SoonerofAlabama
6/17/2011, 02:20 PM
From Fox Sports Southwest:
Big expectations are nothing new for Bob Stoops. Since the beginning of the millennium, the Oklahoma head coach has kept his program at the top of the conference standings and the national rankings on a consistent basis. Under Stoops, the Sooners have claimed seven Big 12 titles in 12 seasons, the latest coming last year in a thrilling 23-20 comeback win over rival Nebraska.
In 2011, Oklahoma returns 17 starters from a 12-2 team which won the Fiesta Bowl in convincing fashion. Once again, OU will be at or near the top of the preseason polls.
Success is not a hope but an expectation for Stoops, who feels confident about his squad heading into the fall. The leader of the Sooners talked about his maturing quarterback, a transformed tailback situation and the rest of his team with FOXSportsSouthwest.com.
Can you tell us about the recruiting class you signed in February? Obviously there is a lot of talent coming in this fall, but did you focus on filling any spot on the depth chart in particular?
No, we're always looking for it to be very diverse. We want talent and look for players at all positions. We've never been in a situation where we're desperate at any one position. It's a well-rounded class, like we're used to getting.
12 of the 17 players you signed played high school football in Texas. However, with teams like Baylor, Texas A&M, Oklahoma State and TCU improving, is recruiting in the state of Texas more competitive than it has ever been?
Oh, come on. Has it ever not been? (laughs) You named some of the players in our league. There are great programs from all across the country recruiting there as well. It's always been very competitive.
How did you feel about the way spring practices went for your team?
I think to start, we developed more depth overall. We got more players ready to play, just by the number of snaps and the work that we accomplished. Then there was just general overall improvement, even from the guys who have been playing. So it's just more and more experience on the field.
You've had relatively young teams in each of the past two seasons. With a veteran group returning this year, have you seen a greater sense of focus and maturity from your team?
So far, they've been very positive in how they've prepared and how they've practiced, and also in their work during the winter and offseason. To this point, yeah, it's been very good. But there's a big period of time now leading up to the year.
Former offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson left to become the head coach at Indiana. One of your former quarterbacks, Josh Heupel, is now co-offensive coordinator along with Jay Norvell. Heupel played under Mike Leach and Mark Mangino, who operated more of an air raid offense. Coach Wilson's offense was a bit more run-oriented. How will Coach Heupel design his offense this season?
Well I think at the end of the day, every year is different. We try and tailor our offense to our personnel as much as anything. Not just our quarterback and running back, but also the type of tight ends we have, the fullback we have. So we really do our best to tailor our offense to our personnel. Coach Heupel and coach Norvell are very aware of that, to take advantage of the personnel we have at all positions. The good thing right now is we love all our players at all those positions. We're really excited about our receivers. We've got some really explosive young backs. We've got good tight ends and fullbacks. So we'll be very multiple, which we like to be.
Quarterback Landry Jones has started nearly every game for the last two seasons. Sam Bradford's injury in 2009 put Landry in a pretty difficult situation as a redshirt freshman. How much do you think stepping in for Sam really helped Landry in his first season?
It helped him tremendously, though it was tough on him and difficult being thrust in that position when you're not totally prepared for it and not expecting it. He grew from it and matured and gained great experience. That definitely made a major difference in a positive way for him a year ago.
Was there any point in particular where you saw Landry develop into the unquestioned leader of the offense?
Really in the last two or three games of his first year. He had a great Sun Bowl, threw for over 400 yards and led us to victory. He had a huge game against Oklahoma State also, threw for well over 300 yards and a few touchdowns in that game. Toward the end of the season his first year, he started to really become comfortable and become the leader we wanted him to be.
One of Landry's biggest performances came against Nebraska in the Big 12 Championship Game. Was that game a big part of him taking that next step toward become a special player at Oklahoma?
Definitely. I think Nebraska plays as good in coverage as anybody in the country, and with good personnel. He did a great job of hanging in there and delivering the football in a lot of good, tight spots.
DeMarco Murray moved on to the NFL this offseason. He was an extremely versatile back who did several things for your team. Will we see more of a 'running-back-by-committee' approach to try and replace his production this season? Will backs continue to line up in the slot like DeMarco did?
We'll have a number of guys. We really like our backs, so it will be a situation where we use a number of them and just try to play to their strengths.
