2008 Oklahoma Sooners

July 16, 2008 | Posted By Larry Cook

Bob Stoops has this Oklahoma Sooners’ football program as a perennial powerhouse. This season will be no different. The Sooners suffered close losses at Colorado and at Texas Tech last season, two setbacks that clearly kept them out of a National Championship game. Had Oklahoma not blown up against the Buffaloes in the fourth quarter, the Sooners could have easily been your ’07 National Champions. Let’s see if they can avoid those same letdowns this season with our 2008 Oklahoma Sooners football predictions and team preview .

Offense:

Sam Bradford is coming off one of the best season ever for a rookie. Bradford set an NCAA freshman record with 36 touchdown passes and led the nation in passing efficiency. Offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson has implemented the no-huddle offense into their system so Bradford’s biggest task will be to make a smooth transition. The no-huddle offense gives this team more opportunities to score, and it offers their defense more practice experience against this increasingly popular scheme. More than half of the teams in the Big 12 conference are doing it.

Weapons for Bradford on the outside include senior receivers Juaquin Iglesias and Manual Johnson, both three-year starters. Playmaker Ryan Broyles showed promise in the spring game before suffering a broken collarbone. The Sooners will be counting on senior Quentin Chaney to live up to expectations in place of the departed Malcolm Kelly. Chaney performed great in the Fiesta Bowl with four catches for 129 yards and a touchdown against West Virginia. Tight end Jermaine Gresham is 6-6, 264 lbs. and will be a nice option for Bradford over the middle. The Sooners should have one of the best tight end tandems in the nation with Brody Eldridge teaming up with Gresham. Lighting and thunder in the backfield come from the combination of DeMarco Murray and Chris Brown. The Sooners bring back all five starters on the offensive line to block for the speedy Murray and bulky Brown. All five are seniors, led by guard Duke Robinson with consensus All-American honors.

Defense:

Junior defensive end Auston English returns after leading the Big 12 with 9.5 sacks last year. That came despite missing three games with a fractured ankle. Sophomore end Jeremy Beal will be opposite English and tackles DeMarcus Grander and Gerald McCoy form one of the nation’s best defensive lines. This unit will need to dominate early while the defense replaces both starting cornerbacks. Sophomore Dominique Franks and junior Brian Jackson had excellent springs to at least cushion the blow for now. Veteran safeties Nic Harris and Lendy Holmes will also help ease the transition in the secondary.

Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year Curtis Lofton is gone at linebacker, and this is easily the Sooners’ biggest single blow. That job will fall to junior Ryan Reynolds, who will be moving over to the middle from his weak side spot from last year. Keenan Clayton, the defensive MVP of the spring, is penciled in as their strong side linebacker. Promising red shirt freshmen Austin Box and Travis Lewis will rotate on the weak side. The Sooners also have the luxury of junior college transfers Mike Balogun and J.R. Bryant to compete for playing time at linebacker.

Oklahoma Sooners Predictions at Info Plays: 1st in the Big 12 South

Oklahoma will have to get through the non-conference schedule unscathed, and they’ll have a great shot to run the table with a very favorable Big 12 schedule. Their road games in Big 12 play come against Baylor , Kansas State , Texas A&M and Oklahoma State , all which should be victories. Anything less than a National Championship berth will be considered a disappointment in Sooner Country. The offense should score points at will, and the defense is as solid as they come up front. But how the defense performs against the pass will likely determine if the Sooners can end their BCS bowl losing streak.

Big 12 Wins Expected in ’08: at Baylor, KANSAS , at Kansas State, NEBRASKA , TEXAS TECH

Potential Scares/Losses: vs. Texas (Dallas), at Texas A&M, at Oklahoma State

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