NORMAN — In October 2006, Oklahoma lost its best player for the season in running back Adrian Peterson.
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Instead of reeling, the Sooners rode backup Allen Patrick to seven straight wins to claim a Big 12 Championship.
This October, OU faces a similar challenge in replacing middle linebacker Ryan Reynolds, who has torn ligaments in his knee and will be out for the year.
The Sooners are auditioning Mike Balogun and Brandon Crow, but it’s expected that Austin Box will be in the starting lineup at middle linebacker come Saturday.
"It’s really disappointing in the way that it happened,” Box said. "But I’m really excited about the opportunity to step on the field and make some plays.”
Despite missing most of the spring with a dislocated elbow, Box was listed as the starting weak-side linebacker heading into preseason. But two weeks in, Box underwent arthroscopic surgery to repair cartilage in his left knee.
That allowed Travis Lewis to start at weak-side linebacker in the opener and he’s thrived in that spot ever since, leading the Sooners in tackles, tackles for loss and sacks.
Box, meanwhile, has been relegated to the bench since recovering.
"An injury should never lose a guy his starting job,” Box said. "But the way Travis has been playing, you can’t take a guy like that off the field. Travis has done a tremendous job. I’m excited for him.”
One of Box’s crucial responsibilities as middle linebacker will be helping with calls and checks at the line of scrimmage. Box’s days as a high school quarterback at Enid should help in that adjustment.
"The (middle) linebacker is just like the quarterback, the centerpiece of the defense,” Box said. "You have to be vocal and let everyone else know what’s going on.”
Box must also learn the nuances of playing in the middle, since until this week he has been practicing at weak-side.
"He can run pretty good. He’ll strike you, he’s physical,” defensive coordinator Brent Venables said. "But what’s more important isn’t those things, it’s his understanding of what he’s doing, so he’s sure of himself, so that he is in good position and he is a good tackler and he can play fast. That’s the biggest thing for any of those guys is who is going to be the most sure of himself.
"But he understands football. He’s got a good grasp of things. I think that’s going to be an advantage for him.”
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OU has great talent. Whoever the coaches put in will no doubt do well, but maybe not at Ryan's level. But very good. I am not worried about OU's defense. It's the special teams that the coaching staff needs to focus on. For some reason, they have been burned on special teams repeatedly, and it probably cost them the Texas game. That befuddles me, because of the superior athleticism of OU's players. Top 5 recruiting classes virtually EVERY year! BTW, I am NOT an OU fan, by any stretch, but I cannot deny the quality of their program and talent level. I have to give credit where it's due, and OU is one of the top programs in the country and always have been. I am only questioning the coaching a little bit, NOT bashing.
Steve,
It was a one liner, how can you screw it up that bad. Mike & Brent were awesome as co-D cordinators. We are missing 1/2 of the formula. Second thing, I asked for kickoff coverage, not Mike to coach special teams or make tackles. I would just like someone to figure it out. Steve must be an Aggie.
I'd say the problem is we ran into a great team that played with inspiration plus we have no kicking game period.Why? Don't know and if I did I'd be on the staff.O.K. Some staff maybe but not the Sooners. They know when a coach is in over his head so that would rule out your humble narrator.
Aggressive play isnt just about blitzing, its about flying to the ball. It seems like we used to gang tackle a lot more. Now if one player gets beat its a huge game. Its like they play scared.
I am not sure that it is a lack of aggressiveness....in fact i think that they are over aggressive....making them over pursue....making them out of position...we had only one safety on that kickoff score against texas...one person to stay back if the return guy gets past the first wave....it's easy to make one guy miss after one miss tackle....i think the players need to be more disciplined and run their routes in coverage an not be so aggressive to be the playmaker.
Watching our kick offs and comparing them to the distance of kick offs of other college teams, I think our kicker is kicking about as far. The problem is the lack of aggressiveness on the part of the tacklers. Haven't seen this before on a Stoops team.
Jeremy, you need to move on. Mike Stoops can't tackle anyone. What happened Saturday wasn't Brent's fault. Give Texas credit for having a good team and go watch the game again. Losing Reynolds was huge. Furthermore, Mike Stoops wouldn't be coaching special teams and even if he was, he still can't make a tackle. Of course, maybe you should apply for the job you think need filling.
It's my understanding that the person who coached special teams (kickoff coverage) is now the head ball coach at the University of Houston. Losing Hartley hurts too. Since he was older and got stronger over his 4 years he was able to kick them high and deep. Even on the ones he didn't have touchbacks on because of the height of his kicks it enable guys to get down and cover.
Use your head Jeff, he's been playing/practicing outside linebacker all season. You can't put a person in a position he had not played or practiced at this level. He has to learn the middle this week, he's learning on the fly. What will help him is the fact he also played safety in high school and should have a good understanding of the middle part of the field.
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Leave a comment. Log in below or sign up (it's free).Editor's note: It is not our intent to offer comments on crime or fatality stories.
It was a one liner, how can you screw it up that bad. Mike & Brent were awesome as co-D cordinators. We are missing 1/2 of the formula. Second thing, I asked for kickoff coverage, not Mike to coach special teams or make tackles. I would just like someone to figure it out. Steve must be an Aggie.