OU football: Offensive line glows green up front
Sooners have overcome an inexperienced line before
RYAN STEWART
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Published: July 11, 2009
The football season hasn’t even started yet, but this year’s Sooners already share a similarity with the 2000 national championship team.
2008-09 Oklahoma offensive line: Phil Loadholt, Trent Williams, Brandon Braxton, Jon Cooper, Duke Robinson and Brandon Walker. The 2009 Sooners return only 29 combined starts from that line, 26 of which belong to Williams.Photo By CHRIS LANDSBERGER, The Oklahoman Archive
Multimedia
However, it’s not a similarity they would likely choose.
The 2009 Sooners return 29 combined starts among offensive linemen, 26 of those belonging to senior left tackle
Trent Williams.
Since OU’s title in 2000, only two teams have won a championship with fewer than 40 starts on the line entering the season. Southern Cal won in 2004 and
Florida in 2006, both with just one returning starter.
However, losing the bulk of the offensive line is something OU has overcome in the past.
OU lost three starters from its 1999
Independence Bowl team, and that looked to be the team’s glaring weakness as the Sooners entered the 2000 season ranked No. 19.
Five months later the Sooners left the Orange Bowl with their seventh national championship.
The Sooners had to replace four starters in 2006 but again had a successful transition, allowing just 16 sacks on their way to an 11-3 campaign.
Bubba Burcham, a captain on the 2000 championship team and one of just two holdovers, said they were able to unify because each starter shared a common trait: toughness.
"I think having experience is important, but what it came down to with us was toughness,” Burcham said. "Talent and experience are great, but toughness is overlooked. Having that internal drive it takes can beat talent any time.”
Toughness is something that might come naturally to this crop of Sooner linemen.
Former Oklahoma State lineman
Sam Mayes outlined the reason why.
Experience aside, Mayes said practicing against a premier defensive line at OSU that included players like
Kevin Williams and
Antonio Smith prepared their line for the season.
Mayes said OU’s position is equally advantageous, thanks to the Sooner defensive front, led by 2008
Big 12 defensive player of the year
Gerald McCoy.
"We were so good because the unit we practiced against was incredible,” Mayes said. "When you look at OU, yes they have a young offensive line, but the defensive line they practice against is at the top as far as their front seven goes. They will see a top 10 defense every day that will continue to hammer them over and over.
"Once the season starts, it’s unlikely they will face a defense other than maybe
Texas that is going to have the same type of speed, aggressiveness and talent.”
The 2004 USC team that beat the Sooners in the national title game also had a veteran defensive front. But, in the recent history of college football, offensive line experience has proven to be a major indicator of success.
"I think it’s important to have a group that is used to each other and knows what they’re doing and what to expect,” Burcham said. "An experienced line helps set the tone and the attitude of an offense. The mentality becomes go, go, go fast all the time because the offense knows it can trust the line and no matter what the defense threw at us, we had an answer for it.”
The two teams returning the most in the conference this season happen to be OU’s biggest rivals. Texas’ offensive line has 91 career starts, while OSU is second with 86.
Former OU center
Vince Carter said he thinks experience becomes most evident when looking at past national champions because players gain big-game experience before reaching the sport’s biggest stage.
"You can get a talented guy out there who hasn’t blocked an All-Big 12 defensive end on third and long in the fourth quarter with the game on the line,” Carter said. "He gets out there and loses his technique and gets overwhelmed by the circumstances of the game and he’s ineffective. If you have a guy who might not be as talented but has grown comfortable from seeing those situations, then I believe the success rate will always be higher.
"You really don’t see inexperienced lines winning championships anymore because of the complexity of defenses.”
The success rate Carter mentioned is indicated in last season’s final
Associated Press poll. Eight of the top 10 teams started the season with at least 65 starts on the offensive line, including national championship participants Florida and OU.
Even though OU lacks experience, Mayes said the Sooners have the potential to become an exception to that trend because of the talent and coaching surrounding the unit.
"OU doesn’t recruit any slugs,” Mayes said. "I have no doubt in my mind they will be just fine with the talent and coaching they have in addition to practicing against a top level front seven. It’s all up to how they respond. It’s all a mental thing now, and those coaches will have them prepared. I have absolutely zero doubt.”
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If you can't take the bad with the good, maybe being a true Sooner fan is too much for you.
returning expeirience on offense to win the big one's. Offense is not the problem! Defense
has been Stoops problem area since his brother left. OU can put points on the board against
everybody, they can't makes defensive stops when it counts. They have to outscore all their
opponents to win, and it will be the same this season, with 9-10 defensive starters
returning. Hide and watch. Big time head coach's don't keep assistants and co's that don't
produce.
Boomer Sooner Baby!!