Inside The Huddle 8-29-13

G A M E D AY TA B L O I D F O R S O O N E R F O O T B A L L | F R E E

INSIDE THE HUDDLETHIS WEEK

NO. 16 Oklahomavs.

Louisiana-Monroe

UNDER CENTERBoogie KnightsThe Trevor Knight era begins in Norman P10-11

ANALYSISPosition breakdownThe Daily sports desk examines the Sooners at every position P7

COLUMNTailgatingWhere to go and what to do before kickoff P6 CHASING SWITZER

Stoops eyes all-time wins record P8

2 • Friday, August 30, 2013 INSIDE THE HUDDLE

FIRST LOOK » OU’S 2013 SCHEDULE

Sooners face arduous schedule in ’13a Student Media publication

in association with

160 Copeland Hall860 Van Vleet Oval

Norman, OK 73019-2052

phone: 405-325-3666

email: [email protected]

Dillon PhillipsInside the Huddle editor

twitter: @DillonPhillips_

Julia NelsonSports editor

twitter: @Juliaaahhh

Joe MussattoAssistant sports editor

twitter: @Joe_Mussatto

Demetrius KearneySports reporter


Sam HoffmanSports columnist


Kyle MargerumThe Oklahoma Daily editor

Kearsten HowlandAdvertising manager

OU’s proverbial road to the national championship

won’t be an easy one.Considering last year’s

results and the Sooners’ dearth of experience, it seems unrealistic to talk of national titles.

But that’s exactly what OU is doing.

Yes, the Sooners are breaking in a new quar-terback and the majority of its defense and they’re coming off a season that could be best described as disappointing, but expecta-tions are as high as ever in Norman.

While nothing is certain until the games are played, at least on paper, it appears the odds will be stacked against the Sooners in 2013.

According to several pre-season publications, OU’s schedule ranks as the na-tion’s toughest. Highlighted by road trips to Notre Dame, Baylor, Kansas State and Oklahoma State, the Sooners’ schedule won’t offer any off weeks. Even traditional gimmes like Louisiana-Monroe, Tulsa, Kansas and Iowa State have all the makings of trap games.

If OU hopes to win its ninth Big 12 title under Stoops and make Big Game Bob the winningest coach in OU history, it will have to bring its A-game every week.

Dillon [email protected]

INSIDE THE HUDDLE EDITOR

DATE OPPONENT TIME

Saturday, Aug. 31

Saturday, Sept. 7

Saturday, Sept. 14

Saturday, Sept. 28

Saturday, Oct. 12

Saturday, Oct. 19

Saturday, Oct. 26

Thursday, Nov. 7

Saturday, Nov. 16

Saturday, Nov. 23

Saturday, Oct. 5

Saturday, Dec. 7

Louisiana-Monroe

West Virginia

Tulsa

at Notre Dame

Texas

at Kansas

Texas Tech

at Baylor

Iowa State

at Kansas State

TCU

at Oklahoma State

6:00 p.m.

6:00 p.m.

11:00 a.m.

2:30 p.m.

TBA

TBA

TBA

6:30 p.m.

TBA

TBA

TBA

TBA

Saturday, Sept. 7 West Virginia 6:00 p.m.

Saturday, Sept. 28 at Notre Dame 2:30 p.m.

Saturday, Oct. 12 Texas TBA

Saturday, Oct. 26 Texas Tech TBA

Saturday, Nov. 16 Iowa State TBA

Saturday, Dec. 7 at Oklahoma State TBA

INSIDE THE HUDDLE Friday, August 30, 2013 • 3

depth chart

the Sooners’ starters vs. Louisiana-Monroe71 tyrus thompson

76 Jake Reed

74 adam Shead

77 Dionte Savage

64 Gabe Ikard

56 Ty Darlington

68 Bronson Irwin

54 Nila Kasitati

79 daryl Williams

72 Derek Farniok

82 Brannon Green

89 Connor Knight

88 Taylor McNamara

11 Lacolton Bester

6 Dannon Cavil

8 Jalen Saunders

17 Trey Metoyer

3 Sterling Shepard

12 Derrick Woods

85 K.J. Young

9 trevor Knight

10 Blake Bell

1 Kendal Thompson

33 trey Millard

48 Aaron Ripkowski

24 Brennan clay or

26 damien Williams

Lt

LG

c

rG

rt

te

Wr

Wr

Wr

QB

FB

rB

Jr.

Sr.

Jr.

Jr.

Sr.

So.

Sr.

So.

Jr.

So.

Sr.

R-Fr.

R-Fr.

Sr.

Fr.

Sr.

So.

So.

R-Fr.

Fr.

r-Fr.

Jr.

So.

Sr.

Jr.

Sr.

Sr.

