Sooner wideouts paving the way
Published: 10/29/2008 2:08 PM
Last Modified: 10/29/2008 2:08 PM
Want to know the real reason Oklahoma's running game got going so well and so early against Kansas State?
OK, the offensive line, starting with OL coach James Patton, did make a concerted effort throughout the previous two weeks of practice to become more physical and play harder and tougher on running plays.
And yes, running backs Chris Brown and DeMarco Murray ran harder and with a previously unseen spring in their step, finishing every run with a shoulder pad-facemask pop into their defender.
But the real secret? Look a little further downfield. Notice that cornerback on the ground? See that Sooner underneath or on top of him?
It's a wide receiver.
Perimeter blocking looked better than ever Saturday, especially on those toss sweeps and hand sweeps. Once the edge of the Wildcats' defensive line was sealed, much of Brown and Murray's road was paved by a hard-blocking wideout. A half-dozen times or more, Juaquin Iglesias or Quentin Chaney took their man to the ground and Brown/Murray either ran by them untouched or jumped over them.
"We've been challenging our guys that if we can get (defenders) down we'll make some big runs. And we did last week. I was real proud of them," said wide receivers coach Jay Norvell. "That's the way we want to go out and play every week, with that kind of intensity."
I noticed a different mentality among the wideouts during two-a-days, with some of the new drills that Norvell picked up in the NFL. One in particular is called a leverage drill, where the wideouts take turns blocking each other in a slow but methodical grind. The idea is to get under the other's pads and drive one's legs while the other offers steady resistance. Iglesias and Manny Johnson told me their legs felt shredded after that drill.
"Yeah, that's something coach and them harped on every week since the first game of the season, even during camp, that any time your linemen can block and you get perimeter blocking, it makes it easier for the running backs to find the lane and get the yards," Chaney said. "That's something we take pride in. We realize that with us blocking outside, it helps the running game and then it opens up things in the passing game."
Murray said the most efficient blocker of the group was little-used Adron Tennell. Brandon Caleb, also a reserve, is a physical blocker.
"The receivers do a great job blocking downfield," Murray said. "That's something coach (Kevin) Wilson preaches all the time, we block for them and they block for us. It's a group effort. We've all been doing a great job."
Said Brown, "Those guys are always blocking great for us, and that makes us want to block more for them in pass protection."
– John E. Hoover
Written by
Guerin Emig
Sports Writer
