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The deadline for underclassmen to declare for the NFL Draft came and went Friday. DeMarco Murray and Ryan Broyles decided to return to school for next season, brightening the outlook of OU’s 2010 season. Murray felt he had unfinished business in Norman. I still had some more things I wanted to get accomplished with my teammates and become a better player as well,” Murray told ESPN. "I won’t have to share carries anymore, so I will get to play a lot more than I have here and be the guy.” Murray will finally get his opportunity to be "the guy.” OU’s coaches have used running back rotations in part to keep their backs fresh. But also because there wasn’t that drastic of a difference between the three, or two. But next season, there will be a dropoff from Murray and the rest of the backs. If he can remain healthy, that could do wonders for Murray’s draft stock, which has been damaged by his tendency to get injured. Being "the guy” means Murray could also make an assault on the OU record books, in addition to improving his draft stock.
Sad day for Sooner Nation as one of our corners decide to head to the NFL Draft. I don't know what happened. Dominique Franks sounded certain when he said last month he would definitely return to school for his senior year. Franks told ESPN that he will forgo next season. A source close to Franks said he received a second-round grade from the NFL's College Advisory Committee. But Franks seemed to have doubts about his ability to transition immediately to the NFL earlier in Dec of '09. The source said Franks didn't like answering the same questions over and over, so "he thought (saying he would return to OU next year) was the easiest way to not get asked it a whole bunch." He had even said even if he received a projected first-round grade, it wouldn't change his mind. I mean but their had been rumors going around that with the NFL's cloudy labor situation. There maybe no salary cap in place for 2010 and a potential cap on rookie salaries beyond that. There has even been speculation on a labor stoppage in 2011. That has led to record projections of underclassmen entering this year's draft. A record 70 underclassmen came out early in 2008, and some agents are forecasting close to 100 could come out this year. Well I hope Stoops has some players in the chamber. OU needs to get back in the Nat'l title hunt.
Landry Jones and Ryan Broyles connected for three touchdown passes. Oklahoma to a 31-27 victory over Stanford in Sun Bowl. The duo posted career numbers as OU won its first bowl game in four years. Jones threw for a career-high 30 completions and 418 yards to lead the offense to its best performance. Broyles outshined Stanford All-American running back Toby Gerhart for Sun Bowl MVP honors, caught 13 passes for 156 yards, both career highs. The defense was just as strong though. In second half, the Sooners shut down the Heisman runner-up and the entire Cardinal offense, which managed to gain only 79 yards in the half. Gerhart did manage to run for 56 yards in the second half. But 26 of that came on a play in which the Sooners had only 10 players on the field. Other than that, Gerhart, who was visibly beat up after the game with bruises up and down his arms, was punished at the line of scrimmage snap after snap. When Gerhart did get yardage, it came small and came tough.
Man I am so glad that DeMarco Murray gets to play in this year bowl game. He has accomplished so much except one thing which is yet to do is play in a bowl game. The last two seasons, Murray has suffered season-ending injuries late in the year. This time, Murray is healthy and pumped about his first bowl experience. "It’s very exciting,” said Murray, who dislocated his kneecap in 2007, then ruptured his hamstring on the opening kickoff of the Big 12 Championship in 2008. "I feel like this could be a huge game for me.” The Sooners have sorely missed Murray’s offensive firepower in their last two bowls, a 48-28 defeat to West Virginia in the Fiesta Bowl and a 24-14 loss to Florida in the BCS National Championship. "He’s a big-play, explosive guy, and you need him out there,” coach Bob Stoops said. "Hopefully, he can get through the week and be ready to go.” Make sure you tune in on New Years Eve at noon.
Next year’s Oklahoma offense should be improved. Quarterback Landry Jones will have a season of experience under his belt.Wideouts Ryan Broyles, Dejuan Miller and Jaz Reynolds form a promising, young corps. And DeMarco Murray, if he returns, gives OU a quality feature running back. But in all reality, with the offensive line projecting to remain in rebuild mode, it will be on the defense again to carry the Sooners to any kind of championship level, Big 12 or beyond. That’s why the expected return of Dominique Franks is huge for next season. The All-Big 12 cornerback, who could have bolted for the NFL Draft, announced two weeks ago that he will instead return for his senior season. Their 2010 opponents Florida State, Cincinnati, Texas, Missouri, Texas A&M, Texas Tech and Oklahoma State all averaged 30-plus points a game this season. And only FSU and Tech have to come to Norman. With Franks, the defense will be equipped to handle all comers. And perhaps carry OU back to championship-caliber status.
