Oklahoma Sooners

DESPITE A GROWING REPUTATION FOR ITS PROWESS IN THE PASSING game (a rep owing lately to the record-breaking pace of quarterback Landry Jones), Oklahoma remains a run-first offense that works best when one guy hogs the carries. For a good chunk of the past four years that ball hog was DeMarco Murray, who set school career marks for all-purpose yards (6,718) and touchdowns (65) but is now in the NFL. Given the Sooners' track record for cranking out dominant backs, the expectation was that OU would simply pluck another game-breaker from its assembly line and pencil him in for 1,000 yards.

So when Josh Heupel, the quarterbacks coach who was promoted to co--offensive coordinator at the end of last season, says that OU will run the ball "by committee"—often an indication that a coach is deciding among underwhelming options—it leaves one wondering whether the Sooners' backfield production is headed for a decline. Does Oklahoma, which has national title hopes after winning the South and routing Connecticut in the Fiesta Bowl, have a chink in its armor?

In a word: no. The Sooners have a surfeit of dynamic and now seemingly healthy runners to choose from. Sophomore Roy Finch, a 5' 8", 173-pound speed merchant who finished as OU's second-leading rusher in 2010 (398 yards), despite being hobbled by a stress fracture, will battle for touches with classmates who had strong springs—Brennan Clay (a shifty 5' 11" 185-pounder who missed five games last season after suffering a concussion in Week 2) and Jonathan Miller (a 5' 11" 197-pounder coming off knee surgery). They will be augmented by two Texas-born, highly rated freshman rushers in Brandon Williams and Danzel Williams (they're not related) and buttressed by six offensive linemen with starting experience as well as one of the nation's best blocking fullbacks in sophomore Trey Millard. It seems that Oklahoma has the kind of rushing attack problem most any other team would happily take.

"The reason why we've been so good is we always find out which personnel gives us the best opportunity to be successful," says Heupel, who led OU to its last national title as a senior quarterback in 2000. "We're going to get our best players on the field and let them make plays." And let the assembly line speak for itself.

THE VITALS

COACH Bob Stoops (13th year) 129--31 (78--18 in Big 12)

CO--OFFENSIVE COORDINATORS Josh Heupel, Jay Norvell

DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR Brent Venables

2010 RECORD 12--2 (6--2, T-1 in Big 12 South)