NORMAN — Oklahoma’s defensive position play has taken a nosedive over the previous three weeks.
Exiting non-conference play, the Sooners ranked first nationally in tackles for loss (32), first in tackles for loss yardage (167), second in complete sack yardage (96) and fourth within the nation in sacks (13).
Since the schedule turned to Big 12 play, nevertheless, the OU cross rush has been non-existent.
Switching between a four-man entrance towards Kansas State and three-man seems to be towards each TCU and Texas, Brent Venables’ protection has posted only one sack and 12 tackles for loss throughout the final three video games.
While the defensive position has been a non-factor, quarterbacks Adrian Martinez, Max Duggan and Quinn Ewers have had on a regular basis on the earth to choose aside the Sooner secondary.
OU at present sits with the No. 77-ranked cross protection, and issues worsen when it comes to stuffing the run.
In Big 12 play alone, the Sooners are permitting 310.6 speeding yards per sport over the past three weeks.
Oklahoma ultimately rolled four-man seems to be again at Texas towards the tip of final week’s Red River rout, however Venables dug his heels in a bit throughout his weekly press convention about how efficient a three-man defensive entrance could be.
“Who’d we play Week 3? Nebraska. So we sacked them pretty good and we stopped the run out of (the three-man front),” Venables mentioned. “… The three-man, actually, a couple of years ago led the country in defense. In the three men. Iowa State has been the best defense in this league the last five years, year in and year out over that period of time.”
Transitioning from Alex Grinch’s “Speed D” to Venables system was going to be tough, as Grinch deliberately seemed for lighter gamers who relied on getting within the backfield shortly.
But the mix of energy coach Jerry Schmidt’s offseason program and the additions of fellows like Jeffery Johnson and Jonah Laulu within the switch portal appeared to give the defensive entrance a minor face elevate this offseason.
The play on the sector mirrored that by means of the primary three weeks as nicely, which makes the disastrous turnaround much more perplexing.
“I wish I could speak on that but I obviously can’t,” Johnson mentioned after apply on Monday. “I think from us and everybody this is gonna take a lot more commitment from a team standpoint. A lot of guys have bought in. I thought what it takes to win is gonna take a little more commitment.”
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Regardless of what number of defensive lineman Oklahoma throws onto the sector towards No. 19-ranked Kansas this weekend, Venables mentioned there are nonetheless some basic items the defensive position will want to execute for any scheme to be efficient.
“Again, I think it’s still being physical with whatever system,” Venables mentioned. “You’re going to get to four-man principles. You’re still just playing one gap. We’re not two-gapping people out of that. So you’re still on edges at times. Sometimes you slide guys inside but you’ve got outside pressure and things of that nature.
“So sometimes it looks really good and when you’re losing and you’re not stopping the run, it don’t look so good. We were trying to help guys. There’s lots of reasons and maybe we can talk about it in the offseason. But you’re trying, like every single week you’re trying to protect weaknesses and play to your strengths and then sometimes it’s the lesser of two evils. But right now, none of it’s any good with what our expectations are.”
This weekend, the Jayhawks have the method to make the Sooners look foolish but once more.
Kansas has allowed simply three sacks all season lengthy, the fourth finest mark within the nation, and can deliver the sixteenth finest speeding assault within the nation to Norman, averaging 215.2 speeding yards per sport.
Backup quarterback Jason Bean is anticipated to get the beginning for the Jayhawks after final week’s damage to Kansas star Jalon Daniels, and Bean may have loads of confidence from his efficiency towards OU final yr.
Bean spearheaded Kansas’ upset bid in Lawrence with 246 passing yards and a rating on 17-of-23 passing, including 59 yards on the bottom.
The quest for solutions continues for the Oklahoma defensive entrance this week, and the defensive employees is working to try to recapture the manufacturing from OU’s first three contests.
“We tried to mix things up. After three weeks, we were doing pretty well there,” defensive coordinator Ted Roof mentioned on Monday. “The production hasn’t been what it was. The results haven’t been what it was. We’re evaluating everything every week. We’re looking under every rock and behind every door. We’re evaluating a bunch of things right now.”
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