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jkm, the stolen pifwafwi
1/6/2006, 07:28 PM
in doing the research for this, i went back and watched a lot of the highlight videos from 2001-2004. one thing that strikes you when you do that is the amount of amazing plays that our players have made over the years. it also became apparent that our special team were special because of who played on them. and as we know, big mo has a special place in his heart for special teams

in 2001

that long savage KO return against NC? the guy who kept the wolves at bay was curtis fagan.

that hunter wall TD against kstate? his lead blocker was rocky calmus.

woolfolk and his 90 inch vertical on FG blocks.

and the kickers? wow. we have ferguson faking the air force guy to avoid the block. we have him catching a snap that was like 10 feet over his head against nebraska. we have duncan stripping the NC guy on a KO return.

in 2002
mccoy to chester against mizzou? hey, it worked
strait blocking that punt against iowa state that ended up a TD? (the one that spun like a top in the end zone and the iowa state kicker whiffed when he tried to kick it out of the end zone).
stait blocking another punt against ttech that ended up as a TD.

also i'd like to give another shout out to curtis fagan for what he did at OU. when reviewing the highlight tapes, it doesn't seem like there is a single long run by an OU player where he isn't out in front blocking for them. if there is one thing our young WRs are missing is these kind of intangibles.

also, the sheer quantity of breaks we got in the 2002 texas game is amazing. ricocheted passes going right to our DBs. the peoples fumble with Q johnny on the spot. we knew this year's game was going to be like 2002, we of course didn't manufacture any breaks at all.

Mark Bradley - our first legacy guy under stoops, he was transfer from arkansas pine bluff that walked on as a DB in this class. ended up with knee issues so they moved him to WR. he played incredibly well at the position. a boneheaded play in the national title game is probably going to keep soonerfandom from giving him the respect he deserves. what you need to remember is the KO returns for TDs and the long TD catches. the dude had some massive jets.

memorable moment

jkm - long TD catch against pokey state that hit him in the helmet and he ran it down.


scott - the reverse against Houston that he ran for a TD making him one of the few players to score a TD via a pass, rush, reception, punt return, and kick return.


Lynn McGruder - transfer from tennessee that walked on as a DT. ended up making the most of his second chance and had a solid career at OU.

memorable moment

jkm - pulling several passengers out of a burning car on i-35. that heroism overshadowed everything he did on the field


scott - being the perfect 'contain' DT against Texas in the '04 RRS after we lost Dusty.


Kelvin Chaisson - very unheralded recruit that was committed to us for well over a month before the recruiting services even knew about it. played soccer in high school if you can believe it (of all of our moves to the OL, this is the most bizarre).

memorable moment

jkm


scott


Russell Dennison - manic special teamer who everyone raved about when he first got to campus. just never could pick up the intricacies of the defense and was sentenced to life as runnells backup on the other side of the ball.

memorable moment

jkm


scott - when he decleated the tech return guy in '03.


Dusty Dvoracek - came in behind the more heralded tommie harris but was easily his equal on the college gridiron. was kicked off the team in 2004 for an off the field incident but had the foresight to understand that he needed to make amends for his future with the school.

memorable moment

jkm

Eric Bassey - much maligned player that gave his heart and soul for the school. after a redshirt year, he was the heir apparent of TGRW. after struggling in run support, he was moved to corner. he proved to be a solid backup.

memorable moment

jkm - fumble recovery for a TD to ice the game against alabama


scott - same.


Chris Bush - one of our 2 TE recruits that ended up on the OL. he had a solid career as a swing interior guy filling in for either guards or center.

memorable moment

jkm -

scott - filling in decently at center after Jon Cooper broke his leg, playing with a broken hand and a barely healed ankle.


Vince Carter - 4 year starter at center that started just about every game. had sporadic injuries but was very good at getting us into blocking schemes and snapping the ball. went undrafted and doesn't appear to be on any NFL rosters

memorable moment -

jkm -

Chris Chester - the other TE that ended up on the OL. looks to be getting a lot of looks from the pros, however he's known more for what he did as a TE on special teams than as a lineman

memorable moment

jkm - catching the fake field goal against missouri that sealed the deal in 2002.


scott - playing very solid at guard after being out of place as a center for the early part of the season.


