Much has been made of the OU football team’s defense this offseason. Despite the loss of defensive tackle Gerald McCoy to the NFL draft, the Sooners appear to have plenty of talent on that side of the ball.

Coaches say senior defensive tackle Adrian Taylor is recovering nicely from last season’s ankle injury and could see time in Saturday’s home season opener against Utah State.

The linebacker group will be held down by hard-hitters junior Travis Lewis and sophomore Ronnell Lewis.

Deeper in the defensive backfield, seniors Jonathan Nelson and Quinton Carter bring significant experience and athleticism to the safety positions.

The only real question mark for the OU defense in 2010 seems to be at cornerback, where sophomore Demontre Hurst and junior Jamell Fleming will be guarding the edges for the Sooners.

Defensive coordinator Brent Venables has said good defense starts on the inside, but a strong inside for the Sooners will go to waste if the two corners can’t contain opposing wide receivers.

That’s a lot of pressure for a couple of defensive backs who have spent a large majority of their collegiate careers on special teams.

Two concerns come to mind when considering these two players as starters for OU’s defense: size and experience.

Fleming, from Arlington, Texas, is 5 feet 11 inches. Hurst, a Lancaster, Texas, native, is only 5 feet 9 inches.

Cornerbacks are often relatively short, but this pair’s height could still be a disadvantage for the Sooners.

Take Florida State, for example. When the Seminoles come to Norman in mid-September, they will bring a wide receiver group with no one under 5 foot 10 inches, and four receivers over 6 feet tall, including the 6-foot-6 sophomore Rodney Smith.

Talented as the Sooners’ two new cornerbacks might be, a 5-foot-9 defensive back matched up against a 6-foot-6 wide receiver is a tough matchup, and the OU defense could suffer from having to bring extra help from the safeties.

Experience is another concern. Neither corner has had extensive experience at the position, only filling in occasionally as backups while spending most of their time on special teams.

It’s said practice makes perfect, but only game experience will show what these two corners are made of.

How well they handle their new roles will go a long way toward determining how successful the Sooners’ 2010 season will be.