SB Nation - Dominique Franks

Franks Coming Back Others Possibly Leaning Towards Staying

ccmachine — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 16:29:51 -0000

Oklahoma's defense could be pretty salty again next year as key members of what has possibly been the best defense of the Stoops era are deciding to return for another season. Adrian Taylor announced he'd be returning next season and now Dominique Franks is the next to say he'll be returning to Norman to play ball in 2010.

"I'm not worried about it at all," Franks said. "I'm coming back."

"I'm done with it. I'm just focusing on this last game. That's all I'm worried about," Franks said. "I'm not worried about talking to anybody or being at that next level."

Keenan Clayton, Auston English, Brian Jackson and Ryan Reynolds are all gone due to graduation but only Clayton and Jackson were every down every game players. Reynolds and English missed time because of injury but in their place Austin Box and Frank Alexander performed very well. Both were key contributors to shutting out Oklahoma State on the final weekend of the season and both will be around next season as well.

In addition to Taylor and Franks linebacker Travis Lewis, defensive end Jeremy Beal and defensive tackle Gerald McCoy are among the top underclassmen who could be throwing their names in next spring's NFL draft. It's widely speculated that McCoy is gone and while there's been absolutely not official word from him I'd be surprised to see him in crimson and cream in 2010. Instead we'll be looking at Jamarkus McFarland who while not yet at the level of McCoy did show flashes of greatness this year as a true freshman.

It's been rumored that Jeremy Beal is leaning towards staying as well even though he's not talking. The only thing that he's said is that he's focused on Stanford and will address that once the bowl game is over. That doesn't give me a lot of confidence to be honest but until he gives us something solid to go with all we have is speculation.

"I'm thinking about Stanford and getting better every day at practice," said Beal, who was chosen to the All-Big 12 first team. "I'm not thinking about the NFL."

"We've still got one more game and I'll think about that after the Stanford game," he added.

Travis Lewis hasn't stated whether he's staying or going either but he's at least given us the criteria for his departure. Lewis wants to be a first round draft pick and says he won't leave Oklahoma early unless that is guaranteed.

"It'd have to be pretty high. I have high standards for myself and everybody wants to go in the first round to take care of your family for the rest of your life," Lewis said. "Whether it's this year, next year or the year after. I've got two more years to play. I think eventually I'll be there."

"It's all about me and patience-how patient I am staying here and bettering myself to get to that No. 1, that first round."

There will be plenty of new faces on next year's defense but the key to success is blending the new guys with veteran leadership. Marcus Trice is going to make a push at replacing Brian Jackson, Ronnell Lewis, Tom Wort and Austin Box are going to battle for the middle linebacker position and depending what others do, we may see more. The thing is, the more we see guys like Taylor, Franks, Lewis and Beal the more experience and leadership we'll see on the field to go along with young talent. In a nutshell the learning curve will be smaller and that's exactly what we're looking for.

Mizzou Links, 12-10-09

Bill C. — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 11:46:47 -0000

Was there a basketball game last night?

The Trib: Oral Roberts shocks Missouri
The Missourian: Missouri men's basketball team loses in final seconds
KC Star: Mizzou falls flat at Oral Roberts
Post-Dispatch: Another bump in the road for Tigers
PowerMizzou: Tigers road woes continue in Tulsa

FOOTBALL!!

CFN.com: 2009 CFN All-Freshman Defensive Team
DE Aldon Smith, Missouri – Although it’s early, Aldon appears ready to be the next great Smith to rush the passer in Columbia, joining Justin and Brian, who starred for the Tigers within the last decade. A relative unknown before the season began, he’s erupted for 59 tackles, 18.5 tackles for loss, 11 sacks, and five pass break ups.
The Trib (Dave Matter): Gabbert drops pledge to Huskers
PowerMizzou: Pre-visit 2010 hot board
Double Extra Point: Tyler Gabbert Decommits from Nebraska
PowerMizzou: Gabbert set to visit
PowerMizzou: Tigers in on the nation's elite
PowerMizzou (Gabe): Powered Up: The sudden change
It has long been hypothesized that you have to wait two full years for success on the field to translate to a breakout recruiting cycle. Now, that doesn't hold true for teams that are good year in and year out. Traditional powers like Oklahoma will easily survive an off-year like 2009. But for a team that has not traditionally been among the nation's better teams-like Missouri before 2007-you need to sustain success for a while before it bears fruit in recruiting. We always thought that, but this year is proving it true.

