NORMAN — Defense was Oklahoma’s saving grace last season. No matter how bad the injuries became, or how disjointed the offense became, or how inconsistent the kicking game would get, defense gave the Sooners a legitimate chance to win 12 games last season.
One of the big reasons why was the play in the secondary. The Sooners could lock down wide receivers and did so throughout the season.
The question is whether they will be able to do it again in 2010?
The answer rests with OU’s cornerbacks and if they can they play to the standards set by Brian Jackson and Dominique Franks before their departure for the NFL.
Demontre Hurst, who has moved atop of the depth chart at the field corner spot, doesn’t see why not.
“I’m confident, and they’ve got confidence in me, too, that I can make plays,” he said.
Jamell Fleming has moved into the boundary corner spot. So far, coaches have no complaints. Both have displayed the attributes that are needed.
“Both of them are very competitive and they come to practice every day, and that gives you a chance,” defensive coordinator Brent Venables said. “They love to play, they like to compete and they want to be players, and that gives you a chance. They have skill and ability and cover skills, and they are scrappy guys. They are not afraid to throw their bodies in there.”
That has shown on special teams. Fleming, a junior, has been one of the Sooners’ top special teams players since 2008. Hurst, a sophomore, jumped on that path last season.
That experience has helped, according to first-year secondary coach Willie Martinez.
“The positive is they’ve had experience in games. They’ve played on special teams and played on defense,” Martinez said. “They feel a lot more confident. You can see the strides that they’ve made since the end of spring. It’s carried over.”
The youth movement at the corner spots doesn’t end with Hurst and Fleming. Their backups are equally green. True freshman Aaron Colvin is behind Hurst. Fleming’s understudy is redshirt freshman Gabe Lynn. Sophomore Lamar Harris is also in the mix.
The funny thing is, if you ask OU’s coaches who the best cornerback is, they’ll say it’s strong safety Jonathan Nelson. He was a backup at that spot until late last season when he was moved to safety and thrived, picking off passes in OU’s final three games.
“The great thing about Jonathan is he’s very versatile,” Martinez said. “He’s a starter at both positions. The big thing for us is development of the young guys and seeing who we feel comfortable with. We feel really good about Jonathan. We count him at both positions. The goal is to develop the younger guys so we feel comfortable leaving him the majority of the time at a certain spot.”
If he can stay at safety, it will give the Sooners two of the best safeties in the Big 12. Senior Quinton Carter enters his third season as a starter and is widely considered one of college football’s best. The punishing hitter picked off four passes last season and will be the leader of OU’s defenisve backs.
“I think it is all on my back and I accept the challenge. I feel if we don’t do well as a unit, it all falls back on me,” he said. “I feel it is my job to get the other guys ready to play.”
Sam Proctor, who started 10 games at strong safety last season, has been moved to free safety where he’ll back up Proctor. Javon Harris is the backup at strong safety, along with freshman Tony Jefferson.
There’s no doubt the Sooners’ secondary knows it will face a ton of pressure this season. Without proven cornerbacks, the questions are going to be around until the Sooners win some games.
John Shinn 366-3536 jshinn@normantranscript.com
