Practice report (10-5-09): Looking back at the WR class of 2008
Something I meant, but forgot, to put into Monday’s story was, What has happened to the star-studded receiving class of 2008?
I couldn’t help but think during the Miami game, there’s no reason OU should be devoid of WR options, regardless of an injury to Ryan Broyles. Think about how deep OU has been at WR this decade. Josh Norman/Damien Mackey/Curtis Fagan/Antwone Savage; then Mark Bradley/Travis Wilson/Mark Clayton; finally, Malcolm Kelly/Juaquin Iglesias/Manny Johnson.
Josh Jarboe/Dejuan Miller/Jameel Owens were supposed to be the next in the line of great Sooner WR corps. As I recall, OU had the No. 4-ranked wide receiving recruiting class in the nation. All three were 4-star players, and many believed OU’s greatest WR haul ever.
That hasn’t exactly panned out.
Owens is on the scout team. Miller is on the sidelines. And Jarboe has taken his rap career to Troy, Alabama.
Major reasons why OU reeled in the passing game and tried to beat Miami by pounding them with DeMarco Murray and Chris Brown.
I do think Brandon Caleb and Cameron Kenney are nice players. But right now, they have no help. The 2008 WR class is to blame.
Other news, notes:
* Landry Jones’ famous ‘stache has been shaved. I fear the American Mustache Institute is going to have a field day with this one, especially since Jones is one of 17 finalists for the Robert Goulet Award for Mustached American of the Year. You have to believe Jones’ chances of winning are now severely hampered, although even though he shaved it Sunday, it had grown back a bit by Monday. Time will tell where this epic leads to next.
* Following Monday’s practice, Bob Stoops went to bat for offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson, who is taking heat about his play-calling in the Miami loss.
On whether the scheme was too conservative:
Stoops: “Those people, I’m sure they’re good play-callers after the fact; they can call plays when they get their team. Our game plan was what it had been all along; I don’t see where people get that. We went right down the field and scored on the first drive of the game. We were calling those same plays throughout the game. They don’t look as good when they’re defended as well or you get a holding call out on the perimeter.”
On why after a long punt return in the fourth quarter the Sooners ran on six straight running plays before throwing a short swing pass on third-and-long to DeMarco Murray on OU’s final drive, which ended with a field goal instead of a much needed touchdown.
“Towards the end, we had been running the ball well. We do throw the bubble screen and end up slipping and losing 2 yards. But getting the ball to DeMarco on the perimeter, I don’t call that conservative.”
On passing more:
“The other night, you drop back to throw the ball. … we don’t pick up the blitz and the quarterback gets killed and they have the ball. That’s what passing the ball did for us on the (second) play of the second half.”
On people saying Wilson lost the game:
“That’s ridiculous. I can’t even believe that. A lot of people, that’s their opinions. We have one of those jobs that everybody knows how to do. He’s obviously been dealt a difficult hand with all that’s happened, and in the end, he’s the same guy he was a year ago. People want to look for excuses. But in the end, (Miami) just out-executed us.”
* OT Trent Williams placed a lot of blame for the o-line’s problems on himself. “I haven’t been playing the way I need to play,” he said. Williams had arguably the worst game in two years against Miami.
* WR coach Jay Norvell implied that this weekend’s starting lineup will be Caleb in the slot, Kenney and true freshman Jaz Reynolds at wideout. Reynolds may not start, but he is expected to play a lot. Norvell basically said, hey, we need a playmaker at WR with Broyles out. We’ll see if Reynolds can be that guy.
-JT
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Comments
Right, and I guess Jarboe is tearing it up at Troy right? He’s only brought up in this article because it’s about the ’08 receiving class which he happened to be a member of, which happens to not be living up to the hype. I won’t argue with you about how Jarboe was dealt with here. He knew he had to watch himself before he came here to begin with. We’ve got another kid this year out of Nevada that got in trouble with the law in his home state. He, like Jarboe, was allowed to attend OU pretty much under the same conditions as Jarboe last year. Nobody’s heard a word from this kid since either. He is quietly redshirting, going to class, and not drawing any type of attention whatsoever. Had Jarboe done that, he’d still be here too…..and believe me, I wish he was!!
OU has the best QB coach in the USA and he attracts very good prospects to be trained and fit in a national contender system.Wr’s were brought aboard and there is no need to keep several receivers on the ready line unless there is dire need.Dire need is when national attention shows that Stoops is sleep walking with his millions Qb’s are ready receivers are aboard and Stoops and Wilson are ready to get out the OUJI board.
not sure why i keep seeing posts on Josh Jarboe. The kid was given a raw break and has moved on. The whole situation was even more rediculous that he was let go because of a private tape that was posted by Ben Habern and not Jarboe. Had Jarboe posted the tape then i would say he should have been let go but the locals had nothing else to talk about. If Jarboe was smart he should have went to FL where he was also recruited instead of OU.
anyway its over and the OU receiving corp sucks because its minus 1 blue chipper it could have had.