85 Geneo Grissom

99 Chaz Nelson

98 chuka Ndulue

95 Quincy Russell

80 Jordan phillips

93 Jordan Wade

91 charles tapper

40 P.L. Lindley

7 corey Nelson

25 Aaron Franklin

20 Frank Shannon

19 Eric Striker

9 Gabe Lynn

24 Trey Franks or

4 Hatari Byrd

10 Quentin hayes

18 Ahmad Thomas

2 Julian Wilson

23 Kass Everett

14 aaron colvin

27 Dakota Austin

22 cortez Johnson

15 Zack Sanchez

de

dt

dt

de

OLB

MLB

FS

SS

NIcKeL

LcB

rcB

Sr.

Sr.

Jr.

Jr.

So.

R-Fr.

So.

So.

Jr.

Jr.

So.

So

Sr.

Sr.

Fr.

Jr.

Fr.

Jr.

Sr.

Sr.

Fr.

So.

So.

deFeNSeOFFeNSe

confident. Browning said he is ex-

cited for the challenges that await the team this season.

“We want to get that bad taste out of our mouths. We ended the year last year with a loss in the bowl game, and that wasn’t us,” he said. “The expectations for Oklahoma are to go in there and win the game, not just go there and compete. We’re pretty excited.”

If this team is one thing, it’s confident. They embrace the role of the non-automat-ic qualifying underdog.

“This group is very, very hungry to try and build off of last year,” said Berry.

Don’t sleep on the Warhawks. As they proved last season, anything can happen when they take the field. Last but not least, as we say in Monroe, “Put a ball down. Talons out!”

Drew McCarty is a journalism senior and sports editor at The Hawkeye

4 • Friday, August 30, 2013 inside the huddle

Warhawks ready to ‘put a ball down’ Saturday

guest column

Before Sept. 8, 2012, Monroe, La., was a city known more for the beard-ed, duck-hunting television stars from Duck Dynasty than an FBS-level football team.

On that date, the Warhawks from the University of Louisiana at Monroe, led by head coach Todd Berry, made a short four-hour drive to Little Rock, Ark., to face the eighth-ranked Arkansas Razorbacks.

Down, 28-7, midway through the third quarter, things were looking grim at best. But then ULM began to push the ball down the field behind the arm of the 2012 Sun Belt Conference player of the year, Kolton Browning. Things began to fall into place, and the deficit was lessened. Then it was gone. Tied at 28 at the end of reg-ulation, the game went into overtime.

The Razorbacks struck first. The score was now 31-28. ULM was down to its last chance for points. It was

Drew [email protected]

guest columnistKeY oPPonentKolton BrowningYear: Senior

Position: Quarterback

Statistics: Threw for 3,049 yards and 29 touchdowns to 10 interceptions last year

fourth and one at the 16-yard line. Any sane head coach would kick, take the three points, and play for a second overtime. Not Todd Berry, or “The Riverboat Gambler,” as the ULM student body affec-tionately knows him.

The gamble paid off ex-ponentially as ULM won, 34-31, and was immediately catapulted into the college football spotlight, a place unfamiliar. This was the first time that not only ULM, but any team from the Sun Belt Conference had beaten a team ranked in the top 10.

In the weeks after, the team lost at Auburn in over-time and at home against Baylor by just five points. For the first time in 25 years (ULM won the Division II football national champion-ship in 1987), the people of northeast Louisiana had a team to rally behind.

Berry looks to build off of the 8-5 season and the first bowl appearance in school history.

“I’m very excited about this group,” he said. “This year, and from this point on, we should be a pretty mature football team. This is a group that has played an awful lot of football. So many of these guys are four-year starters for us.”

Almost everyone from the 2012 campaign will be back. ULM has 18 of 22 return-ing starters. This makes the Warhawks one of the most experienced teams in the nation and one of the most

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inside the huddle Friday, August 30, 2013 • 5

Warhawks depth chartOffense

65 Joseph Treadwell

67 Jeremy Burton

78 Jon fisher

55 Jimmy Chung

66 Josh Allen

68 Colby Mitchell

77 Ben Risenhoover

73 Trey Martin

75 Demiere Burkett

79 Brandon Bridges

88 Harley scioneaux

89 Alec Osborne

86 Je’Ron Hamm

85 Tony Cook

81 Rashon Ceaser

83 Ajalen Holley

8 Tavarese Maye

23 Kenzee Jackson

15 Kolton Browning

6 Brian Williams

2 Monterrell Washington

28 DeVontae McNeal

LT

LG

C

RG

RT

Te

WR

WR

WR

QB

RB

Jr.

Jr.

sr.

R-Fr.

sr.

So.

Jr.

Fr.

Jr.

Fr.

so.

R-Fr.

sr.

So.

so.

R-Fr.

sr.

Jr.

sr.

Fr..

sr.

So.

