Ready or not, Sooners' Finch getting bigger workload
Published: 12/27/2011 2:27 PM
Last Modified: 12/27/2011 2:27 PM
TEMPE, Ariz. — Roy Finch says he’s ready for a greater role in the Insight Bowl. Whatever that role may be.
No. 19-ranked Oklahoma plays Iowa at 9 o’clock Friday night in Sun Devil Stadium. Win or lose, the Sooners may hand out participation ribbons afterward.
In Wednesday’s sports section, I’m writing at length about the bleak picture at wide receiver. The Sooners are a three-wide team, but have only four wides on scholarship.
Things are equally thin at running back, where Finch, Brennan Clay and fullback Trey Millard — all sophomores — are all OU has in the backfield, other than Blake Bell and his short-yardage security detail.
Finch said his work load has increased all around—in the backfield, in the slot, even in the locker room.
“I find myself indirectly being more vocal,” Finch said. “Not trying to be vocal, but just wherever my team needs me, like, ‘Let’s go, pick it up guys, we’re lacking, you need to pick it up.’ I find myself talking a little more. It’s becoming more of a comfortable role for me.”
Finch is a sprite, 5-foot-6 and 177 pounds. The extra duty has had an effect on him physically.
“I find myself getting tired a little bit,” Finch said, “but that’s why you have to go through to get more conditioned.”
Finch explained that he and Clay have been working “a lot” split out as receivers in the slot position. That leaves Millard in the backfield with Landry Jones, either as the ace or pistol back or next Jones in the shotgun.
“We still have to establish the run game,” Finch said, “but whenever coaches see that we have a big chance at slot receiver, where we can have a mismatch on a linebacker, he wants to put is in a position where we can make plays.”
It sounds like the idea is to try to exploit weaknesses in the Iowa defense by utilizing the varied skill sets of the trio remaining in the backfield. No hot news item there. The Sooners try to do that every play of every possession of every game.
But in this case, with a glut of playmakers at wideout and running back, maybe it’s being emphasized even more. And maybe, then, narrowing down the personnel groupings—done this time out of necessity—could be something that helps the Sooners.
“We have been working a lot of different personnel, like with Trey in the backfield at fullback, and we put him offset and us in the slot,” Finch said, “just giving the defense different looks and taking the punishment off us, and also doing a lot of rotation with me, Brennan and Trey.”
— John E. Hoover
Written by
John E. Hoover
Sports Columnist