Well I guess us OU supporters can't count on DeMarco Murray’s return to Oklahoma just yet. The junior, who previously said he was “pretty sure” he would return for his senior season, said he hadn’t made up his mind. A month ago, Murray said: “I like it here. I don’t want to end my career at OU with an 8-4 record or whatever, so I’m just trying to get better. And I just enjoy being here. I’m part of a great team here. I love the coaching staff. I love the camaraderie with my teammates.” Now after practice, he is quoted saying: “Whenever I said that, I was just in the moment and felt I need to come back. But after talking to coaches and things like that, they agree with me that I need to look at both sides and figure out what I’m going to do.” If he leaves I can't blame him but he will not be high as he would like if he leaves now. Of course, I may be saying this because of a bias opinion. One of the key factors will be how the offensive line is looking. “We’ve got some talent here in the O-line, but we knew there was work to be done after those five (linemen) left last year. We’ve got to look at it after the bowl game, see who’s going to stick around and who’s not.” Murray said he has consulted Williams and Sam Bradford -- teammates who chose to return to OU after being faced with their own decisions this time last year. Keep your fingers crossed.
The Sooners played in the national championship game last year. They had the Heisman Trophy winner. They won their sixth Big 12 championship and set a handful of NCAA scoring records. Life was good. But with that Heisman winner (and a bunch of others) injured, OU is trying to crawl out of a recession. Will players care? Will recruits notice? "As far as players, I think we care about wherever we're going," DeMarco Murray said. "... I think we're gonna be there (as) just another game to showcase what we're about. But I think everyone's fired up to play." That's actually a pretty good argument. Show up and get embarrassed by the third- or fourth-best team in the Pac-10, and that only hammers an image of a program that already has endured a decade's worth of postseason meltdowns. Prepare right, play hard and win the game, and the bowl criticisms will slow, at least. As a OU supporter I feel that this is a good way to work for next season since they are so young. Honestly there are at least three measurables for OU in winning the Sun Bowl. 8-5 record versus 7-6 record. The latter would be the most losses ever under Bob Stoops and match his fewest wins. An 8-5 team that lost four games by a touchdown or less to ranked teams on the road, hammered its ranked rival 27-0 and won its bowl game is more likely to be ranked high to start 2010 than a team that finishes 7-6 and mails in its bowl trip. That should be fuel for the underclassmen. Just win a bowl. It seems like another lifetime, but OU's last bowl victory was the Holiday Bowl. Not the Fiesta. Not the Orange. Not the Sugar. Not the national championship. That came against the No. 6 team in the nation, Oregon, which was snubbed by the BCS. I just hope they all come to play because only three current Sooners have participated in a bowl win. Since English is hurt that leaves two players on the field who have tasted postseason win. Boomer Sooner!
Oklahoma snatched all of that away in making the Cowboys look anything but BCS-worthy. DeMarco Murray ran for two touchdowns, Ryan Broyles returned a punt 88 yards for a score, and Oklahoma knocked Oklahoma State out of contention for its first BCS appearance with a 27-0 win. The Sooners have won seven in a row in the rivalry and 30 straight at home. With representatives of the Fiesta and Orange bowls watching, the Cowboys fell flat with their worst offensive performance of the decade. Oklahoma State was shut out for the first time since 2005 by an Oklahoma defense coming off its worst outing of the year in a 41-13 loss last week to the Red Raiders. Oklahoma State didn't have a first down in the second half and finished with 109 yards of offense. With the win fans of Boise State and the Big Ten can cheer. The biggest obstacle to landing an at-large BCS berth has been cleared. Fiesta Bowl seemed to have four candidates for two spots: Oklahoma State, Boise State, Iowa and Penn State. So now a Boise State vs. Big Ten matchup is the favorite.