Missouri has now won eight games in the regular season for four consecutive seasons. There are fewer than 15 teams in college football who can say that. And now that they've done it with two different quarterbacks, with different players every single position (not one player who will start the Texas Bowl was a starter for the 2006 Sun Bowl), Missouri has proven it can sustain success. Recruits are taking notice. It didn't happen as quickly as some fans would like, but it has happened.

We've said it before, and we'll say it again: if you have EVER thought about giving PowerMizzou a shot, December and January are the time to take the plunge. Great info every day, and lots of detail about the next two weekends, which are becoming two of the bigger recruiting weekends Mizzou has ever had.

Big 12 Links

Austin American-Statesman: Mack Brown gets raise, will be highest-paid college coach
Daily Oklahoman: OU cornerback Dominique Franks to return for senior season
ESPN.com (Bruce Feldman): I voted for Ndamukong Suh No. 1 for Heisman

A hearty welcome back to Mr. Feldman, by the way, who has QUICKLY returned to work after back surgery...

Oklahoma cornerback Dominique Franks returning for senior season

Mocking Dan — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 03:30:31 -0000

More photos » by Sue Ogrocki - AP

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Taking a break from players entering talk, someone wants to come back for the 2010 college football season. That would be Oklahoma cornerback Dominique Franks.

Although Franks submitted an application to the NFL Draft Advisory Committie, Franks said he'd be back in Norman no matter what.

Franks was named second-team All-Big 12 this season after finishing with 42 tackles and two interceptions.

Fellow Sooners underclassmen defenders Travis Lewis and Jeremy Beal haven't made their professional aspirations known yet. Both submitted paperwork.

"It'd have to be pretty high. I have high standards for myself and everybody wants to go in the first round to take care of your family for the rest of your life," Lewis told reporters. "Whether it's this year, next year or the year after. I've got two more years to play. I think eventually I'll be there.

Breaking Down Bedlam

ccmachine — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 08:16:33 -0000

More photos » by Sue Ogrocki - AP

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There are so many things that could go right or wrong for Oklahoma in today's Bedlam football game that I really have no idea what to expect. On one hand you consider how well the Sooners play at home and you think that they have an outstanding chance to win. Then you consider how bad they've played in their five losses and add the fact that the competition at home hasn't been that great and suddenly there's a huge knot in your stomach because you realize the realistic possibility that the nation's longest home winning steak very well could come to an end.

The roles are already reversed coming into the game. O-State is the ranked team with a shot at going to a BCS Bowl. Regardless of what the final score is the Cowboys are going to finish ahead of the Sooners in the Big 12 standings and will get a better bowl invitation. The only thing left to happen is for OSU to actually win the game and they come in as a legitimate favorite and for OU to avoid losing their sixth game of the season they must win one of the game match-ups that they're not supposed to.

Quarterbacks

Landry Jones is completing 58% of his passes this year and has 23 touchdowns to 13 interceptions. At times he's look exceptional and then at other moments he's look completely out of his element. The knocks against him are that he's not stable in the pocket and doesn't read through his progressions.

Zac Robinson has completed 63% of his passes with a touchdown to interception ration of 15 to 7. Robinson is a dual-threat quarterback who has rushed for 302 yards this year but has also been known for turning the ball over on a big hit when he runs.

Robinson's experience and leadership give him a clear advantage over Jones but there's the chance that he may not play due to injury or that he'll be playing at less than 100%.

Advantage: OSU

Running Backs

Chris Brown and DeMarco Murray are averaging 4.3 and 4.4 yards respectfully with 12 touchdowns between them but they are a far cry from the dynamic duo that we saw them become last season. After rushing for over 1,000 each last season the two have a combined 1,251 yards this year. The problem has been getting them in space to make plays and clearing holes for them to run in between the tackles. That's on the line and not necessarily the running backs.

