oupride
12/30/2008, 12:42 PM
Fort Meyers, FL article (http://www.news-press.com/article/20081230/SPORTS/812300355/1075) quotes several players on Defense. Good stuff!
By DAVID JONES • The News-Press.com sports bureau • December 30, 2008
GAINESVILLE - Oklahoma's defensive players have heard enough about how Florida is going to blow them apart in the Jan. 8 national title game.
"I try not to listen to it, but they can think whatever they want," Sooners defensive end Jeremy Beal said of all the media predictions. "It just matters what we think and what we believe in. It gives us motivation. People can say we can't play defense and that gives us a little motivation, but we know that we can. I think if we go out and play like we are supposed to we will have a great chance to win."
The Sooners' defense was good enough to win all but one of 13 games and finish the regular season as the No. 1 ranked team in the BCS.
"We've had better defensive years," Oklahoma coach Bobby Stoops said. "I'm fully aware of that. But in the end, some of it has been geared to the style we've decided to play on offense, snapping the ball as quick as we can and getting as many snaps as we can. That kind of thing has changed ... has given the other teams' offenses more opportunities, more opportunities for possession time, that kind of thing. But that's OK.
"We've also given up I don't know how many touchdowns in games when we've had huge leads."
He's right. Anyone who studies the stats realizes the Sooners have been kind to opponents mostly when way ahead.
OU ranks 18th nationally in rushing defense, giving up 106 yards a game. The Sooners are 65th in total defense, however, allowing 359.08 yards an outing.
Oklahoma is No. 57 in the country in scoring defense (24.54 points a game).
"Some of those statistics, I don't know, totally match the way we've been able to play most of the year," Stoops said. "I think we lead the league in forced turnovers, those kinds of things, and sacks and turnover margin and lost yardage plays, those kinds of things.
"But in the end sometimes it's hard to judge defenses, depending on how good offenses are. So that's something that you can make a case probably either way sometimes."
OU ranks third in the country in sacks per game (3.23) and is No. 1 in turnover margin (plus-1.77).
Senior defensive back Lendy Holmes feels the key to the game will come early and involves Tim Tebow.
"We have to come out early and stop the run game, stop Tebow from running," Holmes said. "We have to try and make him throw the ball, which he can do. But his comfort zone is running the ball."
Stoops agrees that the Gator ground game is the key.
"They do have excellent (players at) skill positions," he said. "But you look at what they do, the bread and butter of what they do is the run game."
Beal said the Sooner defensive ends could be a key to containing UF. More importantly, perhaps, is the attitude the OU defense is taking to Miami.
"It is a business trip," he said. "We're not going down there to have fun. We are going down there to try and win a championship."
Sophomore defensive tackle Gerald McCoy said this unit has something else that may be overlooked. Especially late in games.
"We're learning how to finish," he said. "Last year we had trouble playing on the road, and this year we haven't had that same type of trouble. We're learning how to finish, we're staying intense throughout the whole game. It's something we changed from last year to this year, and we're going to try to keep that going into this game with Florida."
The Sooners' offense has been outstanding all year. There is no question they have the ability to put up points. But if the Oklahoma defense sets the tone early by shutting down Florida, it could be a huge emotional lift for the entire squad.
"The muscle of the team is going to win," McCoy promised. "When we come up and tackle, we have to punish those guys and make them not want to run the ball anymore. They think that our defense is not any good in the Big 12."
That answer comes soon. And if ever a unit has been challenged to answer questions in a national title game, this one is it.
"Sooner Nation is hungry for that eighth national championship," senior defensive back Nic Harris said. "I'm going to do everything in my power on the defensive side of the ball to bring it back. I said it in the beginning of the season and I'm saying it now, whatever it is that we need to do on the defensive side of the ball to get this win, that's what we're going to do."
By DAVID JONES • The News-Press.com sports bureau • December 30, 2008
GAINESVILLE - Oklahoma's defensive players have heard enough about how Florida is going to blow them apart in the Jan. 8 national title game.
"I try not to listen to it, but they can think whatever they want," Sooners defensive end Jeremy Beal said of all the media predictions. "It just matters what we think and what we believe in. It gives us motivation. People can say we can't play defense and that gives us a little motivation, but we know that we can. I think if we go out and play like we are supposed to we will have a great chance to win."
The Sooners' defense was good enough to win all but one of 13 games and finish the regular season as the No. 1 ranked team in the BCS.
"We've had better defensive years," Oklahoma coach Bobby Stoops said. "I'm fully aware of that. But in the end, some of it has been geared to the style we've decided to play on offense, snapping the ball as quick as we can and getting as many snaps as we can. That kind of thing has changed ... has given the other teams' offenses more opportunities, more opportunities for possession time, that kind of thing. But that's OK.
"We've also given up I don't know how many touchdowns in games when we've had huge leads."
He's right. Anyone who studies the stats realizes the Sooners have been kind to opponents mostly when way ahead.
OU ranks 18th nationally in rushing defense, giving up 106 yards a game. The Sooners are 65th in total defense, however, allowing 359.08 yards an outing.
Oklahoma is No. 57 in the country in scoring defense (24.54 points a game).
"Some of those statistics, I don't know, totally match the way we've been able to play most of the year," Stoops said. "I think we lead the league in forced turnovers, those kinds of things, and sacks and turnover margin and lost yardage plays, those kinds of things.
"But in the end sometimes it's hard to judge defenses, depending on how good offenses are. So that's something that you can make a case probably either way sometimes."
OU ranks third in the country in sacks per game (3.23) and is No. 1 in turnover margin (plus-1.77).
Senior defensive back Lendy Holmes feels the key to the game will come early and involves Tim Tebow.
"We have to come out early and stop the run game, stop Tebow from running," Holmes said. "We have to try and make him throw the ball, which he can do. But his comfort zone is running the ball."
Stoops agrees that the Gator ground game is the key.
"They do have excellent (players at) skill positions," he said. "But you look at what they do, the bread and butter of what they do is the run game."
Beal said the Sooner defensive ends could be a key to containing UF. More importantly, perhaps, is the attitude the OU defense is taking to Miami.
"It is a business trip," he said. "We're not going down there to have fun. We are going down there to try and win a championship."
Sophomore defensive tackle Gerald McCoy said this unit has something else that may be overlooked. Especially late in games.
"We're learning how to finish," he said. "Last year we had trouble playing on the road, and this year we haven't had that same type of trouble. We're learning how to finish, we're staying intense throughout the whole game. It's something we changed from last year to this year, and we're going to try to keep that going into this game with Florida."
The Sooners' offense has been outstanding all year. There is no question they have the ability to put up points. But if the Oklahoma defense sets the tone early by shutting down Florida, it could be a huge emotional lift for the entire squad.
"The muscle of the team is going to win," McCoy promised. "When we come up and tackle, we have to punish those guys and make them not want to run the ball anymore. They think that our defense is not any good in the Big 12."
That answer comes soon. And if ever a unit has been challenged to answer questions in a national title game, this one is it.
"Sooner Nation is hungry for that eighth national championship," senior defensive back Nic Harris said. "I'm going to do everything in my power on the defensive side of the ball to bring it back. I said it in the beginning of the season and I'm saying it now, whatever it is that we need to do on the defensive side of the ball to get this win, that's what we're going to do."