Between the Hashmarks: Volume 5

In the latest installment of "Between the Hashmarks," Matt Dimon talks about his approach going into his senior season and playing in the new stadium, while Rodney Anderson details coming back from injury and the talent in the running back room. Bill Bedenbaugh updates the progress of the offensive line.

SENIOR DEFENSIVE LINEMAN MATT DIMON

How did you think Thursday's scrimmage went?
"For me personally it was good. For the defense I thought we did some good things but also some things we could've cleaned up and worked on. Overall for the scrimmage I thought everyone did a good job, and that includes the offense. Good scrimmage yesterday."

What has it been like scrimmaging on Owen Field with the renovated south end zone?
"It's awesome out here, this big ol' screen and it being bowled in. Every time we come out and scrimmage I just get excited because I imagine all the fans in here and us running out. It's just going to be an awesome experience."

How excited are you to run out of the tunnel for that first home game?
"It's going to be awesome. There are probably a bunch of hashtags to describe it. Just the construction they're doing and how fast it's coming together… you come out here and there's this huge video board. It's just going to be awesome to see myself making plays on it, imagine myself making plays on it. It'll just be awesome."

How has camp been going for the defensive line?
"I thought we grew a lot. For me personally, I felt I improved on the things I needed to improve on."

As a senior preparing for your final year at OU, what is your mindset going into the season?
"Last year I kind of played within the system. This year the mindset is to both play within the system and be more productive and make more plays."

Do you feel like there's a different mentality in camp this year than years past knowing you have a marquee game against Houston to start the season?
"Not to discredit our opening opponents in the past, but we've kind of had room to work out those first-game mistakes and stuff we might have overlooked at camp that we needed to work on. We've had a bit of a cushion for error the past couple of years. Houston is the real deal. They lost one game last year and beat Florida State. We have to come in prepared and with a dog mentality and be ready to play."

Who has stood out to you in the guys you're going up against on the offensive line and the guys you've worked with on the defensive line?
"Obviously Orlando [Brown] — he's a really, really good player. He's only a sophomore, which is hard to believe. As far as the D-line, Amani Bledsoe has had a really good camp. He's really coming along. I think he's going to be a really good football player here in the next year or two."

REDSHIRT FRESHMAN RUNNING BACK RODNEY ANDERSON

How are you feeling coming back after your injury?
“It's great to be back at practice. I'm really happy to be back and it's great to be back with the team. I feel 100 percent. I don't have any lagging injuries or anything like that. Mostly I've worked on my leg strength. Coming off an injury like that I want to make sure that my legs are back equal again and working right. I don't want any muscle injuries or anything like that. I've been trying to stay flexible, and stay strong and fast.”

What all did you learn watching Samaje Perine and Joe Mixon last season while recuperating?
“I got to brush up on my plays, and I took a lot of mental reps when I watched them and remembered what I was supposed to be doing. It made coming back a whole lot easier because I remember what to do.”

What are some of your personal goals during camp?
“Personally, I'm just working on my assignments and making sure I'm doing them the correct way that Coach (Jay) Boulware teaches. I'm not going to be able to play if I don't know what to do.”

How do you feel about the running backs group right now?
“We're so stacked in the running back room. We're going to be a really good group this year, and hopefully we can stay healthy and make a lot of big plays. We have to be able to keep each other fresh throughout the season. Samaje (Perine) and Joe (Mixon) are obviously doing a great job as they always do, but all the younger guys — me, Abdul (Adams), Devin (Montgomery), Najee (Bissoon) — we're all coming along really well. We've made really big steps this offseason."

What's the competition like among the running backs?
“It motivates each of us a lot. In our position it's always a competition because everyone is out there grinding, but it makes us better all the time. We're always getting better and better.”

Who is someone who has impressed you during camp?
“Our offensive line has done an amazing job. They've gone through some things this summer, but they've overcome them and are doing a really great job. We really just reloaded there. They've been doing a good job replacing great players that we lost, and they've just stood out.”

ASSISTANT OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR, OFFENSIVE LINE COACH BILL BEDENBAUGH

Coach Bedenbaugh

How has camp gone so far for the offensive line?
“Up and down, inconsistent. We've had good days and bad days. We have to continue to get better. We're inexperienced but we have to grow up fast.”

Has the starting o-line clarified itself or is that still to be decided?
“No, we're still going. I've got an idea, but we're still going. Guys have to compete every day.”

How valuable is Dru Samia's ability to play both guard and tackle?
“Well anybody's versatility is valuable. You're going to have injuries throughout the season so the more guys you have who can play multiple positions the better it is for you. So he's not the only one. We've got guys who can play center and guard, tackle and guard, so the more versatile you are the better it is for everybody.”

What has impressed you about senior walk-on Erick Wren so far?
“Yeah, he's competing and studying. It's important to him. He's got great balance and power. He's got long arms. He's doing good things. But he's just like everyone else, you've got to compete every day. You can't have a bad day.”

How do you feel about the depth of the offensive line?
“Well it's still inexperience. The whole thing is inexperience. Guys are close. We're probably at about seven guys set to play, but we have to get to eight and hopefully have nine or 10.”

Who have you seen step into a leadership role after the departure of Ty Darlington and Nila Kasitati?
“They're trying, but again they're young. You have the three guys, (Jonathan) Alvarez, Orlando (Brown) and Dru (Samia). Those are the three main guys right now. They have to continue to develop, obviously. They're still learning their position, but they have to do that and be leaders at the same time.”

SENIOR DEFENSIVE LINEMAN MATT DIMON

REDSHIRT FRESHMAN RUNNING BACK RODNEY ANDERSON

ASSISTANT OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR, OFFENSIVE LINE COACH BILL BEDENBAUGH

Players Mentioned

Rodney Anderson

Amani Bledsoe

Ty Darlington

Matt Dimon

Nila Kasitati

Joe Mixon

Samaje Perine

Dru Samia

Erick Wren

Sponsors

University of Oklahoma Athletics