

Adding to the attention is his move to free safety, a position that requires vocal leadership and was vacated when Tony Jefferson, OU’s leading tackler in 2012, left early for the NFL. After playing cornerback and nickelback during his first four years at OU, Lynn might have finally found a home.

(Read full post)

NORMAN, Okla. -- It’s hard to remember now, but just two springs ago, Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops called then-sophomore linebacker Corey Nelson the “best player” on his defense and said “it’s not close.”

Nelson is a senior now. And, finally, it appears the Sooners are going to give him the opportunity to deliver on Stoops’ proclamation.

“I’m really looking forward to playing again,” Nelson said. “(Not playing) has ignited a fire under me.”

Nelson has reason to have fire in his belly this spring.

After a promising freshman campaign followed by that dominating spring, Nelson figured to be on the cusp of stardom two seasons ago.

Sporadic playing time since, though, has stymied Nelson’s development -- to the point he thought of joining fellow linebacker Tom Wort and leaving Oklahoma.

“We had conversations, multiple conversations, just throughout the season, just talking about how frustrated he was, and how frustrated I was at times,” Nelson said.

Those frustrations stemmed from the Sooners’ defensive regime change from Brent Venables to Mike Stoops.

While Venables built his defenses around his linebackers, Mike Stoops consigned Wort and Nelson to plugging gaps and funneling tackles to the safeties.

(Read full post)