A walk through the halls of the Switzer Center will reveal a lot of things. But there’s one thing that’s going to be tough to hear. Compliments for Oklahoma’s offensive linemen are few and far between. Even offering one falls on deaf ears.
“We have to keep our edge,” guard Duke Robinson said.
It’s far cry from last August. The infant stages of the 2006 season included an offensive line thin on experience and numbers. Paul Thompson was the biggest question at quarterback, but how OU was going to keep him upright was second.
Then Thompson went out and threw for 2,667 yards and was only sacked 16 times. Despite losing Adrian Peterson for eight games, the Sooners still averaged 177 yards a game.
The offensive line stepped up. But what happened last season only revealed potential.
Instead of praising the overall numbers, coaches harp on last two games. The Sooners were held to 42 rushing yards in the Big 12 championship game against Nebraska. They piled up 174 against Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl, but struggled to get the ball moving until the second half.
The late-season dip left an impression the unit got soft at the end of the season. Great offensive lines don’t allow that to happen.
“Anytime someone is slacking or something that always gets pointed out,” center Jon Cooper said.
But outside of the Sooner camp, last season’s performance left a very favorable impression. Most preseason publications have labeled OU’s offensive line as one of the best in the country. With all five starters back and depth no longer an issue, the accolades are warranted.
But the way the 2006 season ended has been the only thing that matters in OU’s camp.
“With the experience we have and the guys that have played and been in the fire, we can hold ourselves to a high standard,” offensive line coach James Patton said. “We have to hold ourselves to that every week.”
Clearly, the bar has been elevated. OU is breaking in another starting quarterback and will enter a season without Adrian Peterson for the first time since 2003.
However, the potential up front is enough to believe the Sooners shouldn’t miss a beat.
Last year was all about developing that talent. OU did that and showed its line has the potential to open holes against any defense.
The goal for the next five months is to prove it can do it consistently over what the Sooners hope will be a 14-game season.
“They will be good at the end of the year when they have been good every week,” offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson said. “You can’t be a good line unless they are an everyday and every week performer. It is a grind position. The potential of this group doesn’t matter if they don’t prepare on Tuesday and Wednesday to play at a high level on Saturdays.”
So don’t expect to hear much praise for the Sooners’ offensive line this season. They’re not looking for it either. They expect to be judged over what they do over the entire season. They want the bar to be set as high as it will go.
“We want to be the best line in the country,” Cooper said. “We’ll do whatever it takes to do that.”
John Shinn
366-3536
jshinn@normantranscript.com
OU Sports
Strong up front
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