Five Players Who Must Have Stellar Seasons for OU Football Success in 2015

Although much is made of one or two plays in a game or one or two players whose performance led to the outcome, the truth is it takes the combined output of every position and player on the team to contribute to season-long success. Even then, when you break down an entire season, there are certain players who are the absolute difference makers. Here are five who are MUST performers for OU football success in 2015.

Junior Quarterback Baker Mayfield

Outside of one or two games over the past two seasons, the Sooners have not had outstanding play from the quarterback position. Since the end of last season, a new offensive coordinator has been hired (Lincoln Riley), and he has brought with him a new offensive plan and philosophy designed to trigger new life in a Sooner offense that has sputtered and become stagnant in recent seasons compared with the big-play explosiveness that has been more customary under head coach Bob Stoops.

Apr 12, 2014; Norman, OK, USA; Oklahoma Sooners quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) passes the ball during the spring game at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports

The new offense that the Sooners are expected to run this coming season resembles the air-raid attack that former OU assistant and Texas Tech coach Mike Leach brought many a defensive coordinator to their knees with while piling up the yards and plenty of points and, oh yeah, winning a lot of games.

In OU’s case, the coaching staff isn’t simply interested in outscoring its opponents to compensate for a porous defense – although that does win a lot of games. Their interest is to keep sustain drives and keep the chains moving, use the quick-strike passing game to help exploit an especially strong running game and, in so doing, keep those other high-octane Big 12 offenses on the sidelines for as long as possible.

Mayfield, a transfer from Texas Tech, is very familiar with the style of offense Riley is putting in at Oklahoma and, as such, is best suited to get the starting call over Trevor Knight, who, outside of his magnificent performance against Alabama in the 2014 Sugar Bowl, has struggled to find consistency and find open receivers.

Mayfield has game experience and he has shown signs of brilliance at the quarterback controls, but he has also shown vulnerability. He threw nine interceptions in eight games at quarterback for Texas Tech in 2013, and he had two balls intercepted in the Oklahoma spring game this year.

As a freshman at Texas Tech, Mayfield completed 64 percent of his pass attempts. He must be that good or better this season for the Sooners and also cut down on the percentage of errant throws that are picked off. Oklahoma must mount an effective passing attack if it wants to have any success against the better teams in the Big 12. That is not the strength of Trevor Knight, which is why a lot is riding on Mayfield to deliver the goods.

Wide Receiver Dede Westbrook

Sterling Shepard is a known big-play receiver in the Oklahoma passing game. Last season, however, the Sooners passing game lacked a consistent No. 2 receiver to complement the explosive Shepard before he went down with a groin injury eight games into the season. After that, the OU passing attack seriously floundered, leading to three losses in the final five games, including two by significant one-sided margins.

Apr 11, 2015; Norman, OK, USA; Oklahoma Sooners wide receiver Dede Westbrook (11) avoids Oklahoma Sooners defensive tackle Kane Snowden (59) during the spring football game at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. Red wins 20-7 over White. Mandatory Credit: Rob Ferguson-USA TODAY Sports

Junior-college transfer Dede Westbrook may be just what the doctor ordered to complement Shepard and upgrade the up-and-down OU aerial game. Last season at Blinn (Texas) Community College, the speedy, sure-handed Westbrook had 76 pass receptions for 1,487 yards and 13 touchdowns.

Sports columnist Berry Tramel of the Oklahoma City Oklahoman newspaper wrote this about Westbrook following the Sooners annual spring Red and White game: “Westbrook had one catch for 28 yards and 22 yards on a reverse. The reverse was particularly telling. Maybe the Sooners will rely on Sterling Shepard in the fall for such plays, but Westbrook showed that he’s totally capable of being a big-play threat.”

New offensive coordinator Lincoln Riley is expected to use as many as eight receivers in the rotation in the 2015 season. Outside of Shepard, the biggest impact could and should come from newcomer Westbrook.

