Oklahoma Sooners 2011 Team Preview

2010 Season Breakdown

Final record (overall, conference): 12-2, 6-2
Bowl game: Fiesta Bowl (W, 48-20 vs. Connecticut)
Final ranking (AP, Coaches’): 6, 6
Conference finish: Big 12 Champions
Offensive rank: 10^th
Defensive rank: 53^rd

2010 Individual Statistics Leaders

Rushing: DeMarco Murray, 1,214 yards, 15 TD
Passing: Landry Jones, 4,718 yards, 38 TD, 12 INT
Receiving: Ryan Broyles, 1,622 yards, 14 TD
Tackles: Travis Lewis, 109 tackles
Sacks: Jeremy Beal, 8.5 sacks
Interceptions: Jamell Fleming, 5 INT (1 TD)

2011 Schedule (all games Saturday unless noted)
*denotes conference game

September 3 vs. Tulsa [8:00 PM ET]
September 17 @ Florida State
September 24 vs. Missouri* [8:00 PM ET]
October 1 vs. Ball State
October 8 @ Texas* [12:00 PM ET, ABC]
October 15 @ Kansas*
October 22 vs. Texas Tech*
October 29 @ Kansas State*
November 5 vs. Texas A&M*
November 19 @ Baylor*
November 26 vs. Iowa State* [8:00 PM ET]
December 3 @ Oklahoma State* [ABC]

Key Matchups

September 17 @ Florida State: If Florida State wins this one, they’re a top-five team right away. If Oklahoma wins it, they cement themselves as the top team in the country early in the season. They’ll have to keep winning, of course, and a loss here may not completely derail national title hopes, but you get the picture.

November 5 vs. Texas A&M: The Aggies upset the Sooners in College Station last season, but Oklahoma could claim its revenge in the first week of November with the matchup now in Norman. A&M will be gunning for the Big 12 title this year, so this could be one of the conference’s better matchups.

December 3 @ Oklahoma State: Do you think the Cowboys are tired of playing second football fiddle to the Sooners in the state of Oklahoma? OSU was in position to win the Big 12 South last year and earn a shot at the conference title and a trip to their first Fiesta Bowl since 1974, but they fell to OU in the Bedlam Game.

Key Departed Players

DeMarco Murray, RB; Cameron Kenney, TE; Eric Mensik, OT; Jeremy Beal, DE; Austin Box, LB; Jonathan Nelson, S; Quinton Carter, S

Key Returning Players

Landry Jones, QB; Ryan Broyles, WR; Kenny Stills, WR; Frank Alexander, DE; Travis Lewis, LB; Jamell Fleming, CB; Tony Jefferson, S/LB

Offensive Overview

Landry Jones continued to develop as a premier starting quarterback last season after he took over for an injured Sam Bradford the previous year. Jones finished second in the country in passing yards and touchdowns, and led the nation in attempts and completions. He finished with a 65.6% completion percentage. He’ll continue to develop this year and could be in for a special season accompanied by a little Heisman hype.  He’ll have one of the nation’s best receivers at his disposal once again in Ryan Broyles, and Kenny Stills is also back after finishing with 786 yards and five touchdowns in 2010. Senior Dejuan Miller and sophomores Trey Franks and Jaz Reynolds round out a loaded receivers corps, while Trey Metoyer could be a huge part of the passing game if he’s academically eligible.

Taking over for DeMarco Murry in the backfield could be a committee of younger players. Roy Finch, Brennan Clay and Jonathan Miller are sophomores, while Brandon Williams is a true freshman who may be a big part of the running game in his first year on campus. Unless somebody asserts themselves as the starter, this could be a running back by committee in 2011. Jones is not the most mobile quarterback in the country to say the least, and it’s a good thing that his line did a fine job of keeping his jersey clean last year, allowing a respectable 1.5 sacks per game. Creating more in the running game should be a goal, but overall the line looks to be in pretty good shape heading into the fall. Jarvis Jones went down in the spring and could miss part of the season, leaving a hole at tackle that Lane Johnson helped to fill. The rest of the line features plenty of starting experience.

Defensive Overview

The big and sobering news on the defense was the passing of linebacker Austin Box this offseason. Box became the starter in the middle last year and was expected to earn the starting job heading into the season. Tom Wort, whose starting job Box took last season, will likely get the start in his place. Travis Lewis, the leader of the linebackers corps, broke a bone in his foot in fall camp and will miss the first part of the season. Sophomore Corey Nelson stole the show in the spring and the coaching staff will find a way to get him on the field. The speedy Tony Jefferson could be used on the outside, although at 5’10 and 199 pounds, he may see time more as a safety or an extra defensive back. Up front, the Sooners will look to continue the success they had along the line of scrimmage last year when they ranked 5^th in tackles for loss and 16^th in sacks. Frank Alexander returns at end after recording seven sacks last year, while Ronnell Lewis should take over for Jeremy Beal. Lewis, however, is dealing with a personal issue and it’s unknown how long he’s expected to be out. Stacy McGee returns inside where Jamarkus McFarland will join him.

The secondary has to feel good about the return of cornerback Jamell Fleming, who left the team earlier this year due to personal reasons. Gabe Lynn, though, played well in the spring after taking over and the two will battle for the starting job in the fall, although expect to see Flemming reclaim his job. Demontre Hurst returns after starting every game last year at corner to give the Sooners a solid rotation with Flemming and Lynn. Aaron Colvin moves from corner to safety and will join James Haynes, Javon Harris and Sam Proctor in replacing last year’s starters, Jonathan Nelson and Quinton Carter. The pass efficiency defense was 8^th in the country last year but 51^st in pass defense as teams desperately tried to air it out to keep up with the Sooners offense. Expect another good performance even with the turnover at safety, but keeping the pass rush going would surely help to ease the new starters into their roles.

Top Draft Products

Ryan Broyles, WR; Frank Alexander, DE; Travis Lewis, LB; Jamell Fleming, CB

Season Prediction

Big 12 Champions

So is this the year for Oklahoma? The Sooners have been one of the nation’s best teams for the past decade or so, and you’d expect they’d have won more national championships than the one in 2000. It’s unfair to expect any team to win multiple national titles in any ten-year span given the talent spread across the country, but this year looks like one of OU’s better shots at the title. Jones is a budding superstar at quarterback, and the receivers corps is one of the most stacked in the country. The defense has the kind of talent you’d expect after years of exceptional recruiting, and the offense should have no trouble outscoring the competition if the defense does what’s expected of it. National title hopes? The Bob Stoops-led Sooners are the likely preseason number one for a reason.

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