tbl
12/7/2008, 03:40 PM
Good article on Yahoo...
http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/news;_ylt=At25AuxdMg3wgIVaFTYGfKwcvrYF?slug=jn-oudefense120608&prov=yhoo&type=lgns
Don’t sleep on Sooners defense
By Jason King, Yahoo! Sports
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – As Travis Lewis trotted toward the Arrowhead Stadium tunnel, dodging the oranges that rained from the stands, the Oklahoma linebacker said the defense needs four weeks.
Four weeks in the film room. Four weeks on the field. Four weeks to prepare in every way possible for its likely national title showdown against Florida in the BCS Championship on Jan. 8 in Miami.
“You give us a month,” Lewis said, “and we’ll have a pretty darned good defense.”
Lewis is missing the point.
The Sooners already do.
Not that anyone is giving the unit any credit. Even after Saturday’s 62-21 annihilation of Missouri in the Big 12 Championship game, the buzz was that the Sooners defense gives up too many yards and too many points to topple high-scoring Florida in the national title game.
Subscribing to that theory is a mistake – the kind that could get the Gators beat next month in Miami. This might not be the best Oklahoma defense in the Bob Stoops era, but it was good enough to go 12-1. It was good enough to win the best conference in college football.
And it’s good enough to capture the eighth NCAA championship in school history.
“Our goal as a defense,” said coordinator Brent Venables, pointing toward the scoreboard, “is to be one point better than the other team. Luckily, most of the time, it’s been quite a bit more.”
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Granted, the main reason for that is Oklahoma’s offense, which on Saturday eclipsed the 60-point mark for the fifth straight game. After punting midway through the first quarter, the Sooners scored on their final nine possessions against Missouri. Led by Heisman finalist Sam Bradford, Oklahoma’s offense alone makes it one of the top teams in the country.
Mix in their surging defense, and the Sooners are the best.
“We’ve been hot and cold,” Stoops said. “We still have some kinks to work out. But we’re getting better.”
Glance at the numbers, and Oklahoma’s defense doesn’t seem all that special. The Sooners allow 24.8 points a game and allow 249.7 yards through the air, a mark that ranks fifth in the Big 12.
It’s misleading, though, to judge Oklahoma’s defense by statistics. The same goes for any defense that competes in the Big 12. The numbers are skewed, distorted and in need of an asterisk. No conference in the country features as many potent offenses as the ones the Sooners have faced this fall.
Texas’ Colt McCoy and Texas Tech’s Graham Harrell join Bradford as Heisman hopefuls. Todd Reesing (Kansas) and Zac Robinson (Oklahoma State) would be all-league selections in the ACC or Big East. Chase Daniel is the all-time leading passer in Missouri history.
Oklahoma beat all of them, save McCoy. On the season the Sooners have faced six teams that rank among the Top 20 nationally in total offense. Meanwhile, Florida, Oklahoma’s next opponent, boasts just two Top 25 wins (against Alabama and Georgia).
Playing in the SEC, the Gators haven’t seen an offense anywhere near as good as the ones the Sooners have been playing all season.
“The best thing about the Big 12,” tackle Gerald McCoy, “is that it’s prepared us for what’s next.”
Oklahoma’s defense has been particularly strong of late. Harrell and the Red Raiders were undefeated and ranked No. 2 before a 65-21 loss in Norman two weeks ago. Missouri entered the season as a national title contender with Daniel under center, but the Tigers looked inept as Oklahoma rolled to its sixth Big 12 championship in 13 years. No other team has won more than two.
Even more impressive about Oklahoma’s improving defense – which lost Curtis Lofton and Reggie Smith to the NFL draft – is that it features seven first-year starters. Things looked bad when middle linebacker Ryan Reynolds was lost for the season with a knee injury midway through the season. But Oklahoma never flinched.
The Sooners rank 12th nationally against the run and – even more important – are allowing opponents to convert on just 28.3 percent of the time on third down.
That, more than anything, has become this group’s trademark. Oklahoma might give up some yards here and there, but the Sooners are opportunistic. Stoops even said he’s never had a unit that came through with such big plays at key moments.
Sometimes that means sacking a quarterback deep in his own territory on third down, which creates good field position for the offense. Other times it’s coming through with a red-zone stop that limits an opponent to a field goal rather than a touchdown. The Sooners have forced a Big 12-best 32 turnovers.
“We’ve made a statement that we’re not just an offensive team – we’re a defensive team, too,” cornerback Brian Jackson said. “Our offense … 60 points a game for five straight games … that’s crazy. Without them, we’re nothing.
“And without us, they’re nothing.”
Together, though, they’re everything.
