Mike Stoops Return Could Return Sooners To National Title Glory

By Zack Poff

July 25, 2012

Oklahoma is the final team on this list. They have a ton of talent, but it all starts with their senior quarterback, Landry Jones. Despite throwing for 4,463 yards and 29 touchdowns last season, Jones struggled down the stretch for the Sooners. After starting 6-0, Oklahoma finished 3-3 in their final six regular season games. Landry Jones is one of the favorites to contend for the Heisman Trophy entering his senior season.

Junior tailback, Dominique Whaley, was one of the best stories in college football last season. The walk-on led Oklahoma in rushing through six games before suffering a broken ankle against Kansas State and was shut down for the rest of the season.

Now that Bob Stoops has given Whaley a scholarship, the junior can finally quit his part-time job making sandwiches at Subway and focus on football. He will be the main cog in the rushing attack for Oklahoma heading into 2012. The Sooners also brought in two talented freshmen recruits in Alex Ross and David Smith to add depth to the backfield. Oklahoma also added a very talented back in Damien Williams, a junior college transfer from Arizona Western.

The Sooners also return Roy Finch, who rushed for 605 yards and three touchdowns last season.

Oklahoma's bread and butter is on the offensive line. They only allowed 11 sacks last season and will make Landry Jones job upright most of the season. A great offensive line is always one of the most underrated aspects of the game and Oklahoma returns four of their five starters.

The Sooners struggled mildly last season when their star wideout Ryan Broyles went down with a torn ACL. It will be crucial for Oklahoma's receiving corps to step up now that Broyles' Oklahoma career is over. He will be a tough guy to replace after becoming the all-time receptions leader in FBS history. Junior, Kenny Stills, will be the main cog in the passing attack. He finished with 849 yards and eight touchdowns.

Juniors Jaz Reynolds and Trey Franks were expected to be main pieces for Oklahoma's passing attack, but have been suspended indefinitely for violating team rules. It will be crucial for Reynolds and Franks to get their acts together if Oklahoma wants to compete for the Big 12 Championship and contend for the national championship.

Mike Stoops returns as the new defensive coordinator at Oklahoma and will have the task of restoring the Sooners suffocating defense. Stoops was a co-defensive coordinator for Oklahoma in 2000, when they won their last BCS National Championship against Florida State. That defense did not allow one point from an explosive Seminole's offensive unit.

In four of the five seasons while Mike Stoops was on Oklahoma's staff, the Sooner's also finished in the top ten in total defense. The guy knows how to coach defense. Oklahoma has struggled mildly in the past, finishing outside of the top 50 in total defense during three of the last four seasons.

Junior linebacker, Tom Wort is the defensive quarterback for Oklahoma heading into 2012. He had 71 tackles and 3.5 sacks last season, and will have an even bigger role this year. Expect Corey Nelson, who racked up up 59 tackles and 5.5 sacks and will see time at linebacker and safety this season, to step up in his junior campaign..

Oklahoma returns three starters from their secondary. Senior defensive back, Demontre Hurst, a Second Team All-Big 12 selection, is the main cog. Hurst had 55 tackles last season to go with one interception and 11 pass breakups. Junior, Aaron Colvin, is one of the most talented defensive backs in the country.

He led Oklahoma with 84 tackles last season and is one of the top tackling corners in the nation. Tony Jefferson is a guy to pay close attention to this season. He spent his first year and most of his sophomore campaign playing linebacker for Oklahoma, but moved to safety during the tail end of last season. He is expected to start in the secondary this year. Jefferson was the Big 12 Defensive Freshman of the Year in 2010 and is coming off a good sophomore season. He finished with 74 tackles, four interceptions, 4.5 sacks, and 7.5 tackles for loss last year.

Mike Stoops' Arizona Wildcats football team lifting a sagging city

By Dan Bickley

September 30, 2010

TUCSON -- Self-improvement books are stacked on Mike Stoops' desk. One of them might even change his life.

It's a book authored by former NFL coach Tony Dungy, and it has become a topic of conversation at his weekly Bible study meetings.

"Doing what we do, and how he did it, is really unique," Stoops said. "We're all dumbfounded by it. How he can be so . . . "

Docile? Cerebral? Mellow?

"We're trying to learn how to do it that way," he said, smiling. "But it takes a lot of trust."

Over the years, much has changed with the football coach at the University of Arizona. He no longer is perceived as the little brother riding a big surname, a smaller piece of fruit on a giant coaching tree. He just beat one of the smarter coaches in the Big Ten and has the unbeaten, 14th-ranked Wildcats poised for a magical season.