Keith Toston is the Big 12's second leading rusher with 1,130 yards. He's averaging 5.5 yards per carry and has crossed the goal line rushing the football 11 times. He's a powerful runner with good speed and is one of only two players (KSU's Daniel Thomas) to average over 100 yards rushing per game.

Toston has clearly had the better season of these three backs and despite Murray having the added dimension of being Oklahoma's second leading receiver the Sooners don't have a rushing threat like Toston has been this season.

Advantage: OSU

Receivers/Tight Ends

Ryan Broyles is one of the most electrifying receivers in the country. He's averaging 12.9 yards per reception and has 861 yards with 12 touchdowns. He's on target to break 1,000 receiving yards this season and it would go a long way for the Sooners if he surpassed that mark today. Behind Broyles is a massive drop off as Brandon Caleb has almost 40 fewer receptions and only 2 touchdowns. Dejuan Miller is coming on and is has pretty much inserted himself as Oklahoma's #2 receiver.

O-State was dealt a huge blow when the NCAA took Dez Bryant away from them. Since then Hubert Anyiam has become the Pokes' top receiver. He's caught 39 passes for 482 yards and 3 touchdowns.

After Anyiam the Cowboys don't have another receiver playing in this game with more than 15 receptions. Conversely the Sooners have four receivers with more than 20 receptions. What's a tight end?

Advantage: OU

Offensive Line

I don't have the words to describe how disappointing Oklahoma's offensive line has been this season. Now this unit has become decimated with injuries and literally a walking triage unit. The latest victim is Trent Williams who may have to sit out today's Bedlam game due to a head injury. Oklahoma has given up 12 sacks this season.

Oklahoma State has only given up 7 sacks this year and is much stronger in both run and pass blocking than the Sooners are. The have a future NFL All-Pro in Russell Okung as their anchor.

Advantage: OSU

Defensive Line

Oklahoma's defensive line against OSU's offensive line is the match-up that could determine the game. Jeremy Beal is third in the conference in sacks with 11 and third in tackles for loss with 16. Gerald McCoy is fifth in the Big 12 in tackles for loss with 14.5.

Ugo Chinasa has 4 sacks for the Pokes and 6.5 tackles for loss. However, you have to go all the way down to 11^th O-States leader board for tackles to find Chinasa, a defensive lineman, listed.

Advantage: OU

Linebackers

Travis Lewis is third in the Big 12 in total tackles with 99 and Keenan Clayton is 39^th with 58. Oklahoma will be without Ryan Reynolds who is a field general for the Sooners defense and that may hurt the Sooners more than missing his 67 tackles. In his place Austin Box will step in and try to get a head start on taking over the middle linebacker position full time next season.

Donald Booker leads the Cowboys in sacks with 5 and tackles for loss with 7. He and Patrick Lavine lead the team in tackles with 80 and 67 tackles respectively. Lavine also leads the team in interceptions with 5.

Both team's linebacker units attack down hill and are solid run stuffers. O-State is second in the conference against the rush (82.6 yards per game) and the Sooners are third (91 yards per game)

Advantage: Even

Secondary

Oklahoma is second in the conference against the pass by holding opponents to just 197.5 yards per game. The OU secondary has a combined 11 interceptions led by Brian Jackson's 4. Jackson and Dominique Franks are one of the best corner duos in the conference and safety Quinton Carter is a hard hitter who's second on the team in tackles with 76.

Perrish Cox is not only the best athlete in Oklahoma State's secondary he's most likely the best athlete on the team. He has 32 tackles and 4 interceptions but as a whole the Cowboys are 9^th in the conference in pass defense.

Advantage: OU

Special Teams

Oklahoma State is last in the Big 12 in kickoff return average (18.6 yards per return) and while the Sooners aren't sitting pretty at #10 (21.2 yards per return) at least they're not last. Punt returns are a different issue for the Sooners where their 14.3 yards per return average are tops in the Big 12. OSU isn't too far behind at 13.9 yards per return which places them 3^rd in the Big 12.

In punting average the Sooners have a 39.6 (Best in the Big 12) to 37.5 advantage. Oklahoma's place kickers have missed seven field goal attempts this season while the Cowboys have missed five.

