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Practice Makes Perfect |
It would be easy to talk about how good senior quarterback Landry Jones has been at Oklahoma. He owns 13 program passing records, he's OU's all-time passing leader with 12,379 career yards and he's led the Sooners to 29 wins in 37 starts.
It's just as easy for those around Jones to talk about how much better he's gotten quarterbacking the Sooners.
"I have been really impressed with Landry through camp and he was already really good," head coach Bob Stoops said. "The ball is there quicker. He has really been excellent with precision and timing. The ball's location, it is all improved. And he is quicker. I have seen him escape and get away from more things in this camp than I ever have.
"I think he feels more confident. He has worked hard. I say he has always thrown a good ball, but it is even better now. Hopefully, it will continue that way. He is very assured of himself and of what he is doing and looks good."
Sports Illustrated unveiled five regional covers for its college football preview Wednesday with top Heisman candidates as Jones was featured on one. If he continues to progress, it won't be the last time he's on a magazine cover in 2012.
"He's a lot more vocal," junior offensive lineman Gabe Ikard said. "He's doing really well leading the team, on the field and off. He looks really crisp, really sharp all the time. He's someone who wants it to be perfect every day and he's doing a great job of leading. He was already really good, but he's gotten even better."
One area the fifth-year senior has improved upon is his mobility, to which he cited confidence as the main factor. Jones isn't trying to be anything he's not, rather improving what he is.
"You have to realize what you're capable of and what you're out there to do," Jones said. "You have to leave everything else off to the side and focus on what you can control."
It would be easy for Jones to talk about how good he's been. But it's just as easy for him to talk about how he's gotten better.
"Practice makes perfect," Jones said. "I've been doing it for five years now."
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Bronson Born Ready |
Junior offensive lineman Bronson Irwin is ecstatic and deservedly so. Not because injuries to teammates Ben Habern and Tyler Evans forced the two out of the starting lineup, but because he kept himself ready to fill in just in case
"(The opportunity is) exciting," Irwin said. "You can't control these things when they happen. A guy goes down, someone has to step up. I feel like I put myself in a good position in the off-season with workouts, getting better, stronger and faster where I'm in a position that I'm ready to contribute."
Irwin has seen action in 21 games during his first two seasons, but will likely take the first snap and notch his first start on Sept. 1 at UTEP.
Preseason camp has been pivotal for the Mustang, Okla., native, but it was his work in the off-season that put him in this position in the first place.
"He had a great winter and spring," Stoops said. "He has really prepared himself. I think back to winter conditioning when he was tearing around the track like nobody, just winning all the races. When you are 305 pounds and you are flying like that it shows you that the guy is really eager to play. So I'm excited about him. I think he is going to be pretty good." |
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Junior OL Austin Woods
"The mind is the strongest part of your body. If your mind says you can do something you're going to do it and get it done. That's what my whole stance on this thing was - I was going to tell my mind that I'm going to attack these treatments just like the defensive line on Saturday. Defeat was never really an option."
Senior QB Landry Jones
"You just kind of know what to expect. There aren't many surprises or anything like that. You know how to work. You know how to grind through these last couple days. It's been a good camp so far."
Junior WR Roy Finch
"It helps a lot, but being quick isn't always the best thing. Ryan (Broyles) played in the slot here for three years and he was very patient in the way he ran routes. Just watching Kenny (Stills), he looks at film a lot. The way he runs his routes, I just try to emulate what he does."
Senior WR Justin Brown
"All the DBs are good. They're getting after it and flying around the ball. They all practice good technique. I'm still trying to learn about how each one of them plays. It's kind of hard to come to a new team just because at Penn State I knew all of our DBs. I knew who was a physical DB. I knew who was a finesse guy. I'm trying to figure out all these DBs and hopefully I'll grasp that too. But they're all good athletes."
Head Coach Bob Stoops
"R.J. Washington is doing a good job, David King and those guys are really steady up there all the time. Tom Wort does a good job. The secondary, it's really all of them; Tony Jefferson and Aaron Colvin are all chattering. I am not much that any one guy has to be (that standout guy). It needs to be all of them."
PRACTICE 16 COVERAGE
Oklahoma opened its final two-a-day of preseason camp this morning. Check out our video coverage:
 Red Zone: WRs vs. DBs
Patton Works Centers/Guards
Defensive Ends Put In Work
17 DAYS TO KICKOFF!
 Billy Vessels became the first Sooner to win the Heisman Trophy and ran for 17 touchdowns during his 1952 campaign.
Bud Wilkinson coached the Sooners for 17 seasons, compiling a 145-29-4 (.826) record.
FOLLOWING THE SOONERS
Want the latest on Oklahoma football as fast as you can get it? SoonerSports.com has you covered 24/7. To catch up on the 2012 preseason, check out the links below and follow us on Twitter.
Preseason Practice Central
Sooner Football Notebook
Twitter: @SoonerSportsCom
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