Running men

Sooners spend spring revamping stalled ground game

What kind of problems could a team that's gone 24-2 the past two seasons possibly have?

Try an offense that was ranked 66th nationally last season, managed just one touchdown in both its regular season finale and bowl game and, quite frankly, had become more predictable than a Will & Grace episode.

That Oklahoma followed up its national championship season with a seemingly commensurate 11-2 campaign was largely a tribute to its out-of-this-world defense. Bob Stoops and his staff knew the offense would need a kick this offseason.

While fans were quick to pin the blame for last year's struggles on quarterbacks Nate Hybl and Jason White -- the replacements for 2000 Heisman runner-up Josh Heupel -- the Sooners' brain trust focused their concerns elsewhere. Like a ground game that slipped from 446 carries and 128.5 yards per game in 2000 to 388 and 119.4 in 2001, as well as an offensive line that allowed 31 sacks compared with just 19 the previous fall.

"We would like to become a more balanced attack," said offensive coordinator Chuck Long, who's been promoted from quarterback coach after Mark Mangino left to become Kansas' head coach. "We don't want to go into seasons or games saying we have to throw for 350 yards."

Enter Kevin Wilson.

Northwestern's offensive coordinator the past three seasons, Wilson was lured to Norman last winter to become offensive line coach and newly appointed "run game coordinator." His mission: Add a power-run component to OU's pass-heavy spread offense, a la Wilson's at Northwestern that produced a 2,000-yard rusher in Damien Anderson.

This spring, Wilson had the Sooners lining up in new two-back, shotgun and two tight-end formations.

"Quite honestly, we were cousins," said Wilson, "but our spread was little more balanced toward the run, theirs was a little more passing. Everything we've done has been very easy to implement, not like we have to pull teeth."

To have a good running game, of course, requires a good runner, and the Sooners have one in Quentin Griffin.

The third-year starter, who has nearly 3,000 combined rushing/receiving yards for his career and once scored six touchdowns in a game against Texas, got off to a fast start last season, bursting for 201 yards in the second game against Air Force. But the 5-foot-7, 190-pounder, who was running behind a young, injury-ravaged line, never reached 100 in a game again. His average-per-carry over the final 10 games slipped to 3.8 yards.

Griffin looked more like himself this spring, finding the crease and busting big gains. He'll hold down a starting spot once again come fall, while a host of others will also get carries in the new multiple-tailback sets. They include juniors Renaldo Works and Jared Estus, as well as redshirt freshmen Kejuan Jones -- who led the spring game with 10 carries for 91 yards -- and Donta Hickson.

"We're getting our running backs into the secondary more," said Long. "We had a lot of blitzes on us last year, that put a lot of pressure on our quarterback and our line. I think we'll see a lot less blitzes now."

A key to the Sooners' plans will be the development of their line, which will be even younger this season following the graduation of all-conference stalwarts Frank Romero and Howard Duncan. Wilson insists youth does not have to be a hindrance, pointing out that his two best linemen on Northwestern's 2000 Big Ten title team were both sophomores. That could hold true again at OU, where Vince Carter, Jerod Fields and Wes Sims all started and Jammal Brown saw action as freshmen last year.

"Don't cry to me about youth," said Wilson. "They've played against Texas and Nebraska, they've been in a bowl game. Every day [in practice] they're playing against one of the best defenses in the country. Every day we get more experienced and more battle tested than most teams in the country."

In Long's dream world, Wilson's efforts with the running game will have a dual effect of opening up OU's once unstoppable passing attack. The former All-America QB at Iowa wants to add more deep balls to OU's arsenal. And with a stable of returning receivers that includes Antwone Savage, Curtis Fagan, Mark Clayton, Andre Woolfolk and tight end Trent Smith, the dominant question going into fall is, who will throw to them?

Fleet-footed junior White, who showed promising signs in two starts last year, is considered the favorite headed into fall. But with White still recovering from the ACL tear that ended his season prematurely, senior Hybl (22-of-37, 203 yards in the spring game) and redshirt freshman Brent Rawls (17-of-27, 210) got the majority of reps during spring.

"Our stance all along is he [White] was starting to emerge as our starting quarterback last year, and he will get a chance to regain that position," said Long.

OU will likely be ranked at or near No. 1 in the preseason and expected to finish there come January. With defensive rocks like Tommie Harris, Derrick Strait, Teddy Lehman and Jimmy Wilkerson, the Sooners will once again be darn tough to score points on.

But, this season, just to be safe, they'll try scoring some on their own.

Fargas steals show at USC

Five years after signing with Michigan as one of the nation's premier recruits, Justin Fargas may finally be an impact player -- at USC.

The injury-plagued transfer carried 12 times for 111 yards at USC's spring game, a week after gaining 139 on 15 attempts in the Trojans' scrimmage. For a guy who's been limited to 362 career rushing yards, had four surgeries and sat out two full seasons, such flashes of brilliance have been a long time coming.

It's not yet determined whether Fargas, a SoCal native who left Michigan in Dec. 2000, will serve as the primary runner or share in a committee. The Trojans have two other experienced tailbacks returning from injury, Sultan McCullough and Malaefou McKenzie, and head coach Pete Carroll likes that they all bring different styles to the table.

"Right now, there's no 1-2-3," said Carroll. "We'd mix them and they'd all play."

Football talk at Temple

There are some rare glimmers of hope heading into what will surely be a make-or-break season for Temple coach Bobby Wallace, 12-32 after four seasons. The Owls return 17 starters from a 4-7 squad that actually finished 19th nationally in total defense, and among the returnees is standout defensive tackle Dan Klecko, who had 19.5 tackles for loss last season and who the school is touting for All-America.

While defense wasn't a problem last year, offense certainly was. To that end, Wallace hired a new coordinator, David Brock, whose no-huddle, one-back spread attack aims to open some space for RB Tanardo Sharps, a 1,038-yard rusher in 2000 whose numbers tailed off by 51 carries and 267 yards last year (while missing one game).

If the Owls hope to attain their first winning season since 1990, they will have to survive a treacherous early schedule. After opening against I-AA Richmond, the Owls tangle with Oregon State, Miami and South Carolina.

Worth noting

With Grant Noel's ACL tear, rising sophomore Bryan Randall becomes Virginia Tech's No. 1 quarterback, but position coach Kevin Rogers isn't ruling out vaunted incoming freshman Marcus Vick. "I want to make something clear -- Marcus Vick never asked me to redshirt," Rogers told the Roanoke Times. "... I've spoken to him in terms of trying to come in here and trying to win the job, not coming in here with the attitude I'm not going to play this year. And he seems very amiable to that." ... Colorado QB Craig Ochs, forced to watch most of last year's Big 12 championship run from the sideline with injuries, appears to be 100 percent. He was 14-of-19 for 242 yards and three TDs in CU's spring game. Star RB Chris Brown sprung for 150 yards and two TDs on 15 carries. ... Tennessee transfer A.J. Suggs will carry a slight lead into fall over Damarius Bilbo for Georgia Tech's QB job. ... Washington State junior free safety Erik Coleman, who has the unenviable chore of replacing All-American Lamont Thompson, looked up to the task in the Cougars' recent scrimmage, returning two interceptions for 91 yards and a TD. ... Incumbent Missouri QB Kirk Farmer found himself No. 2 on the depth chart this spring, slipping behind impressive redshirt freshman Brad Smith. The two will continue to battle come fall after Smith went 12-of-21 for 89 yards in the spring game, Farmer 11-of-18 for 118.

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