Most Popular Archives Shop
OKC, 60°F, A Few Clouds, Radar Loop | More Weather




View more >

Mon September 17, 2007

Four questions: After win, OU falls in poll

World Wide Web

 
 
Top Jobs
AddThis Social Bookmark Button
By Scott Wright
Staff Writer
After a 54-3 win, why did Oklahoma drop one spot to No. 4 in the Associated Press top 25?



Florida jumped over the Sooners from No. 5 to No. 3 with a dominating win over then-No. 22 Tennessee. That win carried a lot of weight with the voters in both polls. Florida increased its point total in both, but so did OU. The Sooners even picked up a first-place vote in the coaches' poll.

Though the Gators were two spots behind OU in the AP poll last week, they were only 48 points behind the Sooners. Now OU is three points back.

West Virginia is the team with a real complaint. After a 31-14 win at Maryland, the Mountaineers fell in both polls.

How will the short week of preparation affect the Sooners in Friday's game against Tulsa?

NCAA rules require teams take one day off in every calendar week. OU can take that on Saturday, so technically, this isn't a short week.

The biggest issue is that the players didn't get Sunday off, like they normally do. They'll go into Friday's game having practiced or played each of the 11 previous days. But conditioning has rarely been a problem at OU under Bob Stoops and his strength coach Jerry Schmidt.

Sunday's workout was typical of what the Sooners would do in a Monday practice, so Stoops doesn't seem concerned about conserving energy.

What's been the most impressive part of quarterback Sam Bradford's performance so far?

The obvious answer is his accuracy. It's hard enough to complete 22 straight passes with no defenders at all, but he did it once and nearly did it again, hitting on 21 straight between the Miami and Utah State games.

But Bradford's ability to deliver the football with pressure coming has been magnificent, especially considering he hadn't been tackled in nearly two years when he took his first snap. He stands strong in the pocket and doesn't seem to get rattled.

Where has linebacker Mike Reed been?

The prize of last year's recruiting class has been looking on as a third-teamer. The chances of the 6-foot, 258-pound Reed beating out Curtis Lofton this season or next is slim, as Lofton continues to elevate his play. But Reed, a junior-college transfer, didn't get on the field in mop-up duty Saturday, being passed over for sophomore Lamont Robinson.

Reed is still listed as Lofton's backup on the OU depth chart, but it's possible the coaching staff wants to develop Robinson as much as possible, considering he's a year younger and will still be around when Lofton and Reed are gone.

They haven't given up on Reed yet, but they're not giving him anything, either.

Multi Page