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• Video: OU coach Bob Stoops at Big 12 media days:
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DALLAS — Oklahoma beat Stanford in front of a record Sun Bowl crowd on a beautiful west Texas afternoon last December, capping a pleasant bowl trip with a feel-good, confidence-boosting victory.
The Sooners had fun in El Paso, Texas. Lots of fun.
But they don't want to go back.
Players come to Norman, Okla., to position themselves on the national scene. They want their names uttered by ESPN's Kirk Herbstreit and their numbers memorized by fearful league coaches. They want Big 12 championships and BCS titles.
An 8-5 season that ends in the Sun Bowl doesn't cut it.
“This is Oklahoma, and we have standards to live up to,” junior linebacker Travis Lewis said. “We definitely can't go back (to the Sun Bowl). It's not an option for us.”
The reloaded Sooners are again favorites to win the Big 12's South Division and expected contenders for a national championship. They have high expectations — the way it should be, Lewis said.
What happened in 2009 was a rare eyesore during a decade of success for one the nation's most successful programs.
Under coach Bob Stoops, OU has earned seven BCS berths, appeared in four national championship games and won six Big 12 championships.
But last year, the Sooners lost their opener to BYU. Dropped a close one to Miami. Lost a lead to Texas. Flopped at Nebraska. Then got manhandled at Texas Tech.
Senior defensive end Jeremy Beal said it was nice to end the year with a 27-0 win over rival Oklahoma State and a comeback 27-13 victory over Stanford. But those final two games didn't make up for the disappointment, Beal said.
“We're used to winning a championship, playing for championships,” Beal said. “We saw what 8-5 was last year. We're working hard not to be 8-5 again.”
Of course, some of the struggles last season were a result of things nobody could control.
Tight end Jermaine Gresham stopped mid-route and fell to the turf during a preseason practice. Quarterback Sam Bradford couldn't make it out of the first game healthy. The offensive line was decimated. Nagging injuries stripped the electricity from running back DeMarco Murray.
One team doesn't often see that much adversity in one season, receiver Ryan Broyles said. “You really don't know what to think after that.”
Oklahoma appears better for it now, though.
The OU coaches structured their spring practices so they could maximize opportunities to create depth. The first and second teams worked on one field. The third and fourth teams competed on another.
Starting quarterback Landry Jones is now battle-tested and hungry to rebound. Really, you could say the same about most of the Sooners.
“We just have to be a tougher team,” Broyles said. “We're striving in that way, and we're understanding that we need more depth.”
The only proof comes on Saturdays, but from what Murray has seen, he's optimistic that he and his teammates have learned from last season.
“I'm feeling good about this year,” Murray said.
Contact the writer:
402-473-9585, jon.nyatawa@owh.com
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• Video: The Big Red Today Show from day three at Big 12 media days, with Lee Barfknecht, Rich Kaipust and Jon Nyatawa:
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