If this game becomes a field goal kicking contest then I'm not sure that I like Oklahoma's chances. However, in the battle for field position OU's special teams units are outperforming O-State's in just about every category.

Advantage: OU

SBN Big 12 Roundtable – Make The Pain Stop!

ccmachine — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 19:59:38 -0000

by Orlin Wagner - AP

Oklahoma's passing attack has been painful to watch at times this season. (AP Photo/Orlin Wagner)

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I'm back! Pardon my absence from the blogosphere but until running the Crimson And Cream Machine pays the bills I have to work the real job which requires traveling to Central/South America from time to time. I'd like to say thanks to dishingoutdimes for carrying the torch for me while I was gone. Great job!

Now, on to this week's roundtable discussion and you know the drill. Add your thoughts in the conversation by using the comments section below. Thanks to I Am The 12^th Man for hosting this week!

1. We are three-fourths of the way through the season now, with either 2 or 3 games remaining for your respective teams. What players have surprised you, what players have disappointed you this year?

Offensively, I've actually been surprised with Ryan Broyles. We saw what he was capable of doing last season but didn't know how he would handle being the go-to guy. Its safe to state that he's been the lone bright spot on Oklahoma's this season. Especially when you consider how bad the other receivers have been.

As far as disappointments go for me let's just sum it up by naming every other offensive player other than Broyles.

Defensively Jeremy Beal has been amazing to watch. With all the talent and pro-stock on this unit he has been the shinning star on what has been the best defense in the conference. That doesn't mean that there haven't been disappointments though. I'm pointing my finger at Dominique Franks who has been very solid but has also made his share of, "What the heck was he thinking!" plays.

2. Name a player on another Big 12 team who you think has underachieved or been a disappointment this season (I don't consider someone getting knocked out by injury a disappointment, so no references to Robert Griffin, please).

This one is easy for me! My pick goes to Sergio Kindle of the Texas Longhorns. I actually received emails in the preseason about how Kindle was going to be unstoppable and all Sooners should beware. Of course I wasn't scared because my football playing days are well behind me and therefore I had a better chance of Kindle hitting me with his car than I did of him hitting me on the football field. As it turns out, I'm not the only one as Big 12 offensive players have seemed to elude Kindle's wrath like competent driving skills have eluded Kindle himself.

He's not among the Top 10 sack leaders in the conference and he isn't found among the To 50 leading tacklers in the conference (and there are actually 65 players on that list). I even bought into the hype and placed him our preseason Twelve Players To Watch In The Big 12 list. Turns out that his shining moment of the season so far has been a illegal hit on Texas Tech's Taylor Potts.

3. What player on another Big 12 team has surprised you or surpassed your expectations this season?

Kansas State's Daniel Thomas is the only running back in the Big 12 to crack 1,000 yards so far and he's also the only back to average over 100 rushing yards per game. Who would have thought?

4. Nebraska's Ndamukong Suh is the most dominant defensive tackle I have seen in years. Who do you think is the last dominant defensive tackle you can compare him to at the college level? Is there one to compare him to for the last 10 years?

Tommie Harris comes to mind but I just don't know. Suh is such a dominant player who makes things happen in just about every defensive phase of the game. You need a quarterback pressure/sack? He's your man. A run stopper? He's on it! How about an interception returned for a touchdown? Got it! A blocked field goal? Yep!

5. Right now, who is your pick for Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, Newcomer of the Year, and Offensive and Defensive Freshman of the Year?

Offensive Player of the Year: Jerrod Johnson, QB Texas A&M

Defensive Player of the Year: Ndamukong Suh, DT Nebraska

Newcomer of the Year: Daniel Thomas, RB Kansas State

Offensive Freshman of the Year: Landry Jones, QB Oklahoma

Defensive Freshman of the Year: Cody Davis, DB Texas Tech

6. Power rank the teams, 1-12.

1. Texas

2. Oklahoma State

3. Texas Tech

4. Kansas State

5. Nebraska

6. Oklahoma

7. Texas A&M

8. Kansas

9. Colorado

10. Iowa State

11. Baylor

12. Missouri

Big Red Rivalry Advantages Favor OU

ccmachine — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 05:00:26 -0000

by ALONZO ADAMS - AP

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Oklahoma should be able to come away with a win in Lincoln but I don't expect it to be easy. Nebraska's defense is too nasty for the Sooners to come by a lot of points but the Husker offense may be at even a larger disadvantage than OU's. Looking at the unit breakdowns I'm gaining more confidence in Oklahoma's ability to score their 6^th win of the season.

