Wendell Barnhouse's notebook from sunny South Florida, site of the BCS title game. Photo courtesy of Image of Sport.
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Teams will talk about keeping their quarterback "clean." But there's clean and then there's clean.
Florida's Tim Tebow, the 2007 Heisman Trophy winner, can still win even if his uniform gets dirty. In reality, the Gators have a better chance at success if the the 6-3, 240-pound junior winds up a grass-stained, dirt-smudged mess.
Oklahoma's Sam Bradford, above, the 2008 Heisman Trophy winner, is more effective if his end-game uniform looks like it just came back from the laundromat.
"Every time I see him his jersey is clean," Florida safety Ahmad Black said of Bradford. "I haven’t seen him be hit once."
"Clean" is a football euphemism for not allowing the quarterback to be sacked. When the Sooners take the field Thursday night in the BCS National Championship game, one of several priorities will be pass protection.
Lost among Oklahoma's gaudy offensive numbers is the fact the Sooners allowed 11 quarterback sacks in 476 pass attempts. Getting the feet set, throwing in rhythm, having lanes to see and pass through are crucial for quarterbacks like Bradford.
"Their defensive line is really good," Oklahoma center Jon Cooper said. "All of them make plays. They are very active and fast and they all move around. And another thing they do really well is free up their linebackers to make a lot of plays. They're really good and we look forward to the challenge."
Oklahoma's offensive line is experienced and will have an average weight advantage of 25 pounds against the Gators' defensive line. The Sooners' O-line will need to open up running lanes to balance the attack while giving Bradford time to throw on pass plays.
Florida's defensive line relies on speed and depth. Carlos Dunlap, a 290-pound sophomore, has started only two games but has led Florida and the Southeastern Conference with nine sacks. Former Iowa State coach Dan McCarney is the Gators' defensive line coach and this season Florida had 32 sacks — more than doubling last year's total of 15.
In addition to blocking, Oklahoma's offensive pace could help negate Florida's pass rush. The Sooners' no-huddle offense usually snaps the ball every 20 seconds and that can limit defensive substitutions or alignment adjustments.
"We just need to get to Sam Bradford and get in his head," said Florida defensive end Jermaine Cunningham, who has six sacks this season. "We want to get pressure on him so he makes bad decisions."
Two years ago in the BCS title game, Florida faced a Heisman Trophy winning quarterback in Ohio State's Troy Smith. The Buckeyes averaged 384 yards and 34.6 points per game while Smith was seventh nationally in passing efficiency. The Gators' defense harassed Smith and limited the offense to one offensive touchdown and 82 total yards in a 41-14 victory.
"[Bradford] does have a lot of time back there and that’s one of the things we’re really looking at and working on," Florida defensive coordinator Charlie Strong said. "He hardly ever gets hit. They haven’t given up many sacks. It’s going to be critical for us. 'Can we get pressure on him?' 'Can we rush the quarterback and get pressure?' "
Short yardage
* The hot rumor since Oklahoma arrived in South Florida involves coach Bob Stoops and the vacant head coaching job with the Denver Broncos. Team owner Pat Bowlen is an OU graduate. Stoops wasted little time squashing the speculation. “We’re preparing for a national championship and that’s all my focus and all my concentration’s on,” he said Saturday. “So obviously, I’m not a candidate. I’m sure someone might have told me other than you guys if I was a candidate.”
* Miami Dolphins executive vice president of football operations Bill Parcells visited Oklahoma's practices Saturday. "For most of you, this may well be the highlight of your athletic life," Parcells told the Sooners. "You are playing for big stakes on a big stage, something you are going to remember for a long time. So what you’ve got to do in this situation is promise each other in that dressing room that you are going to do everything you can to help your team win."
* The Sooners and the Gators will play on new turf at Dolphins Stadium. For the third time in seven days, over 100 workers will re-sod the natural grass. They went through the process, which includes new turf and painting, for last Tuesday's Orange Bowl and for Sunday's NFL playoff game between Miami and Baltimore. As soon as the NFL game finished, the crew started work for the BCS title game.
* Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford on the Sooners' record-setting offense: "Some people talk about the '03 or '04 Oklahoma offenses but obviously when it counted in the national championship they didn't come through. We want to be different than those offenses."
* The BCS National Championship game will feature two Heisman Trophy winners — Florida's Tim Tebow (2007) and Oklahoma's Sam Bradford (2008). Sooners senior safety Nic Harris doesn't think the historical tidbit is worth consideration. "It's cool for who? Cool for fans, cool for the critics, cool for us at the end of the day? It's not really cool for us," Harris said. "We're not worried about trophies. The only trophy we're concerned about is the one that will be presented when the last second comes off the clock. We need to care of what we need to take care off on the 8th."
* Florida cornerback Joe Haden on the leadership of junior linebacker Brandon Spikes: "If you don't love the game the way he does and play with that same passion, then you're going to have trouble being on the same field with him," Haden said. "He brings everybody's level up to his."
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