2004 Statistics

Quarterback
Competing for the position are Paul Thompson, Tommy Grady and Rhett Bomar. Thompson, who was redshirted in 2004 for the express idea of having two full years of eligibility remaining, is a dual threat and comfortable in both facets. Grady is a redshirt freshman who might have the best arm, but no feet. Bomar, top QB recruit from two years ago, also redshirted and might be the best of the three. "It should be wide open," OU offensive coordinator Chuck Long said. "I'm going to throw the ball out, give them an equal number of reps and let them have at it. It may not finish after the spring competition. We may carry it into fall ball. So who knows? No one has an edge." No one may have an edge, but if you had to hedge a guess now, it is Thompson. Make no mistake...Thompson is the real deal. His 2004 spring performance turned out to be one the best in Sooner spring history. Some talk even existed he had the potential to unseat the defending Heisman trophy winner Jason White. Instead, he took the redshirt and preserved another year of eligibility…a smart move in the long run. That race can begin now.

Receiver
OU must replace its all-time leading receiver in Mark Clayton. In fact, three of the top four receivers from 2004 will depart, leaving Travis Wilson to anchor a new group. Wilson was steady, but now has to make an unknown QB look good. Rivals.com lists a handful of four-star recruits over the last two classes, so the undeveloped talent is just waiting. Newbie Malcolm Kelly has a 6'4" leaping base and a superior ability to run deep routes, while similarly-sized Eric Huggins has a penchant for hitting DBs harder than they hit him - in other words, he is fearless over the middle for YAC galore. All of the untested talent has size and toughness, which fits well into the Sooner's integral schemes. Once the field is stretched, there will be plenty of room underneath for each to get his due. A mild setback becomes a strength by mid-season, at the latest.

Running Back
The most heralded freshman since Herschel Walker, Adrian Peterson is back for his sophomore year after rushing for 1,925 yards and 15 touchdowns. His "backup", the also physical Kejuan Jones, has a better set of hands, giving a job to this guy who looked to be the next great RB before Peterson redefined the position/expectations in Norman. Making holes for both is FB J.D. Runnels, who is also a pass-catching option when two backs are in (about 30% of the time). There is depth at FB with incoming Matt Clapp. Now, before everybody gets all foaming-at-the-mouth excited, remember that Peterson will not have the same players surrounding him that he did last year, either on the line or (White) at the skill positions. A good portion of the offense fell to him last year; a huge BURDEN will be on his shoulders this year, and that's two different things to carry, so to speak. Defenses will again key on him, meaning he cannot afford to lean on just his raw ability anymore. Peterson (first-team NC.net all-American) has to be the consistent back that is needed, not one who gets one, three or four yards per clip and then (usually) break a few. USC didn't give up a big one to him, and his average Orange Bowl numbers show what happens when he is contained this way (ESPN's Albert and Mays may never believe this can possibly affect the team's outcomes, but it does). Talent alone will allow him to rush for 1,500, but he has to be the complete back we have yet to see him be for OU to have a chance to get back into the BCS. Bottom line: Peterson also has to catch more passes - five receptions in '04 means teams know what will happen when he is in. Knowing he won't catch a pass makes defenses have that much more focus on stopping his assured 25+ carries per game, which is why - though it may not seem so from the media smoke screen labeling him as the next "sliced bread" - he has been contained this much so far. But without White to take the pressure off him, we will see if Adrian's hips live up to last year's over-slaught of hype. He may be the country's toughest back to bring down (often a man amongst boys), but that fact alone doesn't win games.

Tight End
Simply put, this is rarely, if ever, a ball-handling position. That might change this year with the loss of the wideouts and the holes on the offensive line, but don't expect too much. Between them, James Moses, Joe Jon Finley and Willie Roberts caught a combined 25 balls in 13 games last season. All three are back, and they're mostly blocking tight ends. But watch out for Roberts. If Bob Stoops and Chuck Long really want to get creative, they can utilize his 6-foot-7 frame as a quick hitter over the middle.

