Sooners get right man in their corner
By JOHN E. HOOVER World Sports Writer
4/25/2006
Moving Reggie Smith from safety to cornerback looks like a winner.
NORMAN -- Springtime in Oklahoma is all about the weather.
And spring football at the University of Oklahoma was all about Hurricane Reggie.
Sophomore Reggie Smith played last season at strong safety, but this spring he took the cornerback position by storm.
"Reggie looked good," said OU head coach Bob Stoops, "which isn't surprising to anyone."
At 6-foot-1 and 200 pounds, Smith is physical. With a sub-4.5 40, he's fast. And having played free safety at Edmond Santa Fe, he's smart.
"That's a lot to ask," said defensive backs coach and co-defensive coordinator Bobby Jack Wright. "You want a guy that can go out there and contest those big wide receivers. But a lot of times, your best cover guy is a 5-9, 5-10 corner going against a guy that's 6-3, 6-4. With Reggie, you've got a guy who is big and physical and can still cover."
Smith's move to corner was the highlight of the Sooners' 15 practices. Although the offense was limited with a protected Adrian Peterson at running back, the defense dominated all three major scrimmages, and Smith's playmaking was a major reason why.
Playing cornerback, Smith said, is
"not that hard once you get down the calls and knowing the splits and knowing what to look for when the play's going."
"We've said all along Reggie was going to be outstanding at corner, and he was," Wright said. "He had a great spring. Reggie's got a chance to really be a premier corner in college football. He's going to be a great one."
Other position changes yielded either immediate or promising results.
One was former wide receiver Lendy Holmes, who turned in a handful of big plays in scrimmages and was solid enough to merit front- line duty when the Sooner defense went to an extra defensive backs package, which utilizes Smith's cover skills as an interior safety.
Another was former defensive end Brody Eldridge, who drew raves from the offensive staff as the second tight end in the two-tight packages. Eldridge is a physical blocker and is coming along as a receiver.
Another -- and perhaps as impacting as Smith's -- was defensive tackle Brian Simmons' switch to offensive line. That gave the Sooners seven bodies up front, and Simmons at times looked like a natural who could figure into the rotation this fall.
Little-used linebacker Ian Pleasant was moved to fullback as the coaching staff continues to search for J.D. Runnels' replacement.
One reason Pleasant wasn't playing at linebacker was the switch of Lewis Baker, who played there his freshman year, redshirted in 2004, then switched to safety last season and now is back at linebacker.
And in the fall, reinforcements will arrive across the line, at tight end, at corner; injuries to Brian Jackson and Marcus Walker are expected to be healed. At running back, Allen Patrick was the only scholarship runner. He should be rejoined by Jacob Gutierrez and supported by freshman Demarco Murray. And defensive end, the deepest position on the field, should get stronger when senior John Williams gets back from last year's knee injury.
Quarterbacks were handcuffed all spring by Peterson's part-time participation, so little should be inferred from their performance this spring. Still, coaches thought Rhett Bomar had grown significantly from his redshirt freshman season, and they didn't sound concerned about backup Joey Halzle's string of interceptions.
"Spring's really all about feeding them as much as you can; seeing what they can grasp and handle and what they're good at and what they're not good at," said quarterbacks coach Josh Heupel.
Said Bomar, "You have a year under your belt, it's easier to get adjusted. You know it now. I didn't know it last year before I went there and played, but experience is the only thing that helps that."
Peterson also thought he got better this spring, despite not going full-speed in scrimmages. He worked on all parts of his game -- receiving, blocking, following blocks, timing -- and laughed at the notion that he was already so good he didn't need to practice.
"Ain't nobody that great. Even (Walter) Payton had to practice," Peterson said. "Just being out there, getting in the rhythm, having extra weeks in you for conditioning and being able to see things and feel them, these few weeks help out a lot."
And linebacker Rufus Alexander -- the defensive version of Peterson -- was his usual big-play self in scrimmages. Alexander, who was nominated this spring for two national awards, has reached the point in his career that he no longer gets much on-field instruction.
"It's all about getting a better feel for everything," Alexander said. "It's all about getting a feel and better recognition. You can never get on the field enough times in football. After a while it becomes second nature."
The '06 spring wasn't without problems.
Punter Cody Freeby was dismissed from the team for disciplinary reasons, and backup Mike Knall was inconsistent as his replacement.
Sophomore linebacker Ryan Reynolds tore a knee ligament in 7-on-7 drills two days after spring concluded and will miss all of the 2006 season.
First-year freshman Chad Roark, who graduated high school a semester early and was the starting center the first 12 practices, missed the last three for what Stoops said were academic issues (Unsubstantiated Internet rumors circulated that he had decided to join his older brother at Nebraska).
Junior linebacker Demarrio Pleasant also missed time because of academic issues but returned in good standing and finished strong.
Overall this spring, some questions were answered and others were created.
"It was good," Stoops said. "Guys worked hard and we've made progress."
John E. Hoover 581-8384
[email protected].