Quarterbacks

I'll take Landry Jones over either one of Nebraska's signal callers. Zac Lee was benched after the Huskers went 1-2 to start conference play and Cody Green would only be making his second ever career start Saturday night. Either way it goes Jones is the better quarterback.

Advantage: OU

Running Backs

DeMarco Murray and Chris Brown are averaging 4.7 and 4.2 yards per carry with each back scoring 5 rushing touchdowns. Nebraska's Roy Helu is averaging 5.6 yards per carry and has scored 6 rushing touchdowns.

Advantage: Huskers

Receivers/Tight Ends

Just about anyone is going to have an advantage over Oklahoma's tight ends at this point but the Sooners have one of the most explosive receivers in the country in Ryan Broyles with Dejuan Miller and Adron Tennell starting to become actual playmakers in the offense as well. After Niles Paul the Huskers don't have a receiver with more that 16 receptions.

Advantage: OU

Offensive Line

Despite all the early struggles and even with the continuation of dumb penalties Oklahoma's offensive line has shown improvement. The Sooners have given up a total of 7 sacks this season. Nebraska has seen their quarterbacks get put down 10 times this season. While neither unit is eye popping good Oklahoma's has faced stronger defenses and knows what pressure is.

Advantage: OU

Defensive Line

Two of the best defensive tackles in the nation will be on the field today but regardless of how much publicity they get they won't be going head-to-head. This game will be won or lost by the other guys that stack up the line and not just the two superstars. Fortunately for both sides they've got guys like Jeremy Beal and Jared Crick that prevents them from being one man shows.

Advantage: Even

Linebackers

The Sooners are giving up 2.6 yards per carry and Nebraska 2.7 to their opponents. Both teams are stellar against the run but Oklahoma's experience has to account for something.

Advantage: OU

Secondary

Brian Jackson and Dominique Franks may not be Thorpe finalists but they are one of the best cornerback duos in the country. However, Nebraska leads the conference in pass defense and their secondary is a big reason for that.

Advantage: Nebraska

Kicking Game

Tress Way is now performing both punting and kicking duties and doing a solid job at it. However, Alex Henery is one of the best place kickers in the country.

Advantage: Nebraska

Bottom Line

I think that Nebraska's offense will struggle considerably more that Oklahoma's. Not because one defense is better than the other but because the Huskers don't have as many playmakers on offense as OU.

In Perspective: Nebraska vs Oklahoma - Where The Game Will Be Won Or Lost

Jon Johnston — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 15:00:33 -0000

by Dave Weaver - AP

Against Oklahoma - Calm Pelini, good. Screaming, angry, vein-popping Pelini, bad.

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There seems to be a prevalent attitude from Husker fans that this game is a loss, and might well end up in a blow-out. I don't see it that way. Both teams have struggled on offense against lesser foes. Now both offenses must face the best defenses in the nation. Neither team should score a lot of points.

I see a low-scoring four-quarter game won by the team that can make one or two big plays, whether they come on offense, defense, or special teams. This is one of those games where the cliche' "mistake-free football" is adequately applied.

	Nebraska		Oklahoma
	National	Big 12	National	Big 12
3rd Down Conversions	36	3	49	7
Red Zone Conversions (Score %)	93	11	9	2

Turnover Margin	89	10	28	4
Sacks	10	3	6	2
Tackles for Loss	23	4	4	1
Sacks Allowed	24	4	13	3
Punting (Avg)	69	7	19	2
Punt Returns	40	6	13	1
Kickoff Returns	61	6	63	7
Penalties (Yds/G)	99	7	118	11

- Field position is always key in low-scoring games. Oklahoma has an edge in both punting and in punt returns. Oklahoma's punter Tress Way is tied for 20th in the nation with a 43.11 yard per punt average. Way has had eight punts downed inside the 20 and has nine for 50+ yards. He is the best punter Oklahoma has had under Bob Stoops.

