As a former All-Big Ten safety and secondary coach since 2004 at the highest levels of the college game, Kerry Cooks understands the plight of defensive backs.
"If anything ain't right, if my tape ain't right, if my knee pads ain't right, those are things that throw me off," said Cooks, in his third season at Oklahoma and second as assistant defensive coordinator.
So imagine, Cooks said, if your body lets you down as a defensive back. For Steven Parker, the Sooners' four-year starting safety, it was his left shoulder. Parker suffered a torn labrum early in Oklahoma's opening-game loss last year against Houston.