Blake Ferguson - transfer from NC, he was a very solid punter like his brother before him (OU seems to have quite the history with siblings at the kicker position eh?). might have had a shot at the pros, but unfortunately, we have schmidty.

memorable moment

jkm - could anything be better than that pass he threw to michael thompson at alabama? both for what it meant to the game and what it meant to see MT back on the field again


scott - same.


Jacob Hager - suspended after a DUI infraction his freshman year (brent rawls passenger). ended up on the wrestling team

Tommie Harris - most heralded player in the class. personally, he was a guy that i felt was always going to be better as a pro than a college player, but he provided us with our share of highlights. from crapping helmets, to tackling guys without a helmet, from running down texas WR roy williams to catching a fumble and trying to run it back from a touchdown, from making a play on the first play of a game to mysteriously disappearing for the rest of the game.

memorable moment

jkm - picking that fumble out of the air, reversing his field, and chugging down the sideline


scott - spending the entire '03 RRS in the Texas backfield.


Donta Hickson - had quite the highlight film from high school. piled up quite a few yards while making those highlights as well. the problem was that he was in one of the weakest high school districts in texas. he actually showed flashes at OU but his chances were limited by fumbles or by injuries. all in all he was a very solid team guy like bassey who worked his butt off and performed well when given the chance. however, much like bassey, inconsistency on the field plagued him enough to give his minutes to someone else

memorable moment

jkm - breaking free for that 35 yard TD against oregon last year

scott - getting significant PT against A&M in '03 and producing.


Clint Ingram - easily could have faded into obscurity with the talent in front of him, but his presence was such that venables built the defense around him.

memorable moment

jkm - um, the one where he iced the game against oregon with that final INT?


scott - pick a moment from the '05 season...without him this team doesn't qualify for a bowl.


Jonathan Jackson - pretty highly touted DE out of houston. ended up starting for 3 years and was known as a very smart player.

memorable moment

jkm - catching a deflected vince young pass and running it in for a TD against texas in the 65-13 route.


scott - same.


Brandon Jones - another one of these guys we seem to be getting that doesn't really become effective until he gets to the NFL. he attempted to play two sports while he was at OU but eventually stuck with football. drove me crazy with his penchant for catching the football on his hip. however, when he did the guy was incredibly hard to bring down in the open field.

memorable moment

jkm - jones connected on a ton of deep post routes in his career at OU, but none meant more than the connection against alabama at tuscaloosa.


scott - definitely the bomb against bama at tuscaloosa on the play after the trick 4th down conversion.


Kejuan Jones - very solid running back out of jenks. probably would have been a superstar had it not been for those pesky yardage lines reaching up and tripping him. still ended up with 2325 yards with a career average of 3.9 also chipped in with 491 yards receiving including a 77 yard romp against texas tech in 2003. saddenly, he is our only running back on campus that knows how to pass block.

memorable moment

jkm - though he had innumerable TDs in his career, the one that i'll always remember was in the 2003 RRS. after going in for the final score of the day, texas's aaron harris tattoos him after he is 3 yards in the end zone. the hit absolutely decleats him, but he pops right back up and flashes the horns down. nothing spoke of the toughness of that team more than that moment.


scott - his 5 TD game against Tech in '03....he was a TD machine.

James Moses - partial qualifier that year. managed to graduate in 4 years so that he got an extra year of eligibility. very solid and durable TE who was an excellent blocker. personally, nothing looks better than taking him over seymore shaw.

memorable moment - rumblin' stumblin' etc on that 40 yard reception against aTm last year. also his career long

Jowahn Poteat - played pretty well in every spring he was here, but just couldn't translate into the fall. was a solid special teamer while he was at OU. what do i mean by solid? do you remember antonio perkins 3 TD game against UCLA? did you know that poteat threw the block that sprung him on all 3? ah, the life of a ST'r at OU

memorable moment

jkm - in the first game without the halo rule against north texas in 2003 strait absolutely destroyed the north texas punt returner. poteat cleaned it up with the more important piece, recovering the fumble.