Defense95 Darius Lively

98 Malcolm Edmond

76 Gerrand Johnson

91 Kentarius Caldwell

99 Joey Gautney

18 Emmanuel Jeffries

90 Ray stovall

44 Austin Moss

3 Cameron Blakes

48 Hunter Kissinger

36 Cody Robinson

34 Michael Johnson

4 Rob’Donovan Lewis

24 Trey Caldwell

1 Isaiah newsome

32 Tre’ Hunter

38 Mitch Lane

42 Roland Veal

10 Cordero smith

31 Lenzy Pipkins

20 Justin Backus

14 Vincent Eddie

De

DT

DT

De

LB

LB

CB

s

H

s

CB

Jr.

Jr.

so.

Sr.

Jr.

Sr.

Jr.

Sr.

sr.

So.

so.

So.

Jr.

So.

sr.

R-Fr.

so.

Jr.

Jr.

R-Fr.

R-fr.

Sr.


column

Gameday tailgating provides plenty of fun


inside the huddle editor

EDITOR’S NOTE: The following story is an excerpt of a column written for publication by Yahoo! Sports. The full column will run in mid-October on sports.yahoo.com

Places to eat/drinkWhen it comes to football

Saturdays in Norman, Okla., the conversation starts and stops with Campus Corner. Sitting just north of the in-tersection of Asp Avenue and Boyd Street and lined on either side by restau-rants and bars, Campus Corner has been a Norman landmark and nightlife hub since 1917. On gamedays, Asp is closed to traffic going northbound, and it be-comes the epicenter for pre-game activities.

O’Connell’s Irish Pub and Grille (located at 769 Asp Ave. on Campus Corner) is a local favorite and must-visit for any college football fan.

Although it no longer oc-cupies its original location southeast of the stadium — it was torn down in 2011 to accommodate the con-struction of the new athletic dorms, Headington Hall — it’s been around since 1968, long enough to watch four Sooner Heisman trophy winners and four national championship teams play on Owen Field.

The pub boasts a wide variety of American entrees, but it’s best known for its large selection of burgers and beer offered to those looking to grab a bite or wet their whistle before kickoff.

CampusOU’s campus reflects the

spirit of its humble univer-sity. Its quaint, simple beau-ty and modestly foliaged grounds provide the back-drop for one of college foot-ball’s most famous venues: Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. A stroll around the South Oval and a visit to the oft-decorat-ed Seed Sower (ignore the Instagram filter and the fact OU went on to lose that game by 17) at its southern end is impressive enough. But walk along Lindsey Street, which borders the stadium to the south, and visit the many tailgates scattered across the lawn, and I dare even the most unflappable fan to contain his or her goosebumps and butterflies.

tailgating traditions

Speaking of goosebumps: each game, before the team runs out of the tunnel, SoonerVision plays an intro video on the 113.5-by-32.5 foot big screen that sits atop the bleachers in the south end zone. The video, which is updated each season and kept tightly under wraps until gameday, is the cause of much excitement among fans in the buildup to each season’s kickoff.

“Obviously the intro video is always a big deal for us,

our fans,” said Pete Moris, OU assistant athletic di-rector and director of com-munications. “Everybody is anxiously awaiting this year’s twist.”

The aforementioned Lindsey Street, which is closed between Asp and Jenkins on gamedays, is Norman’s “tailgate row.” Starting early Friday morn-ing, fans make the trek to Nompton with tents in tow to claim their tailgat-ing spot. The practice has become something of an OU tradition, known as the “Friday Land Run.” Tents can’t be set up until noon

Friday, but that doesn’t stop eager fans from taping off sections of grass and set-ting up shop early in order to reserve a spot.

“The Friday Land Run wasn’t something that I had experienced until I got here,” Moris said. “It’s al-ways intriguing to me to see some of the tailgate setups – the folks who have the sat-ellite dishes setup out there so they can watch the early games and the pregame shows. People definitely get very creative with tents.

“It’s definitely got a very unique flavor, but I’d put the passion of Oklahoma

fans up against any that I’ve encountered previously.”

Northeast of the stadi-um, fans gather at Sooner Fan Fest for more pregame festivities. It’s setup east of Jenkins between Page and Brooks streets and consists of inflatable games for kids, live music, local food ven-dors and GoVision – a 16-by-10 foot video board that shows games from across the country, according to SoonerSports.com.

“That’s been a very pop-ular pit stop for fans, pre-game,” Moris said. “We’re always looking to make it better and take a lot of

input from our fans.” The RUF/NEKS, OU’s of-

ficial all-male spirit group and the operators of the Sooner Schooner, and the Pride of Oklahoma, the school’s marching band, also make the rounds prior to kickoff, meeting with fans and partaking in the pregame pageantry.

Dillon Phillips is a professional writing senior and Inside the Huddle editor at The Oklahoma Daily. You can follow him on Twitter at @DillonPhillips_

inside the huddle file photo from 2010

A group of fans tailgates prior to one of oklahoma’s home football games during the 2010 season. ou went 12-2 that year and won its last BCs game, a 48-20 Fiesta Bowl victory against Connecticut. the sooners finished the season ranked no. 6, their highest finish since 2008.


stadium map

WHERE aRE YOu sittiNG?

