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November 2, 2009

Sooner defense sees slip-ups against K-State

By John Shinn

Oklahoma got a big win Saturday night over Kansas State. Answering the Wildcats score for score down the stretch paved the way for the 42-30 victory.

But it left a big unanswered question -- what happened to the Sooner defense?

OU defensive coordinator Brent Venables summed it up quickly.

"We played really poorly at some inopportune times," he said.

Those slip ups were mostly in the second half and on third down. The Wildcats kept those drives alive converting 7-of-14 third-down attempts. All but one of those conversions came in the second and third quarter.

Venables rolled off a long list of those after the game. Each one caused equal irritation. From a blitz that was called, but not executed, a pass when rushers allowed Kansas State quarterback Grant Gregory to get out of the pocket, to small breakdowns in coverage, all helped the Wildcats get back in the game.

As the Sooners (5-3, 3-1 Big 12) move forward, they have to find out if it was a one-time slip up or the start of a trend.

The 30 points were the most OU's allowed all season. Even stranger, the final total was 23 more than it allowed in its previous three home games.

But in the beginning and the end, the defense was stout. OU jumped out to a 21-0 lead because Kansas State couldn't move the ball. OU finally pulled away after forcing a couple of punts in the fourth quarter.

"They caught us a few times, but overall I thought we really held up in the first half and were really strong. In the second half, they worked us a little bit but we came up with those stops in the fourth with the last couple of drives when we really had to," OU coach Bob Stoops said.

Nonetheless, a defensive performance like Saturday's probably would have gotten the Sooners beat as early as a few games ago. For the first time this season, the offense came through in a close game.

"I thought the offense played exceptionally well. Especially in the second half when they answered every time they scored. That helped us out a lot," defensive end Jeremy Beal said.

The complete team effort is something the Sooners have missed this season. They'll need to continue it over the final four games of the regular season. The Sooners, who moved up two spots to No. 20 in the latest Associated Press Top 25 and made their debut in the BCS standings at No. 24, go to Nebraska at 7 p.m. Saturday.

The Huskers (5-3, 2-2) have struggled offensively, averaging only 16 points in four conference games. But things can change quickly. The Sooner defense showed it against Kansas State.

"We weren't as sharp as we've been on third down," Venables said. "The positive from it is these are all really easy correctable things."

John Shinn 366-3536 jshinn@normantranscript.com

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