THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 22, 2007
SPORTS
>> BIG 12 FOOTBALL
5B
Fiesta bowl upset still stings
Sooners hope to rebound from tough loss with experienced defense
BY CASE KEEFER
CKEEFER@KANSAN.COM
The last time Oklahoma playen a football game, it was on the receiving end of the biggest upset in BCS bowl game history. The Sooners lost in the Fiesta Bowl to the Boise State Broncos from the Western Athletic Conference.
Even more heartening was the fact that Oklahoma surrendered 43 points in the game.
With an extremely experienced defense full of talent, it's unlikely any
2006 recap
11-3 Regular Season Record
8-1 Overall, Big 12 (beat Nebraska for title)
43-42 Bowl Game loss Fiesta Bowl vs. Boise State
30.3 Points Per Game
17.3 Opponents'
Points Per Game
team will score that much on the Sooners this season.
OFFENSE
The Sooners lost superstar running back Adrian Peterson, who was picked seventh in this year's NFL Draft by the Minnesota Vikings. That would be a huge concern for most programs, but Oklahoma has a roster full of great running backs.
Senior Allen Patrick and sophomore Chris Brown already proved themselves during Peterson's absence due to injury last season. Add in redshirt freshmen running back DeMarco Murray, who runs the 40 yard dash in an extraordinary 4.37 seconds and has athleticism similar to Reggie Bush, and the Sooners are prepared to suffocate opponents with their rushing attack.
Junior wide receiver Malcolm Kelly gives the Sooners a big, physical target and will be joined by juniors Juaqain Iglesias and Manuel Johnson. Senior tight end Joe Jon Finley also caught 19 passes last season, which means OU has its top four receivers back in 2007.
The battle for quarterback was a three-man race until redshirt freshman Sam Bradford was named
the starter on Tuesday. His backups will be true freshman Keith Nichol and junior Joey Halzle. The Sooner's offensive line is full of stalwarts including junior tackle George Robinson who had 108 pancake blocks in 2006.
DEFENSE
Oklahoma's biggest strength is its defensive backfield. Junior Reggie Smith is the pre-season Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year. Smith is a three-year starter with versatility as he has alternated between playing cornerback and strong safety. Junior Nic Harris is Smith's partner in crime. Harris lurks deep at the free safety position and had four interceptions last year.
The cornerbacks should be in constant rotation as Oklahoma has extreme depth with senior D.J. Wolfe, senior Marcus Walker, and junior Lendy Holmes. The Sooners landed one of the highest touted junior college transfers in the nation in junior linebacker Mike Reed.
Junior Curtis Lofton was moved to weak side linebacker to make room for Reed. The defensive line unit took the biggest hit with three starters graduating. But Oklahoma
has a possible superstar in redshirt freshman Gerald McCoy. McCoy was named the USA Today Defensive Player of the Year in high school.
SEASON OUTLOOK
The result of the Sooner's season should answer the question of how important an experienced quarterback is in college football. Oklahoma has all the pieces to compete for a national championship, except for a proven commodity under center.
Their non-conference schedule is difficult as they have to play the University of Miami, Fla. at home and Tulsa on the road.
The Sooners catch a break in the Big 12. Their only road games are Colorado, Iowa State and Texas Tech. But Oklahoma's season always seems to come down to the game against Texas. If they can get past the Longhorns, Oklahoma is in perfect position to win the Big 12 title for the second consecutive year and is certainly one of the nation's finest teams.
PREDICTION 10-2, Cotton Bowl
Edited by Kyle Carter
After a season-ending upset at the hands of Boise State, the Oklahoma Sooners are ready for redemption. The Sooners' tested defense and deep offensive backfield are keys to making sure history doesn't repeat itself.
KANSAN FILE PHOTO
OLYMPICS
OLYMPICS Collison cut from final USA basketball roster
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Kevin Durant was one of two players cut as the United States got down to the 12-player limit for the Olympic qualifying tournament that begins Wednesday.
SuperSonics teammate Nick Collison also was dropped when the Americans announced their decisions about two hours after practicing at the Thomas & Mack Center. The final roster needs to be submitted Tuesday, a day before the U.S. opens the FIBA Americas tournament against Venezuela.
As expected, Michael Redd and Mike Miller had nothing to worry about.
The U.S. roster includes: Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Amare Stoudemire, Dwight Howard, Jason Kidd, Chauncey Billups, Redd, Miller, Tyson Chandler, Taysaun Prince and Deron Williams.
》 NFL
Associated Press
Wilkins taking it easy in preseason games
ASSOCIATED PRESS
ST. LOUISE — After sitting out the first two preseason games, Jeff Wilkins will be on the field Friday when the Rams play the Raiders in Oakland.