8 • Friday, August 30, 2013 INSIDE THE HUDDLE Friday, August 30, 2013 • 9

COVER STORY » CHASING SWITZER

Stoops sets sights on surpassing Switzer

EVIN MORRISON/THE DAILY

OU coach Bob Stoops patrols the sidelines during the Sooners’ 63-21 romp of Texas on Oct. 13, 2013 at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas. Stoops boasts a 9-5 record against the Longhorns, including wins in the last three meetings and four victories in which Oklahoma scored more than 60 points. The Sooners’ last loss to Texas was a 16-13 defeat in 2009.

DILLON PHILLIPSInside the Huddle Editor

When Bob Stoops first arrived in Norman in 1999, expectations were low.

After four straight losing seasons, Sooner Nation just wanted a coach to win more games than he lost.

“People would tell me to just get the right number of people on the field for special teams, and we’ll be happy,” Stoops said.

At his introductory press conference on Dec. 2, 1998, as he spoke to the media and anxious fans about how he planned to reinvig-orate the dormant power-house he’d just been hired to turn around, a colossal coaching legend stood just feet behind, peeking over Stoops’ shoulder.

That man was Barry Switzer, the namesake of the facility out of which the Sooners operated. The win-ningest coach OU football history. The King.

Switzer’s program record of 157 wins cast a large shadow over Stoops, but Stoops proved to be up for the challenge.

Almost 15 years later, Stoops is nine wins from surpassing Switzer, sup-planting him as the pro-gram’s most successful coach.

While Stoops trails Switzer in national cham-pionships, 1-3, conference championships, 8-12, and has a slightly lower win-ning percentage, the team Stoops took over was much different from the one Switzer inherited.

“When I first took this job, I was trying to win a game, win more than I lost,” Stoops said. “And they hadn’t done that (here) in awhile. That’s not the case anymore. I think everybody is aware of that.

“So no, [breaking

Switzer’s record] wasn’t something I was thinking of (when I took this job).”

The college football land-scape also has changed tre-mendously, making it more difficult to compare the coaches’ careers. There’s less disparity than ever

between the powerhouses, mid-majors and the bottom feeders. Top recruits no longer narrow their lists of school to the same few elite programs.

Still, Stoops has main-tained an almost unparal-leled consistency.

“Well, it says two things: I’ve been here a good while, and we’ve won a lot,” Stoops said. “There aren’t many places over the past 14 years where they’ve won more than 80 percent of their games. I think we’re one of only two (programs)

… that have done that in that period of time.

“I feel good about the consistency, but we need more.”


Legendary coach’s record could fall

BOB STOOPS

OVERALL WINS

CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPSNATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS

149

157

145

8

12

14

1

3

3

STOOPS

BUDWILKINSON

Top Sooner coaches through the years

BARRYSWITZER

A q u a r t e r b a c k w i t h wheels is the new trend in football.

The idea of a multi-fac-eted signal caller is gain-ing momentum in the NFL, its leaked into the college game and now it’s sweep-ing across the plains of Oklahoma.

Maybe it was peer pres-sure, the evolution of the game or a simple change of plans, but coach Bob Stoops is steering his program away from the restraints of a pocket passer.

Redshirt freshman Trevor Knight has broken fre e of the ties that contained OU passing wizards Sam Bradford and Landry Jones. Both former quarterbacks were the ideal players to lead an offense that relied on pinpoint distribution of the ball to a bevy of receiv-ers, but neither had an in-nate ability to pick up yards on the ground when the pocket collapsed.

Knight, along with fellow quarterbacks junior Blake Bell and sophomore Kendal Thompson, have the du-al-dimension game.

A strong an accurate arm was the only needed quali-fication under the quarter-back section for OU in the last half-decade or so, but now a quick pair of legs has been added to the list.

Knight obviously possess-es the best of both qualities. The redshirt freshman sure didn’t win the job on expe-rience. He has none.


analysis

Knight’s legs provide offense with spark

heather brown/the daily

OU redshirt freshman quarterback Trevor Knight scrambles in the pocket during OU’s Red-White Spring game on April 13. Knight went 8-for-15 for 87 yards and a touchdown as the White defeated the Red, 28-24. Knight beat out junior quarterback Blake Bell, sophomore quarterback Kendal Thomspon and freshman quarterback Cody Thomas for the starting spot.

Redshirt freshman has reputation for running ability

Knight’s name began swirl ing during Cotton Bowl preparations when his job was to mimic the Heisman award-winning play of Johnny Manziel. But Stoops had recognized the quarterback’s skill before that week.

“I saw it ever y day at

practice running the scout t e a m,” t h e c o a c h s a i d . “Watching practice a year ago we’d sometimes shake our head and say, ‘Wow did you see that — what he just did?’ He threw it into a lit-tle space and was making plays like that in practice quite often.”

