Oklahoma Sooners

NORMAN. Okla. -- The players on the offensive line will be largely the same in 2013. The coach directing them will not.

One of the first moves Bob Stoops made after signing day was firing Bruce Kittle and James Patton and replacing them with Bill Bedenbaugh, who was formerly at West Virginia.

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Leading up to signing day, SoonerNation will take a closer look at the Class of 2013 prospects currently committed to Oklahoma. The in-depth analysis pieces will take a look at the ranking, estimated year of impact and potential role of each future Sooner.

Vitals: Offensive tackle Josiah St. John (Athens, Texas/Trinity Valley Community College) | 6-foot-7, 300 pounds

Committed: Dec. 19, 2012

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AT&T COTTON BOWL
Texas A&M (10-2, 6-2 SEC) vs. Oklahoma (10-2, 8-1 Big 12)
Where: Arlington, Texas
When: Friday, Jan. 4, 8 p.m. ET
TV: FOX

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Every Thursday, the SoonerNation staff will answer a roundtable question about OU football. Leave a comment or talk about it in our "There's Only One" forum.

Today's question: Which Sooner has the most to prove going into the Cotton Bowl?

• With Stacy McGee likely suspended for the Cotton Bowl, the future of the defensive tackle position at Oklahoma figures to get his chance. Freshman Jordan Phillips has played sparingly this season, but he'll be the returning defensive tackle with the most experience next season. Phillips has shown flashes, but only that. If the Sooners are going to be a contender next season, Phillips has to prove that he can anchor what otherwise will be a young and inexperienced defensive tackle rotation. Some big plays in the Cotton Bowl will give him some much needed confidence and momentum going into the offseason.

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Each week SoonerNation will take a closer look at the Class of 2013 prospects currently committed to Oklahoma. The in-depth analysis pieces will take a look at the ranking, estimated year of impact and potential role of each future Sooner.

Vitals: Offensive tackle Christian Daimler, Houston/Stratford | 6-foot-6, 270 pounds

Committed: Dec. 19, 2012

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The competition at offensive tackle just went up another level at Oklahoma.

Offensive tackle Josiah St. John (Athens, Texas/Trinity Valley Community College) committed to the Sooners on Wednesday, throwing his name into the competition to replace Lane Johnson in OU’s starting lineup in 2013. St. John picked the Sooners over Kansas and had offers from Texas A&M, Baylor, West Virginia, Oklahoma State and others. The No. 6-ranked recruit in the ESPN JC 100, St. John is a four-star prospect with a 83 rating from ESPN.com recruiting analysts.

St. John steps on campus with the ability to start and should create a more competitive atmosphere among the tackles with Daryl Williams and Tyrus Thompson returning next season. It would have been easy to slot Williams and Thompson in as OU’s starting tackles if the Sooners hadn’t landed St. John but his decision will give the Sooners coaching staff options while forcing Williams and Thompson to compete for their spot in the rotation. The Sooners generally prefer to rotate their offensive linemen so St. John will undoubtedly have an immediate impact even if he doesn’t secure a starting role.

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After grading the performance of Oklahoma’s offensive tackles in 2012, it is the perfect time to take a closer look at the offensive tackles on the roster or the commitment list as SoonerNation evaluates the future at the offensive tackle position for Oklahoma.

Here’s a look at one player who could be next in line to make a major impact, one player to keep an eye on and one current commitment who could be the future at the offensive tackle position:

Next in line: Tyrus Thompson. The redshirt sophomore tackle saw spot duty this season and held his own when asked to step in for Lane Johnson or Daryl Williams as injuries hit the offensive tackle position. Thompson’s emergence last spring -- he actually started the spring game -- helped push Johnson at the left tackle spot and he provided quality depth this season. He should be able to step in as a starter in 2013.

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In the weeks leading up to the AT&T Cotton Bowl, SoonerNation will take a look back at how the Sooners performed position by position and give each group a grade based on that performance. Today, we examine the offensive tackles.

Highlights: In shootout wins over West Virginia and Oklahoma State, Landry Jones dropped back to pass 122 times. He was sacked once. Without such spectacular protection from Lane Johnson, Daryl Williams and Tyrus Thompson, the Sooners do not win those games.

Lowlights: The tackles and the rest of the offensive line figured out a way to overcome a slew of injuries. But in the Notre Dame loss, the Sooners were dominated up front. Jones was sacked twice and the running backs managed just 44 yards on 17 carries. The Sooners couldn’t run up the middle. And they couldn’t produce anything on the perimeter, either. The worst part? Notre Dame dominated while playing only three down linemen.

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Bowl practices can be a critical time for any football program. It’s an opportunity for young players to show how they’ve improved during the season and set themselves up in integral roles on the offense or defense heading into the spring while the veterans recover from a physical schedule.

Here’s a look at five young players at Oklahoma who could use bowl practices as a springboard to a bigger role for the Sooners in 2013.

Receiver Trey Metoyer

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As Oklahoma stares at the final four games of the regular season, the Sooners still have several goals, including a possible BCS berth, within reach.

