Oklahoma CB Kendel Dolby Making The Most of His Opportunity
NORMAN -- Oklahoma's first true road game of the season will be a homecoming for cornerback Kendel Dolby.
Dolby grew up in Springfield, OH, about 80 miles north of Cincinnati, where the Sooners play Saturday.
He'll have family and friends on hand when OU (3-0) opens Big 12 Conference Play against the Cincinnati Bearcats (1-2).
"It feels good, you know, being able to go back home," he said after practice Monday. "Obviously I'm from Ohio, so a lot of people will be out there that I know. It feels good."
A junior college transfer who landed in Norman by way of Northeastern Oklahoma A&M in Miami, OK (the school's defensive coordinator was from Springfield), Dolby saw limited action before Saturday's win over Tulsa, registering one tackle against Arkansas State on Sept. 2
But when he entered the game in the first quarter he made the most of his opportunity, intercepting Golden Hurricane quarterback Roman Fuller. It was the third of five interceptions on the day by the Sooners' defense. OU converted the turnovers into 35 points in a 66-17 rout.
"It felt good in the moment," Dolby said of the pick. "It felt good, but for me, I want more. Obviously it's somewhere for me to start, but I want more."
Defensive coordinator Ted Roof said Dolby, a 5-foot-11, 181- pound junior jumped out on tape.
“We saw a guy who made plays that was very active and had a lot of production, was savvy and was physical," Roof said. "That’s one of the things that certainly jumps out on his tape. He’s a physical guy.
"Excited about his progression. He played more last week and will probably play more this week. Like everybody, we’ve all got to earn it. He’s worked hard. He’s excited about it and we’re excited about him.”
Dolby credits defensive backs coach Jay Valai with his progress as a player since arriving at OU in January.
"It's been smooth, it's been smooth," he said. "He coaches hard. You can tell it's all love with him, but he's honestly, been transforming my game, helping me build my confidence up the more I fit in with this defense.
"I feel like coach (Brent) Venables, the whole coaching staff, they tell me every day they recruited me for a reason. So right now, it's just getting my details down. They believe in me and obviously that pick kind of shows that my confidence has come up, so I just want to keep building on that."
Dolby said the OU defense will be ready for Emory Jones, Cincinnati's talented dual-threat quarterback. Jones, a transfer who previously played for Arizona State and Florida, passed for 265 yards and ran for 113 yards in the Bearcats' 31-24 overtime loss to Miami (Ohio) Saturday.
"Obviously, he can pass the ball, he can run the ball, so he's going to be athletic," he said. "But we're ready to get after him. We're flying around, so we want to do that come Saturday."
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