First Spring Practice Signals Fresh Start

NORMANThe Oklahoma football team held its first spring practice Tuesday afternoon at the OU Rugby Fields near Lloyd Noble Center. On a gorgeous spring day, the Sooners' 19th?spring season under head coach Bob Stoops signaled the beginning of the 2017 campaign.

OU looks to build on a spectacular finish to the 2016 season that saw it win its last 10 games en route to claiming its second consecutive Big 12 title (the 10th?under Stoops) and capping the year with a 35-19 win over Auburn in the AllState Sugar Bowl.

"I loved it. I thought we got a lot in scheme wise on both sides of the ball."?
- Head Coach Bob Stoops

"I loved it,” Stoops said of day one. “I thought we got a lot in scheme wise on both sides of the ball. Guys executed well, young guys looked good and you can tell there are a lot of returning guys who have played a lot."

Fans are excited about the wealth of experience and depth the Sooners return, but the Oklahoma coaching staff isn't resting on its 2016 laurels. This year's team is starting from a clean slate.

“You have to start over and do it again,” third-year offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Lincoln Riley said. “You can't carry over yards and points and those things. We're excited about what we've done the last two years but we'll be disappointed if that's as good as we get. This is starting all new. I like the pieces we have here and the fun part if putting it all together.”

That message from the staff has hit home for OU's players. This year's bunch is eager to build on the foundation it laid in 2016.

“It gives you confidence to end the season that way, but I know I made so many mistakes there's a lot I can improve on every single day,” sophomore linebacker Caleb Kelly said. “I have film to watch tonight, with this new defense especially. Just to see how I'm running compared to last year and see how the work in the offseason has paid off. I get to work on picking things out, big things and little things and just keep getting better.”

Redshirt sophomore running back Rodney Anderson catches a punt in Tuesday's practice.?

That kind of improvement is what Stoops is looking for across the board.

"Just more depth, more players ready to play,” Stoops said. “Guys who maybe had minor roles a year ago are now showing they can have a stronger role or push to be a starter. And you usually see that early in the spring. Guys who redshirted or maybe played very little in the fall now are more confident, more experienced, stronger, faster and ready to make more of an impact."

Oklahoma will look for fresh faces to make a name for themselves particularly on the offensive side of the ball. The Sooners must replace the production of an historic trio of playmakers departed to the NFL in running backs Joe Mixon and Samaje Perine, and wideout Dede Westbrook.

"I said it last year before the season that we were going to be more balanced, but I actually think we will be more balanced this year,” quarterback and Heisman Trophy finalist Baker Mayfield said of his receiving corps. “We had Dede, who stepped up and was an amazing player, but we've got a lot of guys who can really play right now, a lot of young guys who are here making plays. So it's really exciting, especially with eight offensive linemen back. So if I have time to just sit back there and throw it, it doesn't matter who's out there catching. It only helps that they're great players."

The entire OU offense will be aided with the return of all five offensive line starters. A position of particular depth, the Sooners' line boasts eight returning players who saw multiple starts a year ago.

“I would be shocked if we have the same starting five again,” Riley said. “Those guys played really well for us but with the kind of guys we got pushing them, there is a lot of back-and-forth and there's some competition. If anyone thinks they've got it made, they will be standing over there by me and (offensive line coach) Bill (Bedenbaugh).”

Dru Samia gets some instruction from assistant offensive coordinator and?offensive line coach Bill Bedenbaugh.?

“It just pushes us more and more every day because we know the guy behind us can beat us out,” redshirt sophomore offensive lineman Cody Ford said of the competition. “We're pushing to make sure we stay ahead of them, but at the same time making sure they are competing to beat us out.”

After leading the Big 12 in yards per carry a season ago, the Sooners will look to rely on a talented set of backs, including three newcomers, to carry the load behind the a prodigious blocking unit. One name that popped up repeatedly Tuesday was that of redshirt sophomore Rodney Anderson, who returns after missing the bulk of the last two years with injury.

“It's up to me to make the most of my senior year. This is my team and that's the mindset I'm going to carry."
- Quarterback Baker Mayfield

“He's one of the most gifted guys we have,” Riley said. “In all of Schmidty's (director of sports enhancement Jerry Schmidt) tests, he's at the top or near the top. He's strong, he's fast and he's smart. He's every quality you put down for a great running back or just a great football player. He checks a lot of the boxes and we're thrilled about where he's come. We think he's getting ready to have a big year.”

While competition heats up at the skill positions on offense, the Sooners can feel confident heading to next year knowing they have perhaps the best quarterback in the nation set to distribute the ball this fall. Back for his final season in the Crimson and Cream, Mayfield set the NCAA single-season record for passing efficiency a year ago and hopes to makes 2017 more of the same.

“It's up to me to make the most of my senior year,” Mayfield said. “This is my team and that's the mindset I'm going to carry. I've got to make the most of it. I've been through a lot and have had some challenges, but you've got to enjoy it. One final run at the school that I love. I came back to win a national title and that's the mindset.”

First Spring Practice Signals Fresh Start

Players Mentioned

Rodney Anderson

Cody Ford

Cody Ford

Caleb Kelly

Baker Mayfield

Joe Mixon

Samaje Perine

Dru Samia

Dede Westbrook

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University of Oklahoma Athletics

First Spring Practice Signals Fresh Start

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Players Mentioned

Rodney Anderson

Cody Ford

Cody Ford

Caleb Kelly

Baker Mayfield

Joe Mixon

Samaje Perine

Dru Samia

Dede Westbrook

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