Alex Henery isn't too far behind Way with a 40.39 yard average, but he's ranked 64th nationally (which shows how close the rankings are). His average might be skewed by the fact that 17 of his 38 punts have been downed inside the 20.

- The Sooners are one of the best punt return teams in the nation. Dominique Franks comes to Lincoln ranked fourth nationally with a 17 yard average. Franks took over return duties after Ryan Broyles was injured against Miami. Broyles is back, returning punts in the last two games and is currently 23rd nationally with a 12 yard average.

Niles Paul is ranked 37th with a 9.18 yard average.

- Nebraska is respectable in third down conversions - better than you thought, right? Oklahoma, not so great. One key to picking up third downs is the ability to get tough running yardage when it's needed.This is where it's evident that the Sooner line has struggled.

When rushing, Nebraska is ranked 22nd in the nation on in third down situations with 1-3 yards to go, picking up an average of 4.73 yards. The Sooners are an abysmal 86th, with only a 2.77 yard average.

- Nebraska's struggles in red zone conversions have been well-documented. It won't get any easier this weekend as Oklahoma is third in the nation in opponent's red zone conversions, although if it makes you feel any better, Nebraska is fourth in the same category.

If there was a more telling tale in the statistics, Nebraska has scored on 100% of their red zone trips in their wins. In their losses, that percentage dropped to 50%. Going one-for-four against Iowa State certainly didn't help in that department, but think about that for a minute. Given the Huskers ability to keep opponents from scoring, all the Huskers need to do is get something on the board when they get into the red zone and they should be fine.

Oklahoma has scored touchdowns on their last eight trips in the red zone - against Kansas and Kansas State.

- With eight turnovers against Iowa State, turnover margin is a pretty useless statistics this season if for no more reason that it's an anomaly. I should probably replace it with interceptions and fumbles, but i keep it in place for consistency's sake.

Since you asked..... Oklahoma is ninth in interceptions with 13 on the season. Nebraska is 63rd with only seven. In fumbles recovered, Oklahoma is 55th with ten, while Nebraska is 73rd with seven.

- If you thought Nebraska was bad in the penalty department, well, take a look at Oklahoma. They're nearly last in the nation (tied with Texas Tech, while both are ahead of Arizona State).

It'd be great if the Husker home crowd could help them out in their quest to be dead last.

Saturday NFL Draft watch notes

Mocking Dan — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 14:40:59 -0000

More photos » by Eric Gay - AP

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• Clearly the top matchup of the day is one between Oklahoma and Texas. Quarterbacks Sam Bradford and Colt McCoy will be the main attraction, but watch Sooners left tackle Trent Williams. He's had some struggles moving from the right side this season and will be tested by Texas' Sergio Kindle.

Oklahoma cornerback Dominique Franks is one of the top junior cornerbacks in the nation. He gets overshadowed some by fellow junior Joe Haden. Today he could go head-to-head with Texas senior Jordan Shipley.

• Today could be the day Notre Dame's Jimmy Clausen really gets the attention of NFL evaluators. Against USC last season Clausen struggled in the face of pressure. If he plays poised, shows good pocket presence and has completes a high percentage of passes, there's no reason to think Clausen shouldn't challenge Bradford or Jake Locker as the top quarterback among scouts.

If USC's Everson Griffen matches up against Notre Dame's Sam Young, the matchup will be a good one. Young is fairly underrated and has really good size and strength. Griffen is a good all-around pass rusher who has a chance to show what he can do against an NFL-sized left tackle.

• No one is talking about it, but one of best one-on-one contest to watch today is in in the Kentucky/Auburn game. Wildcats middle linebacker Micah Johnson is strong against the run. For the Tigers, running back Ben Tate is one of the most underrated running backs in the nation. Both are third or fourth round talents.

• Going against Georgia's A.J. Green, arguably the best receiver in the country, Vanderbilt cornerback Myron Lewis can boost his stock today. Lewis is a good all-around cornerback, but he doesn't have true No. 1 shutdown skills. He can prove otherwise today.