Nonetheless, Oklahoma football is about championships. And a BCS title berth is out of the question and an outright Big 12 championship would require a Kansas State collapse down the stretch.

Therefore, now is a good time for the Sooners to starting thinking of 2013 as well as finishing off 2012 without another loss. Both goals can be accomplished if OU makes it a point to play some of the young players on its roster that they know they will be counting on in 2013. Here’s a look at five offensive players who should see more time in OU’s final four regular season and bowl game appearance:

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Oklahoma got back on track with its 35-20 victory over Iowa State on Saturday. Landry Jones' trust in his receivers was clear as the Sooners quarterback threw for 405 yards and four touchdowns with two interceptions. Here's a closer look at some of the key plays in the win as OU strives to keep its BCS hopes alive.

Sterling Shepard’s 20-yard touchdown reception

This was a key play for the Sooners for several reasons.

1. OU had already seen two lengthy drives end without points.
2. It was a third-down conversion deep in ISU territory.
3. It allowed them to play with a lead despite not finishing those first two drives.

Looking to force the Sooners to settle for a field goal, the Cyclones rushed three defenders and dropped eight into coverage. Jones made a great read to find the one-on-one matchup and gave Shepard a chance to make the play with a great throw into tight coverage.

Shepard, a freshman receiver, did a terrific job attacking the ball when it was in the air. He’s been a bright spot throughout the season with his competitive nature and playmaking ability. He should be a part of the foundation of OU’s offense for the remainder of his career.

Third-down, red-zone stop after Jones’ first interception

With the Cyclones looking to tie the score at seven on third-and-10 at OU’s 15-yard line, the Sooners rushed four defenders. It was a terrific omen for the game as defensive tackle Casey Walker and defensive end David King each won their one-on-one battles to get pressure on Cyclones quarterback Steele Jantz.

Jantz dumped the ball off to ISU receiver Jarvis West, who was well covered by OU nickelback Gabe Lynn, for a six-yard gain. Cyclone kicker Edwin Arceo kicked a 27-yard field goal on fourth down.

The play and how the Sooners defended it was a good example of the entire game for OU's defense. The Sooners finished with three sacks, didn’t need to blitz to get pressure on Jantz and covered well throughout the game.

Third-down stop after Jones' second interception

Frankly, both ISU possessions after Jones interceptions were highlight moments for Mike Stoops' defense. In both scenarios, OU responded well to being thrown back onto the field and both times OU forced third-and-10 plays, a sign they had performed well on the first two downs.

ISU was facing third-and-10 at OU’s 33-yard line and the Sooners again rushed four defensive linemen. And, again, Walker put pressure on Jantz with a terrific move at the line of scrimmage to get immediate pressure on the Cyclones quarterback. He forced Jantz to throw high to receiver Chris Young,who was blanketed by cornerback Demontre Hurst on the play.

The way the Sooners shut down both drives and didn’t allow the turnovers to turn into touchdowns kept the momentum from completely switching to the Cyclones’ side.

Justin Brown’s 40-yard reception

The offense stepped on the field with 1:04 left in the first half, then showed absolutely no urgency after Brennan Clay’s five-yard run on first down. On the next play, the Sooners running back gained nine yards and ran out of bounds to stop the clock with 26 seconds left. Both plays were run out of OU’s three-back formation.

At that point, OU’s approach changed.

On the third play of the drive, the Sooners were in their four-receiver formation and Jones found Brown for 40 yards. Brown was the lone receiver on the right side of the formation and the Iowa State secondary shaded toward the three receivers on the left, giving Brown a one-on-one opportunity. The senior used superior ball skills to make the reception. Jones found receiver Kenny Stills on the next play for a 21-yard touchdown.

It’s a terrific sign for Brown moving forward because the play showed how much Jones trusted him to make a play. After throwing interceptions on back-to-back possessions, Jones was willing to risk another one while giving Brown a chance to make the play.

Just that quickly the interceptions -- and the momentum the Cyclones gained from them-- were forgotten.

Clay’s third-down conversion after ISU scored its first touchdown

Facing a third-and-1 at the ISU 32-yard line, OU didn’t go to the Belldozer. Instead, the Sooners had two running backs and three receivers in the formation. Solid blocks from tackle Tyrus Thompson and fullback Trey Millard secured the hole, then Clay ran over Cyclones safety Jacques Washington, who met him in the hole, right at the first-down marker.

Clay scored on an 18-yard touchdown run two plays later.

Clay’s conversion was critical because it was a swift and immediate answer after the Cyclones scored. The Sooners also sent a message with the drive, essentially running the ball down ISU’s throat with Clay recording 18-, 12- and eight-yard runs on the drive. Clay had five carries for 41 yards on the drive. His physical run for a first down on this play mirrored the entire drive, which was built upon physical domination by the Sooners offense.

This drive was also showed that OU can take a tough, physical running approach within its current offense system. The Sooners just need to show they can do it against anyone, anytime they want to. That hasn’t been the case this season, particularly in their losses to Kansas State and Notre Dame.

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