Back then Knight’s play seemed like a tall tale – it’s hard to believe a scout teamer could be that good. And although few have fully seen what Knight can do, all indications say he is that good.

Athletic, great speed, quick release and a strong leader are a few key attri-butes you’d like to see a quarterback have. These were all words Stoops used to describe Knight.

“His ability to run away from you is no joke, he’s legit,” defensive coordi-nator Mike Stoops said of Knight.

So, the question is this: How w i l l O U ’s o f f e n s e l o o k w h e n i t t a ke s t h e field on Saturday against Louisiana-Monroe?

“It ’ l l be di f ferent for sure,” senior center Gabe Ikard said. “Kind of how the game’s evolving now with a mobile quarterback things change a little bit. We’ll let you guys wait and see that.”

New plays out of the

s a m e o l d f o r m a t i o n s ? New formations entirely? Will the option return to Norman? All are possibili-ties, all are probable.

“It’s a new team. We’ve got a new quarterback; it’s a new system … It’s just re-ally exciting,” senior full-back Trey Millard said.

Indeed it is. A new wave of transformed offense has arr ived in Norman. On Saturday we’ll see how big the splash really is.

Joe Mussatto [email protected]

“Watching practice a year ago we’d sometimes shake our head and say, ‘Wow, did you see that — what he just did?’ He

threw it into a little space and was making plays like that in practice quite often.”

BOB STOOpS, OU COACh

“His ability to run away from you is no

joke. He’s legit.”miKe STOOpS,

OU defenSive COORdinATOR

Th e wa i t i s ove r. Th e shroud of mystery has been lifted. Redshirt freshman quarterback Trevor Knight is the guy.

There’s been a lot of won-dering about why Knight got the starting nod over ju-nior quarterback Blake Bell. There have been quite a few questions about how the two took the news. But there are another three players who are just as affected by the decision as Knight and Bell.

They go by the names Kendal Thompson, Cody Thomas and Justice Hansen.

Thompson probably got the worst deal out of every-one. After putting togeth-er a successful offseason, he could have easily been made the starter. But cir-cumstances change, and Thompson broke his foot on the first day of fall camp.

The three-man race for the quarterback job quick-ly became a two-man bat-tle. The injury effectively took Thompson out of the competition.

Thompson’s rehab is un-derway — he started run-ning in the pool this week, coach Bob Stoops said — but with the depth chart finally set, Thompson will have a lot of catching up to do to make an impact.

Freshman quarterback


column

Sooners’ new starter throws wrench in QB pecking order

sue ogrocki/the associated press

Oklahoma redshirt freshman quarterback Trevor Knight answers a question during a news conference on Aug. 3 at the team’s NCAA college football media day in Norman, Okla. Knight will start the season opener on Saturday against Louisiana-Monroe.

Julia [email protected]

SpOrTS ediTOr

T h o m a s d o e s n ’ t h a v e i t m u c h e a s i e r t h a n Thompson, though. He came to Oklahoma after being drafted in the 30th round of the MLB draft by the New York Yankees. He joined the other three quar-terback candidates during the summer.

T h o m a s d i d n ’ t h a v e much of a chance. While he lit up the field at Colleyville Heritage, he currently sits

behind Knight, Bell and Thompson on the depth chart.

Stoops said Thomas is

running the scout team at the moment. It’s a position he will likely keep through-out the season, as he red-shirts this year.

He’ll have four years of eligibility left if he does indeed redshirt. Three of those will feature Knight as the starting quarter-back, should he do well this season.

Th ou g h Th o ma s a n d Thompson have plenty to

be disappointed about, it would appear that Hansen might have the worst tim-ing of all.

Hansen is an Oklahoma commit about to start his senior year at Edmond Santa Fe. He hasn’t even t a k e n p a r t i n a s i n g l e Sooner workout, but will likely play second or third fiddle during much of his time at OU.

I f I ’ m H a n s e n , I ’ m

s e r i o u s l y c o n s i d e r i n g changing my commitment before National Signing Day.

Hansen is far too talented to be coming to a school like Oklahoma, chock-full of tal-ented quarterbacks. It’s get-ting crowded.

As much as the coaches want options, there are sim-ply too many cooks in the kitchen.

The ramifications of the quarterback decision stem far deeper than just Knight and Bell. The decision to transfer has to be crossing the minds of Thompson, Thomas and Hansen.

It looks like things worked out well for Knight, but things are starting to look a little rough for the rest of the quarterbacks. Timing is everything.

Julia Nelson is a journalism senior and sports editor at The Daily

pLAYer prOFiLeTrevor KnightYear: Redshirt- Freshman

position: Quarterback

hometown: San Antonio, Texas

statistics: Rated a four-star recruit by Rivals and ESPN, Knight threw for 2,092 yards and 27 touchdowns and added 943 yards and 15 touchdowns on the ground.