Yeah, there's a possibility of that [playing backs in the slot]. We've got a number of them that catch the ball well. We did that with DeMarco, so that's something we're used to doing.
Brandon Williams enrolled early and took part in spring practices as one of the backs to try and replace DeMarco. What impressed you about him?
Well he's got great power and strength. He's very tough, very competitive. He's got everything you look for. It's just going to be a matter of getting him to understand everything we're doing, and to take care of the football. Those are the things we working on with him. He has a chance to be pretty special.
Jeremy Beal was a big loss along the defensive line. Who did you see step up and fill his place during the spring?
Corey Nelson, the young linebacker is a guy that has played well. Ronnell Lewis is a guy that's always going to be a strong type of player that way as well.
Travis Lewis has been a great player for you over the past three years. He also loves to talk, both on and off the field. How do you feel about that? Do you mind at all?
Well, he's an excitable guy, and that's okay. But he's been an excellent leader, and he plays with a lot of excitement and emotion. But that's what you want from a linebacker.
Aaron Colvin moved from cornerback to safety during the spring. How did he adjust to that position change?
He's doing great. We're really excited. He's got corner-like cover ability, great speed and quickness. So we really think that playing that strong safety position fits him well, and he's an excellent tackler as well.
With Aaron's move and Jamell Fleming not participating in spring practice, your depth chart at cornerback was shuffled a bit. How did Gabe Lynn play taking the majority of the reps as a starter?
He had a really good spring. We were very pleased with how he continued to make improvement, and he has a bright future. We're really excited about how he is playing.
Your team's big out-of-conference game this year is against Florida State, a team you beat 47-17 last year. What did your team do so well to beat the Seminoles as handily as you did?
Well it was just like any game when you play well: we did well in all areas of the game and took care of the football. Sometimes that's the issue. There isn't any great detail other than just a well-executed game.
Do you look at every year as a 'conference championship-or-bust' season, or are there certain seasons – like this one – where you feel like anything less than a title is truly a disappointment?
Well, we're always pursuing conference championships and national championships. A lot has to happen to bring that together, but those championships are definitely what we're focused on, and what we always will be focused on.
Big expectations are nothing new for Bob Stoops. Since the beginning of the millennium, the Oklahoma head coach has kept his program at the top of the conference standings and the national rankings on a consistent basis. Under Stoops, the Sooners have claimed seven Big 12 titles in 12 seasons, the latest coming last year in a thrilling 23-20 comeback win over rival Nebraska.
In 2011, Oklahoma returns 17 starters from a 12-2 team which won the Fiesta Bowl in convincing fashion. Once again, OU will be at or near the top of the preseason polls.
Success is not a hope but an expectation for Stoops, who feels confident about his squad heading into the fall. The leader of the Sooners talked about his maturing quarterback, a transformed tailback situation and the rest of his team with FOXSportsSouthwest.com.
Can you tell us about the recruiting class you signed in February? Obviously there is a lot of talent coming in this fall, but did you focus on filling any spot on the depth chart in particular?
No, we're always looking for it to be very diverse. We want talent and look for players at all positions. We've never been in a situation where we're desperate at any one position. It's a well-rounded class, like we're used to getting.
12 of the 17 players you signed played high school football in Texas. However, with teams like Baylor, Texas A&M, Oklahoma State and TCU improving, is recruiting in the state of Texas more competitive than it has ever been?
Oh, come on. Has it ever not been? (laughs) You named some of the players in our league. There are great programs from all across the country recruiting there as well. It's always been very competitive.
How did you feel about the way spring practices went for your team?
I think to start, we developed more depth overall. We got more players ready to play, just by the number of snaps and the work that we accomplished. Then there was just general overall improvement, even from the guys who have been playing. So it's just more and more experience on the field.
You've had relatively young teams in each of the past two seasons. With a veteran group returning this year, have you seen a greater sense of focus and maturity from your team?
So far, they've been very positive in how they've prepared and how they've practiced, and also in their work during the winter and offseason. To this point, yeah, it's been very good. But there's a big period of time now leading up to the year.
