To many, the expectations for Oklahoma football changed after Rhett Bomar was dismissed from the team. The loss of the starting quarterback was seen as a crippling blow to a team with national-title aspirations.
However, it changed nothing to those who will lead the Sooner defense this season. Their belief in what they can do remains unfazed.
“Expectations are always high and the bar is always set high,” Sooner linebacker Rufus Alexander said Friday at OU’s media day. “On this defense, you’ve got to go out there and just do what we’ve been doing, just go out there and execute our defense and do what we’re supposed to do and everything will take care of itself.”
The Sooner defenders brushed off the dismissal of Bomar and offensive lineman J.D. Quinn like it a blip on their radar. To them, it was just another obstacle to overcome.
Fact is, the Sooner defense was seen as the major reason OU was the consensus pick to win the Big 12 South and was picked No. 5 in the preseason ESPN/USA Today coaches poll. Nine starters are back from a defense that was ranked No. 4 against the rush and No. 13 in total defense last season.
The defensive line has more depth than a year ago and the secondary has much more experience.
Alexander, the preseason Big 12 defensive player of the year, and Zach Latimer return at linebacker.
They’re excited about what lies ahead.
“We’re going to be able to be more aggressive across the board,” defensive coordinator Brent Venables said. “We didn’t have a lot of depth last year and you can see that in our fourth quarter defense last year. It was atrocious. But this year we feel that we can improve on that and dictate play throughout the game.
“Last year we were really talented but we had zero experience in some key areas. We weren’t too far off last year. We had a few busts but we lacked aggressiveness and the assuradness needed to play good defense.”
Defensive backs D.J. Wolfe and Reggie Smith were just trying to work into the lineup this time last year. Both emerged as reliable starters.
Their confidence level is off the charts compared to last season.
“I feel 50 times better,” Wolfe said. “I’m not going into anything shaky or tense. I have a year under my belt and I’m ready to make a bigger contribution to the team.”
Perhaps big enough to overshadow Bomar’s departure. Only time will tell. But no one playing defense at OU is ready to think expectations have been lowered.
“I still feel like the goals we set of winning the Big 12 South, the Big 12 championship and a national championship are there,” said defensive end Larry Birdine, who missed all but the Holiday Bowl last season with a torn biceps injury.
OU’s defense has prided itself on being prepared for any situation. It will constantly be in tough spots over the next five months.
That was message Venables delivered as the Sooners were getting ready for their first practice Thursday. Anything can happen. It’s how you react to those situations that defines the success and failure of any team.
What occurred Wednesday was one of those situations.
“There are a lot of things we can’t control,” Venables said. “We just need to go in there and do our job and try to get off the field as quickly as we can. We only want to be in there for about three plays.”
John Shinn366-3536jshinn@normantranscript.com
OU Sports
Defense unchanged
Expectations still hight
- OU Sports
-
-
Sooners did not show up to play
Texas had something to play for. So there’s that. If the Longhorns are to receive an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament, this was just the kind of game they absolutely had to win....
-
With W.V. set free by Big East, Big 12 schedule’s out and it’s backloaded for Sooners
With West Virginia finally receiving its release from the Big East Conference on Tuesday, the Big 12 Conference was finally able to release its conference football schedule for the 2012 season....
-
Red River rut
The rut Oklahoma has been trying to escape for the last two weeks continued to grow deeper with a 69-58 loss to Texas Tuesday night at Lloyd Noble Center....
-
OU gearing up for Texas’ Brown
If Oklahoma guard Steven Pledger had his way, tonight’s meeting with Texas will come down to two players: himself and Longhorn guard J’Covan Brown....
-
Sooners will have a dramatically new look up and down the order, on the mound
The clubhouse at L. Dale Mitchell Park hasn’t changed over the last year. Just about everything else has since the 2011 baseball season ended. The locker stalls have 20 new nameplates. The coaches’ locker room has two new ones as well. ...
-
Despite hard fight, UConn wins big
By its own standards, the Connecticut team that took the floor Monday night at Lloyd Noble Center was not in the same class as its previous incarnations. But a down year for the seven-time national champions is still better than just ...
-
Believe it or not, OU women are progressing
Connecticut coach Geno Auriemma appeared plenty willing to embarrass Oklahoma for a third time in seven games....
-
OU reeling from stunning loss to Texas Tech
As Oklahoma’s players headed toward the exit at United Spirit Arena on Saturday night, most had dazed looks on their faces. The 65-47 loss to Texas Tech was something they didn’t see coming....
-
Husky challenge
No time might seem like a good time to face Connecticut. The Huskies are always terrific and this season will enter Lloyd Noble Center likely ranked No. 2 following Notre Dame’s Sunday loss to West Virginia....
-
Sooners put finishing touches on perfect opener
Oklahoma capped off a perfect opening weekend of softball on Sunday with an 11-1 victory over Kent State. The Sooners were led by another strong outing from pitcher Keilani Rickets and an offensive explosion by Allee Allen....
- More OU Sports Headlines
-
Sooners did not show up to play