Just ask Florida around midnight Jan. 8.
http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/news;_ylt=At25AuxdMg3wgIVaFTYGfKwcvrYF?slug=jn-oudefense120608&prov=yhoo&type=lgns
Don’t sleep on Sooners defense
By Jason King, Yahoo! Sports
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – As Travis Lewis trotted toward the Arrowhead Stadium tunnel, dodging the oranges that rained from the stands, the Oklahoma linebacker said the defense needs four weeks.
Four weeks in the film room. Four weeks on the field. Four weeks to prepare in every way possible for its likely national title showdown against Florida in the BCS Championship on Jan. 8 in Miami.
“You give us a month,” Lewis said, “and we’ll have a pretty darned good defense.”
Lewis is missing the point.
The Sooners already do.
Not that anyone is giving the unit any credit. Even after Saturday’s 62-21 annihilation of Missouri in the Big 12 Championship game, the buzz was that the Sooners defense gives up too many yards and too many points to topple high-scoring Florida in the national title game.
Subscribing to that theory is a mistake – the kind that could get the Gators beat next month in Miami. This might not be the best Oklahoma defense in the Bob Stoops era, but it was good enough to go 12-1. It was good enough to win the best conference in college football.
And it’s good enough to capture the eighth NCAA championship in school history.
“Our goal as a defense,” said coordinator Brent Venables, pointing toward the scoreboard, “is to be one point better than the other team. Luckily, most of the time, it’s been quite a bit more.”
ADVERTISEMENT
Granted, the main reason for that is Oklahoma’s offense, which on Saturday eclipsed the 60-point mark for the fifth straight game. After punting midway through the first quarter, the Sooners scored on their final nine possessions against Missouri. Led by Heisman finalist Sam Bradford, Oklahoma’s offense alone makes it one of the top teams in the country.
Mix in their surging defense, and the Sooners are the best.
“We’ve been hot and cold,” Stoops said. “We still have some kinks to work out. But we’re getting better.”
Glance at the numbers, and Oklahoma’s defense doesn’t seem all that special. The Sooners allow 24.8 points a game and allow 249.7 yards through the air, a mark that ranks fifth in the Big 12.
It’s misleading, though, to judge Oklahoma’s defense by statistics. The same goes for any defense that competes in the Big 12. The numbers are skewed, distorted and in need of an asterisk. No conference in the country features as many potent offenses as the ones the Sooners have faced this fall.
Texas’ Colt McCoy and Texas Tech’s Graham Harrell join Bradford as Heisman hopefuls. Todd Reesing (Kansas) and Zac Robinson (Oklahoma State) would be all-league selections in the ACC or Big East. Chase Daniel is the all-time leading passer in Missouri history.
Oklahoma beat all of them, save McCoy. On the season the Sooners have faced six teams that rank among the Top 20 nationally in total offense. Meanwhile, Florida, Oklahoma’s next opponent, boasts just two Top 25 wins (against Alabama and Georgia).
Playing in the SEC, the Gators haven’t seen an offense anywhere near as good as the ones the Sooners have been playing all season.
“The best thing about the Big 12,” tackle Gerald McCoy, “is that it’s prepared us for what’s next.”
Oklahoma’s defense has been particularly strong of late. Harrell and the Red Raiders were undefeated and ranked No. 2 before a 65-21 loss in Norman two weeks ago. Missouri entered the season as a national title contender with Daniel under center, but the Tigers looked inept as Oklahoma rolled to its sixth Big 12 championship in 13 years. No other team has won more than two.
Even more impressive about Oklahoma’s improving defense – which lost Curtis Lofton and Reggie Smith to the NFL draft – is that it features seven first-year starters. Things looked bad when middle linebacker Ryan Reynolds was lost for the season with a knee injury midway through the season. But Oklahoma never flinched.
The Sooners rank 12th nationally against the run and – even more important – are allowing opponents to convert on just 28.3 percent of the time on third down.
That, more than anything, has become this group’s trademark. Oklahoma might give up some yards here and there, but the Sooners are opportunistic. Stoops even said he’s never had a unit that came through with such big plays at key moments.
Sometimes that means sacking a quarterback deep in his own territory on third down, which creates good field position for the offense. Other times it’s coming through with a red-zone stop that limits an opponent to a field goal rather than a touchdown. The Sooners have forced a Big 12-best 32 turnovers.
“We’ve made a statement that we’re not just an offensive team – we’re a defensive team, too,” cornerback Brian Jackson said. “Our offense … 60 points a game for five straight games … that’s crazy. Without them, we’re nothing.
“And without us, they’re nothing.”
Together, though, they’re everything.
Just ask Florida around midnight Jan. 8.