Westbrook is fast and apparently can make catches. If he can get open enough, and whoever the Sooner quarterback is can find him and get the ball to him, Westbrook’s blazing speed should enable him to do the rest. Having more than one receiver the Sooner offense can count on should open up more opportunities for the entire receiving corps.

The Offensive Line

Regardless of who is under center at quarterback for the Sooners, and even with some of the best running back talent in the conference and in the country, the OU offense is only going to be as good as the offensive lineman up front in the trenches. Oklahoma led the Big 12 in rushing offense last season not just because Samaje Perine is a beast to bring down when he gets up a head of speed, but because the guys on the offensive line opened up massive running lane for him, Alex Ross and Keith Ford (before he was suspended).

Four of the starters on the Sooners offensive line a year ago –  tackles Daryl Williams and Tyrus Thompson and guards Dionte Savage and Adam Shead – are gone this season. Two (Thompson and Williams) were selected in last spring’s NFL Draft.

Nov 8, 2014; Norman, OK, USA; Oklahoma Sooners center Ty Darlington (56) during the game against the Baylor Bears at Gaylord Family – Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

So the Sooners will go from having one of the best offensive lines in the Big 12 to one that has lacks game experience together and is untested. Center Ty Darlington is the lone holdover, but the coaching staff feels good about seniors Nila Kasitati at right guard and Josiah St. John likely at the left tackle slot. The other two starting spots will be decided after fall preseason practice. OU should be all right on the offensive line, but depth is a real concern should there be injuries to one or more of the starters.

Linebacker Eric Striker

The Oklahoma defense ranked 52nd in pass defense last season and over twice that, at No. 120, in pass defense. Despite the overall lapses in the Sooner defense, there was one constant, and that was linebacker Eric Striker. The Third Team All-American, as voted by the Associated Press and college football analyst Phil Steele, is a major disruptive force. He had nine quarterback sacks in 2014 and 17 tackles for loss, and OU will need at least the same contribution, if not even higher productivity, in the coming season from the heartbeat of the Oklahoma defensive unit.

The Dallas Morning News, citing NFL.com’s Mike Huguenin, reported that Striker is one of the top-10 most physical college players in the nation entering the 2015 season. “Come on, the guy’s last name is ‘Striker,'” the Dallas News quoted Huguenin as saying. “For sure, he strikes fear in the heart of opposing quarterbacks.

Oct 11, 2014; Dallas, TX, USA; Texas Longhorns quarterback Tyrone Swoopes (18) throws a pass while defended by Oklahoma Sooners linebacker Eric Striker (19) first quarter at the Cotton Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

“While he lacks size, he runs extremely well and can be deadly off the edge. And despite his relative lack of size, he packs a wallop.”

The Sooner defense is expected to play much better this season. If indeed that is the case, you can be sure that a large part of that will be fueled by the play of Striker.

Placekickers Austin Seibert and/or Nick Hodgson

Sooner placekicker Michael Hunnicutt battled inconsistency in his field-goal accuracy late last season, and it may have cost OU two more wins. Freshman Austin Seibert was the No. 1 ranked kicker and punter in the country in the class of 2015.  Redshirt senior Nick Hodgson has a huge leg and has been handling kickoff duty for the Sooners the last two seasons. In 148 kickoffs in 2013 and 2014, 98 of them ended up as touchbacks in the end zone and were not returned.

Head coach Bob Stoops and special teams coordinator Jay Boulware had Hodgson working on field goals in the 2015 spring practice sessions, and Stoops said at Big 12 Media Days that he really likes what he has seen from both Seibert and Hodgson. “The kicking positions are really solid,” Stoops said. “Nick Hodgson went the entire spring of 15 practices. I think he missed three field goals the entire spring.”

Regardless of who the Sooners end up turning to as the lead field-goal kicker, consistency will be highly important, given the close games that Oklahoma is likely to find itself in this season.