• Florida has one of the best defensive lines in the country. So today could be a long day for Arkansas senior guard Mitch Petrus. He's one of the better guards in the nation, but gets by mostly on heart and effort. The Gators will be his biggest test of the season.

• Minnesota wide reciever Eric Decker is having a fantastic year. In six games, he has 46 receptions for 689 yards. Penn State sophomore D'Anton Lynn is turning into a shutdown cornerback. Lynn is 6-foot-1, so Decker could be challenged big time today.

• Quarterbacks will be the name of the game in the Central Michigan/Western Michigan contest. Some like Central's Dan LeFevour, who is athletic and mobile. Others prefer Western's Tim Hiller, who is a pure pocket passer. Both have been inconsistent this season and look like third rounders, at best.

• Prediction: Today is the day Ole Miss quarterback Jevan Snead begins to turn his season around. The Rebels play a listless UAB team and Snead could get back on the first-round radar.

Meltdown In Miami – Sooners Play Familiar Tune In South Beach

ccmachine — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 05:04:10 -0000

More photos » by Wilfredo Lee - AP

Thinking that they were just playing two hand touch the Oklahoma defense enjoyed being on the field with Miami running back Javarris James (5). (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

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Frustration levels are going through the roof as we are discovering that this OU football team isn't up to par to the Big 12 Championship teams from the past three seasons. Oklahoma once again leaves South Florida scarred, bruised and with a loss. We can't blame this loss on the absences of Sam Bradford, Jermaine Gresham and Ryan Broyles because none of them play for a defense that allowed Javarris James to run for 148 yards on 15 carries (9.9 yards per carry). In what has become typical fashion for the Sooners in a big game Oklahoma had their share of meltdown moments. They featured 7 penalties, a blown assignment in the defensive secondary, a missed block and a very crucial fumble.

The crux of the meltdown came in the first 10 minutes of the 3^rd quarter where OU saw their 10-7 halftime lead turn into a 21-10 deficit. From that point on the Sooners were playing from behind the rest of the way and couldn't make the offensive or defensive plays when they were needed most. We learned that this team still lacks leadership and big play ability on offense but more importantly we learned a few other things that are cause for concern heading into conference play.

The offensive line hasn't improved very much - In what was proof positive that the Idaho State and Tulsa games were nothing but smoke and mirrors for covering up the short comings of this line they were once again exposed. Landry Jones was sacked twice but spent a considerable amount of time running for his life and the line struggled to open holes for the running backs.
Regardless of what they say, Bob Stoops and Kevin Wilson can't call the same plays for Landry Jones as they do Sam Bradford - I've never seen more draw plays and delayed hand offs on 3^rd and long situations. Perhaps it was an issue with Broyles being out or maybe a protection issue with the line but the reality is that the plays being called for Bradford and the plays being called for Jones are not the same.
Landry Jones is no Sam Bradford - Come on, we really knew this already but maybe some needed this game to verify that. Jones is a good quarterback but he's still a ways away from a Bradford caliber quarterback. I can still see Brandon Caleb wide open along the sideline in what could have been a back breaker for Miami and a 17-0 lead for OU.
The defense isn't as good as advertised - In addition to James' insane rushing average there's the matter of Dominique Franks getting lost in the secondary. When OU needed a stop against BYU it didn't happen and when they needed one against Miami either.
This team appears to be mentally weak - The meltdown occurred immediately after Brody Eldridge missed a block allowing Landry Jones to get blindsided resulting in a fumble. Over the next four minutes and seven seconds OU surrendered 14 points and committed two personal fouls. At one point OU faced a 4^th and 40.

The race for the BCS Championship is over for Oklahoma but the race for another conference championship starts this Saturday. By having their weaknesses exposed and being undressed twice on national television the Sooners have moved from one of the frontrunners to a long shot. The bad news is that there is still plenty of work to be done for this team but the good news is that they've got 8 more games to get it worked out.

Slowing The Tulsa Offense – Not Impossible But Not Easy Either

ccmachine — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 06:43:59 -0000

More photos » by Bill Haber - AP

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Tulsa has one of those offenses, like BYU, that is going to score points. Much like the Sooners this isn't the same Tulsa team that we saw on the field last season but they're still really good. The focus of a defense against the Golden Hurricane shouldn't be to shut them down but rather to slow them down and limit their scoring opportunities. Here's how.

