ESPN College Football

ESPN the Magazine had a fascinating feature looking back at the past 25 No. 1 high school recruits, where they are now and what the ranking meant to them. With apologies to Vince Young, there aren't a ton of Big 12 talents on the list, but there have been plenty of great recruits to come through the Big 12. We took a look on Thursday at how the All-Big 12 team stacked up as recruits, and you saw quite a mixed bag.

Well, it's the same for the recruits who came to campus with high rankings and high profiles. Going back to 2006, here's how every Big 12 commit from the ESPNU 150 turned out. We'll look at 2006 in this post before eventually reaching 2010 and the current class, 2011, by signing day.

2006

No. 6: DeMarco Murray, RB, Oklahoma. Murray set the school records for touchdowns (64) and all-purpose yards (6,498) as a Sooner. He's projected to be drafted on the first day of this year's NFL Draft.

No. 7: Sergio Kindle, OLB, Texas. Kindle was a finalist for the Butkus and Hendricks Awards and was a two-time All-Big 12 performer with 176 career tackles. He was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the second round last year's NFL Draft, but missed his rookie season after fracturing his skull in a fall on the stairs at his home.

No. 13: Jevan Snead, QB, Texas. Lost a quarterback battle to Colt McCoy following the 2005 season. Played sparingly as a freshman before transferring to Ole Miss. Went undrafted in 2010. Now plays for Arena League's Tampa Bay Storm.

No. 21: Gerald McCoy, DT, Oklahoma. McCoy was a Lombardi finalist, a three-time All-Big 12 performer, a two-time All-American who left Oklahoma after his junior season and was selected No. 3 overall by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 2010 NFL Draft.

No. 22: Eddie Jones, DE, Texas. Jones just finished his career at Texas with an All-Big 12 honorable mention year in 2010. Finished his career with 111 tackles and 13.5 sacks.

No. 34: J'Marcus Webb, OT, Texas. Webb played one year at Texas before transferring to Navarro College and eventually West Texas A&M. He was drafted in the seventh round of the 2010 draft and spent the season with the Chicago Bears.

No. 36: Adron Tennell, WR, Oklahoma. Tennell finished his four-year career at Oklahoma with 40 catches, 505 yards and five touchdowns.

No. 42: Dustin Earnest, LB, Texas. Earnest finished his career in 2010 with 84 tackles and a sack for the Longhorns.

No. 45: Mike Goodson, RB, Texas A&M. Goodson was the Big 12 Freshman of the Year in 2006 with his career high 847 yards. He finished with 1,966 yards and 13 TDs in three seasons before being drafted in the fourth round by the Carolina Panthers.

No. 67: Phillip Payne, WR, Texas. Caught his first career pass in 2009, his third year at UT, before transferring after the season.

No. 75: Derek Burton, DE, Oklahoma State. Started 15 games in four years for the Cowboys, recording 67 career tackles.

No. 82: Ben Alexander, DT, Texas. Made four career starts, with 51 tackles and half a sack in 38 career appearances.

No. 104: Terrance Anderson, CB, Oklahoma State. Made 96 tackles in four years with the Cowboys. Had four career interceptions.

No. 110: Jonathan Nelson, CB, Oklahoma. Started all 14 games in 2010 for the Sooners after earning All-Big 12 honorable mention as a junior in 2009. Finished career with 155 tackles and five interceptions.

No. 111: Jermaine Gresham, TE, Oklahoma. Caught 111 passes for 1,629 yards and 26 touchdowns in three seasons, including an All-American season in 2008. Missed all of 2009 with knee injury. Drafted No. 21 overall in the 2010 draft by Cincinnati Bengals.

No. 137: Jeremy Beal, DE, Oklahoma. Had 224 tackles, 58.5 tackles for loss, and 29 sacks in four seasons, including three All-Big 12 seasons, an All-American season and was a Hendricks Award finalist in 2009. Projects as middle-round pick in 2011 NFL Draft.

No. 141: Josh Freeman, QB, Kansas State. Threw for 8,078 yards and 44 touchdowns and 34 interceptions in 35 career games. Also ran for 404 yards and 14 touchdowns as a junior. Drafted No. 17 overall by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 2010 NFL Draft.

Oklahoma State cornerback/punt returner Perrish Cox can’t wait for Bedlam.

The Cowboys have a strong chance to qualify for their first BCS bowl in school history with an impressive win Saturday at Oklahoma.

Cox has developed into one of the Big 12’s most productive players. He leads the nation in passes defensed per game (1.9) and ranks among the top five in the Big 12 in punt return average (11.3 yards per return), kickoff return average (21.5 ypr) and interceptions per game (0.4).

We caught up with Cox earlier this week to talk about the development of his team’s defense, his strong recent play and how important it would be to Oklahoma State to make a trip to a BCS bowl during his senior season.

What’s this season been like? Could you have ever imagined your team going 9-2, considering you’ve lost Orie Lemon and Jamal Mosley for the entire season and Dez Bryant and Kendall Hunter for large parts of it?

Perrish Cox: Truthfully, I don’t know if I could have imagined it. But it’s something you have to live with and improve as you go. We might have looked at this team a little differently at the start of the season. But we’ve tried to play hard to overcome everything that’s happened to us.

Where does the resiliency your team has shown this season come from?

PC: I can say that we have good leadership and leaders who know what to say and what to show to young players. We never quit and when you do that, anything can happen. We’ve had a lot of different people step up and make big plays for us. And our leadership from across the board has helped us out.

It’s kind of a little weird the role reversal in this week’s game against Oklahoma. You guys are the one needing a win to get to the BCS game and they are the one needing a win for bowl momentum. Is that a little unusual to you?

PC: It would be huge for us in a lot of ways. First of all, a lot of people look at Oklahoma State as stepbrothers to OU. It would be great for us to leave the seniors with a win over them and get bragging rights.

The Cowboys are going to face the huge challenge of Oklahoma’s nation-best 29-game home winning streak. How do you think you’ll be able to combat that?

PC: I guess their home-field advantage is pretty big and they have a different mind frame and thought to everything when they play there. You battle a little harder when you’re trying to protect your home field. But getting a victory would be pretty big to all of us. It’s something that would really help this program.

You’ve had a strong season, leading the nation in passes broken up. But it seems that some teams have been unwilling to test you in recent weeks. Is that a little disappointing?

PC: It’s kind of hard to stay focused sometimes. I get a laugh sometimes when I don’t get much action. You just play your game, keep trying to do what you have to do. Sometimes, I get a chance to go against the best receiver. I just try to stay focused and stay ready when my time comes around.

