Downright offensive

Oklahoma's fortunes ride on new coordinator

If Oklahoma defensive coordinator Mike Stoops has proven anything in his three seasons in Norman, it's that nepotism has nothing to do with why he is so highly regarded. Sure, Mike got the job because his brother Bob is the Sooners head coach. But the Oklahoma defense that led the Sooners to the national championship in 2000 and almost single-handedly led them to a Big 12 South title last year is as much about Mike's motivational fire as it is Bob's cool-headed direction.

Almost, of course, is the key word in that last sentence. Oklahoma didn't win the Big 12 South last season because the offense fell apart. Veteran Nate Hybl couldn't generate enough sparks, in part because a young offensive line had trouble protecting him. Just as his replacement, redshirt freshman Jason White, began to show the ability to create points, he blew out his knee and missed the latter part of the season. The Sooners lost the Big 12 South when they stumbled in the regular-season finale at home against archrival Oklahoma State, falling 16-13. Oklahoma looked equally feeble in the Cotton Bowl, where it beat Arkansas 10-3, mostly because the Razorbacks needed a court order to move the Sooners D out of their way.

Offensive coordinator Mark Mangino, a fine man, left OU to become head coach at Kansas. What he left behind was a mess. The Sooners' spread offense has never been especially efficient in running the ball. Last season, when the passing game sputtered, opponents made sure Oklahoma couldn't run it. The Sooners finished seventh in the Big 12 at 119.4 yards per game, but that qualified as mediocre in the pass-happy Big 12. The same total was good for only 89th in Division I-A.

Bob Stoops replaced Mangino by finding a coach who not only has proven that his ideas work on the field, but who also racked up points by running out of the spread offense. Kevin Wilson came to Oklahoma from Northwestern, where over the last two seasons tailback Damien Anderson rushed for a total of 2,671 yards and 30 touchdowns. I love Northwestern as much as the next guy who likes to mix in an occasional academic nicety in a world caught up in 19-year-old millionaires-to-be. But let's face it: Wilson has much better athletes to work with in Norman than he ever had in Evanston. Senior tailback Quentin Griffin may be small (5-foot-6, 183 pounds), but get him some space and he can damage a defense.

The whole object of Wilson's offense is to create space. That said, Wilson agreed with the decision of his interim predecessor, Chuck Long, to narrow the splits, that is, the space between offensive linemen. "When you're playing a larger split, you get guys in one-on-one more," Wilson said. "You're working on an island. I'm a little more traditional, where you can have guys work in tandem. I don't see the guys in pro ball with larger splits." Wilson also wants his offensive linemen to work lower than they did last season. "Even in pass blocking," he said, "if you get too high, you get knocked into the quarterback's lap."

With a still-young line more experienced, the potential to have an explosive offense is palpable, if everything else falls into place.

You know what? It looks like it is falling into place. White rehabbed so well that he began to look like his old self this spring. White got enough of a taste of how his knee would respond to live action that he calmed any concerns the Sooners coaches had about his ability to play this fall.

The coaches are excited about White, but the way to hear some juice in their voice is to ask about redshirt freshman quarterback Brent Rawls. The 6-5 Rawls, a product of the factory at Shreveport (La.) Evangel Christian, former home of Josh Booty and Brock Berlin, had Mike Stoops raving when I ran into Stoops recently. Look for Rawls to get enough snaps in August to make him a viable No. 2 quarterback behind White, with Hybl around as veteran insurance.

Defense is paramount, and the Sooners, even without safety Roy Williams and linebacker Rocky Calmus, will be tough again. Defensive tackle Tommie Harris, even though he's a sophomore, is a dominating player. But the offense has got to come to the party and do more than stand along the wall and watch. How well the Sooners adjust to Wilson's offense will determine their fate.

Sports Illustrated senior writer Ivan Maisel covers college football for the magazine and is a regular contributor to CNNSI.com.

 

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