Brett Rayl - in and out of the imaginary dog house structure. played some at OU.

memorable moment - coming in for joseph against kansas and playing a whale of a game

Avery Shine - left for NEO after the fall because of academics. can't find whether he ever enrolled or not.

Bobby Klinck - ran into some issue with anemia and transferred to tulsa

Brent Rawls - hmm, what should i write here? wha? take the high road? okay, transferred to la tech.

Chris Wilson - LB out of BTW - took the money from "YOUR SEATTLE MARINERS!!" and ran. currently in A ball hitting .268

Gabe Toomey - left after the first fall because of homesickness. after juco ended up at kansas.

Michael Northern - showed up, clipped off about 10 30 yard punts. quit. i can't find any other mention of him.

Fred Fleeks - amazing highlight film. too bad he didn't have the same ability at the college level. left after one semester and transferred to texas a&m in, um, kingsville. looks like he played one season there at SLB before hanging it up.

Clint Werth - came in from juco and went through spring. then quit and went back to juco. ended up at colorado where he dislocated his kneecap in a freak stripper pole accident.

Justin Williams - ugh, never recruit memphis. i repeat, never recruit memphis. this kid came from the same high school as albert means and well, he almost did about the same job on us that means did on alabama. his high school doctored his transcripts that they sent to OU. we were turned in by a certain coach at tennessee. luckily, williams didn't play and actually qualified as a partial. of course, we had already had a partial in this class so the big 12 ripped our partial away the next year. we haven't really taken any partials since williams so i think they are leaving it in reserve, just in case. anyway, after almost getting us in all kinds of trouble with the NCAA and the B12, he bails. gah. ended up playing for tennessee state finishing with 5 INTs this year

Seymore Shaw - didn't qualify, ended up at OSU. too bad he didn't hit holes as well as he hit his girlfriend. (sorry, couldn't resist)

Jon Hawk - came in from same juco as werth and went through spring. then quit.

Jerod Fields - greyshirt from the year before. was granted a medical waiver by the NCAA only to have his career ended by injury at the end of his freshman year.

Brad Ware - didn't qualify out of high school 2 years before, didn't qualify out of juco this time around

special thanks to scott d for his memories. feel free to add your own...

sooner518
1/6/2006, 07:32 PM
ill always have Bassey's fumble recovery for a TD in the closing seconds against 'Bama as a great memory. That was a fantastic finish and the stadium went absolutely nuts.

oumartin
1/6/2006, 07:36 PM
I'll not remmber Bradley for the bonehead play against SUC.
I'll remember him for his catch against O-State and his touchdown grab to seal the deal against A&M last year.
I loved watching him play.

Rocker
1/6/2006, 07:43 PM
Blake Ferguson - transfer from NC, he was a very solid punter like his brother before him (OU seems to have quite the history with siblings at the kicker position eh?). might have had a shot at the pros, but unfortunately, we have schmidty.

memorable moment

jkm - could anything be better than that pass he threw to michael thompson at alabama? both for what it meant to the game and what it meant to see MT back on the field again




You are exactly right!!

PDXsooner
1/6/2006, 08:06 PM
great post

NickZeppelin
1/6/2006, 08:33 PM
Bradley's biggest player will be running the wrong route against A&M and still making the 60 yard TD.

CatfishSooner
1/6/2006, 09:50 PM
Great post I'm gonna miss a lot of those guys...

CatfishSooner
1/6/2006, 09:50 PM
OR I guess I already do eh?

OUstud
1/6/2006, 10:43 PM
What does Schmidty have to do with Ferguson not making the pros?

