| 19 April 2010
So where do you start reviewing a Spring practice period that was mostly held in completely secrecy like some NSA black ops project? Well you piece together what you can from videos/interviews/spring game/other reports. So did anything happen this spring?
Positives
1. Offensive Line: I know, I know, OU fans are completely unable to buy into any more OL hype until the OL blocks someone consistently this fall. But there were a number of positive storylines for the OL this spring.
a. Good winter offseason conditioning for the OL with Corey Brandon, among others taking up a leadership role. Leadership was a massive problem last year for the OL in general leading to a lot of the issues.
b. Donald Stephenson coming off academic probation had an excellent spring validating Bob's comments that Stephenson might be the most talented OL the Sooners have.
c. Both Jarvis Jones and Ben Habern were able to return for the bulk of spring much earlier than anticipated for both players. Jones is making a real push at OT to start if Stephenson or Brandon fall back at all. The Sooners monitored Habern closely all spring, but he had a very solid spring game, and looks ready to take back his starting center spot.
d. Stephen Good and Tyler Evans have seemed to lock down the starting guard positions, and due to the improved depth situation were allowed to focus on those positions all spring.
e. The move of Gabe Ikard to OL seems like a good fit. Ikard will need to get bigger/stronger to play OL full time, but Ikard provides key depth at OC/OG.
f. Early enrollee freshman Bronson Irwin and Austin Woods had solid springs according to the coaches, and the full offseason and spring should accelerate their development. Irwin is threat to not redshirt, while OU would like to redshirt Woods to get a little distance between Woods and Habern/Ikard at center.
g. While not dominating, in both the first scrimmage and the spring game, the OL showed that it could generate some yards rushing and give Landry time needed in the passing game. The spring game in particular the OL looked significantly better than they did last spring when they pretty much got manhandled by the Sooner defense. Now I realize that Taylor's hurt and McCoy's gone, but that's still Jeremy Beal and Frank Alexander attacking.
h. Other than an MCL sprain for Eric Mensik, the OL got through spring in relatively good health (Good's spring game injury was simply an ankle sprain).
i. Starting OL right now is:
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- LT: Donald Stephenson
- LG: Stephen Good
- OC: Ben Habern
- RG: Tyler Evans
- RT: Corey Brandon/Jarvis Jones
2. Improved QB play by Landry Jones: Landry had a solid end to the year with an excellent bowl game (if not for his only mistake OU might have blown that game wide open early) and has carried that momentum through spring. Landry had a very solid spring game throwing for over 200 yards and couple of TDs. His completion percentage was lower than you would like (he was victimized by some drops), but Landry also had zero interceptions. In the highlights, Landry's clearly made progress in extending plays and in avoiding negative plays. In addition, Landry appears to have improved his accuracy while on the move. The gap between Landry and Drew appears to be pretty wide, so there's no QB controversy in Norman this spring. OU's offense this fall will go as far as an improved OL and Landry Jones can take it.
3. The Californians are coming. If Brennan Clay can have the kind of impact that his San Diego teammates have had already, then OU should definitely keep recruiting San Diego. Kenny Stills has taken advantage of OU's relatively thin numbers at WR and OU's new double practice scheme to really jump start his Sooner career. Stills looks like he might be the WR playmaker to take advantage of the massive attention Ryan Broyles is sure to receive this fall. Tony Jefferson was battling a more crowded field at safety this spring, but Willie Martinez is already talking up his potential at SS/SAM Nickel LB. From the buzz on both kids this spring, I'd be stunned if either kid redshirted.
4. Willie Martinez at DB coach: OU's defenses were always at their best when Brent was roaming the sidelines with Mike. OU's never really found a real DB coach to replace Mike that synced with Brent. Early signs indicate that OU may have found that guy. Martinez really became the scapegoat at UGA for a team with a lot of different issues inconsistent offense giving up a lot of turnovers, 3 years of OL problems, no pass rush from the DEs, talented but underperforming DTs, and finally average LBs. He may end up being an excellent DB coach who is just not a defensive coordinator.
5. LB Core: BV now has 6 LBs who can play a nice interchangeable mix of positions. Travis Lewis looks ready to take over the mantle of leadership on defense, and perhaps take his LB game to the next level. The Sooners have been using Ronnell Lewis in a variety of roles, and it's doubtful that you will see Ronnell leave the field. Tom Wort is back from his knee injury early, and should be ready this fall to prove why he almost played at LB last year. Joseph Ibiloye has carried over the momentum of his freshman year and looks to start in the Clayton role or at SS depending upon what type of offense OU is facing. Finally, Jayden Bird, Daniel Franklin and Austin Box are providing depth and competition. Despite the loss of Reynolds and Clayton, it's entirely possible that the LB position could be better than last year.