He has become a coach of serious substance. But his sideline antics still are commanding all the attention.

"I love him," said former Wildcats star Antoine Cason, now a member of the Chargers. "He's a fiery guy. He's animated on the sidelines. He's in our corner, and guys respond to that."

Arizona's 4-0 start has come at a perfect time for a sagging city, where the departure of Major League Baseball has left a big void. Recent data from Nielsen Media Research indicates that people are leaving, too. The Tucson market has shrunk by nearly 4,000 television households in the past year, dropping one slot to the 67th-largest market in the U.S.

By contrast, the Phoenix market gained 10,000 households and remains 12th in market size.

Yet Stoops' Wildcats now are a local treasure, and you can see the pride on game days, when the community gathers to walk with the team on their way the stadium.

"We're doing everything we can to stimulate the environment over here," Stoops said. "But I was a little apprehensive about the Cat walk. I didn't want people throwing stuff at us, and two-three years ago, I don't know how well that would've gone over. I don't want to get stomped."

Ah, but winning can do wondrous things. For proof, consider Stoops' demeanor. When things are going well, his game-day intensity is celebrated. When the losses mount, the histrionics suddenly become problematic. It's part of the vortex of pressure in which football coaches operate, and it drives Stoops insane.

"The focus should be on our players and their intensity, not mine," Stoops said. "If my players didn't respect me and the fans didn't engage it, then it would be a problem. But I give it everything I have every time I step on the practice field. And every time I'm in a game, I'm prepared. That's all I can do. I can't be somebody I'm not."

Yet he still finds himself gravitating to Dungy's book, "The Mentor Leader." Maybe Stoops can become something he's not. Maybe there's a better way. But should he change? And could he have revived a dying program without that bug-eyed, vein-popping intensity?

Probably not, but here's the rub: The sideline sideshow occasionally turns him into a caricature of a coach, and as a result, some people miss the true essence of the man.

"It's not about me. It shouldn't be, it's never been and never will be," Stoops said of his core strengths. "It's not about financial gain. It's about being humble. It's about competition. It's about pride, overcoming all obstacles. It's about toughness, not backing down. And it's about being a family. My players understand how important my family and kids are.

"You can't fool your players. Don't ever think you can, because you can't. They know what you're about. They know everything."

Like Dungy, it's admirable that Stoops is exploring non-traditional approaches to football, a business in which stress kills and priorities become easily distorted. He knows his own father Ron died from a heart attack at age 54, the night after coaching a high school football game. There are lessons to be learned here.

But there's also a game against Oregon State looming, and a precious chance to lead Arizona to its first Rose Bowl appearance in history. No time to ease up now.

"Good to great is a hard step to make," Stoops said.

For a coach who has put in some hard time, it's the only step left.

Stoops, Arizona coming on strong

By Steve Ramirez

September 19, 2010

It was a slip of the tongue, but in another way it wasn't.

ESPN announcer Mark Jones, who covered the University of Arizona's home game against then-No. 9 Iowa on Saturday, mistakenly called Wildcats coach Mike Stoops "Bob," his brother who is coach at Oklahoma.

That's how most view Mike Stoops, playing second fiddle to Bob Stoops, who has won one Bowl Championship Series title and annually has the Sooners in the hunt in the BCS race.

But Mike Stoops is slowly gaining.

He's building a budding program at Arizona, which defeated the highly touted Hawkeyes 34-27 Saturday and is playing its way into contention in the Pac-10 race and the BCS title quest.

The Wildcats, with quarterback Nick Foles and California High School product Nic Grigsby at running back, are picking up believers. They moved from No. 24 to No. 14 in this week's USA Today coaches' poll and it looks like things can only get better.

Originally after it was announced that Jeremiah Masoli wouldn't be leading Oregon's high-octane offense this year, I picked the Wildcats as the team to beat in the Pac-10.

I came off that statement after seeing what Ducks coach Chip Kelly had, but the Wildcats have the tools to test Oregon and Stanford, our two favorites to win the Pac-10 and wind up in Pasadena.

But don't sleep on Arizona. Foles might be the best quarterback you never heard of.

In a conference that includes Washington's Jake Locker, Stanford's Andrew Luck and USC's Matt Barkley, Foles has held his own the past two seasons.

He threw for 2,486 yards and 19 touchdowns last year in leading the Wildcats to second place and the Holiday Bowl. This year, he's thrown for 877 yards and five scores, including 303 yards and two touchdowns in the upset of Iowa.

