Red-White spring game is today

By Jake Trotter

Published: April 12, 2008

For college football teams, spring practice is a time to continue developing younger players and begin replacing starters who have graduated or left early for the NFL Draft.

With the Red-White spring game today and only one additional practice left, Oklahoma has answered many questions this spring. Others will linger into the fall.

Below is what we've learned during the spring and what we've yet to find out:

The last time many fans saw Clayton on the playing field he was whiffing ball-carriers from the strong safety position at the beginning of the 2006 season.

This, however, isn't the same Clayton.

The rising junior was moved to outside linebacker last season and he is thriving in his new position this spring, making tackles all over the field. He leads the Sooners with 17 tackles in their two scrimmages.

•Joey Halzle is the No. 2 quarterback: Keith Nichol and Landry Jones get talked about the most, but Halzle is clearly OU's second-best quarterback at the moment, behind starter Sam Bradford. Nichol and Jones will get their chances in future seasons, but for now, Halzle is the No. 2.

•OU is fine at cornerback: One of the biggest concerns for the defense was replacing both of last season's starting cornerbacks in Reggie Smith and Marcus Walker.

But with Dominique Franks and Brian Jackson stepping up, OU hasn't appeared to have missed a beat at cornerback.

Both players are good about not getting beat deep and both can make plays on the ball on underneath passes.

Jonathan Nelson has proven to be a solid No. 3 corner as well.

Both redshirt freshman Ryan Broyles and incoming freshman Jameel Owens could push Chaney for playing time in a crowded receiving rotation next season.

•Will placekicking continue to be a position of strength? In his last two seasons as OU's field goal kicker, Garrett Hartley made 32 of 35 field goals, many in pressure situations.

In two spring scrimmages, redshirt freshman Jimmy Stevens has connected on only 19 of 30 attempts.

Stevens will have to be more accurate and prove he has a big enough leg, or risk losing kicks to incoming freshman Tress Way.

•Will the linebacking unit will be OK without Curtis Lofton? Clayton has been a stud, but injuries to projected starters Ryan Reynolds (sprained ankle) and Austin Box (sprained elbow) have prevented defensive coordinator Brent Venables from getting a better feel for this unit as a whole.

Plus, junior-college transfers J.R. Bryant and Mike Balogun, who could both push for playing time, don't arrive on campus until the summer.

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