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The Lowdown 2006 Schedule Coach: Bob Stoops (8th season, 75-16) 2005 record: 8-4 (Beat Oregon in Holiday Bowl) Big 12 finish: 6-2 (t-2nd South) 2005 I-A offensive rankings: Rushing: 33rd (177.5 ypg) Passing: 94th (177.6 ypg) 2005 I-A defensive rankings: Rushing: 4th (90.6 ypg) Passing: 56th (216.1 ypg) Date Opponent Sept. 2 UAB Sept. 9 Washington Sept. 16 at Oregon Sept. 23 Middle Tennessee Oct. 7 #Texas Oct. 14 Iowa State Oct. 21 Colorado Oct. 28 at Missouri Nov. 4 at Texas A&M Nov. 11 Texas Tech Nov. 18 at Baylor Nov. 25 at Oklahoma State #Dallas TX Depth Chart: Offense 4 returning starters in red Ps. No. Player Yr. No. Player Yr. WR 2 Malcolm Kelly So. 19 Quentin Chaney So. WR 6 Manuel Johnson So. 81 Fred Strong So. WR 9 Juaquin Iglesias So. 17 Eric Huggins Fr. LT 79 Chris Messner Sr. 72 George Robinson So. LG 72 George Robinson So. 65 Ben Barresi So. C 50 Jon Cooper So. 63 J.D. Quinn So. RG 74 Brian Simmons Fr. 77 Sherrone Moore Jr. RT 76 Branndon Braxton So. - Brandon Walker So. TE 85 Joe Jon Finley Jr. 83 Brody Eldridge Fr. QB 12 Paul Thompson Sr. 11 Joey Halzle So. TB 28 Adrian Peterson Jr. 23 Allen Patrick Jr. Depth Chart: Defense 7 returning starters in red Ps. No. Player Yr. No. Player Yr. DE 99 C.J. Ah You Sr. 98 John Williams Jr. DT 68 Carl Pendleton Jr. 90 Steven Coleman Jr. DT 97 Cory Bennett So. 96 DeMarcus Granger Fr. DE 58 Calvin Thibodeaux Sr. 92 Larry Birdine Sr. SLB 51 Demarrio Pleasant Jr. 8 Ryan Reynolds So. MLB 46 Zach Latimer Sr. 40 Curtis Lofton So. WLB 42 Rufus Alexander Sr. 16 Lewis Baker Jr. CB 1 Reggie Smith So. 24 Marcus Walker Jr. CB 25 D.J. Wolfe Jr. 3 Brian Jackson Fr. SS 6 Jason Carter Sr. 9 Keenan Clayton So. FS 41 Darien Williams Jr. 5 Nic Harris So. Special Teams Ps. No. Player Yr. Ps. No. Player Yr. K 10 Garrett Hartley So. P 39 Mike Knall Jr. KR 1 Reggie Smith So. PR 1 Reggie Smith So.

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Coming out of spring practice, Oklahoma was a not-so-darkhorse choice for the national championship. The Big 12 media made the Sooners the favorite to take the league title away from national champion Texas, and if you win the Big 12, you are usually not far away from national title contention.

With Adrian Peterson returning to full health, a defense returning seven starters and an emerging young quarterback, all was well in Sooner Land. Until the first week of August, when that emerging young quarterback was kicked off the team for accepting money from a booster.

Rhett Bomar's improvement at quarterback in the latter stages of 2005 was a major reason why Oklahoma won six of its final seven games in 2005, including a thrilling 17-14 Holiday Bowl victory over Oregon. With his dismissal, the Sooners' offense does not look nearly as potent, and prospects for a BCS bowl game have diminished significantly for Bob Stoops' squad.

OFFENSE

Peterson was expected to carry a heavy load in 2006, and that load just got heavier. The powerful back from Palestine, Tex., is eager to atone for a disappointing sophomore season. Disappointing is a strange word to use for someone who gained 1,104 yards and scored 14 touchdowns, but Peterson set the bar so high as a freshman, a run at the Heisman Trophy was expected in Year 2.

While Bomar's absence will shift even more focus to the running game, Peterson should be able to handle the load. He carried the ball a manly 339 times as a true freshman, so if his ankle is 100 percent, the increased workload will likely be welcomed.

Peterson will work behind a revamped offensive line that will clearly need some seasoning. Tackle Chris Messner is a given, but beyond that, there isn't much. Bomar's sidekick in Booster-gate, center J.D. Quinn, was expected to see time this year. His dismissal further depletes an inexperienced line.

The new quarterback will have some talented receivers to throw to, most notably Malcolm Kelly. But the likely quarterback happens to have been playing wide receiver himself.

Paul Thompson will enter August as the No. 1 quarterback despite not playing the position for over a year. Thompson mopped up for Jason White two years ago, started one game last year before Bomar beat him out and then moved to wide receiver, where he spent the remainder of the fall and spring practice. Also battling with Thompson will be juco transfer Joey Halzle, who struggled in spring ball, and true freshman Sam Bradford. Whoever gets the call, expect him to be handing off to No. 28 quite often, especially early in the season.

DEFENSE

Reggie Smith started at strong safety as a true freshman. He'll start at cornerback as a sophomore. And coaches believe he could well be a star. Suddenly, the Sooners' secondary has gone from shaky to solid.

If so, the defense could well return to its tradition of dominance under Bob Stoops, because a talented nucleus returns along the front seven. Senior linebacker Rufus Alexander has become a star in the tradition of recent Sooner stars Rocky Calmus and Teddy Lehman; he'll be on everyone's short list for the Butkus (which Calmus and Lehman won).

Dusty Dvoracek will be missed on the line, but there is talent to replace him. More important, OU has four standout defensive ends battling for playing time. Larry Birdine (torn biceps) and John Williams (knee) missed the 2005 season. While they were away, C.J. Ah You became the Big 12's Defensive Newcomer of the Year, and undersized Calvin Thibodeaux led the team with 10 sacks.

SPECIALISTS

Oklahoma needs to find a punter after Cody Freeby was dismissed from the team. Coaches planned to look hard for competition for Mike Knall, who was inconsistent last spring. Garrett Hartley was a solid 14-of-22 on field goals, including a 50- and 52-yarder.

FINAL ANALYSIS

Oklahoma is not going to fold without Bomar. As Stoops said at the time of the dismissal, the program is bigger than one individual. But without a quarterback, it is not easy to get into the national championship picture. The defense will be a strength, and Peterson is a true Heisman candidate. If Thompson can emerge as a solid quarterback, there is no reason to think Oklahoma will dip below second in the Big 12 South behind archrival Texas.

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