 | OKLAHOMA (7-5) vs. STANFORD (8-4)
Brut Sun Bowl
Dec. 31, 2 p.m.
CBS |  |
INSIDE THE CAMPS
OKLAHOMA
The Sooners haven't held a press conference since talking about the initial bowl bid. In terms of news, most of the chatter centered around who will or won't be here next season.
All-Big 12 cornerback Dominique Franks has said he's definitely coming back for his senior season in 2010. Redshirt sophomore linebacker Travis Lewis, the Sooners' leading tackler the last two seasons and already a two-time all-conference performer, has said he'll do a lot of listening when NFL evaluators talk, but he's probably coming back.
All-American defensive tackle Gerald McCoy hasn't made any binding statement, but he's leaning toward the draft where many project he'll be a top-10 pick.
Junior quarterback Sam Bradford and senior tight end Jermaine Gresham (who could return, having never used a redshirt) have expressed their intention to enter the draft.
Alas, there will be a game to play -- Dec. 31 in El Paso, Texas. And after losing the season's last game three years running, the Sooners are focused on finishing 2009 with a victory.
Running back DeMarco Murray, who's missed OU's last two BCS bowl games because of late-season injuries, has still more excitement.
"I'm fired up. For me this is the first bowl game I'm going to get to play in," he said. "It feels like the national championship game to me."
If he can transfer that level of anticipation to his teammates, the Sooners should be in good shape when they face Stanford. And should they defeat the Cardinal, the Sooner Nation will not only love it that OU finished strong to enjoy the offseason a little more, it will also love that the win came at the expense of Stanford.
On Sept. 27, 1980, the John Elway-led Cardinal trounced OU 31-14 on Owen Field.
Even after Oklahoma learned of its bowl destination, it has been a quiet December in Norman.
STANFORD
As Stanford began practicing for the Dec. 26 Sun Bowl, the team's quarterback situation was unsettled.
On Dec. 12, the team began preparing Tavita Pritchard for the sizable challenge of potentially facing Oklahoma's defense.
Dec. 12 was the Cardinal's first full practice after completing exams and its first practice since learning on Dec. 6 that redshirt freshman quarterback Andrew Luck had surgery on the broken index finger on his right (throwing) hand.
However, on Dec. 12, coach Jim Harbaugh said he had not ruled Luck out for Sun Bowl and that he expected Luck to start practicing around Dec. 27. Luck may have a role in the game, but Harbaugh was not sure what it would be.
Harbaugh, who spends a lot of time with his quarterbacks, was not present for the Dec. 12 practice because he was in New York with Toby Gerhart for the Heisman Trophy announcement. That was days after Harbaugh answered questions about his job status by finally signing a contract extension with Stanford that takes him through the 2014 season.
Pritchard will need all the help he can get from Harbaugh, because the backup has seen only mop-up duty this season, attempting just two passes and completing one for a total of 1 yard.
Pritchard is not completely raw, though. He was Stanford's starting quarterback for all 12 games last season, and started seven games as a sophomore in 2007. His first career start came on the road against USC when T.C. Ostrander was sidelined because he had suffered a seizure during the week. All Pritchard did was lead what some consider the biggest upset in college football history, a 24-23 victory over the No. 2-ranked Trojans. Pritchard threw the game-winning touchdown pass in the closing seconds.
That was the high point of Pritchard's career, though. He had more interceptions (13) than touchdown passes (10) last season, and the passing game was considered the limiting factor in the Cardinal offense. Ostensibly, he competed with Luck for the starting job last spring, but there was never much doubt that Luck would win the job. Harbaugh had even toyed with the idea of removing Luck's redshirt to have him replace Pritchard in 2008.
Pritchard is a mobile quarterback who has a knack for making big plays, although sometimes those big plays favor the defense.
Oklahoma has the ability to turn those mistakes into touchdowns because it has a good pass defense. The Sooners have intercepted 16 passes this season and rank 10th nationally in pass efficiency defense. More important is that Oklahoma has 37 sacks this season, seventh most in the country, and Pritchard makes mistakes when hurried. The Cardinal has yielded only six sacks this season, second fewest in the country, but Luck's ability to get rid of the ball and slip away from pressure had a lot to do with it.
Should Luck be sidelined, Harbaugh said he expects the team to "rally around" Pritchard, but nobody knows better than Harbaugh what a significant setback it would be if the starter cannot play. Luck had an excellent season and provided the passing threat needed to complement the running game. With Luck absent, the Sooners would be able to focus on stopping Gerhart and let Pritchard try to beat them.
Harbaugh added his father, Jack Harbaugh, to his coaching staff to replace Willie Taggart, who left to become head coach at Western Kentucky. Jack Harbaugh was an assistant coach at Stanford when Jim was in high school.