“If I’m Hansen, I’m seriously considering changing my

commitment before National Signing

Day.”

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NORMAN: Sooner Mall


QUARTERBACKSThe offensive line is

one group the Sooners don’t have to worry about going into the season opener.

Led by senior center Gabe Ikard, the offensive line returns four players who started 10 or more games last season and two more who made spot starts during the 2012 campaign.

Oklahoma also added t h r e e j u n i o r c o l l e g e guards in the offseason who are expected to be part of the rotation up

front. The Sooners also have a

new offensive line coach this season in Bill Bedenbaugh. Bedenbaugh came to OU from West Virginia and has spent his time so far bulking up the line. In an offseason dominated by a quarterback battle, the offensive line has quietly solidified itself. The protection up front should be one thing the Sooners don’t have to sweat about, and that’s a good thing with freshman quarterback Trevor Knight taking the reins.

The quarterback battle may be solved, but we still know little to none about redshirt freshman Trevor Knight’s abilities.

Teammates and coaches alike have praised his athlet-icism. Some have gone as far as comparing him to soph-omore Texas A&M quarter-back and recent Heisman T ro p hy w i n n e r Jo h n ny Manziel — calling Knight a “freak athlete.”

His skills will be on dis-play on Saturday, but I doubt we’ll get to see a full range of anything Knight

can do. But, Saturday will be the first peek Sooner fans will get of the read option in Oklahoma.

Junior quarterback Blake Bell may also make an ap-pearance against Louisiana-Monroe. Coach Bob Stoops refused to tip his hand when asked if the Sooners would still employ the Belldozer, but all signs point to yes.

In addition, Bell has still been taking first team reps in practice, so it’s very possi-ble he could get some play-ing time against the War Hawks.

analysis

The sports desk’s position-by-position breakdownRUNNING BACKS OFFENSIVE LINE

It’s rare to see a college football team boast a stud senior running back any-more. The lure of the NFL and the millions that early draft picks often receive is enough to persuade many players to leave school early.

So the fact that the Sooners somehow man-aged to stockpile, not one, not two, but three senior running backs is not only an anomaly — it’s pure dumb luck.

OU’s stable of senior running backs — Damien

Williams, Brennan Clay and Roy Finch — anchor one of the team’s strongest and deepest position groups.

Williams asserted him-self as the Sooners’ top back early last season, and Clay operated successfully spelling Williams as a third-down back.

Finch, who spent last year in the doghouse, has switched back to running back after a short stint at re-ceiver in 2011. After a disap-pointing career thus far, he should provide OU’s back-field with a big-play threat.


This year, the defensive line looks to im-prove on a 2012 season in which it allowed almost 200 rushing yards per game.

Unfortunately, that will be difficult. The Sooners still lack depth and experience up front, but that doesn’t mean that OU doesn’t still have pieces to build off of.

Junior defensive tackle Chuka Ndulue must again step up and be the leader that defensive coordinator Mike Stoops will ex-pect him to be. He led the team in sacks last season with five and tied for the team lead in tackles for loss with six. If he can improve on those numbers, it will be a big boost.

Redshirt sophomore Jordan Phillips also

will be improved. He showed signs last sea-son that he could be a force, racking up four tackles against Iowa State and Kansas.

And then there is JUCO transfer Quincy Russell. The San Antonio native’s arrival has been well documented, and the hype has been massive. He has been described as a “monster” by former teammates and his stats indicate this to be true. The difference is that now, he’s in Division I. The offensive lines at this level are bigger and faster.

He will have plenty of opportunities to prove the hype in this year’s difficult road schedule.

Senior linebacker Corey Nelson will an-chor the linebacking corps this season. Nelson is one of four returning starters on the defense and a key asset to help stop the run. With all the defensive departures last season, Nelson will be in a full-time leadership role this time around.

Alongside Nelson will be sophomore Frank Shannon. Shannon is filling in the gap Tom Wort left when he graduated. Shannon is no stranger to the middle linebacker posi-tion either.

Shannon played in 12 games last season and started two. Shannon has experience

as a linebacker, but don’t be surprised to see him defend the pass better than the average linebacker.

Aaron Franklin will be another contributor for defensive coordinator Mike Stoops. Last season, Franklin totaled 21 tackles and one sack, but expect that production to increase this season.

E xpect true freshmen Dominique Alexander and Jordan Evans to help the linebackers out this season. Alexander and Evans are two of many true freshmen that the Sooners will depend on for success this season.

The 2013 OU receiving corps is made up of a variety of talent, from sure handed posses-sion receivers to flat out burners. In an offen-sive system that relies heavily on the pass, a quarterback is only as good as the receivers he’s throwing to.

With the loss of primary targets Kenny Stills and Justin Brown to the NFL, newly crowned starter redshirt freshman Trevor Knight will be depending on both veteran and young receivers to help fill the void.