Oklahoma will test you with some pretty good receivers in Ryan Broyles, Adron Tennell and Dejuan Miller. Is your secondary ready for them?

PC: It will be a big challenge to go against them because they will have some pretty good receivers. We just have to stay focused on doing what we can to stop them. I think we’ll be ready.

Are you surprised that Oklahoma has struggled so much this season?

PC: It’s shocking to see how their season is going for them and for them to be 6-5. That doesn’t usually happen to them. But our goal was to go out with a bang and get to a BCS bowl. That was one of our bigger goals this season. And we have the chance to do that on Saturday.

You’ve become one of the most accomplished special-teams players in the league. Why have you become so proficient running back kicks?

PC: Special teams are a big part of winning games and I want to be a part of it. You just have to think you can do it. It’s always been a big thing around Oklahoma State and was something they talked to me about before I even got here. That’s been my focus going forward.

Saturday’s game will be your last regular-season game. Does it feel like the time has gone by quickly during your career?

PC: Actually, it does. When I first got here, the seniors all told me it would go by very quickly. As you have your career, you don’t think much about it until it’s about time to leave. I’m about time to leave. It’s kind of sad because it went so quick.

Your new defensive coordinator, Bill Young, has come in and helped transform this defense. What has his presence meant to your team and your defensive unit?

PC: He means a lot and he’s a little different from our old defensive coordinator, Tim Beckman. He was the kind of guy you didn’t want to mess up because there was all that yelling and cursing he would bring. But Coach Young is a little different. He lets us do what we do and play straight. He’ll get on you, but it’s a little more measured. I think we’ve responded to it.

Another big improvement you’ve seen this season has been the work of your defensive line. How has that helped your secondary's play?

PC: Our defensive linemen have never gotten to the quarterback like they have this season. The numbers overall are better for defense across the board and that’s a big reason. We can play comfortable in the back end. In the years before this one, we would have to stay in our coverage from five to eight seconds. That’s tough to play good defense for so long and to stick with the receivers while they are scrambling around. This year our defensive line has stepped up and really taken the pressure off of us.

There’s been a lot of speculation that your team could end up in the Fiesta Bowl if you can win Saturday. What would it be like for you and the seniors to finish your career playing in a game like that?

PC: I would feel like I’ve accomplished almost every goal we’ve set. The main thing we wanted to do is go to the national championship game, or at least a BCS bowl. We had talked about making it to the Big 12 championship, but if we can’t do that, we’d rather go to a BCS game. For my class to be the ones to be able to help accomplish that would really give us something to leave school very proud about.

Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Griffin

Nothing like a couple of stunning upsets to turn around the order of the Big 12's power rankings -- at least everywhere but at the top.

1. Texas: The Longhorns are cruising to their first Big 12 title since 2005 with the biggest speed bump approaching at Oklahoma State. Texas stumbled in a similar situation last season at Texas Tech in the same position of the season, but appear more grounded this time. Colt McCoy had his best game in recent times and the self-proclaimed "Goon Squad" defense knocked another starting quarterback out of the game for the third straight week.

2. Oklahoma State: Mike Gundy has been awaiting Texas’ visit all season. The Cowboys don’t have the weapons they were expecting at the start of the season without Dez Bryant and Kendall Hunter, but have made strong defensive growth under Bill Young the past several weeks.

3. Oklahoma: An impressive victory at Kansas has to boost Landry Jones’ confidence heading into Kansas State’s visit. Jones’ help is in place after Ryan Broyles (11 receptions) and Adron “Pooh” Tennell (six grabs) both produced career highs in catches against the Jayhawks. And the Sooners' defense was as salty as expected, snuffing out Kansas' strong offense.

4. Kansas State: Who can believe the Wildcats are ranked this high? Not after their 3-1 Big 12 start that represents their best since 2000. Daniel Thomas produced a career-best 145 rushing yards, but the big story was the Wildcat defense, which forced four Colorado turnovers and has notched 10 sacks in the past two games. The Wildcats produced six sacks in the first six games of the season.

5. Iowa State: Unbelievably gritty performance by coach Paul Rhoads’ team, which beat Nebraska despite not having starting quarterback Austen Arnaud and leading rusher Alexander Robinson. The Cyclones have yielded only 17 points in their last two games -- the fewest in a two-game period since 1978. It won’t get easier for them as they travel to suddenly resurgent Texas A&M, but the stunner in Lincoln makes the Cyclones appear to be a good bet to become bowl-eligible, as they need only one more win.

6. Kansas: It appears the Jayhawks have been exposed after playing a pillow-soft nonconference schedule and then jumping into Big 12 play with recent back-to-back losses. Championship dreams appear flickering at best, and a bowl game shouldn’t be presumed as a certainty, considering the Jayhawks play one of their last five games at home the rest of the season.

7. Nebraska: Wasn’t this team supposed to be the North favorite after the conference-opening victory over Missouri? Those thoughts have dissipated in the last two weeks with embarrassing home losses. The Cornhuskers were minus-8 in turnover margin, including four inside the Iowa State 6-yard line that doomed their chances of winning. And for all of the talk about Cody Green challenging for the quarterback job, Bo Pelini and Shawn Watson seem hesitant to pull the trigger and put the freshman in the lineup in place of Zac Lee.

8. Texas A&M: It was the most satisfying victory in Mike Sherman’s tenure at A&M as the Aggies whipped Texas Tech in the trenches for a convincing road win. The biggest reason was the Aggies' energized offensive line play, which enabled them to pile up a season-high 321 rushing yards. The maligned A&M defense allowed 520 yards, but forced three fumbles, intercepted two passes and held on fourth down twice.

9. Texas Tech: Mike Leach was in rare form after his team’s upset loss to Texas A&M, where he stated it would be easier to coach the Swedish bikini team than the Red Raiders. Of course, he’s right after the way that Tech collapsed from A&M’s rushing game. And a record crowd at Jones AT&T Stadium spent most of the second half booing Taylor Potts -- at least for those who were left. Potts' struggling performance and Seth Doege's relief work might lead to another quarterback switch against Kansas.

10. Missouri: As much as the Tigers have struggled so far this season, they could surge back into contention in the wacky North Division with a late charge. To do so, they need get some more offensive production after being limited to 225 yards or less in two of their first three conference games and being outscored 101-36 -- the lowest three-game period of point production in coach Gary Pinkel’s tenure. Their comeback starts against Colorado on Saturday.