Plans are for Wilkins to handle all kickoffs and place-kicking chores. The 14-year veteran nicknamed "Money" by former coach Mike Martz for his consistency and ability to perform under pressure devised a training camp regimen in which he doesn't kick until Game 3 of the preseason.
"I used to kick a ton in training camp but as I got older, I started realizing quality is more important than quantity," Wilkins said Tuesday. "You only have so many bullets in the chamber. I want to use them for the right time."
Coach Scott Linehan said
Wilkins looked sharp in practice.
"He looks real good. His leg looks real strong." Linehan said. "It's going to be good to get him full-game work this week."
At 35, Wilkins remains one of the NFL's elite kickers. He has connected on 346 consecutive extra points, the second-best streak in league history behind Jason Elam's 371 from 1993-2002.
Wilkins has the Rams' longest field goal at 57 yards and has made 283 field goals, an 83 percent success rate, for his career. From 50 yards and longer, Wilkins has connected on 72 percent of his kicks.
"There's no limit to taking a shot at three points because he's so good from deep." Linehan said. "As soon as you cross the 50, the consideration is there. He's so accurate and he knocks it through when you need it most."
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>> NFL
Johnson returns after contact extension
DOUG TUCKER ASSOCIATED PRESS
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Holdout running back Larry Johnson agreed to a six-year contract extension and joined the Kansas City Chiefs for practice Tuesday, surprising teammates who broke into scattered cheers when he jogged unannounced onto the field.
"Larry! Larry," many players chanted. They had already been practicing for about 45 minutes when No.27 suddenly appeared in their midst and began running plays.
"Any time a great player like Larry comes in, we're glad to have him."
Peterson said he was taken aback when Johnson immediately jumped into drills, first blocking on a play and then taking a swing pass from Croyle.
"Frankly, I thought he'd be run-
set the NFL record with 416 carries last year while rushing for 1,789 yards, snapping the team record he set the year before. His six-year deal includes a $19 million guarantee.
PATRICK SURTAIN
Chiefs Cornerback
"We were actually in the huddle at the time," he said. "I looked over and saw him. It was good to see No. 27 out there."
After practice, Johnson quickly dressed and left without speaking with reporters. A team spokesman said he would probably hold a news conference Wednesday. Chiefs president and general manager Carl Peterson said a fine of $19,280 per day for missing 25 days of training would be paid, meaning the holdout cost Johnson about $357,000.
"I think there'll be a little left;"
he said.
But Peterson joked that with his new deal, Johnson would have no difficulty paying up.
Peterson said Johnson called him Monday night "and wanted to chat."
"We met privately," he said. "I could see that he very, very much wanted to get on the field. He explained that to me, that he wanted to be out here with his teammates. I don't know if I've ever seen a guy sign his contract that fast. But he wanted to get out here today and get going."
"To be very candid, if he was out beyond the third (preseason) game, that's when I start becoming concerned about veterans," Peterson said.
Without Johnson, the Chiefs have struggled offensively while going 0-2 in their first two exhibition games.
Johnson's unexpected appearance on the practice field sent a bolt of electricity through what had otherwise been a boring, routine workout in the muggy Midwestern heat.
For a moment, quarterback Brodie Croyle didn't know what everyone was hollering about.
ning on the sidelines," Peterson said.
During his holdout, Johnson was working out at a facility in Arizona.
"He is in reality good shape. I have been monitoring his progress." Peterson
said. "He's been working very hard. I don't think it will take him long to get up to speed. But there's a soreness aspect you've got to go through. He expressed to me last night he knew that and he didn't want to waste any more time sitting out."
Coach Herm Edwards said Johnson would not play in Thursday night's exhibition game against New Orleans but would be fully ready
by the season opener Sept. 9 at Houston.
"He has about two weeks now (to get ready). We'll see where we're at. We'll see where he's at," Edwards said. "We talked last night. He knows what I expect out of him. He needs to get his legs up underneath him. He'll have enough time for that."
The running game has suffered. Backup Michael Bennett and rookie Kolby Smith have at times looked good during camp. But the Chiefs rushed for only 61 yards in an 11-10 loss last week to Miami even though the Dolphins held out several of their defensive starters.
"Any time a great player like Larry comes in, we're glad to have him," said cornerback Patrick Surtain. "The guy the past couple of years has been the best back in the league. He certainly deserved what he got. Now he can concentrate on what he does best, run the football."
Guard Brian Waters said he would be curious to see what kind of physical shape Johnson is in.
"To be honest with you, if you're asking for a lot of bread, it would be the craziest thing in the world to not be in shape when you come back," Waters said. "I expected him to be in good shape."
Kansas City Chiefs running back Larry Johnson, front, outruns Indianapolis Colts defensive end Dwight Freeney for a short gain in the first quarter of NFL football action in an AFC Wild Card playoff game in Indianapolis last season.