Expect Knight to rely heavily on the ex-perienced senior Jalen Saunders who fin-ished the 2012 campaign third on the team in receptions (62) and receiving yards (829). Saunders is a reliable pass catcher who runs crisp routs and has a knack for getting open over the middle. His exceptional speed and shiftiness makes him an extremely valuable asset in the slot.

Sophomore receivers Durron Neal, Sterling Shepard and Trey Metoyer are all hoping to have breakout seasons. Metoyer, arrived in Norman last year to high expecta-tions, but failed to live up to the hype, with a full offseason under his belt Metoyer will have every opportunity to prove his detrac-tors wrong and play like a five star caliber receiver.

Neal and Shepard both played sparingly last season and will hope to build off of the early success they had by becoming reliable targets opposite Saunders out of the slot.

After catching 41 passes for 715 yards and five touchdowns off the field issues ham-pered any further success that redshirt senior Jaz Reynolds had after Ryan Broyles went down with a torn ACL in 2011. If Reynolds can stay focused he should make a positive contribution to the team this season.

Wi t h t h e re c e nt re l ea s e o f t h e Sooners’ depth chart and game day upon us, let’s take a look at the defensive backs, a critical position for Oklahoma if they hope to get back to being one of the top defenses in the country.

Senior cornerback Aaron Colvin was one of two Sooners named to the Preseason All-Big 12 team along with center Gabe Ikard. Colvin is wide-ly praised as one of the top corners in the country. Last season, Colvin re-corded 61 tackles and a team-high four interceptions.

Entering this season senior safety

Gabe Lynn, the former Jenks standout, will be playing his third position since joining the Sooners. Now at strong safe-ty, Lynn will be using his versatility and knowledge of the defense as one of the defensive leaders. Can he put together a respectable season without any trouble?

S o p h o m o r e c o r n e r b a c k C o r t e z Johnson, a transfer from Arizona, is now back under Mike Stoops. Johnson will look to build off of the long wait and hard work he has put in since joining the Sooners last season as he gets the start op-posite of Colvin at cornerback.

WIDE RECIEVERS

DEFENSIVE BACKS

DEFENSIVE LINE

LINEBACKERS

This season will essentially mark a fresh start for the University of Oklahoma football special teams.

Jay Boulware joined the Sooners staff on March 1 as the tight ends coach and special teams coordinator. He spent the last four seasons at Auburn, where he led one of the top special teams units in the country and even won a BCS National Championship in 2010.

In 2012, Oklahoma’s kick return team ranked seventh nationally, while the punt return unit was eighth-best.

Two key pieces to the puzzle this year will be the special teams co-captains: ju-nior kicker Michael Hunnicutt and senior long snapper Austin Woods.

“We’re excited about those guys and what they bring to the team, their leader-ship, all of that,” said OU coach Bob Stoops.

C o mb i n e d w i t h t h e d i re c t i o n o f Boulware, the Sooners’ special teams hope to not only improve on punt return defense (where they ranked 50th national-ly a season ago), but develop consistency on kickoff coverage.

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OU’s secondary may surprise Sooner faithful

column

Last season ended on a sour note.

Texas A&M’s then-freshman quarterback Johnny Manziel picked apart the Sooner defense in a performance that had a lot of Sooner Nation question-ing defensive coordinator Mike Stoops’ job security.

I’ll admit: It was a shel-lacking that raised questions that still loom the first week of the 2013 college football season. Who wants to head into the offseason giving up more than 40 points in three of the last four games?

That’s not the best sign for a team that only returns two defensive starters. However, OU’s defense — and in par-ticular, its secondary — may not struggle as much as is expected this season.

The Sooners are returning one of their best defensive starters from last year to lead the second-ary: All-Big 12 senior corner-back Aaron Colvin.

Colvin had a choice to stay in college or leap for the NFL Draft like

Sam [email protected]

sports columnist so many of his teammates decided to do, but to the lik-ing of the Sooner faithful, he chose to stay for his senior season. He intercepted four passes last season and broke up 11. He is the leader that will aid the younger, inex-perienced players in their assignments on and off the field.

Alongside Colvin, junior cornerback Cortez Johnson will start. Johnson trans-ferred from Arizona with Mike Stoops, which will give him a better idea of Stoops’ defensive strategy compared to other newcomers.

The problem is: Johnson will not play in the sea-son opener, Bob Stoops announced in his press conference on Monday. The suspension stems from Johnson’s arrest in December 2012 on a com-plaint of possession of a controlled substance.

Not only will OU miss his presence on Saturday, Johnson will not have an extra game of experience under his belt. Louisiana-Monroe could have given him a good gage on where his game is currently and where it needs to be in the future. Instead, Johnson will experience his first snap against West Virginia, a con-ference game.

In his place will be red-shirt freshman cornerback Zack Sanchez, who will gain valuable experience in Johnson’s place.