6. Defensive Backs: At this point, Jamell Fleming is playing CB at a level that is letting OU leave Jonathan Nelson at Safety. So OU has a starting backfield of Hurst, Fleming, Nelson, and Carter. Fleming might continue what has become an annual trend of late blooming DBs in recent years, players essentially written off or thought to be recruited over (Quinton Carter, Brian Jackson, Jonathan Nelson). Marcus Trice spent most of spring at CB where he's an ideal nickel/dime CB to counter slot WRS/4 WR looks. Javon Harris, Tony Jefferson, Gabe Lynn, Kevin Brent, and Lamar Harris are all providing depth at DB. Along with the flexibility at LB, OU's secondary appears to have the necessary pieces to matchup with a variety of offenses. Considering OU had to replace 2 starting CBs, the secondary appeared to be in good shape.
Neutral
1. Defensive End: Beal and Alexander are holding down this position. Not much noise here at all. David King was hurt. RJ Washington didn't seem to take advantage of King's absence and lock down the 3rd DE spot.
2. Running Back: OU was very cautious using Demarco Murray at all this spring. Jermie Calhoun had a big first scrimmage, but has been bothered by an ankle injury since then. Marshal Musil had a very good spring game in a big back role (he played Toby Gerhart on the scout team for OU's bowl game), and walk on former Lawton HS product Dominique Whaley had some nice runs.
3. Jaz Reynolds and Dejuan Miller had moments this spring, but didn't have big spring games. Both kids improved but not to the degree that they won't be tested by the influx of WR talent.
4. TE position: This position started spring in the negative column, but there were signs of life in the scrimmages and in the spring game. James Hanna's been making plays in the scrimmages as a receiver, and in the spring game James Ratterree had a couple of nice catches. Lane Johnson massive frame at TE is still a work in progress, but he looks like he could be a factor down the road. Still to steal a quote from a message board thread, there's no Jermaine Gresham's out there. This position is still wide open for Austin Haywood this fall.
5. Defensive Tackle: OU misses Adrian Taylor inside, so let's hope that his rehab from injury goes well. Jamarkus McFarland had a great early part of spring, and had a good spring game. Casey Walker provides some run defense, but not much playmaking. Stacey McGee shows some pass rush ability but still needs to get stronger versus the run. Justin Chaisson's move to DT will pay off for OU but for it to be this fall he's going to have to add some size and strength, he got kind of worked in the spring game at times by the OL. Walk on Drew Serruto got a bunch of reps in spring, not sure if he will be a factor this fall or not. Defensive tackle is definitely a place where a motivated in great shape freshman can provide some competition and depth. Best guess to repeat my recruiting wrap up, Eric Humphrey at 3 technique or Torrea Peterson who can play either DT spot.
Negatives
1. Kicking Game. This is purely based on the spring game due to the other scrimmages being closed. FG kicking looked awful in the spring game. O'Hara had a FG blocked, then missed a mulligan attempt. Stevens hit 3 FGs, one bounced off the upright to be good, and the other two were low wobbly, hooking left kicks. I seriously doubt if any of them would have good in a real game they were so low, I'd imagine every one of them would have been blocked. Easley was doing kickoffs and having a hard time getting it beyond the 15 yard line. OU's woes here have cost OU badly the last two years. It's like Garrett Hartley stole every once of kicking skill away from Norman to make that overtime kick for the Saints.
2. Bob's draconian blackout policy in spring is hurting interest in the program. OU barely had 16k at their spring game. Now the weather plays a role, but so does Bob locking out fans from attending scrimmages, not putting up videos of practices on Soonersports.com, and limiting the press' access to practices. Without access, the press is just going to write about something else. If he had his choice, I bet Bob would kill the spring game outright. Now, I'll be honest our offense in spring games is usually so vanilla that it's hard for me to imagine that any rivals can really gain any real insight from the game being on TV. If Saban can allow his game to be on ESPN, then why won't Bob let the game be televised or at the very least streamed over the net if he is worried about someone having a copy of the game for scouting purposes. I just don't see how this secrecy is leading to any real competitive advantage on the field.
