If Saturday's spring game was an indicator of how Oklahoma's offense has progressed under Jay Norvell and Josh Heupel then there really isn't much for us to see. But then again that's usually the case with spring games as player development takes priority over offensive game planning. That said, there are a few things we can glean from Saturday's exhibition when it comes to evaluating Oklahoma's offensive unit.
Quarterbacks - Oklahoma is set at starter with Landry Jones who is going to be on more than a few Heisman watch lists. The key battle this spring and fall is for the backup position behind Jones. The fact that freshman Kendall Thompson didn't play a single snap in the spring game is a sure indicator that he's heading for a redshirt. That means the race for the backup spot is between sophomore Drew Allen and redshirt freshman Blake Bell. Bell may have taken more snaps in Saturday's scrimmage but it appears he still has some work to do when it comes to catching up with Allen who is the incumbent. Allen still has a better grasp on the throwing aspects of the game while Bell is a better athlete and a dual threat.
Running Backs - We had hoped to see great things from freshman Brandon Williams but got quite the opposite. Rushing for 13 yards on 7 carries doesn't necessarily put you in the same breath as Adrian Peterson but it isn't a hope is lost situation either. Williams has had a solid spring its just Roy Finch, Jonathan Miller and Brennan Clay have looked like the veterans and Williams has looked like an early enrollee freshman with a very high ceiling in terms of potential. I would be shocked if we don't see dramatic improvement from him this fall but for now he's firmly behind these other three guys.
Receivers/Tight Ends - Dejuan Miller is back and he's playing like he has a chip on his shoulder! Possibly the most pleasant thing we saw on Saturday was a healthy Miller running crisp routes and showing good hands. After his 6 catch 67 yard performance with a touchdown on Saturday you have to insert Miller as the #3 guy behind Ryan Broyles and Kenny Stills. Let's not overlook the performances of Trey Franks and Jaz Reynolds in Saturday's scrimmage either. These two guys seem to be firmly in the mix at receiver as well.
Offensive Line - The loss of Jarvis Jones this spring is clearly the lone detriment to the team over the spring workouts. Someone has to step up and replace him at right tackle and while that solution won't be completely provided until this fall Saturday's scrimmage showed there is a good number of solid candidates. The offensive line only allowed two sacks in 68 pass attempts on Saturday and keep in mind that this was a spring scrimmage where all you have to do is touch the quarterback to get a sack. Daryl Williams and Josh Aladenoye both have had a solid spring and looked good on Saturday. They should be the top two candidates to replace Jones but the better news is that the line as a whole played very well in both run and pass blocking.
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