Oklahoma closed spring practice with a live scrimmage Tuesday.
And even though cameras, reporters and 20,000-odd fans weren't allowed to attend, Sooner quarterback Sam Bradford was happy to report it ran a lot more smoothly than the last one.
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"The offense played at a much quicker tempo than we did in the Red-White Game,” Bradford said. "I thought we got some good work done on the last day.”
The sophomore from Putnam City North threw three interceptions during the Red-White Game. Two of them came after defenders tipped low-flying passes.
"I don't think (there were any tips) today,” Bradford said with a grin.
If the defensive units seemed like the overall winners Saturday, the OU offense made up some ground in the rivalry during its final practice. Bradford finished the spring displaying a sharp command of the Sooners' new no-huddle offense.
"Today, they got on us,” redshirt freshman linebacker Travis Lewis said. "They fast-tempo'd us. We've had a chance to get our shots in. They got theirs in today.”
Coaches spent the remainder of Tuesday's workout introducing individual drills to help players develop mechanics and technique during the offseason. Summer training begins the first week of June.
•Strait talk: Defensive backs coach Bobby Jack Wright isn't given to hyperbole.
So when he says the OU cornerbacks have produced the best spring he's seen since the "days of Derrick Strait,” it's a pretty significant compliment.
Strait — a two-time All-American who won both the Bronko Nagurski Trophy and Jim Thorpe Award during his four seasons in Norman — is the most accomplished corner in Bob Stoops' tenure.
Wright's admiration didn't stop there.
He also singled out senior safety Lendy Holmes, who missed the Fiesta Bowl in January due academic issues.
The coach said Holmes had such a good grasp of the Sooner defense..."If we had an injury and we needed him, he could move to corner right now.”
•Red Raider flashback: Sooner fans weren't the only ones gasping when defensive end Alan Davis plowed into Bradford on an interception return Saturday.
Auston English was having flashbacks, too.
"I was excited when (Davis) picked it off,” English said. "Obviously, anytime a defensive end gets his hands on the ball, you're going to get excited. But when he hit Sam, I had flashbacks of Texas Tech. I saw his head kind of pop back and I thought, ‘Oh, no!'”
Actually, English wasn't even expecting Bradford to get within reach of Davis.
"I was kind of looking for some moves (from Davis). He played tight end back in high school, so I thought he was going to give me something. He just went for the old approach and bulled him over.”
•Landry learning: Lost among the interceptions and long returns and defensive end-quarterback sandwiches, freshman Landry Jones finished his spring on a high note by tossing a 50-yard touchdown to Rashad Hutchins late in Saturday's Red-White Game.
"He's actually got a pretty good grasp of all the terminology and all the signals that we're throwing at him,” said quarterbacks coach Josh Heupel. "He's had a lot to learn.”
The 6-foot-4, 210-pounder from Artesia, N.M., didn't see a lot of scrimmage snaps playing behind Bradford, Joey Halzle and Keith Nichol, but that can be expected for a player in his first spring with a new, harried offense.
"When you're in the huddle system, for a young quarterback it's easier because you can talk to them, tell them the play,” Heupel said. "When you're going no-huddle, you're throwing them to the wolves.”
Heupel said Jones has significantly improved his quickness and slimmed down since he arrived on campus in January. Now, Jones must use the offseason to add upper-body strength and throwing accuracy to his knowledge of the system.
"We've been pretty excited about what he's been able to grasp and understand,” Heupel said. "He maybe didn't get as many reps as we'd like, but really we're pretty happy with where he's at and hopefully where he'll be when he comes back next fall.”•OU gets NCAA certification: OU's athletic department received certification from the NCAA, it was announced Tuesday. According to the NCAA, "The certification process, which involves a self-study led by an institution's president or chancellor, includes a review of these primary components: governance and commitment to rules compliance; academic integrity; equity; and student-athlete well-being.”
By Blake Jackson
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