Throw in Grigsby, a speed demon who helps keep defenses honest, and this definitely is a team to watch.

The Wildcats should prove their point again this week when they host California, which is fresh off a 52-31 loss to Nevada.

Stoops getting it done in the classroom, too

Mike Stoops has raised more than the football team's victory total.

By Anthony Gimino

August 5, 2010

Arizona football coach Mike Stoops has made steady progress in his six seasons as head coach, and we’re not just talking about the win-loss record.

Stoops’ conference victory totals have gone like this: two, two, four, four, five, six. Keep in mind that Arizona won a total of four Pac-10 games during the three lost years of the John Mackovic era.

Not only did Stoops inherit a mess on the field, he inherited a mess off the field, with discipline and work ethic problems that extended into the classroom.

It is here where we see more sure-footed improvement.

The football team’s Academic Progress Rate has improved every year since Stoops was hired after the 2003 season. The team’s APR for the 2003-04 school year was 870. The NCAA uses 925 as a cutline for potential punishment, estimating that the 925 level equates to about a 50 percent graduation rate.

Since then, this is how the Stoops-led program has done:

2004-05: 897
2005-06: 901
2006-07: 938
2007-08: 958
2008-09: 961

The Arizona football team was underperforming the national average by 56 points in the 2003-04 school year. Now, in the latest data, it is outperforming the national average by 17 points.

You can find the data about Stoops at the head coaches APR database released Thursday by the NCAA. This is a new tool that is helpful in tracking coaches across multiple schools.

Arizona Has Overtaken Arizona State for State Bragging Rights

By Tom Phillips

May 14, 2010

On New Year's Eve 2007, Arizona State had just played in the Holiday Bowl, while Arizona was in the midst of a 10-year bowl drought.

Just two years later the tables have turned.

Arizona is coming off a Holiday Bowl appearance and second place finish in the Pac-10 while ASU sat at home for a second straight year.

Where we stand today though, that's where we stand with the state of football in Arizona.

The Wildcats are optimistic about the upcoming season despite having to replace seven starters on defense thanks to an potent offense led by Nick Foles. Arizona State, on the other hand, is looking forward to having a tenacious defense that flies over the field but is worried about an offense that was inept for most of last season.

Arizona has been able to do this thanks to Mike Stoops. Less than two seasons ago Stoops was in the same spot Erickson now stands.

On the hot seat.

He has taken a program that had bare cupboards in terms of what they had; no stars, no NFL-ready players, no depth, and he has turned it into a program that was six seconds away from their first-ever Pac-10 title and Rose Bowl berth.

How has Stoops done it?

His coaching.

The once fiery coach has been able to develop lesser-known and recruited players to Tucson and develop them into NFL caliber players.

Take the 2008 recruiting classes. ASU was able to convince Gerell Robinson, Ryan Bass and Jarrell Barbour (all four star recruits at the time) to go back on their commitments to Arizona and go to play in Tempe. Arizona recruited Juron Criner, Keola Antolin (three star recruits) and David Douglas (a two star) instead.

Turn the clock ahead to 2010 and Criner is making the case to be the top receiver in the Pac-10, while Douglas has been a solid slot receiver for Arizona. Antolin has been solid as the part-time starter at running back for the Cats. Bass and Barbour are no longer at ASU, while Robinson has disappointed at receiver.

He has been able to find those diamond in the rough players, going out of state to California and Texas where the talent is much better than Arizona. The last time an elite recruit from Arizona signed with an in-state team was 2004, when Zach Miller signed with ASU.

That was until Marquis Flowers signed with the Wildcats this past recruiting cycle and with Arizona's possibly best recruiting class coming in 2011, there may be no better time to be the top dog in Arizona.

The tide in Arizona has shifted quickly. After dominating football in Arizona for two decades, ASU is at a point where it must win for their coach to keep his job and Arizona is in the driver's seat for the state's affection for college football.

While momentum has shifted to the Wildcats, this shows just how important it is for a team to keep it and improve upon it.

NC Sports Clients Mike Stoops, Kirk Ferentz get the most out of their talent

From Bret Feddern's "2010 College Football Rankings: 10 Leaders Who Out-Coach Their Talent"

March 24, 2010

More often than not, mediocre coaches get credit for the success of programs and recruits they inherited rather than their own efforts or merits.

Almost any head coach can be successful when inheriting a team full of four- and five-star recruits and a healthy foundation under the program.

Unfortunately, not all coaches are awarded their position under such circumstances, and not all programs have the ability to lure in four- or five-star recruits.