The Consumate Showman
1/7/2006, 01:45 AM
I'll not remmber Bradley for the bonehead play against SUC.
I'll remember him for his catch against O-State and his touchdown grab to seal the deal against A&M last year.
I loved watching him play.


Bradley may end up being the best WR to ever come out of OU......lightning speed is going to make him great in the NFL.....Mark Clayton may be hindered by the Tedford QB system man Boller, we'll see......if Bradley can keep injury free next season and have Grossman get him the ball, look out.....You can't base his OU legacy on that freak punt recovery, there are soooo many other plays to remember him for, if he was not in at aTm, we wouldn't have made the OB in the first place!

Frozen Sooner
1/7/2006, 03:02 AM
I was kind of wondering about why Schmidty is keeping Blake out of the NFL.

And Mark Bradley is not the first Sooner Legacy to play under Bob Stoops. Seth Litrell was a legacy. :D

usmc-sooner
1/7/2006, 03:07 AM
I was kind of wondering about why Schmidty is keeping Blake out of the NFL.

And Mark Bradley is not the first Sooner Legacy to play under Bob Stoops. Seth Litrell was a legacy. :D

thanks

Doged
1/7/2006, 06:27 AM
My memory of Mark Bradley will always be as one of the best (and certainly the fastest) gunners on punt coverage I've ever seen.

Exciting any time he was on the field, offense or STs. :)

bigdsooner
1/7/2006, 07:43 AM
nice read, thanks jkm

12
1/7/2006, 08:35 AM
Very nice. Good job.

Fagan... man, what a team player.

Was Schmidty meddling in the kicking technique of Ferguson? If so, that's almost always a bad move. Successful high school kickers make it in the next level by practicing what they've always done, over and over and over. Many college coaches try to alter the kicking motion to a "standard," which can be very unnatural to a kid who's been kicking one way for many years.

It's much like a golf swing... doesn't matter so much what it looks like if it consistently hits the target.

olevetonahill
1/7/2006, 10:00 AM
Good job . Us old folks with memory lapses need the reminders :D

midtownsooner
1/7/2006, 10:59 AM
Scmiddty told Blake F. that pro day started at 9:30, when it started at 9, then locked the doors at 9. Scmiddty doesn't like kickers apparently.

colleyvillesooner
1/7/2006, 11:12 AM
Everyone is exactly right on Bradley. Without him against OSU, we don't play in the NC. Period.

MiccoMacey
1/7/2006, 11:28 AM
...could anything be better than that pass he threw to michael thompson at alabama? both for what it meant to the game and what it meant to see MT back on the field again.


I sat in a hotel room in Savannah, Georgia and literally cried like a little girl when I saw Michael Thompson catch that punt. I don't know why he affected me like that, but I'd be hard pressed to find a better moment in sports than seeing him come back from that horrible accident.

Heck, I'm almost teary-eyed just thinking about it right now.




Jacob Hager - ...ended up on the wrestling team

Will probably be an All-American this year for Jack Spates. Good pick up for OU, even if it's not in football.

jkm, the stolen pifwafwi
1/7/2006, 12:56 PM
Scmiddty told Blake F. that pro day started at 9:30, when it started at 9, then locked the doors at 9. Scmiddty doesn't like kickers apparently.

that was jeff

Salt City Sooner
1/7/2006, 01:14 PM
Bradley: the TD pass to Clayton in the '03 OSU game

Bassey: the pick 6 in the '03 UCLA game

Dennison: another de-cleater at the tail end of the '04 NU game

Jonathan Jackson: getting Jason Gesser's chin VERY well-acquainted with his helmet in the 4th quarter of the Rose Bowl win vs. Wazzu.

Brandon Jones- Caught a 50+ yard bomb in '03 vs. CU on a 3rd & 1 on a play in which everybody in the house was looking run to put OU up 7-0.

Dusty- putting Simms on his butt.

OklahomaTuba
1/3/2007, 12:36 PM
When do we get an analysis of the 2003 class. I count about 8 of those folks still on the roster.

Scott D
1/3/2007, 12:37 PM
after the 2007 season maybe.