Reynolds dominated, with nine tackles, three for loss and a sack.
But since that dynamic performance, Reynolds has been slowed recovering from knee surgeries and a neck injury, preventing him from consistently playing at his highest level.
But now, Reynolds has recovered some during the break and is looking forward to regaining all of his speed in the off-season.
"I've felt real weak in my knee, I haven't been the athlete I know I can be,” said Reynolds, who is seventh on the team with 57 tackles. "But as time goes on, my knee feels a lot better.”
After undergoing two knee surgeries in a year, Reynolds knew he wasn't going to be 100 percent this season.
"He has great maturity. His maturity didn't set himself up for failure by going into a tailspin mentally,” defensive coordinator Brent Venables said. "He always kept the faith and has had a terrific attitude. And that strength and that attitude has been the reason he has played.”
Reynolds tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee while chasing down a receiver in 7-on-7 drills after 2006 spring practice.
After redshirting last year, Reynolds rehabbed and recovered, and found himself battling for a starting position this spring.
But then his right knee snapped in a pile of helmets and shoulder pads as he severed the lateral collateral ligament.
Somehow, though, Reynolds rehabbed again in time to start at outside linebacker for the Sooners in the opener.
But while he was rehabbing, Reynolds missed out on summer conditioning and speed drills, which meant he was a step slower when the season started.
"Not having all summer to do the speed training and the agility training that everyone gets to do and not being able to condition myself, that has taken away,” Reynolds said.
Because of the knee, Venables has been forced to take Reynolds out of the game on obvious pass situations and against spread teams, inserting the speedier Lewis Baker in his place.
"He's a great teammate, he wants to be out there helping the team,” Baker said. "It hurts to see small injuries keeping him off the field.”
But knee surgery hasn't been Reynolds' only problem.
He suffered a stinger to his shoulder and neck in the middle of the year, which eventually forced him to the sidelines at Iowa State.
"Throughout the season, he's been bitten with the injury bug,” linebacker Curtis Lofton said. "He hasn't been able to play to his full potential. But Ryan is a tough guy. He's going to do whatever it takes to help the team out and he gives everything he has when he's out there.”
Reynolds has time to overcome his injuries.
Because he redshirted last season, Reynolds will only be a junior next year. And this off-season, he'll benefit from working on his strength and speed instead of his knees.
"He's going to have a good few months in the weight room to develop his lower body strength that he hasn't been able to,” Venables said. "He's really going to benefit from the winter conditioning.”
