Oklahoma left Manhattan, Kan., without any major injuries. But its defense’s pride was in a sling.
Saturday’s performance in the 58-35 victory over Kansas State was the third straight in which it allowed over 430 yards of total offense and third in a row with over four touchdowns on the scoreboard.
The performances are anything but typical from a unit that, statistically, has been among the best in the Big 12 Conference.
“We have to do a better job, obviously, of playing more consistently,” OU defensive coordinator Brent Venables said. “That’s part of the maturation process. We’ll hope to grow. The encouraging part is there’s a level of responsibility you sense when it’s taking place. It’s having a sense of pride, too, not to allow those to happen and be acceptable.”
It was clear the frustration level among OU’s defenders was near a boiling point Saturday. Going on the road and beating a Big 12 team by 23 points was a feather in any team’s cap. But giving up these kinds of points and yards is taking a toll.
Most of OU’s problems against the Wildcats were in the passing game. Kansas State quarterback Josh Freeman was able to break out of the pocket several times to keep plays alive. The secondary had a difficult time latching onto receivers when he did.
Three of Kansas State’s touchdowns were longer than 29 yards.
“We’ll play well here and there, but then give up a big play,” defensive end Auston English said. “Sometimes we’ll miss a tackle and not get the guy down and those things hurt your defense.”
You could argue it’s a byproduct of the explosive offenses in the Big 12. Quarterbacks are better at everything from reading defenses to alluding the pass rush. Wide receivers are better and more skilled than ever.
The sign was in the Big 12 scores Saturday. The winning team scored at least 28 points in every game Saturday. Four of the six topped 49.
It has caused some defenses — OU’s included — to re-evaluate statistical goals.
But not everything.
“You still look at the things that have hurt us the last couple weeks, talking about big plays,” Venables said. “That’s never going to change, and we want zero big plays. No pass over 20 yards, no run over 15. Obviously when those things happen, that’s not acceptable regardless of the day and age.”
OU coach Bob Stoops took a more diplomatic approach. There’s no doubt he’s frustrated with the defense’s play. But he pointed out the unit came up with five turnovers against the Wildcats and set up some easy scores.
“We forced quite a few turnovers in short field a good number of times,” he said. “The defense was put on the short field a couple of times, too. I think there were 11 different possessions where the offense got it in within 60 yards. When that happens you’ve got a chance to score.”
However, no one expects the questions to go away until the Sooners give a performance to answer some of them. The next opportunity to get back on track is against Nebraska (5-3, 2-2 Big 12) at 7 p.m. Saturday at Owen Field.
“It’s something we can’t lose sight of,” English said. “You have to take the good with the good and the bad with the bad. We need to realize we have a lot to improve on and try to get this redirected.”
John Shinn
366-3536
jshinn@normantranscript.com
OU Sports
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