Those situations prove that a college football head coach needs to be a professional who can train and develop football talent in players.

In order to rebuild a program, a coach has to do more with less. That means taking average recruits and developing them into the best they can be.

There are several coaches in college football these days that have been doing just that.


Mike Stoops, Arizona

The state of Arizona isn't exactly a hotbed for high school football activity.

Since much of the state is a desert wonderland, the temperatures don't lend the most conducive atmosphere to football. That hasn't stopped Arizona head coach Mike Stoops from turning the Wildcats into a Pac-10 competitor.

Stoops has always gotten more out of less, from when he was a player to his time as a head coach. He is a true believer in hard work, and that has paid off well for Arizona.

This past year, despite losing key players in talent positions, Stoops was able to land the Wildcats in the Holiday Bowl and finish the season ranked No. 23.


Kirk Ferentz, Iowa

Kirk Ferentz might be the king of doing more with less.

Ferentz and the Iowa Hawkeyes coaching staff have consistently overachieved with the talent they've had on hand.

That, or experts have underestimated every recruiting class at Iowa since Ferentz took over.

According to Rivals, recruiting classes at Iowa under Ferentz have averaged a ranking of 40 nationally. Yet, year after year, Iowa sends player after player to the NFL.

This year, Iowa had seven invites to the 2010 NFL Combine, which tied for the most players from any one school. This year's NFL Draft could see six Hawkeyes selected.

Ferentz is known to look for the diamond in the rough, and it works well for him. If you need proof, just ask Dallas Clark.

Stoops named semifinalist for National Coach of Year

By Arizona Daily Wildcat

November 4, 2009

Mike Stoops has been named a semifinalist for the 21st George Munger Award for College Coach of the Year, the Maxwell Football Club announced today.

The Wildcats are No. 18 in the BCS standings, No. 21 in the AP poll and No. 19 in the USA Today Coach's Poll.

The winner will be announced in December. Here are the full results:

2009 Semifinalists for George Munger Award

Mack Brown, University of Texas
Kirk Ferentz, University of Iowa
Al Golden, Temple University
Paul Johnston, Georgia Tech
Brian Kelly, University of Cincinnati
Chip Kelly, University of Oregon
Urban Meyer, University of Florida
Joseph Paterno, Penn State University
Gary Patterson, Texas Christian University
Chris Petersen, Boise State University
Nick Saban, University of Alabama
Randy Shannon, University of Miami
Mike Stoops, University of Arizona
Kevin Sumlin, University of Houston
Dave Wannstedt, University of Pittsburgh

Stoops brothers give back to area at Camp of Champions

By JOHN VARGO Tribune Chronicle

July 1, 2009



From left, brothers Ron and Bob Stoops talk with Cardinal Mooney athletic director Don Bucci on Monday at Cardinal Mooney's Camp of Champions.

YOUNGSTOWN - Bob Stoops' gait wasn't that fast Monday. He took the time to enjoy the sights and talk to a few friends.

As he approached the Cardinal Mooney High School football practice field, it reminded him that he's a long ways from Oklahoma University.

"I love being back in the Valley seeing family and friends," said the Sooners football coach, who is heading into his 11th season in Norman, Okla. "There's nothing like it - seeing young kids coming out playing football and around Cardinal Mooney."

Bob, Ron and Mark Stoops, all Cardinal Mooney graduates, were at the Cardinals' Camp of Champions, which ended Tuesday.

"It's one big happy family and we enjoy spending some time with each other," said Mark, the defensive coordinator for his brother, Mike, at the University of Arizona.

You could say it's a vacation for Bob and Mark to return back home, but there's a lot of people demanding their time. Ron said their families go to the beach to get away.

"Here, we get spread thin with everybody else," said Ron, a Cardinal Mooney assistant coach.

This week, it was about guiding those young campers.

"You can see the kids are eager and they want to learn," Mark said. "They took the time to come here to camp. So, you want them to take something away to improve a little bit or work a little harder and also have some fun."

Arizona went 8-5 last season and Mark said he's looking forward to the upcoming campaign.

"We feel we have a good team coming in and excited about another year," he said.

Bob's Oklahoma team advanced to the BCS title game but lost to Florida. It was a successful season for the Sooners, nonetheless. He feels Oklahoma football can bring plenty of excitement to those in Norman.

"It's exciting. You wish you could be one game better," Bob said. "That's how it goes though. I'm proud of our players. They played hard throughout the year. Even though the championship game, they had a few more plays than we did and that's how it goes sometimes.

