John Shinn
• Sooner linebacker
just needs to find
some consistency
Every time Mike Reed has stepped onto Owen Field, he’s made an impression. All of Oklahoma’s scrimmages since the spring have featured at least one moment where Reed announces his presence.
That loud crack when he connects with a ball carrier causes idle chatter to cease and eyes to become focused on the only thing that could have caused that noise.
“When I get into an 11-on-11 scrimmage, I’m going to go downhill and hit everything I see,” Reed said.
That’s what a coach wants from any linebacker. There’s a certain veracity required from the position. It’s not enough to be big and fast. He has to be both and be able to use those traits to his advantage.
Reed has them at 6-1, 250 pounds.
But knowing how to use them is the question he and defensive coordinator Brent Venables ponder every day.
Reed made five tackles and recorded a sack in last Saturday’s scrimmage. Coaches, from Venables all the way up to Sooner coach Bob Stoops, said it was an impressive performance by the junior college transfer.
But OU is looking for great performances out of the middle linebacker.
“Some of his earlier practices and some of the mini scrimmages we’ve had haven’t been what they’ve needed to be,” Stoops said of Reed’s performance leading up to the scrimmage. “We need to see that. It’s good for Mike to step up and show he can make improvement and he can do it. He has to get more consistent with it.”
Consistency is the key word among the OU coaching staff. The locker room is full of guys that can make a great play here or there. But the difference between the guys on the field and the guys on the sideline is usually more than speed or strength.
Each guy has to know his job on every play. What gap does he have to fill on a run play? What does he do against this alignment? Who is he covering on a pass play? How do you take on a 300-pound offensive lineman, but still keep your arm free to make a tackle?
Those questions have to be answered without a speck of doubt. It has to become instinctual.
Reed admits it hasn’t yet.
“I don’t know what it is. I think in practice I do a little bit too much focusing on what I need to do as far as being a technician,” he said. “I’m more of a robot.”
There’s no doubt Reed can play football. He was a tackling machine at Yuba (Calif.) Community College.
However, the system Reed played in junior college was tailored for him. At OU the players are tailored for the system.
“In junior college, they just let me go out there and play. I just went out there and found the ball,” Reed said. “Here you have more responsibilities and if you don’t take care of those responsibilities you’re lost.”
Getting lost too often is the reason Reed is behind Curtis Lofton on the middle linebacker depth chart. Most figured that would be the other way around.
That’s probably a slight to Lofton, but junior college players are brought in to make an immediate impact.
Venables believes Reed will make one. But it won’t happen until Reed proves he can do it on a consistent basis.
Go into the linebackers’ meeting room inside the Switzer Center, and there’s pictures of Butkus Award winners, All-Americans and Big 12 defensive players of the year.
There’s a standard in that room that whoever is playing linebacker is expected to live up to.
“We’re asking you to do things the same way they did,” Venables said. “When you do, we feed you opportunities.”
Reed is still working on getting up to that standard.
O-line moves
The offensive line is shifting around its depth chart after backup center Chase Beeler’s decision to quit football.
There are currently three linemen working as backups to starter Jon Cooper. Starting right guard Brandon Walker has started working at the spot as well. True freshman Jason Hannan and sophomore Noah Hughey have also been working on snaps since the beginning of practice.
“The next guy will always step up,” offensive line coach James Patton said. “My experience is you always need more than a couple centers.”
No change
There’s been no change in the quarterback depth chart. OU coach Bob Stoops said Joey Halzle, Sam Bradford and Keith Nichol remain even in the race to win the job.
The Sooners had a short scrimmage Wednesday that was closed to the public and another is scheduled for 6 p.m. Saturday at Owen Field.
The quarterback who performs the best in those workouts could wind up being named the starter, but Stoops was adamant there’s no timeline for the decision.
“When we feel we want to, we will,” Stoops said. “Could be possible after today. Could be possible next Wednesday. Anything’s possible. They’re all doing good.”
John Shinn
366-3536
jshinn@normantranscript.com
