Lendy Holmes moves to safety. This transition shows me two things. First, Marcus Walker is completely healthy and is locked in at the starting corner position opposite of Reggie Smith. Second, Holmes athleticism is impressive enough that coaches really want him on the field.
"He looks really good there," defensive coordinator Brent Venables said. "He covers a lot of ground. He's had his hands all over the place on the ball. He's transitioned well, knowing where he needs to be in space and down in the box. He does a great job reading the quarterback, whether he's a high player or he's the low or both."
Is Kevin Wilson upset with the o-line? There has been a lot of talk about the greatness of this offensive line but offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson wants more from the unit, that remains intact, than what he got last season.
"We didn't play the fourth quarter against Oklahoma State (in OU's regular-season finale last November) with a physical presence when we needed to. We didn't play very well against Nebraska (in the Big 12 championship last December) with a physical presence. And we struggled early in our bowl game (against Boise State last Jan. 1) with a physical presence," Wilson said.
Granger leading the improvement among the defensive tackles. Count me in the number of people who are excited to see Gerald McCoy make his debut along the defensive line but according to coaches it has been DeMarcus Granger who is setting the pace among the defensive tackles.
"DeMarcus Granger made huge strides during the course of the spring, played really well toward the end of the year last year and that carried over," defensive coordinator Brent Venables said. "We need that to happen, as a nose tackle, to be that immovable object inside that any great defense is going to absolutely need."
