2012 Oklahoma Sooners Football Season Preview

Texas Tech Football Jersey, The Oklahoma Sooners had big expectations coming into the 2011 season. The team was the #1 ranked team in the country coming into the year, but the Sooners couldn\'t live up to the hype. They opened with a 6-0 record, handily beating all opponents by double Texas Tech Football Jersey digits, before a stunning 38-41 home loss to Texas Tech as a 28 point favorite. Oklahoma would then lose two games to finish with 10-3 record.
Head coach Bob Stoops will prepare his team to bounce back as he enters his 14th year with Oklahoma. While the Sooners definitely have tempered expectations coming into the new season, they arguably have just as much talent heading into 2012. They return 15 starters from a team that led the Big 12 in yardage differential at +113.3 per game.

Offense

Oklahomahad no problem scoring points and moving the ball last season. They averaged 39.5 points and 512 total yards per contest to rank near the top in the nation in both categories. 2012 should be more of the same as eight starters return on offense.

Starting quarterback Landry Jones has decided to return for his senior season to try and take care of unfinished business. While he did throw 4,463 yards and 29 touchdowns last season, his 15 interceptions did considerable damage. Backup Blake Bell showed potential, scoring 13 times in the \"Belldozer\" package.

The Sooners will welcome back their top three rushers in Dominique Whaley (664 yard, nine touchdowns), Roy Finch (605 yards, 3 touchdowns), and Brennan Clay (285 yards, one touchdown). Whaley opened the season as their starter last year, coming in as a walk-on. His first seven games was met with a lot of success before suffering a season-ending injury.

The receiving corps will have to part ways with the NCAA\'s all-time leader in total reception in Ryan Broyles, but they do welcome back productive juniors Kenny Stills (61 receptions, 849 yards, 8 touchdowns) and Jaz Reynolds (41 receptions, 715 yards, 5 touchdowns). Much hyped freshman Troy Metoyer was the star of the spring and will likely start alongside Stills and Reynolds. Junior college transfer Brannon Green will likely get the starting nod at tight end.

The returning offensive line is clearly team\'s biggest strength as four of their five starters will be coming back. Their lone loss is left tackle Donald Stephenson, a two year starter who was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in the third round of the NFL draft. Lane Johnson will move from right tackle to left tackle to protect Jones\' blind side. This should be their best offensive line in years as they have a combined 102 career starts returning.

Defense

Defensively, the Sooners underachieved last year. They allowed 22.1 points and 376 total yards per game. Oklahoma is expected to improve on those numbers in 2012 with seven starters returning.

Stoops always seem to put together one of the best defensive linse in the country. While the Sooners did allow 135 rushing yards per game last year, they came up with a staggering 40 sacks as a team. They do lose Big 12 co-Defensive Players of the Year in Frank Alexander and Ronnell Lewis, but they are expected to have four senior starters returning up front, including Casey Walker and Jamarkus McFarland at defensive tackle.

Travis Lewis has been the heart and Texas Tech Football Jersey soul of this defense since coming to Oklahoma. With him gone after being drafted in the seventh round by the Detroit Lions, he\'ll be obviously missed at linebacker. The Sooners do have Texas Tech Football Jersey four of their top six linebackers returning in No. 4 tackler Tom Wort (71 tackles, 3.5 sacks) and No. 7 tackler Corey Nelson (59 tackles, 5.5 sacks).

The Sooners allowed only 54.2 percent completions in 2011, and they will have the most experienced defensive backfield in years. They do lose corner Jamell Fleming (60 tackles, 12 passes defended), who was taken in the third round by the Arizona Cardinals. They do have returning Junior free safety Tony Jefferson, junior corner Aaron Colvin, senior corner Demontre Hurst, and senior strong safety Javon Harris to their team.

Big 12 Prediction - 1st Place

With Jones coming back for one last run with the Sooners, they have become not only the class of the Big 12, but are a national contender as well. They now have the opportunity to redeem themselves after a disappointing run last year. The first half of their Big 12 schedule will be relatively easy before facing some tough road tests at West Virginia and TCU over the final three weeks of the season. The Sooners are heavy favorites to win the Big 12, even if they lost one of their last big matchups to end last year.