KEY MATCHUPS
Oklahoma QB Landry Jones vs. Stanford's pressure package.
Everybody knows Jones has struggled mightily away from Norman. Really, he's been two different quarterbacks. His total numbers are good enough (231.7 yards per game, 23 TDs, 13 INTs). But home and away have been like day and night. Stanford has 21 sacks while OU's threadbare offensive line has allowed 15. The Sooners need to keep Jones upright. But it'll be up to Jones to play like he's in Norman, not under pressure not to bake in the bright side in El Paso.
Jones, a redshirt freshman, is not the quarterback Sam Bradford was by any means and has had some good games and some bad ones. He was sacked five times in the past two games, so Stanford, which has a good pass rush, had better put pressure on Jones, who is not particularly mobile, because the Cardinal secondary is the weakest part of the team. All four starting Stanford defensive backs, CBs Richard Sherman and Johnson Bademosi and safeties Delano Howell and Bo McNally, are good against the run, but none is a good pass defender. Sherman and Bademosi do not play the ball well in the air, and opposing quarterbacks often just lay the ball up for their receivers, knowing their receivers can out-position or out-jump the Cardinal corners for the ball. Stanford will just try to prevent big pass plays. Cardinal coach Jim Harbaugh recruited Jones, and, in fact, visited Jones in New Mexico on his way back from his first meeting with Andrew Luck in Texas. They were the first two QBs Harbaugh met with.
Stanford RB Toby Gerhart vs. OU's defensive line.
In OU's line you've got the best defensive tackle this side of Ndamukong Suh in Gerald McCoy, a very good counterpart in Adrian Taylor, an All-American caliber defensive end in Jeremy Beal and a really good end in Frank Alexander. In Gerhart, Stanford has the guy who almost won the Heisman Trophy after running for 1,775 yards at an average of 5.6 yards per pop.
OU WR Ryan Broyles vs. Stanford's secondary.
Broyles is one of the best receivers in the country and very likely the best receiver in the Big 12 even if the sophomore wasn't named first-team all-conference. He's caught 76 passes this season, 12 for touchdowns and the thought of OU doing much through the air without Broyles leading the way simply doesn't wash. Stanford has allowed 217.1 passing yards per game and 14 receiving touchdowns, but can the Cardinal wrap up Broyles?
NAMES TO KNOW
OKLAHOMA
QB Landry Jones -- His success this season has appeared to be tied to one thing: playing at home. Only against Kansas was he very good away from home this season and El Paso is, well, away from home.
WR Ryan Broyles -- The Sooners best offensive playmaker and perpahs the Big 12's best, Broyles, he's caught 76 passes for 964 yards and 12 touchdowns, in addition to averaging 16.5 yards per punt return.
DT Gerald McCoy -- perhaps a to 10 draft pick, playing, he will have to be accounted for at the line of scrimmage. Of course, he's going to be double teamed.
STANFORD
TB Toby Gerhart -- He is the team's best player and provides the identity for the offense. His punishing style allows the Cardinal to hold the ball for long stretches, and he seems fresher than defenses in the fourth quarter. When he gets close to the end zone, he is difficult to stop.
QB Andrew Luck -- The redshirt freshman is questionable for the bowl game with a fractured finger on his right hand. If he can play, will he perform? He has never played in a bowl game, so his demeanor could be an issue, but he has played with poise in every game so far, so this should be no different. He has exceeded expectations this season, and can do virtually everything a good college quarterback is expected to do -- play with poise, throw with accuracy from in the pocket or while on the move, make good decisions and run for first downs when needed.
DE Thomas Keiser -- He is the Cardinal most likely to record a tackle behind the line of scrimmage, ranking second in the Pac-10 in tackles for loss with 14.5 He and fellow DE Chase Thomas have been effective at applying a pass rush off the edge.
WR Chris Owusu -- His biggest contribution comes as a kick-returner and most Pac-10 opponents avoided kicking to him. Whether a team from outside the conference will do that remains to be seen. He has returned three kickoffs for touchdowns, and is also dangerous as a runner on end-arounds.
MEDICAL WATCH
OKLAHOMA
- Junior quarterback Sam Bradford (Shoulder) and senior tight end Jermaine Gresham have expressed their intention to enter the draft. Both are out for the season with injuries.
STANFORD
- QB Andrew Luck (fractured finger) is questionable.
- DE Eric Lorig has missed most of the season with a groin injury, although there is an outside chance he will play in the bowl game.
- LB Clinton Snyder, the team's best defensive player, missed the final four regular-season games with a knee injury, and he will miss the bowl game as well, but Nick Macaluso has done a decent job as his replacement.
* * *
TSX PICKS: Oklahoma 20-14
* * *