The man in the middle
Linebacker Lofton is OU's most indispensable player
Linebacker Lofton is OU's most indispensable player

By Jake Trotter

Published: September 21, 2007

NORMAN — Monday evening, Curtis Lofton pushed himself so hard in linebacker drills he lost his lunch.

"There's noodles on the 26-yard line right now,” defensive coordinator Brent Venables said after practice.

Before a dehydrated Lofton could speak with the media, he needed IV treatment.

That relentlessness has Lofton on track to be the next standout linebacker at Oklahoma.

And it's because of where he plays that makes him the most important player on OU's roster, other than quarterback Sam Bradford.

The Sooners are loaded with depth at every position, even at quarterback.

Not at middle linebacker.

Five-star transfer Mike Reed is a bust, so far. He's been unable to pick up the defensive scheme.

Because of Tulsa's wild alignments, the middle linebacker must consistently make sound calls tonight, or else.

"If we call the front wrong or miss one of our checks, that could easily be a touchdown,” Lofton said. "It's a big challenge for us.”

For that reason, Reed hasn't stepped on the field in the last two games, even though he's listed as Lofton's backup on the depth chart.

Half of Lofton's value is cerebral. The other half is his knack for running sideline to sideline and making one-on-one tackles.

It's critical to OU's success to have the 6-foot, 240-pound Lofton in the game.

Neither outside linebacker — Lewis Baker (210 pounds) nor Ryan Reynolds (230) — has the preferred size to slide over to the middle.

Sophomore Lamont Robinson is seeing time at linebacker ahead of Reed, but Robinson has played in just two career games.

For now, it's all on Lofton.

That's why he lost his noodles — Lofton's pushing himself to be conditioned to play a lot of snaps, perhaps more than any other OU defender.

"I think I've got a lot more to go,” said Lofton, who played high school ball at Class 3A Kingfisher. "I'm kind of getting there, but I've got a long, long way to go.”

This week, coaches have begun comparing Lofton to the likes of Teddy Lehman and Rufus Alexander.

"It's a pleasure to be mentioned in the same sentence with those guys,” Lofton said.

"Those guys are top athletes and top linebackers.”

Against Utah State, he took a pick 45 yards for a touchdown, bringing back memories of Torrance Marshall's game-winning interception return against Texas A&M seven seasons ago.

Lofton's statistics alone reveal his worth.

He has 28 tackles, 10 more than any other defender.

As the season rolls along, coaches need to develop OU's linebacker depth, so they aren't so reliant on Lofton.

Until then, though, Lofton can't leave the field.

He's too good.

He's too valuable.

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