Okie35
1/2/2016, 12:11 AM
Why setback in College Football Playoff doesn't darken OU's outlook; Sooners will 'be back here next year'
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. -- For the second year running, Oklahoma's season ended with a lopsided bowl loss to Clemson.
The symmetry aside, Oklahoma enters the offseason in a far different place than it did 12 months ago.
Then, it was in the wake of an 8-5 season, a demoralizing home loss to Baylor and whispers that the fan base might be tiring of Bob Stoops. Now, Stoops can point to a bounce-back Big 12 title and a spot in the College Football Playoff semifinals, even if the final game was a 37-17 loss in the Orange Bowl.
"You can't take away the Big 12 championship, and the fact that this group of seniors has led us back to one game from being in the national championship game," Stoops said. "That part is there and doesn't go away. We weren't good enough to finish it, and that's the bottom line.
"But we've still got a young team, and we'll be encouraged about the strides that we've taken and how close we are, and we've got to keep improving to get it done."
Oklahoma was talented enough and fortunate enough to endure the Big 12's November-to-remember demolition derby.
While TCU, Baylor and Oklahoma State were all losing starting quarterbacks and plenty of other key personnel, the Sooners emerged relatively unscathed. The importance of health was underscored against Clemson when OU saw linebacker Jordan Evans, running backs Samaje Perine and Joe Mixon and quarterback Baker Mayfield all leave with injuries.
Offensive coordinator Lincoln Riley acknowledged that without a healthy Perine and Mixon, the Sooners weren't close to the same.
"Not having Joe and Samaje for most of the second half, that makes a difference," Riley said. "We lean on those guys pretty heavily."
Oklahoma could be even better next season. The Sooners will probably be the preseason favorites in the Big 12 and somewhere among the top half dozen teams nationally.
"They know how to get here," senior defensive end Charles Tapper said. "They know how to prepare in the summertime. They know they've got to push themselves and push each other in practice.
"It's got to be a competition among each other to make each other better and get to this great place we were at."
Will the Sooners be able to retain the chemistry forged through adversity that became a trademark of this year's group? It's likely but not guaranteed, despite what players said.
"This was a year of improvement, understanding, and maturity," safety Ahmad Thomas posted Friday on Instagram.
OU returns eight starters on offense and eight on defense.
Mayfield, who apparently found a home in Norman after his tumultuous Texas Tech transfer, threw for 3,700 yards and 36 touchdowns, and had just seven interceptions. In the two games OU lost, he was sacked 11 times. Perine and Mixon emerged as one of the best running back tandems in the country. Three offensive linemen return.
All-Big 12 cornerback Zach Sanchez declared for the NFL draft Friday but will almost certainly be the only OU player to exit early. A Keller Central product, Sanchez led the Big 12 with seven interceptions.
"Words can't describe the bond we have made over this time together ... From the lowest of the lows to the highest of the highs ... I love y'all boys like brothers," Sanchez wrote in part on Twitter in making his announcement.
Oklahoma has everybody else back in the secondary, as well as run-stopping linebackers Evans and Dom Alexander. Replacing edge rushers Tapper and Eric Striker (141/2 combined sacks) might be the biggest chore facing the Sooners.
As this year proved, the Big 12's best in August or even October isn't the best team in December.
Quick trivia quiz: Who was picked to win the Big 12 in the preseason?
Answer: TCU, which finishes its season Saturday in the Valero Alamo Bowl.
At least for the moment, Tapper had no doubts about what December 2016 brings.
"I promise you they're going to be back here next year," Tapper said of his teammates. "I know this for a sure fact."
OU's 2016 checklist
-- Can quarterback Baker Mayfield maintain his consistency and channel his fire as he did in 2015?
-- Who emerges as the go-to receiver to replace Sterling Shepard? Dede Westbrook has the talent to step up.
-- In addition to providing a pass rush, Eric Striker and Charles Tapper were key locker room leaders. Their presence will be missed as much as their production.
http://sportsday.dallasnews.com/college-sports/oklahomasooners/2016/01/01/carlton-setback-college-football-playoff-darken-ous-outlook-sooners-will-back-next-year
My exact thoughts ... we will be back next year and probably higher than a 4 seed if we get through the brutal first half of the season.