Senior safety Gabe Lynn will help carry the load in the secondary with Colvin.

Last year, Lynn helped the Sooners in each game and will be expected to contribute more than his 34 tackles last season.

Surprisingly, two true freshmen could be the an-swer to containing some of the Big 12’s quarterbacks this season. Safeties Hatari Byrd and Ahmad Thomas most likely will make an im-pact on the field.

Physically, each player is ready to contribute in a big way. Byrd is listed at 6-foot-1, 198 pounds and Thomas at 6-foot-1, 215 pounds.

And as much as Louisiana-Monroe looks like a warm-up game for the Sooners, its senior quarter-back Kolton Browning will give the Sooners a solid idea of what to expect when fac-ing Big 12 quarterbacks later this season. Browning threw for over 3,000 yards and 29 touchdowns last season on his way to being named the Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year.

Did I mention the Warhawks knocked off No. 8 Arkansas in their second game last year?

On Saturday, Sooner Nation will get a realistic look on how the secondary performs. Hopefully, it’s a good thing.

Sam Hoffman is a journalism junior and sports columnist at The Daily

aaron colvin

gabelynn


STILLWATER, Okla. (AP) — Don’t call Oklahoma State’s revamped defense “aggressive.”

New defensive coordi-nator Glenn Spencer has added some new wrinkles, and many observers have been using that word to de-scribe the changes.

But Spencer, now prepar-ing for Saturday’s opener against Mississippi State in Houston, doesn’t like label-ing his particular brand of football.

“I haven’t said (the word aggressive), that’s being said a lot,” said Spencer, who was promoted after four years as the Cowboys’ linebackers coach, replacing Bill Young. “All I know is, we just try to get them to play hard every snap. We try to get them to know situations and to exe-cute what we want them to. We’re demanding on them, we try to get them to be ac-countable to each other, and until you do that on a Saturday afternoon when the scoreboard’s on, all the talk doesn’t mean anything.”

A s f a r a s c o a c h Mi k e

KT King/The associaTed press

New Oklahoma State defensive coordinator Glenn Spencer, left, gives instructions to the defense during practice on Aug. 2 in Stillwater in preparation for the fall season. Spencer is taking over defensive coordi-nator duties from departing coach Bill Young.

Gundy is concerned, the Oklahoma State defense won’t be dramatically dif-ferent from the unit that ranked sixth among the 10 Big 12 schools last season as the Cowboys went 8-5.

“Glenn has been here for a number of years, so he was very familiar with our per-sonnel,” Gundy said. “We really haven’t adjusted very much on defense, it’s more of an attitude and a little bit of an approach.”

Defensive tackle Calvin Barnett, a senior who was All-Big 12 last season, feels that there is a greater sense of camaraderie in the group.

“He’s really helped us come together as a defense,” Barnett said of Spencer. “A lot of us hang out even more. There’s always going to be groups within the team, but the groups have gotten big-ger. We do a lot more togeth-er and that’s really helped our defense a lot. He wants to be more aggressive, but at the same time, he’s not let-ting us forget that we still are a family.”

There’s that word again. Senior cornerback Justin Gilbert also used it.

“From my point of view, that’s pretty much how you

can describe our defense,” said Gilbert, who also serves as the team’s top kick re-turner. “He might have an-other word for aggressive as to how he’s saying it, but we’re pretty aggressive on defense right now. We’re playing tighter coverage at the back end, as opposed to playing soft, to allow those little five-yard gain plays.”

Senior safety Daytawion Lowe agreed.

“ We’v e b e e n p l ay i n g aggressively,” Lowe said. “We’re challenging the re-ceivers to catch the ball and making the quarterbacks put it in a tight window. That’s what every defensive player wants. You get turn-overs that way.”

Mississippi State knows that the defense they face Saturday will not exact-ly match the one they’re watching on film from last year, and that makes pre-paring for them a little more difficult.

“They’re going to have a new personality this year because of a new coordina-tor, so part of it is you don’t know exactly what you’re going to see out of this year’s t e a m,” s a i d c o a c h Da n Mullen.

ap college football

Cowboys will rely on defense against ’DogsSpencer brings aggressiveness

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16 • Friday, August 30, 2013 InsIde the huddle

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WEEK ONE

SEASON RECORD 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0

North Carolina at No. 6 South Carolina

No. 12 LSU vs. No. 20 TCU

No. 1 Alabama vs.Virginia Tech

No. 5 Georgia atNo. 8 Clemson

Louisiana-Monroe atNo. 16 Oklahoma

South Carolina South Carolina

TCU

Alabama

Georgia

Oklahoma

LSU

Alabama

Clemson

Oklahoma

South Carolina

LSU

Alabama

Georgia

Oklahoma

South Carolina

LSU

Alabama

Clemson

Oklahoma

South Carolina

TCU

Alabama

Clemson

Oklahoma

Inside The Huddle 8-29-13

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