OUInsider - Owen Field

I hate to be a Negative Nellie on this first day of a new year, but seeing this Oklahoma football team play in a December bowl game made me sad. From pre-season #1 to not even in the top 10. From national championship chatter to playing opening act on the same field their little brother would later be headlining a major game in the REAL bowl season. Playing in their third straight lesser bowl game slash lesser opponent. Not what anyone envisioned for the 2011 Sooners.

It was intriguing to see how OU would come out after laying down in the final regular season game and with all the defections and internal dissension dominating the pre-game conversation. To their credit, the Sooners played hard, if not always well, and showed signs that the time off had invigorated at least a few of the key players who had suffered through injuries during the season.

The bizarre thing was, despite the fact that OU had the game in hand, in the fourth quarter, you started wondering if Tress Way would be the game's MVP. Oklahoma was outgained, ran 20 fewer plays, had no one with impressive stats and it took a 4th down play when they were running out the clock to seal the honor for their backup quarterback.

Quarterback

Blake Bell took the Sooners to two red zone scores and had the game's longest run on his third touchdown. The Bell Dozer was near perfect, save for the questionable third down call to run a sweep with Trey Franks. Not only did Bell show power, he showed some speed an elusiveness in leading the team in rushing. I'm not sure that any player, except maybe a kicker, has had a bigger impact while playing only a dozen plays in a game.

Landry Jones was the caretaker for the Sooners offense in this game, finally getting a touchdown pass without Ryan Broyles. If this was indeed his final game at OU, it was rather nondescript. Jones rarely went downfield and when he did, Kenny Stills dropped what would have been a long TD. It was mostly dink and dunk, with Jones giving up a scoring opportunity when his questionable goal line pass to a closely covered receiver was tipped and intercepted. He scrambled twice, almost getting his brain scrambled on the first one, and pretty much left heavy lifting to Bell.

Wonder what Drew Allen, the true backup quarterback, thought about not seeing the field in the bowl game? We will find out this spring.

Grade: Bell (A) Jones (C)

Running Back

Brennan Clay had his best game since being injured in 2010 against Florida State. The time off from the end of the season seemed to help him the most and he looked quicker and more confident than at any time this year.

Roy Finch took the back seat for most of this game. He couldn't get untracked in the running game, but did make a contribution on a couple of pass plays. OU will definitely be looking for immediate help from a bigger back next season.

Trey Millard had a highlight hurdling run, but was again underutilized. He had one more carry than Franks, which is at least better than one more carry than a dead man.

Grade : B-

Receiver

Kameel Jackson got the start and showed that he is ready for prime time now. Jackson could be a breakout star next fall.

Kenny Stills continued to look slowed from leg injuries during the game and missed his highlight opportunity with the end zone drop. Franks also had a drop and was not a factor in the passing game.

James Hanna finished with a couple of catches and it was nice to see Trent Ratterree end his career with a TD catch, but he also had a miss.

Grade: B-

Offensive Line

Ben Habern never fully recovered from his hand injury and he struggled during the bowl game. Lane Johnson picked up a holding call, while in general, the line failed to open any significant holes for the running game.

The loss of Adam Shead played a major role combined with Habern's struggles. Hopefully, both will be ready for an interesting spring for the O-Line.

Grade: C-

Defensive Line

The emergence of R.J. Washington came to full realization in this game, as he had his most physical performance of the year. It appears that the light has come on and he understands what going all out can produce. Frank Alexander garnered a lot of the attention from Iowa but still made his presence felt. He will be missed.

Playing the four man front, the tackles were more active, as Jamarkus McFarland had a season high in stops. That is a position that needs to be beefed up before next season.

After some early struggles, the Sooners shut the Iowa running game down for the final three quarters, holding them to 27 yards on 21 attempts.

Grade: A-

Linebacker

Travis Lewis started the game as if he would be more mobile than at any time this season. He seemed to fade a bit as the game went on, but still deserves credit for gutting it out this year.

Tom Wort was active as usual and picked up a gravy interception at the end. He will need to step up his role and stay healthy for the first time next year. With his pre-game comments, it was interesting to see that Corey Nelson saw significant playing time. Joseph Ibiloye was involved in more key plays in this game than at any time this year.

Grade:B +

Secondary

Jamell Fleming was the defensive MVP and saw a lot of action, being challenged by Iowa's all-time leading receiver Marvin McNutt. Fleming acquitted himself well, allowing McNutt just four catches, breaking up three more and grabbing an interception. We will next see him playing on Sundays in the fall.

Don't forget Demontre Hurst. Even though they don't throw his way as often, he was ready when called upon and had a nice game.

Tony Jefferson played a solid game and Aaron Colvin didn't have much action, which means the Sooners were doing their job.

Grade; A-

Special Teams

Tress Way was a big factor early in the game, turning field position around when Iowa was dominating the ball in the opening quarter. He tied the bowl record for the longest punt and all his efforts were solid.

Michael Hunnicutt finished the year with 10 straight field goals and is on his way to becoming a true weapon for the Sooners. Coaches are now confident in playing for field goal position.

The kickoff return game was the best of the season, with Trey Franks and Brennan Clay each breaking a long run. Clay's would have been even longer had he not tripped himself up. Punt returns continued to be weak, as Kenny Stills never appeared comfortable in the role after stepping in for Ryan Broyles.

Kick coverage was solid. Kickoffs continue to be up and down. They will still be looking for someone to supplant Patrick O'Hara next season.

Grade: A