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. -- For the second year running, Oklahoma's season ended with a lopsided bowl loss to Clemson.
The symmetry aside, Oklahoma enters the offseason in a far different place than it did 12 months ago.
Then, it was in the wake of an 8-5 season, a demoralizing home loss to Baylor and whispers that the fan base might be tiring of Bob Stoops. Now, Stoops can point to a bounce-back Big 12 title and a spot in the College Football Playoff semifinals, even if the final game was a 37-17 loss in the Orange Bowl.
"You can't take away the Big 12 championship, and the fact that this group of seniors has led us back to one game from being in the national championship game," Stoops said. "That part is there and doesn't go away. We weren't good enough to finish it, and that's the bottom line.
"But we've still got a young team, and we'll be encouraged about the strides that we've taken and how close we are, and we've got to keep improving to get it done."
Oklahoma was talented enough and fortunate enough to endure the Big 12's November-to-remember demolition derby.
While TCU, Baylor and Oklahoma State were all losing starting quarterbacks and plenty of other key personnel, the Sooners emerged relatively unscathed. The importance of health was underscored against Clemson when OU saw linebacker Jordan Evans, running backs Samaje Perine and Joe Mixon and quarterback Baker Mayfield all leave with injuries.
Offensive coordinator Lincoln Riley acknowledged that without a healthy Perine and Mixon, the Sooners weren't close to the same.
"Not having Joe and Samaje for most of the second half, that makes a difference," Riley said. "We lean on those guys pretty heavily."
Oklahoma could be even better next season. The Sooners will probably be the preseason favorites in the Big 12 and somewhere among the top half dozen teams nationally.
"They know how to get here," senior defensive end Charles Tapper said. "They know how to prepare in the summertime. They know they've got to push themselves and push each other in practice.
"It's got to be a competition among each other to make each other better and get to this great place we were at."
Will the Sooners be able to retain the chemistry forged through adversity that became a trademark of this year's group? It's likely but not guaranteed, despite what players said.
"This was a year of improvement, understanding, and maturity," safety Ahmad Thomas posted Friday on Instagram.
OU returns eight starters on offense and eight on defense.
Mayfield, who apparently found a home in Norman after his tumultuous Texas Tech transfer, threw for 3,700 yards and 36 touchdowns, and had just seven interceptions. In the two games OU lost, he was sacked 11 times. Perine and Mixon emerged as one of the best running back tandems in the country. Three offensive linemen return.
All-Big 12 cornerback Zach Sanchez declared for the NFL draft Friday but will almost certainly be the only OU player to exit early. A Keller Central product, Sanchez led the Big 12 with seven interceptions.
"Words can't describe the bond we have made over this time together ... From the lowest of the lows to the highest of the highs ... I love y'all boys like brothers," Sanchez wrote in part on Twitter in making his announcement.
Oklahoma has everybody else back in the secondary, as well as run-stopping linebackers Evans and Dom Alexander. Replacing edge rushers Tapper and Eric Striker (141/2 combined sacks) might be the biggest chore facing the Sooners.
As this year proved, the Big 12's best in August or even October isn't the best team in December.
Quick trivia quiz: Who was picked to win the Big 12 in the preseason?
Answer: TCU, which finishes its season Saturday in the Valero Alamo Bowl.
At least for the moment, Tapper had no doubts about what December 2016 brings.
"I promise you they're going to be back here next year," Tapper said of his teammates. "I know this for a sure fact."
OU's 2016 checklist
-- Can quarterback Baker Mayfield maintain his consistency and channel his fire as he did in 2015?
-- Who emerges as the go-to receiver to replace Sterling Shepard? Dede Westbrook has the talent to step up.
-- In addition to providing a pass rush, Eric Striker and Charles Tapper were key locker room leaders. Their presence will be missed as much as their production.
http://sportsday.dallasnews.com/college-sports/oklahomasooners/2016/01/01/carlton-setback-college-football-playoff-darken-ous-outlook-sooners-will-back-next-year
My exact thoughts ... we will be back next year and probably higher than a 4 seed if we get through the brutal first half of the season.