Meet the OU offensive line

BY JOHN E. HOOVER World Sports Writer
Monday, August 17, 2009
8/17/09 at 4:14 PM

Oklahoma football fans may have gotten to see only half a practice, but they might already have the answer to the this season's biggest question: Who is on the offensive line?

Well, the view everyone got last week in Norman — and maybe will again at another open practice on Monday — is, left to right, Trent Williams, Brian Simmons, Stephen Good, Jarvis Jones and Cory Brandon.

Yes, that omits Ben Habern. Maybe that's not fair, because Habern, a redshirt freshman, is currently nursing a sore back. But picking your five best blockers has little to do with fairness.

Good is a 6-foot-6, 291-pound lumberjack, the Sooners' strongest player. One observer last week likened him to Thor, the Norse god of thunder, because his shoulders are wide and his waist is, relatively speaking for an offensive lineman, narrow. (FYI: his hair is short.)

Good is simply bigger and stronger than Habern (6-3, 288), which might go a long way toward establishing a pounding, physical running game as the new line cuts its teeth.

Now, if he can figure out the nuances of playing center.

"It's a little different than guard, trying to snap the ball and block people," Good said. "You have to get your footwork down. The guy's right on you. You're not backed off the ball. But coach (Kevin) Wilson and coach (James) Patton have really been working with me."

Much of what made Jon Cooper such a good center was his mental game, his knowledge of defenses, linebacker and linemen placements. But with Sam Bradford behind him and the OU offensive staff on the sideline making pre-snap adjustments at the line of scrimmage, Good could probably manage.

Then at right guard, where Jones replaces Good, the Sooners get an even bigger, more experienced and more physical presence. As big and strong as Good is, he's light from the waist down. The 6-foot-7, 297-pound Jones is not. When Jones was a true freshman, he was good enough to play guard on Les Miles' 2007 national championship LSU team.

Maybe this little problem with the offensive line won't be such a problem after all.

"We started a little rusty coming into two-a-days," Good said, "but now we're in a rhythm and we're starting to get hats on hats, we're starting to block everybody, we're coming off the ball and everybody's just doing a great job."

John E. Hoover 581-8384
john.hoover@tulsaworld.com

Associated Images:

Oklahoma offensive linemen (from left) Adrian Taylor, Brian Simmons and Trent Williams line up during the Sooners' practice last week. Jerry Laizure / For the Tulsa World