"Still, I'm proud of our players and people in our program to have gotten to that point. Hopefully, we'll get over the top."

Ron, on the other hand, is happy that Bob, one of the nation's high-profile coaches, can find time to come back to the Camp of Champions each year.

"Bob has been fantastic, so helpful to us," Ron said. "I really can't put it into words. I can't say enough to what he's doing, the commitment to the school and the program. He's been extremely generous with his time and resources. He's been a great brother and a great friend. He's been a great supporter for this community."

What we learned in the Pac-10, Week 8

October 19, 2008

By ESPN.com's Ted Miller

Revelations from the past weekend's action.

The Pac-10 is down because it goes limp on the road: Stanford and California both expected to move up in the conference pecking order this weekend but they were doomed from the start: They were playing on the road and Pac-10 teams don't win on the road in 2008 -- unless, for obvious reasons, the opponent is Washington or Washington State. Conference teams are now 8-22 on the road this year -- 6-14 in conference play -- and five of those conference road wins came at the Huskies and Cougars. Arizona's win at UCLA still ranks as the best road win of the season in conference play. Cal, the conference's only other ranked team besides USC entering the weekend, looked like a team that could push its way into the top half of the national rankings, but it flopped in the second half at Arizona. Its two losses this year were on the road (the other at Maryland). Bay Area neighbor Stanford is unbeaten (3-0) at home but is 1-4 on the road, the one win coming, yes, at Washington.

Arizona's pass defense ranked No. 1 in nation

JOHN MOREDICH

October 2, 2008

The University of Arizona's pass defense ranks No. 1 in the nation, and cornerback Devin Ross thinks he knows why.

"They are scared to challenge us deep, to be honest with you," Ross said. "Everybody watches film, and they know we have great DBs and our line is getting pressure. That makes it easier on us.

"Of course, we're going to face better quarterbacks and better receivers. We're going to have to step up to the challenge and play hard and play aggressive."

Washington might not air it out, either, when the Huskies travel to Arizona Stadium for a 4:30 p.m. kickoff on Saturday. That's because redshirt freshman quarterback Ronnie Fouch is getting his first start for the injured Jake Locker.

The Huskies might use a power running back set to slow the game and manage the clock. Others have tried the strategy.

New Mexico went away from its deep threats and settled for the run. It worked with the Lobos rushing for 221 yards in a 36-28 win over UA.

UCLA ran well in the first half against Arizona before being forced to throw after falling behind by 21 points.

UA's poor tackling at New Mexico gave opponents hope, safety Cam Nelson said.

"A lot of teams are going to try us on the ground and wait for us to fall asleep in the secondary and then open it up," Nelson said.

Coming into the season, it was thought teams would test new UA cornerbacks Marquis Hundley and Ross, who replaced 2007 Jim Thorpe Award winner Antoine Cason and fellow four-year starter Wilrey Fontenot.

That hasn't been the case - yet. Opponents have settled for screen plays and short routes. UA is allowing just 103.2 passing yards a game.

"For the most part we have not let guys get behind us very much," UA coach Mike Stoops said. "We have contested things. It has gone according to plan. I have a lot of confidence in this group."

A 37-yard screen to Toledo tailback Morgan Williams is UA's longest pass given up.

The Cats also got caught off guard by a 25-yard trick toss from New Mexico tailback Rodney Ferguson to quarterback Donovan Porterie - only one of two TD passes allowed by UA.

Whatever works.

"I'm surprised. I'm not going to lie," Nelson said when told about Arizona's ranking. "We don't get to watch a lot of the other college games, so we don't keep up with stats. We just try to go out and create takeaways.

"We don't look for stats or the glory. We just want wins."

Nelson knows this is no time to get satisfied.

The Cats (3-1, 1-0 Pac-10) have picked off five passes, but they've faced weak aerial attacks in their first four games.

Toledo ranks 79th nationally in passing, followed by Idaho (94), UCLA (95) and New Mexico (109).

Injuries and poor play have plagued Pac-10 quarterbacks. Only ASU's Rudy Carpenter, Oregon State's Lyle Moevao and USC's Mark Sanchez remain as big-time passing threats to UA.

Stanford's Tavita Pritchard is not a 300-yard per game quarterback, California has its starting job up for grabs, Washington State's offense is abysmal and Oregon is down to its fifth-string quarterback.

"I think as long as our guys stay hungry, and stay disciplined and play with a chip on their shoulders, then we have a chance every time we step on the field,'' UA defensive coordinator Mark Stoops said.