Get Pressure With The Defensive Line

T David Lazenby 6-5/305	G Curt Puckett 6-4/309	C Trent Dupy 6-2/280	G Clint Anderson 6-2/285	T Tyler Holmes 6-4/306

DE Jeremy Beal 6-2/261 (3 TKLS)	DT Adrain Taylor 6-4/291 (2 TKLS/1 SK)		DT Gerald McCoy 6-4/297 (7 TKLS/1 SK)	DE Auston English 6-3/251 (4 TKLS/1 SK)

Tulsa's offensive line averages 6-3/297 in size and they're good at getting the job done. They're paving the way for just over 450 yards of offense and 41 points per game but there is a downside as well. Tulsa likes to spread the field and while they run for an average of 176 yards per game they rely heavily on quarterback G.J. Kinne to make their rushing attack work. Kinne leads the team in rushing yards but dies have options from the spread formation.

Conversely, Oklahoma's defensive line goes 6-4/275 and while outweighed a little they will need to get into the backfield, disrupt plays and force Kinne to make quick decisions. Part of making this happen will be the defensive ends keeping containment on the outsides and forcing the plays to go back up the middle for the linebackers to clean up. If Oklahoma is making tackles behind the line of scrimmage then the defense is obviously having a good day. Tulsa has given up 7 sacks in two games so there's no reason not to think that OU won't register any.

Fill The Gaps With Linebackers


RB Jamad Williams 5-9/212 (22/58 YRDS)		RB Charles Clay 6-3/230 (10/51 YRDS, 2 TDs)
	QB C.J. Kinne 6-2/215 (28/130, 1TD)

SLB Keenan Clayton 6-1/221 (4 TKLS/1 INT)	MLB Ryan Reynolds 6-2/225 (13 TKLS/1 SK/1 INT)	WLB Travis Lewis 6-2/232 (22 TKLS)

If the defensive tackles are shooting the A-Gaps then the linebackers must play their assignments and fill the others. If the defensive line does their job then the linebackers will have cleanup responsibilities which should mean plenty of opportunities for big hits.

Behind G.J. Kinne Tulsa doesn't have another player with more than 60 yards rushing. That means Kinne is likely either tuck and run or keep the ball on a zone read or misdirection but Oklahoma's linebackers can't just t-off on him. They must play assignment football and be aware of the running backs either getting dump passes, running a draw or on a zone read. Oklahoma has to prevent Tulsa from getting past the second level of the defense and if the linebackers can make tackles at or near the line of scrimmage then the defensive backs can focus solely on the pass.

Make Sure Tackles And Play Assignment Football In The Secondary

		QB C.J. Kinne 6-2/215 (37/55, 521 YRDS, 5 TDS)
WR Slick Shelley 6-4/200 (9/133 YRDS, 2 TDS)			SR Damaris Johnson 5-8/170 (7/161 YRDS)	WR AJ Whitmore 5-9/172 (9/72 YRDS)

CB Brian Jackson 6-1/200 (4 TKLS)				CB Dominique Franks 6-0/192 (7 TKLS)
	FS Quinton Carter 6-1/193 (13 TKLS)		SS Sam Proctor 6-0/208 (7 TKLS)

Tulsa's receivers both run and catch the ball very well. Damaris Johnson averages 23 yards per reception and is the second leading rusher for the Golden Hurricane, averaging 8.4 yards per carry. He's sure to go in motion and Tulsa will want to get him out on the edge. The safeties and corners have to account for this and can't get sucked in on a play-action pass. They are going to put the ball in Johnson's hands one way or the other and if Oklahoma's defensive backs catch him, or any other player for that matter, on the edge they must wrap up and make the tackle.

Its no secret that with the state of Oklahoma's offense being what it is the defense must be what carries the team right now. The least experienced part of the Sooner defense is the secondary with Quinton Carter and Sam Proctor new starters at the safety positions. Against the offenses that Oklahoma is facing from here on out they can't afford any defensive breakdowns and this is the group that scares me the most.