By John Shinn
Transcript Sports Writer
Defense was supposed to be Oklahoma’s strength this season. And that preseason prediction appears to be finally coming to fruition.
The Sooners (5-2, 2-1 Big 12) put together a dominant performance in Saturday night’s 24-3 victory over Colorado. They held the Buffaloes to 113 total yards and allowed just five first downs.
After lackluster play the first three games, the unit has turned things around in a big way. Saturday’s performance was OU’s fourth straight game holding an opponent to less than 300 yards.
During the four-game stretch — Middle Tennessee, Texas, Iowa State and Colorado — OU’s defense has only allowed 31 points.
“I think we’re getting better every week,” defensive coordinator Brent Venables said. “The last month we’ve gotten better and more consistent in all phases of the game.”
Since allowing 501 yards, which included two touchdowns in the final minutes Sept. 16 at Oregon, the Sooners have been downright stingy.
The blown assignments and missed tackles that had coaches fuming in September seem to have been swept away or at least under the carpet.
You can scour the Switzer Center for in-depth reasons for the turnaround. But the explanations you’ll get vary.
Some say it’s been the play of Marcus Walker and Lendy Holmes at the cornerback spots.
Their play has been a calming influence for a secondary that seemed to be in turmoil in September.
Others point toward the improvement of the defensive line. The gaping holes Alabama-Birmingham, Washington and Oregon exploited have shrunk. OU’s allowed just 3.2 yards a carry in conference play.
“You can say we’re putting it together,” linebacker Rufus Alexander said. “I’d just say everybody’s starting to do their jobs.”
That’s the point OU’s coaching staff has tried to hammer home. Most of the errors the Sooners committed came from trying to do more than the job required.
The defense is designed for 11 guys to do an exact job every snap. When it happens, you get the type of performance OU had against the Buffaloes.
Whatever it is, it couldn’t have come at a better time. The Sooners take on Big 12 North-leading Missouri (7-1, 3-1) at 11 a.m. Saturday in Columbia, Mo.
It’s the first of four road games OU will play during the regular season’s final five weeks. They’re also against some of the conference’s best offenses.
There’s no doubt this will the roughest part of the schedule. Winning will be difficult without solid defense.
“You’re challenged as a team to go on the road and play in somebody else’s house, particularly on defense,” Venables said. “That toughness, from a mental standpoint, begins with defense.”
The only true road game OU has played thus far was at Oregon. It played well enough to win that game, but it was still the low point of the season as far as the defense is concerned.
But the Sooners have a little more confidence as they prepare to head into hostile territory.
“I feel really good about it,” head coach Bob Stoops said. “I guess that’s a good way of putting it. Maybe it’s best to have it now as opposed to early in the year.”
John Shinn
366-3536
jshinn@normantranscript.com
OU Sports
Related Photos
-
KEVIN ELLIS
Discussion
Looking stout
OU's defense finally living up to preseason expectations
- OU Sports
-
-
Sooners did not show up to play
Texas had something to play for. So there’s that. If the Longhorns are to receive an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament, this was just the kind of game they absolutely had to win....
-
With W.V. set free by Big East, Big 12 schedule’s out and it’s backloaded for Sooners
With West Virginia finally receiving its release from the Big East Conference on Tuesday, the Big 12 Conference was finally able to release its conference football schedule for the 2012 season....
-
Red River rut
The rut Oklahoma has been trying to escape for the last two weeks continued to grow deeper with a 69-58 loss to Texas Tuesday night at Lloyd Noble Center....
-
OU gearing up for Texas’ Brown
If Oklahoma guard Steven Pledger had his way, tonight’s meeting with Texas will come down to two players: himself and Longhorn guard J’Covan Brown....
-
Sooners will have a dramatically new look up and down the order, on the mound
The clubhouse at L. Dale Mitchell Park hasn’t changed over the last year. Just about everything else has since the 2011 baseball season ended. The locker stalls have 20 new nameplates. The coaches’ locker room has two new ones as well. ...
-
Despite hard fight, UConn wins big
By its own standards, the Connecticut team that took the floor Monday night at Lloyd Noble Center was not in the same class as its previous incarnations. But a down year for the seven-time national champions is still better than just ...
-
Believe it or not, OU women are progressing
Connecticut coach Geno Auriemma appeared plenty willing to embarrass Oklahoma for a third time in seven games....
-
OU reeling from stunning loss to Texas Tech
As Oklahoma’s players headed toward the exit at United Spirit Arena on Saturday night, most had dazed looks on their faces. The 65-47 loss to Texas Tech was something they didn’t see coming....
-
Husky challenge
No time might seem like a good time to face Connecticut. The Huskies are always terrific and this season will enter Lloyd Noble Center likely ranked No. 2 following Notre Dame’s Sunday loss to West Virginia....
-
Sooners put finishing touches on perfect opener
Oklahoma capped off a perfect opening weekend of softball on Sunday with an 11-1 victory over Kent State. The Sooners were led by another strong outing from pitcher Keilani Rickets and an offensive explosion by Allee Allen....
- More OU Sports Headlines
-
Sooners did not show up to play