Former offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson left to become the head coach at Indiana. One of your former quarterbacks, Josh Heupel, is now co-offensive coordinator along with Jay Norvell. Heupel played under Mike Leach and Mark Mangino, who operated more of an air raid offense. Coach Wilson's offense was a bit more run-oriented. How will Coach Heupel design his offense this season?
Well I think at the end of the day, every year is different. We try and tailor our offense to our personnel as much as anything. Not just our quarterback and running back, but also the type of tight ends we have, the fullback we have. So we really do our best to tailor our offense to our personnel. Coach Heupel and coach Norvell are very aware of that, to take advantage of the personnel we have at all positions. The good thing right now is we love all our players at all those positions. We're really excited about our receivers. We've got some really explosive young backs. We've got good tight ends and fullbacks. So we'll be very multiple, which we like to be.
Quarterback Landry Jones has started nearly every game for the last two seasons. Sam Bradford's injury in 2009 put Landry in a pretty difficult situation as a redshirt freshman. How much do you think stepping in for Sam really helped Landry in his first season?
It helped him tremendously, though it was tough on him and difficult being thrust in that position when you're not totally prepared for it and not expecting it. He grew from it and matured and gained great experience. That definitely made a major difference in a positive way for him a year ago.
Was there any point in particular where you saw Landry develop into the unquestioned leader of the offense?
Really in the last two or three games of his first year. He had a great Sun Bowl, threw for over 400 yards and led us to victory. He had a huge game against Oklahoma State also, threw for well over 300 yards and a few touchdowns in that game. Toward the end of the season his first year, he started to really become comfortable and become the leader we wanted him to be.
One of Landry's biggest performances came against Nebraska in the Big 12 Championship Game. Was that game a big part of him taking that next step toward become a special player at Oklahoma?
Definitely. I think Nebraska plays as good in coverage as anybody in the country, and with good personnel. He did a great job of hanging in there and delivering the football in a lot of good, tight spots.
DeMarco Murray moved on to the NFL this offseason. He was an extremely versatile back who did several things for your team. Will we see more of a 'running-back-by-committee' approach to try and replace his production this season? Will backs continue to line up in the slot like DeMarco did?
We'll have a number of guys. We really like our backs, so it will be a situation where we use a number of them and just try to play to their strengths.
Yeah, there's a possibility of that [playing backs in the slot]. We've got a number of them that catch the ball well. We did that with DeMarco, so that's something we're used to doing.
Brandon Williams enrolled early and took part in spring practices as one of the backs to try and replace DeMarco. What impressed you about him?
Well he's got great power and strength. He's very tough, very competitive. He's got everything you look for. It's just going to be a matter of getting him to understand everything we're doing, and to take care of the football. Those are the things we working on with him. He has a chance to be pretty special.
Jeremy Beal was a big loss along the defensive line. Who did you see step up and fill his place during the spring?
Corey Nelson, the young linebacker is a guy that has played well. Ronnell Lewis is a guy that's always going to be a strong type of player that way as well.
Travis Lewis has been a great player for you over the past three years. He also loves to talk, both on and off the field. How do you feel about that? Do you mind at all?
Well, he's an excitable guy, and that's okay. But he's been an excellent leader, and he plays with a lot of excitement and emotion. But that's what you want from a linebacker.
Aaron Colvin moved from cornerback to safety during the spring. How did he adjust to that position change?
He's doing great. We're really excited. He's got corner-like cover ability, great speed and quickness. So we really think that playing that strong safety position fits him well, and he's an excellent tackler as well.
With Aaron's move and Jamell Fleming not participating in spring practice, your depth chart at cornerback was shuffled a bit. How did Gabe Lynn play taking the majority of the reps as a starter?
He had a really good spring. We were very pleased with how he continued to make improvement, and he has a bright future. We're really excited about how he is playing.
Your team's big out-of-conference game this year is against Florida State, a team you beat 47-17 last year. What did your team do so well to beat the Seminoles as handily as you did?
Well it was just like any game when you play well: we did well in all areas of the game and took care of the football. Sometimes that's the issue. There isn't any great detail other than just a well-executed game.
Do you look at every year as a 'conference championship-or-bust' season, or are there certain seasons – like this one – where you feel like anything less than a title is truly a disappointment?
Well, we're always pursuing conference championships and national championships. A lot has to happen to bring that together, but those championships are definitely what we're focused on, and what we always will be focused on.