Oklahoma Football 2015: From A to Z

Around this time of year, college football writers, bloggers, broadcasters and sports talk-show hosts have sliced and diced the coming college season and previewed the teams involved virtually every way possible. Here’s yet another crack at it, breaking down the 2015 season and Oklahoma football from A to Z.

A – The University of Akron, out of the Mid-American Conference, is the Sooners’ home opponent to open the 2015 season on Sept. 5. This will be the first ever meeting between the two schools. Bob Stoops, an Ohio native, was an assistant at Kent State in 1988, which defeated Akron that season, 32-12.

B – Bob Stoops is one of 4 “B”-boys with the most wins in Oklahoma football history: Stoops, 1999-present (168), Barry Switzer, 1973-1988 (157), Bud Wilkinson, 1947-1963 (145) and Bennie Owen, 1905-1926 (122).

Oct 4, 2014; Fort Worth, TX, USA; Oklahoma Sooners head coach Bob Stoops prior to the second half against the TCU Horned Frogs at Amon G. Carter Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

C – Oklahoma owns eight Big 12 championships since the conference was formed in 1996. That is five more than any other school in the conference.

D – The Sooners’ defense allowed opponents to convert an unusually high 42 percent of third-down attempts in OU’s five losses last season. On the plus side, however, the defense was No. 1 in the conference in defending against the run, giving up a stingy average of 106 yards per game.

E – High energy and explosiveness will be operative words in the new “Air Raid” offense being installed this season by new offensive coordinator Lincoln Riley.

F – Sophomore Dimitri Flowers follows in a long line of OU fullbacks, or what Bob Stoops refers to as the H-back, who have played impactful roles in the Sooners’ success on offense in recent years. More recently, Trey Millard and Aaron Ripkowski have played the position. Both were NFL draft picks: Millard in 2014 and Ripkowski in 2015.

G – Assistant head coach and recruiting coordinator Cale Gundy has been around Oklahoma football most of his life. A former OU quarterback (1990-93), Gundy grew up in Midwest City, just 21 miles from Norman. He was an assistant at UAB for four seasons, but joined the OU coaching staff when Bob Stoops arrived in 1999 and is going on his 17th season in 2015. His brother Mike is the head coach at Oklahoma State.

Oct 12, 2013; Dallas, TX, USA; Oklahoma Sooners running backs coach Cale Gundy signals in plays from the sidelines against the Texas Longhorns during the Red River Rivalry at the Cotton Bowl Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

H – Home-field advantage has been a huge factor at Oklahoma in the 16 seasons Bob Stoops has been the head coach. All 98 home games at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium have been sold out since Stoops arrived in 1999, and the Sooners are an incredible 90-8 at home during that time span.

I – Iowa State plays at Oklahoma on Nov. 1. The Sooners and Cyclones are meeting this season for the 80th time in the series. Oklahoma has won 72 of the 79 games played to date, including the last 16.

J – Defensive line coach Jerry Montgomery departed after last season to take an assistant coaching job with the Green Bay Packers. His replacement at OU, Diron Reynolds, comes to Oklahoma from Stanford, but before that he spent 10 seasons coaching defensive lines in the NFL at Indianapolis, Miami and Minnesota.

K- Kerry Cooks is one of the new coaches joining Bob Stoops’ staff this season. Cooks comes from Notre Dame, where he has been the last five seasons coaching the Fighting Irish defensive backs. That is also the role he will have with the Sooners.

L – The Oklahoma linebackers, led by 2015 Butkus Award candidate Eric Striker, represent the strength of the Sooner defense and are among the best at the position in the country.

M – Sooner fans will get their first look in 2015 at five-star running back Joe Mixon, the top recruit in the Sooners’ 2014 class and rated as the top running back in the country (by Rivals and 247Sports) at the time he was recruited.

Jan 4, 2014; San Antonio, TX, USA; West running back Joe Mixon (28) runs the ball for a touchdown during U.S. Army All-American Bowl high school football game at the Alamodome. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports

N – Oklahoma has won seven national championships in football (1950, 1955, 1956, 1974 (AP), 1975, 1985 and 2000). That ranks third all-time to Alabama (10) and Notre Dame (8). USC also owns seven national titles, and Ohio State now has six.

O – Hands down, Ogbonnia Okoronkwo, a redshirt-sophomore linebacker from Houston, wins the title this season for the most difficult name to pronounce and/or spell on the Sooners’ 2015 roster. Pronunciation guide: oag-BON-ya oak-RON-quo.

P – Big 12 Freshman Offensive Player of the Year Samaje Perine led the Big 12 in 2014 with 1,713 yards – fifth best in Oklahoma history – including an NCAA single-game high of 427 yards. He will set his sights this season on OU’s all-time season rushing record of 1,925 yards, set by Adrian Peterson in 2004.

Q – Texas Tech transfer Baker Mayfield and incumbent Trevor Knight are the lead candidates battling for the starting quarterback role heading into the 2015 season. Offensive coordinator Lincoln Riley has liked the progress he has seen from both in August training camp.

R – Oklahoma led the Big 12 and was 10th in the nation last season in rushing offense. The Sooners averaged 261 yards per game, and could be even better this season with the addition of Joe Mixon and redshirt-junior Daniel Brooks.

Sep 13, 2014; Norman, OK, USA; Oklahoma Sooners wide receiver Sterling Shepard (3) during the game against the Tennessee Volunteers at Gaylord Family – Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

S – Wide receiver Sterling Shepard is one of four receivers in OU football history to have 15 receptions in one game. Shepard caught 15 passes for 197 yards in a one-point loss to Kansas State last season. He was injured on the very first offensive play in the following game against Iowa State and missed the rest of the regular season. The other former Sooners with 15 catches in a game are Ryan Broyles (2010), Jalen Saunders (2012) and Justin Brown (2012).

T – The Sooners have a huge nonconference game the second week of the season (Sept. 12) when they travel to Tennessee. The Sooners won the game a year ago in Norman between the two teams, 34-10.

U – Based on current Las Vegas betting lines, Oklahoma will probably be favored in eight of their first nine games of the 2015 season. OU is a slight three-point underdog at this time in the Sept. 12 game at Tennessee.

V – The Sooners play Kansas State in Manhattan, Kan., in 2015. Oklahoma lost by a single point, 31-30, at home to K-State last season. The visiting team has won the last four games between these two longtime conference rivals.

W – Since the start of the 2000 season, no team from a power conference has more total wins than Oklahoma (161) or a better home winning percentage (.914). Since Bob Stoops became the Sooners’ head coach in 1999, no Big 12 team has more total wins (168), more conference wins (104) and more wins over top-25 teams (50).

X – The X-factor in the Sooners’ 2015 season could well be improvements made in the defensive secondary, where OU suffered from inexperience, injuries and far too many defensive breakdowns, especially in defending long pass plays. If the Sooners can shore up the play at the back end of the defense, it could mean the difference between a double-digit-win season and another season with four or more losses.

Y – The 2015 season is the 121st year of intercollegiate football at the University of Oklahoma. The Sooners were playing organized football 12 years before Oklahoma became a state.

Z – Cornerback Zack Sanchez has started all 26 games in his two seasons at Oklahoma. An All-Big 12 First Team selection, Sanchez was second in the Big 12 a year ago with six interceptions, one of which he returned for a touchdown.