Offensive Line
There's a rebuilding project here. Outland Trophy winning tackle Jammal Brown? Gone. All-America center Vince Carter? Gone. Davin Joseph (NC.net third-team all-American) will now anchor this unit by moving from guard to tackle. Kelvin Chaisson and Chris Bush will occupy the guard slots well, so the rest is up to the vaunted recruiting classes from last year and the year before. "We've got some work to do," offensive line coach Kevin Wilson said. "We're gonna miss some experience because we're replacing guys who played so much, they just saw things. They knew things. I don't know if the talent level will drop off as much as the experience level." That says it all, for the overall performance may marginally suffer, but even then, it will be adequate and will get better, regardless. This unit is strong, but the Red River Shootout will tell all as a seriously stacked Longhorn line/squad will measure OU's entire season right here. A mobile QB means his feet gets this unproven crew out of a few mistakes, but Peterson's numbers will be how this squad is best judged and measured.

OFFENSIVE BREAKDOWN
Any offense that starts with Adrian Peterson at TB and features Kejuan Jones as his backup is pretty good. But, again, the question is how much of an eight-man front will Oklahoma see early on and how will the Sooners respond? Expect to see Bob Stoops and Chuck Long throw some wrinkles into the offense. Bomar and Grady are runners, and that's one option to utilize that they didn't have last year. There is too much talent at QB to think White isn't replaceable, and the receivers will earn their keep quickly. It all starts and ends up front, for the level of line play will be tell-tale by mid-season, and you will know quickly if this team is for real or not. Look for adjustments from last year's approach to compensate for perceived weaknesses. An increased role for TEs will help the line adjust, as will increasing the FB's role/playing-time and play-action with AD.

Defensive Line
Nothing ever centers around one player. But if it did, it's DT Dusty Dvoracek, whose double-team demands free up a dependable pass-rushing defensive end. Although he plays at tackle, he's enough of a presence to impact the entire approach opponents choose here. Yeah, he's that good, as is 2005's best DT-recruit in the country (Rivals.com) DeMarcus Granger. Now the question is, can Dvoracek keep his personal problems in check (violent, alcohol-fueled altercations)? Larry Birdine, who made more headlines for his shots at USC quarterback Matt Leinart before last year's national title game than for his play on the field, is nonetheless a solid end. The last three incoming classes have yielded nine four-star linemen, so the power and speed exist for success here. Once honed, this group will be as good as any OU has recently seen.

Linebacker
While the Sooners have solid returners in Clint Ingram and Rufus Alexander, although a replacement in the middle must be found. Ingram is sharp in run-plugging, while Alexander drops back better into coverages. Right now, that looks like Zach Latimer. Incoming blue-chipper Ryan Reynolds will have to develop, but his potential on the outside is huge. The strong reserve stable that OU garners just has to get some reps for improvement levels to soar, so what is a marginal strength becomes a huge one by mid-season. OU's linebackers aren't yet great, but they're highly serviceable/upgradeable and should thrive behind this line. What was a question mark last year shows its worth in '05.

Defensive Back
Notice how we haven't mentioned OU's 55-19 collapse that much until now? Well, when you allow under 100 rushing yards on average (sixth ranked), it is your secondary that takes the heat (Leinart shredded this unit). Clearly, this is the biggest concern on the team. Both safeties are gone, as is CB Antonio Perkins. The depth is just not there. Two players, Eric Bassey and Tony Cade, missed games because of disciplinary reasons. Two more simply did not get the experience they needed. In 2004, for the first time in four years, OU slipped out of the top 10 in total defense, falling to 13th. That was mostly due to a secondary that was 48th in pass defense. Nine four-star DB products have in-fluxed in the past three classes, and they all have size and huge upsides. But, until exposed to the reality of game-speed play, this area shows its underbelly. Expect teams to just come out throwing until OU gets this situation under control.

DEFENSIVE BREAKDOWN
Coaches like to say it all starts up front, and for this team it really does. Many will think that because the Sooners can stop the run and put pressure on the quarterback - just like they've always done - that this defense is going to be fine. But the ability for the secondary to hold its own, enough so that the bend-don't-break-approach works, isn't there. Nickel and dime packages will not be as tight as usual, meaning the LBs will have to compensate and therefore affecting the security of "the box". When Texas Tech, A&M, UCLA, and the Longhorns are up, a complete defensive effort will be needed, and it looks marginal that the two early ones (UCLA, Texas) will exploit this lack of cohesion. When this unit again looks tight by year's end, it will be a case of coulda-woulda-shoulda in looking back at the mid-season tests.