OU set to return strong after dismal 2009 season
It’s not uncommon for Oklahoma Sooner fans to refer to the football team as “re-loading” when it comes to beginning a new season. This year is no exception.
Between the successful offseason recruiting by the coaching staff and the infectious injury bug that ended 13 players’ seasons early in 2009, the 2010 version of the Sooners looks to waste little time correcting the minor problems that hamper the team. This is great news for Oklahoma fans, who watched a potential championship run become a dismal 8-5 campaign marred by the sidelining of 2008 Heisman winning quarterback Sam Bradford, All-American tight end Jermaine Gresham and many other nationally recognized players.
Rookie mistakes, a common theme for OU in 2009, will be corrected by the learning experience of last season. Young players, who normally would not have seen playing time, ended up drudging through nearly the whole season, carrying the burden of the expectations from the older, more experienced players with them. Add into the mix the number of true and redshirt freshmen from the offseason, and this year’s team should excite some fans looking to redeem the awful season of 2009.
In the home opener this Saturday, the Sooners face the Utah State Aggies. Unfortunately for the Aggies, they’ll find that OU fans will already harbor resentment for the fact that the team’s week one opponent comes from the same state as the BYU Cougars. BYU upset the Sooners during the first week of the 2009 season, and, more importantly, injured quarterback Sam Bradford. The loss to the Cougars and the loss of Bradford literally changed the entire direction of the season for OU, ending any hope of a national title run.
Bradford may have graduated and gone on to the NFL, but Sooner fans have no shortage of optimism heading into 2010, despite a more youthful team. This year’s projected starting defense will feature several new faces, including four sophomores and one redshirt freshman. The offense, will play three sophomores and one freshman, although the three sophomores come in with experience on the field in 2009.
The newer players deserving of fans’ attention include the wide receiving corps and the defensive backfield. Freshman Kenny Stills turned heads at OU’s Red-White scrimmage and is currently first on the depth chart. Receivers have been less than stellar the past few seasons, which is odd for a program that consistently generates yard-munching offenses and talented quarterbacks. OU coach Bob Stoops said in his preseason presser that he’s very impressed with the receivers this year, and will count on junior Ryan Broyles (89 catches,1,120 yards in 2009) to lead several other talented up-and comers.
On the other side of the ball, defensive backs Dominique Franks and Brian Jackson share the bulk of the defensive backfield’s experience between them. The Sooners must find two replacements due to graduation and the lure of the NFL. Seniors Quinton Carter and Jonathan Nelson are currently leading the depth chart. Losing the loved-by-students, hated-by-offensive lineman Gerald McCoy will also leave big shoes up front, but if senior tackle Adrian Taylor recovers from his gruesome Sun Bowl injury, or sophomore Jamarkus McFarland begins playing like his high school highlights show he can, the position will be in good hands for the season.
There’s a reason Oklahoma has lost only two games at home under Stoops, and fans are expecting blood this year in the home opener. The team has been fortunate in getting a number of talented recruits these past few seasons, and combined with the talent and the tradition of excellence, OU fans have no reason to think this year’s Sooner team will be sleepwalking when the Aggies come to town.
Luke Atkinson is the editor of OU’s Inside The Huddle.