11. Colorado: Offensive momentum has been impossible to generate for the Buffaloes, who scored on their first drive against Kansas State and then didn’t cross midfield until less than 6 minutes remained in their loss to the Wildcats. Coach Dan Hawkins inserted his son, Cody, back into the lineup to try to spark the offense. It didn’t work. Rodney Stewart struggled for 49 rushing yards and never could balance the Buffaloes’ pass-heavy offense. The defense played strongly against Kansas State, but in the end couldn’t escape the poor field position it was forced to defend throughout the game.

12. Baylor: The season that could have been haunts Baylor fans. No Robert Griffin means that the Bears seem to be playing out the season. The offense has sputtered in Big 12 play without Griffin, scoring 24 points in their last three games. It won’t get any easier on Saturday when Nebraska, hungry for a win to boost it back into North title contention, will visit Waco.

Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Griffin

NORMAN, Okla. – After throwing 49 passes, it would be natural to assume that Sam Bradford would have appeared at least a little bit weary.

	AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki
	After missing two games with a shoulder injury, Oklahoma QB Sam Bradford came back strong in the Sooners' 33-7 win over Baylor.

One would assume that a third-degree shoulder sprain sustained a month ago would have called for some ice or liniment or some kind of sign of fatigue after Bradford’s first game back. The quarterback completed all but one offensive series in the Sooners’ convincing 33-7 victory over Baylor.

“It feels good, really good,” Bradford said. “I think it was very important to get back there. Like Coach said, it was important to get back, but I wanted to be ready. I felt like I had a good week of practice. And to have throws like I made today really gives me some confidence.”

His first contest back after his season-opening injury represents a tangible starting-over point for the Sooners as they prepare for their pivotal South Division showdown with Texas next week. Hopes for an unprecedented fourth straight Big 12 title hinge on a strong game from Bradford.

Bradford passed for 389 yards on 49 pass attempts – tied for the second most in his career. He punctuated his game with a 3-yard TD pass to Adron Tennell – his only touchdown pass of the game -- on his final play.

And his numbers could have been a lot better. Bradford was victimized by 11 dropped passes, including three by Oklahoma receivers in the Baylor end zone.

“He might have thrown for more than 600 yards without all those drops,” Oklahoma receiver Dejuan Miller said. “That shows the kind of player he was if he can come back and play like that. He’s Sam Bradford, what more can you say.”

After being limited to less than 40 throws per practice earlier this week, Bradford was under a throw count on Saturday. It explained why he didn’t throw much with his teammates before the game and even retreated to the locker room during part of his team’s pregame workouts.

“He’s a great competitor,” said Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops said. “Right now, he doesn’t have any discomfort and that is encouraging. He will only get better from this. In practicing, he will trust it more. In another week, he will get stronger with his throws and he’ll continue to get better.”

There were worries – mainly from his coaches – about how Bradford would handle his first solid hit from an opposing lineman. He did that after two roughing-the-passer penalties and even played through the aggravation of a nagging calf injury from fall practice that flared up after Oklahoma’s first possession.

And there was concern over whether he could get some continuity back into a flagging offense that had scored only three touchdowns in the two losses since the injury.

Consider all of those challenges answered and then some after the Sooners kept the ball for 99 plays – the most since their 1975 season opener.

“He played really well,” Stoops said. “To have been off as much as he has and to go out there for his first go and to play as well as he did, I thought he was just great.”

Bradford was just happy to be playing with his teammates after struggling with the idleness of his rehabilitation.

“It was extremely gratifying to get back on the field,” Bradford said. “Just to get back with the guys I put so much work with was fun. The simple things like handoffs. It was just exciting to be back.”

Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Griffin

If it's a Friday afternoon, it must mean it's time to check the mailbag.

With the season starting, we've got some interesting correspondence this week. Here are some of the more notable missives.

Calvin Kirkpatrick of Kyle, Texas, writes: Hey, Tim. What’s the deal with Colorado sucking up all of the Big 12's television time? Every time it looks like I’ll be tuning in this season they'll be playing somebody on national television.

Tim Griffin: Calvin, I will say one thing for Colorado athletic director Mike Bohn: He’s willing to play on some non-traditional nights to get exposure for his program. Most of the major powers aren’t willing to do that, feeling their games on Saturdays are almost sacrosanct. It hasn’t always been that way. I remember that Oklahoma traveled to Tulsa a few years ago to play on a Friday night. And who can forget Texas’ struggles on that Sunday night in 1994 when the Longhorns and John Mackovic lost to Rice?

But Colorado’s athletic department appears to be the most willing in the Big 12 to take this unconventional approach. It will provide them some additional money from playing in these games. But it also will provide them with the difficulty of playing on five days this week at Toledo. I imagine that Dan Hawkins probably isn’t as enthralled about this idea today as he might have been a few months ago.

But brace yourself for even more. The Buffaloes’ games against West Virginia (Thursday Oct. 1), at Oklahoma State (Thursday Nov. 19) and Nebraska (Friday Nov. 27) all will be played on days other than Saturday.

The game tonight might be the biggest one that Hawkins has coached at Colorado.

And I can’t wait to watch it.

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Rusty from Hesston, Kan., writes: Tim, I enjoy your blog and find that I check multiple times each day. I’d thought I’d throw you a curveball in terms of your likes and dislikes. I’d like to know which uniforms you like in the Big 12 and which ones you don’t like.

Tim Griffin: Rusty, I appreciate the kind words. I’ve never been asked about my judgment about fashion, but here goes.

I always have been partial to the traditional, clean look for uniforms. Those worn by Texas and Oklahoma have remained relatively unchanged over the years and are my two favorites in the league. One of my favorite old uniforms was the Texas A&M uniforms from back in the 1970s when they had vertical stripes on the uniforms. I also really liked the Aggies’ helmets back then, as I do any helmet that has the player’s uniform numbers on it. I’m looking forward to seeing Nebraska’s throwback uniforms when they play Louisiana-Lafayette on Sept. 26.

I don’t dislike many uniform combinations. But I wasn’t crazy about Baylor’s all-white look they sported for the Wake Forest game. It made them look like they should have been delivering Cookies and Cream from the "Little Creamery in Brenham" than playing football.

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David from Newport, R.I., writes: Tim, in regards to your grading the offenses and defenses. I like the idea and the comments others have made. How about this idea? Instead of using 1 or .5 points for the touchdown and FG, respectively, why not divide total points by 7 so the missed extra points and two point conversions are also included. Also, why not have a comparison between the offensive and defensive production similar to baseball’s run differential to get an idea how each team has compared to their opponents.

