2009 Oklahoma Sooners College Football Team Preview
By Jason Green at Predictem.com
National Rank: 3
Head Coach: Bob Stoops
Offensive Coordinator: Kevin Wilson
Defensive Coordinator: Brent Venables
Last League Title: 2008
Conference: Big 12
2008 Record: 12-2, 7-1 in Big 12 (tied for 1st in Big 12 South). Beat Missouri in the Big 12 championship game.
Sportsbook: ATS 10-3
Stadium: Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium (82,112)
Odds to Win the BCS Championship: 5-1.
Offense
OU runs a multiple no huddle offense that incorporates a spread offense as well. Last season’s Heisman winner QB Sam Bradford returns this season as he bypassed the chance to be the #1 pick in the NFL draft to come back to Oklahoma for the chance to win a national championship. TE Jermaine Gresham is one of the best at his position in the nation, but there are concerns in the passing offense, as the Sooners lost 3 of their 4 most productive WR’s. Juco transfer WR Cameron Kenney has to produce right away and underachieving WR Adron Tennell has to live up to potential.
The Sooners will have a solid rushing attack led by Bradford and the RB duo of DeMarco Murray and Chris Brown, who both rushed for more than 1,000 yards last season.
The main concern on offense is the offensive line as they lost 4 starters. T Trent Wilson is an All American candidate, but he will be switching from the right side to the left side in order to protect Bradford’s blind side. If anyone on the line is injured it could be a big problem since they are not deep at the position.
Can Bradford win the Heisman again with the lack of experience in the WR corps and a new offensive line?
Returning Offensive Starters
Sam Bradford (QB Jr)
DeMarco Murray (RB Jr)
Jermaine Gresham (TE Sr)
Ryan Broyles (WR So)
Trent Williams (T Sr)
Jimmy Stevens (K So)
Defense
The Sooners can run a 4-3 defense or a 3-4 defense depending on the situation. The D returns 8 starters and they should be much better than last season when they only ranked 68th on defense. All-America DT Gerald McCoy is a stud and he is great at stopping. He tallied 6.5 sacks in 2008. Last season the Sooners’ D ranked 20th against the run and 4th in sacks. DE Austin English and DT Adrian Taylor have a knack at getting to the QB and DT DeMarcus Granger looked great in spring practice and he may finally live up the hype he had when he came out of high school.
FS Quinton Carter is one of the biggest hitters in the nation and he has solid coverage skills. The one concern on defense is at FS, as the job is up for grabs. The secondary will be fast, but they need to gel quickly with all the heavy passing offenses in the Big 12.
Defensive Returning Starters
Jeremy Beal (DE Jr)
Gerald McCoy (DT Jr)
Adrian Taylor (NT Jr)
DE Austin English (DE Sr)
Keenen Clayton (LB Sr)
Travis Lewis (LB So)
Dominique Franks (CB Jr)
Brian Jackson (CB Sr)
Special Teams
K Jimmy Stevens will be the starter, but he was only 4/8 on field goal attempts last season. Redshirt freshman P Tress Way came to the Sooners with high expectations, but even though he is the starter he did not look good in spring practice. The kickoff coverage needs to improve, as last season opponents ran back 4 kickoffs for TD’s. Punt return man Dominique Franks and kickoff return man both are exceptional athletes and can take it to the house every time the ball is kicked to them.
The Bottom Line
The Sooners will be looking for their 4th straight Big 12 title, but there are some question marks. Sure, they have a returning Heisman winning QB and a great rushing offense, but the line has many new players and the WR’s corps is inexperienced. Their 1st game of the season is at home vs. BYU and they get to enjoy their first three games before they have to go on the road. Oklahoma State in their last games will be tough, but it’s a home game. The “make or break” game for the Sooners comes mid-season vs. Texas. If they can win that game, they may be considered the number one team in the country.
2009 Oklahoma Sooners Schedule
9/5/09 BYU
9/12/09 IDAHO STATE
9/19/09 TULSA
10/3/09 at Miami (Fla)
10/10/09 BAYLOR
10/17/09 at Texas
10/24/09 at Kansas
10/31/09 KANSAS STATE
11/7/09 at Nebraska
11/14/09 TEXAS A&M
11/21/09 at Texas Tech
11/28/09 OKLAHOMA STATE