There’s always one thing that keeps the package from being perfect. Saturday afternoon, Oklahoma moved the ball with a surgeon’s precision. It dominated Cincinnati defensively and won every phase but one.
The Sooners’ kick coverage was what separated them from perfection in the 52-26 victory at Owen Field.
The Bearcats’ Marshawn Gilyard averaged, that’s right averaged, 49.2 yards per return Saturday, leaving fans to hold their breath after every OU touchdown.
Three times Gilyard burned the Sooners for returns of over 50 yards, including a 97-yard touchdown return after OU’s first second-half touchdown.
“We have been practicing our kickoff return all week and coach (Brian Kelly) just kept saying it was going to hit,” said Gilyard, who basically was the Bearcats’ offense Saturday with 365 all-purpose yards. “We eventually hit it and I had a couple of big returns. I noticed some flaws in their kickoff defense on those returns and I took advantage of those opportunities.”
That’s surprising. Cincinnati entered the game with a 145-game streak without a kickoff return for a touchdown. The 13-year streak was the third longest active one in major college football.
But signs the streak would end emerged early.
Gilyard ripped off a 51-yard return after the Sooners had scored to go up 14-0 midway through the first quarter. He added a 63-yard dash after OU went up 21-7.
One would think OU might have done something to rectify the situation. It did eventually, going with a couple pooch kicks in the second half, but not before giving up the touchdown early in the third quarter.
“Two of them, I saw it with my own eyes, we got a guy unblocked and he misses the tackle,” OU coach Bob Stoops said. “It’s one thing if you don’t have anyone there. If he makes the tackle everything is OK. But when they miss there’s a problem.”
The stunning part was outside of the touchdown return, the Bearcats couldn’t turn the special teams edge into points. The Sooners forced a turnover on downs after the first-quarter return and Dominique Franks’ second-quarter interception nullified the second big return.
But OU won’t be able to dodge those kinds of bullets throughout the season.
“We’ll keep working to get better,” Stoops said. “It’s one of the issues early in the season that we have to iron out.
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