Tim Griffin: David, my offensive and defensive rankings prompted a lot of comments from readers. I appreciate them all. Some blasted them because they were so simple, or because they didn’t factor in strength of schedule or special teams.

I didn’t want to do that. I just wanted an easy-to-measure way to judge the effectiveness of an offense. I thought in terms of a batting average in baseball, which is clear and easy to understand. And using that same thought process, I thought I could come up with something like a batting average. And I think my measure does that, giving us a percentage of how well a team operates by judging its percentage of scoring drives. I wasn't interested in doing much more than that, like grading it on the measure of an opponent or anything like that.

That’s why I decided to go the way I did. I do like your mention of the run differential and might try that out to see if can determine the effectiveness of a team.

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(Read full post)

Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Griffin

Despite the dire straits their team is facing, Oklahoma players still can joke with new starting quarterback Landry Jones about the growing fame of he and his mustache.

	Tim Heitman/US Presswire
	If Landry Jones was nervous about taking over for Sam Bradford, he didn't show it versus BYU.

The redshirt freshman will replace Heisman Trophy winner Sam Bradford for the foreseeable future. And the Sooners' new quarterback’s facial hair is providing some levity for his teammates following the loss of Bradford and tight end Jermaine Gresham.

“We tease him about the mustache all the time,” Oklahoma tackle Trent Williams said. “I’m predicting before the year is over, he’ll shave that thing off.”

His teammates have quickly gravitated to the redshirt freshman who has been pressed into duty after Bradford’s shoulder injury last week against BYU.

Despite Bradford's absence, Jones is confident in his abilities for as long as he is needed.

“It's very unfortunate, but right now we have to move on and I have some huge shoes to fill,” Jones told reporters earlier this week. “So I have to pick my game up as well.”

His teammates have said that Jones reminds them of Bradford when he was younger because of his size, football acumen and his demeanor around his teammates.

“Landry is a laid-back dude,” senior wide receiver Adron Tennell said. “He’s a very easy-going guy. And with him now, when he talks we all listen.”

Jones’ first taste of action was a mixed mag in the Sooners’ season-opening loss to BYU, as he completed only 6 of 12 passes for 51 yards. But the Sooners didn’t turn the ball over with him in charge and he didn’t make a bad throw.

Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops was particularly pleased with Jones’ reaction after he took over the team.

“He couldn’t have handled it better,” Stoops said. “I didn’t see him flinch once.”

During a heralded career at Artesia (N.M.) High School, Jones led his school to two state championships and threw 89 touchdown passes in his two seasons as a starter. He was an Under Armour ESPN All-American, a Parade All-American and the New Mexico Gatorade Player of the Year.

He’s brings a similar skill set as Bradford, without nearly the experience. His work as a redshirt gave him a slight edge over freshman Drew Allen for the backup job in training camp.

“I have no doubt he’ll do a good job,” Tennell said. “No matter what quarterback is out there, we’ll try to make it easier for him. We’ve just got to do a better job of catching the ball.”

The Sooners likely won’t be tested as much against Idaho State, an FCS school that started the season with a 50-3 loss at Arizona State. But it will still test Jones’ confidence, which has grown with his experience.

“I feel really comfortable now,” Jones told reporters earlier this week. “I have a year under my belt. I kind of have all my checks down and have a feel for the tempo. So I feel really good.”

No coach in the Big 12 has traditionally been able to circle the wagons in times of adversity like Stoops.

The Sooners claimed the Big 12 championship in two of the last three seasons after early-season losses to Texas. In 2006, they overcame the training camp loss of Rhett Bomar after he was kicked off the team. Later that season, Stoops coached around the injury of Adrian Peterson for the second half of the season and still won the Big 12 championship.

“Our guys know we expect whoever’s out there to do well,” Stoops said. “You have to move forward and play with the guys you have. Just like with all of the other injuries, somebody’s got to step up and play. That’s what a team does.”

Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Griffin

Friday is finally here.

And so are some links to get you primed for the weekend.

Enjoy them and be safe. Two weeks and counting to the season. We want all of you accounted for to enjoy the openers across the conference.

• No misprint here. The Lubbock Avalanche Journal's Don Williams reports how the Texas Tech offense was shut out by its defense at Thursday's scrimmage.
• The San Antonio Express-News' Brent Zwerneman reports that several sons of former professional athletes will be Texas A&M team members this season.
• The Lincoln Journal-Star's Steve Sipple ranks Art Briles and Mark Mangino among his five most underrated coaches and Dan Hawkins among his five most overrated.
• The Waco Tribune Herald's John Werner writes about how former skill-position players are dotting Baylor's defensive unit.
• Kansas will add a new scoreboard at Memorial Stadium in 2010 and is exploring adding club seating on the east side of the facility, the Lawrence Journal-World's Dugan Arnett reports.
• Colorado quarterback Tyler Hansen told the Boulder Daily Camera's Kyle Ringo that the competition for the Buffaloes' starting quarterback job remains close.
• Iowa State quarterback Austen Arnaud is diligently trying to stay away from turnovers and sacks in Tom Herman's new spread passing offense, the Ames Tribune's Bobby La Gesse reports.
• Pete Myerberg of the New York Times' blog "The Quad" ranks Oklahoma State No. 15 in his national poll countdown. 
• New Kansas State offensive line coach Charlie Dickey is the only member of Bill Snyder's staff without previous coaching ties to him, the Topeka Capital-Journal's Kevin Haskin reports.
• The Oklahoman's David Ubben wonders if injury-prone Oklahoma wide receiver Adron "Pooh" Tennell is finally ready to emerge in his senior season.
• The Dallas Morning News' Chuck Carlton writes about the factors that are considered when setting a non-conference schedule.
• The gang at the Kansas City Star's intriguing analytical blog "Upon Further Review" wonders whatever happened to the rushing games across the Big 12.

Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Griffin

NORMAN, Okla. -- Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops thinks that Heisman Trophy winner Sam Bradford has come back noticeably improved for his junior season.

Bradford broke Oklahoma single-season records with 50 touchdown passes and 4,720 passing yards last season, but he appears to have more confidence and a better deep arm after the first week of Oklahoma's practices.

	AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki
	Sam Bradford has added 10 pounds on his frame since last season.

"He's strong, he's quicker and the ball comes out that much faster," Stoops said. "With another year of experience out on the field, he'll think much quicker, too."

Bradford appears noticeably bigger after adding 10 pounds of muscle since the end of last year.

"Sam is getting better each and every day," senior wide receiver Adron Tennell said. "Throwing the ball, rolling out of the pocket, he's done it all. You can tell he's better than before."

