3. OU’s kickoff coverage vs. Florida’s return game
Florida’s dangerous junior return man Brandon James will look to break his first touchdown return of the season when he takes the field at the BCS National Championship game in Miami. He has nearly 700 return yards on the year, averaging almost 24 yards per return – his longest being a 52-yarder against Tennessee in September. OU will try to limit the Gators’ return game, something they’ve struggled to do all season. The Sooners have given up four kickoff returns for touchdowns including a momentum-swinging score to Texas’ Jordan Shipley in OU’s lone loss of the season. Kickoff coverage been the Sooners’ Achilles heel, and it will be interesting to see if it plagues them again in the title game.
2. The Swamp’s O vs. an underrated OU defense
Florida has a productive offense with a former Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow at the helm. They have a two solid running backs in freshmen Chris Rainey and Jeffery Demps, and then there’s the electrifying junior wideout/tailback Percy Harvin, who has been battling an injury, but is extremely explosive. But the Sooners have a defense of their own that is often overlooked. With big bruisers up front, aggressive linebacker play from redshirt freshman Travis Lewis and junior Keenan Clayton, and an experienced secondary, the Sooners should be ready to go defensively. OU boasts the nation’s best turnover margin with a 1.77 average per game, as they have created 32 turnovers this year. The Sooners hope to dispel rumors that their team – and the entire Big 12 for that matter – can’t play solid defense.
1. OU’s video game offense vs. the smothering SEC defense
The OU offense has been electric and unstoppable all year. This video game offense has posted unprecedented numbers, averaging a nation-best 54 points per game en route to setting a modern-era record of 702 total points. Sophomore quarterback Sam Bradford has torched opposing defenses for more than 4,400 yards and 48 touchdowns while only throwing six interceptions. While the Sooners will be without sophomore running back DeMarco Murray, they will count on junior Chris Brown and sophomore Mossis Madu to pick up the slack. Brown leads the team with 1,110 rushing yards and Madu has nearly 500, so the running game can be as dangerous as the Sooners’ air attack. OU’s offense is by far the most powerful the Gators have seen this year; will they be able to shut down Sam and the Sooners?
The Oklahoma Daily is pleased to provide you the opportunity to share your thoughts about this article. We encourage lively debate on the issues of the day, but we ask you refrain from using profanity or other offensive speech, engaging in personal attacks or name-calling, posting advertising, or straying from the topic at hand. To comment, you must be a registered user of OUDaily.com. Thanks for taking the time to offer your thoughts.
You must be logged in to leave a comment. Log in | Register
Rflores 3 years, 4 months ago
Texas is better and would have won the game.
d155ws2008 3 years, 4 months ago
If Texas can beat a always weak Ohio State (strong in the big-little 10) by such a small amount that should tell you Florida would hammer the Longhorns. Realty check---it's easy make statements when you are on the outside looking in. Texas is a "good" football team but your program is not at a level to compete for a "National Championship"! But we can all "dream" about it or we can prove it on the field and not say anything.