The kickoff to the season is less than 60 days away and it is time to get out some previews here for each position. So to start that up, I will start with the glamor position: Quarterback.
I don't think any of us in our wildest dreams would have thought that Sam Bradford would have had the breakout year that he had in his first year as a starter. Bradford not only met, but also exceeded all expectations that even the most optimistic Sooner fan could have had.
Lets take a look at his number from last year:
CMP | ATT | YDS | CMP% | YPA | LNG | TD | INT | SACK | RAT | |
237 |
341 |
3121 | 69.5 | 9.15 |
65 | 36 |
8 |
12 |
176.52 |
10-2 Record & Big 12 Title |
In addition to those numbers Sam was named Big 12 Player of the Year by CollegeFootballNews.com and Freshman All-American in The Sporting News, Rivals, & CollegeFootballNews.com. Was also named an All-American honorable mention by Sports Illustrated. Bradford was also a finalist for the Manning Award given to the nation's top QB. He not only set the NCAA Freshman record for TD passes in a season but also finished 1st in the nation in passer efficiency rating.
He set a school record for consecutive completions (22) and also tied a school record with 5 TD passes against Miami & Texas A&M. He also had the No. 6 season at OU for completions, No. 5 in total offense, No. 2 for completion percentage, No. 1 for passing efficiency.
Sam was also the 5th different QB to lead the Sooners to a Big 12 title.
So what can we expect now that Sam has a season under his belt? Is Sam going to suffer from the same Sophomore slump that Colt McCoy suffered from after his huge freshman year?
Well the loss of his deep threat Malcolm Kelly won't help but an all SR. O-Line with a stable of RB's and skill players should provied Sam with all the wepons he will need to build on this past season and to lead the Sooners to hopefully an undefeated season, a first BCS bowl win since 2003, and the Sooners 8th National Championship.
Sam is backed up by SR Joey Halzle and FR Landry Jones. Big things are expected out of Jones down the road while Halzle showed he is more than capable to come in for Sam if he goes down with an injury.