Stoops said there's little separation between his backups who are playing behind Bradford at quarterback.

Redshirt freshman Landry Jones was presumed to have the edge, but redshirt freshman Ben Sherrard, junior John Nimmo and freshman Drew Allen all are in the mix for playing time.

"Those guys are still splitting their reps," Stoops said. "We keep snapping the ball and giving them experience. They are working well together and doing a nice job."

• Sophomore defensive back Jamell Fleming has been hobbled by a back injury and sophomore defensive back Desmond Jackson "has an issue with academic misconduct" that he's working through, Stoops said.
• Oklahoma's special teams have looked strong in recent practices. Kicker Jimmy Stevens showed improved range at Thursday's open practice with field goals of 50 and 53 yards.

Stevens' length is a big development for the Sooners. His longest kick last season was 42 yards and he shanked five extra points.

Stoops playfully chided about 300 fans who attended the Sooners' open workout Thursday night that they weren't cheering loud enough for Stevens' big kicks.

"They only cheer when there's an offensive play," Stoops said. "When the defense intercepts the ball they are quiet over there or when the kicker gets a nice 53-yard field goal."

• One of the early revelations of fall practice has been wide receiver/punter Cameron Kenney, a transfer from Garden City Community College.

Kenney has jumped into the mix at wide receiver and also is challenging for the punting position against Tress Way. It's a weird combination of a speedy wide receiver who also is a strong punter.

"He's pretty good," Stoops said. "He's shows a lot of signs (as a receiver), but he needs to be more consistent, but he's doing a lot of good things.

"He's punted well, too. It's very rare because you don't see a lot of wide receivers who can punt the ball 40 yards like he can."

Oklahoma receivers coach Jay Norvell said that Kenney reminds him of former Oklahoma wide receiver Juaquin Iglesias because of his combination of size and strength.

"It's because of his quickness, his way of getting in and out of plays and the fact he's very strong to the ball," Norvell said. "Cameron can also run well after the catch. He's a hard worker and the guys who work the hardest get better faster."

• Despite the loss of key playmakers like Iglesias, Manny Johnson and Quentin Chaney from last season, Norvell thinks his current group has the chance to be better than last year's productive group.

The emergence of Kenney, Tennell, Ryan Broyles, Jameel Owens, Brandon Caleb, Dejuan Miller and Mossis Madu has provided the Sooners with a deep cast of productive receivers.

"I think we're more athletic and explosive than we were last year," Norvell said. "Whether that will correlate into productiveness, I'm not sure. But we have athletes and in that respect we probably have more deep threats than we did last year."

Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Griffin

Both Colorado and Oklahoma were careful not to reveal too much in open practices Thursday.

The Buffaloes scored only one touchdown -- a 1-yard jaunt by tailback Demetrius Sumler -- in a 126-play scrimmage that accounted for 579 total yards.

Quarterback Cody Hawkins told the Boulder Daily Camera that the Buffaloes utilized only about 5 percent of their total playbook in the scrimmage.

"We didn't do anything we've been doing in practice," Hawkins said. "When I was looking at the ready list today, it was unbelievably vanilla."

Hawkins completed 21 of 29 passes for 184 yards and no interceptions in his battle with Tyler Hansen, who completed 10 of 15 passes for 137 yards.

Hawkins also was the leading rusher in the scrimmage with 58 yards coming on scrambles. Sumler accounted for a team-high 37 yards to pace the rushing backs. And tailback Darrell Scott led the receivers with six catches for 47 yards.

Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops allowed the public to watch the first hour of the Sooners' work Thursday evening.

The Sooners' special teams showed flashes during the brief glimpse of their work. Sophomore kicker Jimmy Stevens producing field goals of 50 and 53 yards while the crowds were watching.

And redshirt freshman Tress Way appeared to outkick Cameron Kenney in the battle for the punting job, the Tulsa World reported. Kenney also started in the Sooners' three-wide receiver groupings in Thursday's practice.

Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford earned the biggest cheers of the workout from the 500 fans in attendance when he hooked up with Adron Tennell on a 40-yard pass over cornerback Brian Jackson.

With projected starting center Ben Habern still hobbling, sophomore Stephen Good worked with the Sooners' first unit that also included tackles Trent Williams and Cory Brandon and guards Brian Simmons and Jarvis Jones. Williams, the team's most experienced returnee at offensive line, also got a few snaps at center.

And on defense, middle linebacker Ryan Reynolds appears to be rounding into form after missing the second half of last season with a knee injury. Reynolds wore pads, but was replaced by Mike Balogun during the team parts of the drill.

Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Griffin

Oklahoma is a three-time defending champion and returns many of its weapons from a team that came within a game of winning the national championship last season.

Despite the return of potential NFL draftees Sam Bradford, Gerald McCoy, Trent Williams and Jermaine Gresham from last season, the Sooners have been picked to finish second in the Big 12 South in most preseason polls.

How much motivation this provides for the Sooners will be interesting.

The Big 12's South Division should again revolve on the Texas-Oklahoma game Oct. 17 at the Cotton Bowl. The Sooners have lost three of their last four games against Texas, but still won Big 12 championships in two of those seasons where they lost to the Longhorns.

Those losses and residue from the South Division championship controversy will provide the Sooners with some extra motivation when they meet the Longhorns.

Here are some predictions I have for the upcoming season for the Sooners.

1. Bradford's passing statistics will decline some this season. The retooled offensive line will be the most scrutinized part of Oklahoma's offensive transformation. But Bradford will also miss experienced players like Juaquin Iglesias and Manny Johnson from last season. Ryan Broyles and Adron Tennell are nice players, but not as good as Bradford's veteran threats from last season that have departed. Because of that, I'd be surprised if Bradford matches his 2008 totals of 50 touchdown passes and 4,720 passing yards.

2. The breakout player on Oklahoma's defensive line will be Frank Alexander. With all of the other playmakers vying for time, it might be hard for one player to stand out above the rest in a talented, deep unit. But if there is such a player, look for it to be Alexander. His strong freshman season was even more impressive considering he was injured in an altercation at a nightclub after his first game. He's healthy now and could be poised to become Oklahoma's newest defensive star.

3. The Sooners' streak of losing BCS bowl games finally will end this season. They might be advancing to the BCS as the conference's second team, but I look for coach Bob Stoops to have Oklahoma ready to shake this albatross and win its bowl game. The recent string of bowl losses has been frustrating for Stoops and stripped him of some of the national luster for his remarkable three-peat of Big 12 championships. I'm looking for that to change this season -- at least as far as bowl games.

Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Griffin

Happy Friday afternoon. Here are some of the better questions and e-mails that I received this week.

Brian Kimble of Beltsville, Md., writes: After seeing the preseason All-Big 12 list and looking back at several articles from you and other sources, it seems every time Oklahoma and Texas are compared position by position, player by player, it favors OU. Yet, most prognosticators (yourself included) pick Texas as the better team. What is your justification?

Tim Griffin: Brian, I give Texas a slight edge for a couple of reasons. First, I think Oklahoma's loss of four starters along the offensive line is huge. With only one starter returning, the Sooners will have their work cut out to fix that by Oct. 17 at the Cotton Bowl. And I, along with several other people I've talked to, believe that Texas is entering the season with a kind of a collective chip on its shoulder from how the 2008 season played out. The Longhorns' coaching staff is helping to feed that by at one time awarding the team an asterisk-influenced share of the Big 12 title in their team meeting room before taking it down. And I also think that Colt McCoy is driven to win a championship.

I think the difference between the two teams is very, very slight. But I favor the Longhorns by a hair for those reasons.

I do reserve the right to change my mind before game day. But if they were playing today, I would make the Longhorns a slight favorite, say by about a field goal.

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Drew Kappel of Orange County, Calif., writes: Hey Tim, I was shocked to see that "The Catch", the Kordell Stewart-to-Michael Westbrook pass in the famous "Miracle in Michigan" was not on your Big 12 greatest moments. Did I miss something? I was waiting for that every week and I just assumed it would be number 1, and then I was shocked when it wasn't. That is one of the most famous moments in Big 12 history as far as many Buff fans are concerned.

Tim Griffin: Drew, I limited my choices to moments during the history of the Big 12. The "Michigan Miracle," which I agree was one of the greatest plays in college football history, took place on Sept. 24, 1994 - a little more than two years before the first Big 12 game was played in 1996.

But it was a great play and definitely would have merited some kind of inclusion if I had allowed all plays in the history of each Big 12 school to be included.

But it was tough enough narrowing my choice to 25 with those in Big 12 history. I couldn't have imagined how difficult it would have been if I had to cull through every school's football history looking for memories.

Maybe I'll do that next summer.

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Spencer from Oklahoma writes: Tim, I'm a fan of yours and enjoy reading your blog, including the latest entry regarding 100-yard receivers and rushers and 300-yard passers. I noticed something from that study, and I wondered what you thought of this.

I saw that Sam Bradford had 13 games of 300 yards. However, there were only two instances of receivers at Oklahoma having 100-yard games. One belonged to Ryan Broyles, the other to Jermaine Gresham. I found this astonishing.

The other QB to have 13 300-yard games was Kansas' Todd Reesing. However, notice the instances of 100-yard receivers for the Jayhawks. They have 15!! Dezmon Briscoe had seven, Kerry Meier had five and three others had one 100-yard game apiece.

Is this surprising that Oklahoma has only had two receivers with a single 100-yard game among its receivers, despite the passing numbers put up by Bradford? And does this speak to the versatility of Bradford using all his outlets? What are your thoughts?

Tim Griffin: My list includes only players who are returning for the 2009 season. What it might speak to even more than anything were the losses that the Sooners endured with the departure of Juaquin Iglesias and Manny Johnson. Iglesias had seven career 100-yard receiving games, including three last season. Johnson had three career 100-yard receiving games, including two last season.

But I've noticed that Bradford has matured, he seems to be less likely to focus on one receiver. I think that results in a wider inclusion of many receivers into his offense rather than one or two. And that results in the fewer number of 100-yard receivers around the Oklahoma program.

That being said, I look for Broyles to really emerge as a deep threat this season if he can stay healthy. And Adron "Pooh" Tennell looked ready to produce after a strong season. And I think both can develop into consistent big-yardage receivers if they grab enough passes.

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Tim from New York City writes: I have a question that has Big 12 (actually Big 8) ties regarding a coach outside of the conference. Given Turner Gill's recent success at and brief turnaround of one of Division I's ultimate projects at Buffalo, is it a long shot to believe that he may make a return to his former conference? If so, what teams would make a good fit for him?

Tim Griffin: Turner Gill has done a masterful job in rebuilding Buffalo after leading the Bulls to the Mid-American Conference championship and the International Bowl last season.

That strong job obviously has to have caught the attention of his old coach, Tom Osborne, which would make some think that Nebraska would be a place he might end up as a head coach. For that to happen, Bo Pelini would have to go on to another job. I think Gill might need a tad more more seasoning at Buffalo. And I don't see any interest in Pelini pursuing any other jobs at this time.

Another job that will come open probably pretty soon will be Kansas State, where there's no indication that Bill Snyder is in the head coaching position for the long term. Maybe Snyder, who turns 70 on Oct. 7, will stay at his old school for two or three years. It would be interesting if Gill would be attracted to Kansas State and if the Wildcats would be attracted to him.

I think the job that would make sense to him would be at TCU in his hometown of Fort Worth, Texas. Obviously, Gary Patterson would have to being going somewhere and I don't know how much interest Patterson has in pursuing other jobs at this time.

But I personally think that TCU might be the best non-BCS job in the country. And it might be better than some jobs in the Big 12. The reason I consider this job so highly include its proximity to the fertile Texas recruiting area, the developing facilities at the school, the school's winning tradition and its conference affiliation.

Patterson currently has an easier road to the BCS in his own conference than he would if the Horned Frogs were playing in the Big 12. And I think he knows it.

But I would also think the chance to return home for Gill would be attractive if the opportunity to accept the TCU job if it ever materialized for him.

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Rick Yarbrough from Tripoli, Libya, writes: Football over here is with a round ball and guys in shorts. I'm gonna miss the fall afternoons watching the Longhorns running up and down the field. With a Sunday - Thursday work week and 7 hours time difference, I'm looking to you to keep us up to speed on the Longhorns. Keep up the great work. I'll be catching your blog.

Tim Griffin: Rick, thanks for your work. Please check the blog often during the upcoming season for some updates of home on a pretty regular basis. It should be an interesting season.

And boy, do I envy your days off. You should be able to catch almost every college football game from everywhere, depending on the satellites.

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Larry Soper writes: Tim: Nice article on Taylor Potts on ESPN.com earlier this week. Could you please tell me what the Texas Tech receivers look like for Potts with Michael Crabtree gone?

