Junior running back Chris Brown—He has been Mr. Consistency all year for the Sooners, quietly racking up 1,110 rushing yards and 20 rushing touchdowns, both of which lead the team. Brown currently ranks 38th in the nation in yards on the ground and is averaging nearly six yards per carry. In the past four games, he has put together three 100-yard performances and found the end zone 11 times. He was a major reason why the Sooners put Missouri to bed with ease in the Big 12 Championship and must perform a similar role to make the Sooners’ offense multi-dimensional on Thursday.

Junior linebacker Mike Balogun—The Sooners have been banged up at the middle linebacker position all season. First, junior Ryan Reynolds suffered a season-ending knee injury against Texas. Then, redshirt freshman linebacker Austin Box went down against Oklahoma State. Balogun stepped up in the Bedlam game and rocked Cowboy quarterback Zac Robinson on Balogun’s first play of the game. While Box is expected to be healthy enough to contribute on Thursday, head coach Bob Stoops said that Balogun would make the start. Solidifying the middle linebacker position will be crucial in stopping the speed of the Florida offense.

Senior strong safety Nic Harris—In huge games, veteran players step up. Harris is one of those veteran players. He has demonstrated his leadership throughout the season, especially after the Texas game when Reynolds suffered his knee injury and Harris stepped into the middle linebacker position for a game while the redshirt freshman Box prepared to take over the role. Continually this season, he has been a major spark plug in a highly-criticized defense. Harris will have to shut down the deep plays possible from an offense as explosive as Florida’s.

Sophomore quarterback Sam Bradford—The 2008 Heisman Trophy Winner has been the catalyst for the Sooner offense all season, throwing for more than 4,400 yards and 48 touchdowns, which propelled him to a nation-leading 186.29 quarterback efficiency rating. He has shown unbelievable poise in the pocket all season, and if Bradford can pick apart the Gators’ secondary like he has against the Big 12 defenses, the Sooners should be in prime shape to have a successful ground game against Florida as well. He’s led the Sooners to the Big 12 Championship and won the Heisman Trophy. The only thing left to complete the resume: win the national championship.