Posts: 118
Threads: 7
Joined: Sep 2011
The Sooner faithful is pretty fired up, in general.
Obviously, the loss of Austin Box is a h:uge blow - both to the heart of the LB corp, and to many individuals emotionally - but the team seems to be rallying around his memory. Many expect Tom Wort to step in admirably, however. He was a bit of a loose cannon last year, but should benefit from an additional year of maturity. The injury to Travis Lewis shouldn't be too detrimental if he is back soon - though Florida State looms large. His backup, Corey Nelson, received lots of praise in the off-season.
Most seem sanguine about the offensive line. They didn't lose much and have some additional players rounding into form. The skill players on O are impressive. Though not as gifted as Luck, Landry Jones is surrounded by impressive athletes everywhere you look, and should put up impressive numbers in an explosive offense. Ryan Broyles and some of the young receivers really make him look good.
The largest nagging concern is the defensive line. They had issues at DT last year and teams were able to run between the tackles on them. They have some highly-touted guys; it's just a question of whether they rise to the level of their hype. There is also a question about eligibility of the DE Ronnell Lewis. Scary athletic ability, but hasn't really put it all together - on the field or in the classroom. He's a menace on special teams though where his only assignment is to hammer the guy with the ball. Jeremy Beal is gone to the NFL and someone needs to step up to put pressure on the opposition's QB and firm up run support.
Sorry to highjack the thread. I'll try to behave better in the future.
(Apparently, there is some Board software that also does some highjacking. I worked around it for this post, but will consult my thesaurus for future entries.)