Tim Griffin: Obviously, the loss of two-time Biletnikoff winner will be a big one for Texas Tech. But I think the Red Raiders actually will be more balanced this season without one player commanding most of the catches like Crabtree has done for the last two seasons. I look for Detron Lewis to step up in the featured role with a chance to catch 90-100 balls if he can stay healthy. But I've always liked Edward Britton, who I think could really blossom if he matures in his role in the offense. I think the same could be true for Tremain Swindall as well. And I know that Mike Leach has always raved about Lyle Leong and Adam James as they have played in his system.

I wouldn't look for one player to catch most of the passes for Tech this season. But it will be interesting to see who Potts gravitates to as his receiver. We'll see that as the season plays out for the Red Raiders.

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Tom Bates from Oklahoma City writes: Hey, Tim, I know media day is coming up for you. I wonder if you would list your favorite three players and three coaches in the Big 12 to talk with. And maybe give a reason why you find those guys to be the best interviews.

Tim Griffin: As far as players go, this would be my list. 1. Sean Weatherspoon, Missouri - Always has something interesting to say. 2. Gerald McCoy, Oklahoma - I can see why Sooner players have gravitated to him since his arrival. He's a leader and his words command respect. 3. Kerry Meier, Kansas - Polished and well spoken. He could have a career behind the microphone after his playing days are over.

As far as coaches, this is how I would rank them: 1. Texas Tech coach Mike Leach - You never know what know what he's going to say. And that's the beauty of him. 2. Baylor coach Art Briles - Still has enough small-town Texas high-school football coach in him to always have some interesting comments. 3. Colorado coach Dan Hawkins - I never had heard the word "conflama" before I met the Hawk. But it's grown in my vocabulary since being around him to describe the combination of conflict and drama.

I also loved his comment on taking his wife to an Abba concert during the 2007 season. "You stay married for 25 years by making sacrifices."

We could all learn from that attitude, I guess.

Have a good weekend. I'll catch up with you on Monday from the Big 12 media days in Irving, Texas. Thanks again for all of the good questions and please keep them coming.

Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Griffin

Who said that May was supposed to be the quiet time for college football?

They haven't seen the news percolating across the Big 12.

Here are today's offerings:

• Missouri athletic director Mike Alden was nearly fired three years ago. St. Louis Post-Dispatch reporter Vahe Gregorian details Alden's turnaround in the Tigers' program, including three teams that set school records for victories this season.
• Boulder Daily Camera beat writer Kyle Ringo writes about why he isn't buying that Dan Hawkins is on the hot seat, as well as the development of former Colorado center Kai Maiava's development at UCLA and the emergence of Colorado backup safety Travis Sandersfeld.
• Wichita-based trainer Brian Butler told Topeka Capital-Journal reporter Austin Meek that Kansas State remains a viable transfer option for both former Oregon quarterback/wide receiver Chris Harper and former Minnesota wide receiver Broderick Smith.
• Omaha World-Herald reporter Lee Barfknecht writes that Iowa State coach Paul Rhoads is receiving praise from Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz.  
• "The Three Wise Men" of Cornhusker football, the Lincoln Journal-Star's Steve Sipple, Brian Christopherson and Kent Wolgamott, discuss the keys for Nebraska notching an upset at Virginia Tech on Sept. 19.
• Former Oklahoma guard and World War II hero Norman McNabb passed away Wednesday in Atlanta at the age of 85, the Oklahoman's Berry Tramel reports. McNabb was co-captain of the Sooners' 1950 national championship team and fought in the Pacific theater during the war.
• The San Antonio Express-News' Mike Finger said that transparency was the biggest victim when coaches decided to shield their final votes in the 2010 poll. And the Dallas Morning News' Kevin Sherrington writes that the coaches' poll ultimately loses credibility as the votes are shielded.
• The Oklahoman's Jake Trotter writes about the unique commonalities of Oklahoma wide receivers Adron Tennell and Brandon Caleb, who are among the biggest offensive keys for the Sooners this season.
• Mack Brown is interested in receiving a first-hand look at war-torn Iraq when his visit of U.S. military bases with other football coaches begins today, Austin American-Statesman reporter Randy Riggs writes.

Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Griffin

Oklahoma Sooners 2008 overall record: 12-2 2008 conference record: 7-1 Returning starters Offense: 5, defense: 9, kicker/punter: 1 Top returners QB Sam Bradford, RB DeMarco Murray, RB Chris Brown, TE Jermaine Gresham, T Trent Williams, DT Gerald McCoy, LB Travis Lewis, CB Dominique Franks Key losses WR Juaquin Iglesias, WR Manny Johnson, T Phil Loadholt, G Duke Robinson, S Nic Harris, S Lendy Holmes 2008 statistical leaders (* returners) Rushing: Chris Brown* (1,220 yards) Passing: Sam Bradford* (4,720 yards) Receiving: Juaquin Iglesias (1,150 yards) Tackles: Travis Lewis* (144) Sacks: Jeremy Beal* (8 1/2) Interceptions: Lendy Holmes (5) Spring answers 2009 Schedule Sept. 5 BYU (at Arlington, Texas) Sept. 12 Idaho State Sept. 19 Tulsa Oct. 3 at Miami Oct. 10 Baylor Oct. 17 Texas (at Dallas) Oct. 24 at Kansas Oct. 31 Kansas State Nov. 7 at Nebraska Nov. 14 Texas A&M Nov. 21 at Texas Tech Nov. 28 Oklahoma State 1. Defensive line: All-American candidate Gerald McCoy has talked about the Sooners having the best defense in the nation. And they might be able to live up to McCoy's boasts if they continue their strong spring play, particularly in the trenches. Defensive ends Jeremy Beal and Frank Alexander will be helped out when Auston English returns to practice this summer. And McCoy, Adrian Taylor and DeMarcus Granger will be a fearsome rotation at tackle. That depth doesn't even include redshirt freshman defensive ends David King and R.J. Washington and redshirt defensive tackles Casey Walker and Stacy McGee. No wonder the Sooners' offensive line struggled at times this spring. 2. Dominique Franks: One of the Big 12's most underrated defensive players had another strong spring, capping his efforts with two interceptions in the spring game including a 42-yard return for a touchdown. He'll be one of the leaders in the Sooners' defensive backfield again this season. 3. Adron Tennell: Injuries and a deep collection of talent in front of him has kept Tennell on the bench most of his career at Oklahoma. But the 6-foot-4. 191-pounder appears ready to blossom as one of Sam Bradford's top deep threats as a senior. He's been waiting a long time for this chance. Fall questions 1. Offensive line: The Sooners lost four starters from last season's offensive juggernaut and return only Trent Williams, who was moved to left tackle to protect Bradford's blind side. The unit was called out before spring practice by coach Bob Stoops because of their lack of diligence in training during the winter. Stephen Good got the start at left guard and Ben Habern flourished at center after highly regard recruit Jason Hannan quit the team. Cory Brandon and LSU transfer Jarvis Jones also showed some development, although the line will have to work on its cohesiveness during the summer. 2. Slot receiver: Tennell and Ryan Broyles served as the primary outside receivers. The lack of depth at the position led to the move of running back Mossis Madu to the position for most of the spring. 3. Safeties: Starters Nic Harris and Lendy Holmes are gone from last season -- the only departing starters from the defense. Quinton Carter likely has nailed down one starting position. And a deep rotation of players will be tried with Sam Proctor or Joseph Ibiloye likely to start beside him. Desmond Jackson and Emmanuel Jones both looked good during the spring, but don't be surprised if the Sooners' coaches might consider a talent boost from a talented freshman class at the position that includes Javon Harris and Kevin Brent. The Sooners will need talent there to combat the pass-heavy offenses in the South Division.

Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Griffin

Oklahoma capped its spring practice with a strong defensive effort in the Red-White game. The Sooners entered the spring with few questions from a squad that had notched three consecutive Big 12 titles and looks primed to again challenge for the national championship.

	AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki
	Bob Stoops' offensive line will have some new faces for the 2009 season.

But there were still a few issues for Bob Stoops heading into spring practice. Here are some of the things we've learned about his team as the Sooners conclude their work Tuesday afternoon.

• Sam Bradford looked in midseason form, capping his work by completing 11 of 13 passes for 97 yards and a touchdown in the spring game. His backups, redshirt freshman Landry Jones and early arriving freshman Drew Allen, weren't nearly as sharp as they completed only 9 of 26 passes in the spring game. If Stoops needed any more reason to feel relieved coming out of the spring, watching Bradford play should have given him some comfort.
• The four new members of the offensive line clearly are still a work in progress. But don't read too much into their struggles in the Red-White scrimmage after producing 27 yards on 52 rushing attempts. Many teams are going to have problems against Oklahoma's defense this season. And the Oklahoma offense was hamstrung playing without running backs DeMarco Murray and Chris Brown. Chalk up the line's struggling performance to a tough opposing defense, a limited seven-man rotation and substitute backs playing in the spring game. I would expect to see some substantial improvement by the time the regular season arrives in early September.
• Concern about the wide receiver group coming into the spring might have been overstated. Both Adron Tennell and Ryan Broyles looked strong as outside receivers and Mossis Madu had his moments as a slot receiver. And Jermaine Gresham, who barely played this spring, might be the nation's most explosive tight end.
• Nobody gets up for the Red-White game quite like cornerback Dominique Franks. Over the past two seasons, Franks has produced five interceptions and returned two of his picks for touchdowns in the games against his teammates. Now, if he could transfer that over to the regular season ...
• The Sooners still need some more production from their kicking game. Tress Way doubled as a kickoff specialist and a punter in the spring game and needs improvement in both categories. Jimmy Stevens didn't have to kick a field goal, which was a problem throughout last season. Both areas were handicaps in the Sooners' losses against Florida and Texas, and must improve for the Sooners during the upcoming season.
• The departure of heralded center prospect Jason Hannan might have been a concern for offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson. But Brian Lepak, a transfer from Colorado State, alleviated some of those worries with his strong play. Redshirt freshman Ben Habern is set as the starter, but the Sooners don't lose much when Lepak plays. He even started at left guard for the spring game.
• Any doubts about the future appear to be tempered after the strong play this spring of incoming freshmen Tom Wort, Ronnell Lewis and Jaydan Bird, who all made surprising progress considering their youth. The trio combined for nine tackles, two tackles for losses and a deflected pass. And that's only the beginning.
• The Sooners' biggest position of strength may be at defensive end, even with Auston English missing the spring because of an injury. The rest of the rotation -- Jeremy Beal, Frank Alexander and David King -- all had strong springs. Alexander capped strong work with three sacks in the spring game and Beal added two more in a stellar effort.
• With Austin Box and Ryan Reynolds missing the spring as they recovered from injuries, Mike Balogun built on his strong performance in the BCS title game with a strong performance by filling in for Keenan Clayton in the spring game.
• The biggest producer this spring in the secondary may have been sophomore Desmond Jackson, who alternated between cornerback and safety. Look for him to use this as a springboard for playing time in the fall.
• Walk-on safety Emmanuel Jones has been a revelation in the secondary. After spending most of his time working with the cornerbacks, coaches pressed him into duty at safety after Quinton Carter tweaked a hamstring while heading into the corridor on his way to the scrimmage. Jones made the most of his opportunity with a strong performance. Can anybody say Wally Pipp?
  

Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Griffin

It was a good sign for Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops when Heisman Trophy quarterback Sam Bradford spent much more time signing autographs at the spring game than he did seeing actual game action.

Bradford was limited to only about three minutes of game action in Saturday's Red-White spring game, but didn't disappoint as he completed 11 of 13 passes for 97 yards in his short spring stint. Included was a 23-yard TD strike to Adron Tennell.

His work was one of the few bright spots for Oklahoma's offense, which clearly struggled without key players like running backs DeMarco Murray and Chris Brown, fullback Matt Clapp and tight ends Jermaine Gresham and Brody Eldridge. The Oklahoma offensive line was down to only seven players who played Saturday thanks to a collection of minor ailments.

All of those missing weapons helped explain struggling performances by Bradford's two backups. Landry Jones completed 5-of-12 passes for 73 yards and Drew Allen was 4-for-14 for 58 yards.

Cornerback Dominique Franks starred for the Sooner defense with a pair of interceptions, including a 42-yard return for a touchdown.

The Sooners defense notched six "touch" sacks -- including three by defensive end Frank Alexander and two by defensive end Jeremy Beal -- and limited the Oklahoma running game to 27 yards on 52 carries.

Those struggles were the main reason the defense notched a 63-36 victory over the offense in the convoluted scoring method favored by Stoops.

Stoops told reporters after the game he understood why his defense looked so strong in Saturday's scrimmage.

"It was really hard to judge the offense with so many guys out," Stoops said. "Overall, I thought we saw a lot of good things and good effort. The good news is that the guys who did play got a ton of snaps."

The scrimmage was played before a crowd of 28,592 -- second most for a Big 12 team this spring behind only the announced crowd of 44,000 that attended Texas' spring game last week.