Cory Brandon back in the lineup
OU football After a bad start, junior has his right tackle position back
BY DAVID UBBEN
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Published: November 6, 2009
NORMAN — There was no way to defend Cory Brandon. Though the same is often said of all-time greats, this was no compliment.
OU’s Cory Brandon lost his starting right tackle position after the Sooners’ season-opening loss to BYU, but has started two games in a row since reclaiming the position from Jarvis Jones. AP PHOTO
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Cory Brandon
→Class: Junior
→Height: 6-7
→Weight: 310
→Hometown: Corsicana, Texas
→Fast facts: Started season opener but was penalized five times and did not start again until Oct. 24 against Kansas. First-year starter who appeared in nine games as a sophomore.
"That’s his fault,” said Oklahoma coach
Bob Stoops, of his right tackle after the
Sooners 14-13 loss to
Brigham Young. "There’s no reason to have that many penalties.”
Brandon had five penalties, in fact, including a pair of false starts that derailed the first drive of Oklahoma’s season, back when the Sooners were undefeated and had
Sam Bradford still under center. A worse start to a season would have been difficult to imagine.
Brandon helped put a surprising early stain on what most thought could be a pristine record for at least the first six weeks of the season, and perhaps longer.
And Brandon’s five flags — three false starts and a pair of holding penalties — earned him a free sideline pass until the Sooners’ third conference game.
It took a month of scorching preseason camp for Brandon to earn one of those five starting spots. Three hours and 16 minutes after his first play, it was gone.
"If you’re a competitive person, you want to battle through things like that,” said offensive line coach James Patton.
Brandon’s not sure how, but he has. He made his second consecutive start against
Kansas State, beating out
Jarvis Jones to regain his right tackle duties.
"I don’t feel like you ever earned your spot,” Brandon said. "There’s always competition when there’s good players around. You gotta keep fighting every week.”
He’ll have to. Offensive coordinator
Kevin Wilson says both Brandon and Jones have been weighed down by inconsistent play. Nothing’s guaranteed, but Brandon impressed his coaches by limiting the effect of his horrendous start to the confines of
Cowboys Stadium.
"Cory started out pretty rough, pretty embarrassed,” Patton said. "Cory’s maturing. He does it in practice. His execution has gotten a lot better, he’s more physical.”
Brandon’s now doing his part to help Oklahoma’s offensive line erase its early-season failures. They can’t take away the "3” in the loss column, but they can help put a "9” in the win column when the regular season concludes.
"If you want it bad enough, you’ll make yourself better, prove your attitude, or do whatever it takes,” Patton said. "I think he’s definitely benefited from that.”
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Except, in the BYU , Miami, they all needed hearing aids. Beats hell out of me why a Stoops
coached team, in the last 5-6 seasons, look like a first year high school team, at some juncture,
during every game they play. They start out like gang-busters and then go to sh*t in the
second half, or visa-versa, and he stands over on the sidelines with this deer in the headlights look pissed at the defensive guys. He needs to yank a knot in Venables tail.