The Oklahoma Sooners sit at 2-2 overall and 1-0 in conference play. With one of their biggest road games out of the way, the Sooners appear to be primed to run the table, and win the Big 12 conference for the 10th time.
Sooner fans will still be disappointed by the two non-conference schedule losses to Houston and Ohio State, as they should be. However, Oklahoma can still win the Big 12 and secure a spot in a New Years 6 bowl game; that is of course unless chaos ensures and the Sooners find themselves in the College Football Playoff. But, before we start day dreaming, the Oklahoma win in Fort Worth was impressive, though not a perfect performance. Baker Mayfield and company found themselves in a 21-7 hole to start the second quarter, at the time Oklahoma had not moved the ball consistently, and the defense was struggling mightily to defend the pass. Baker Mayfield also fumbled the ball in TCU territory which opened the game up for the Horned Frogs to take a quick lead. During the 2nd and 3rd quarters, Oklahoma outscored TCU 42-3, going up 49-24 and virtually sealing the deal with dominant performances by both the offense and defense. Then the 4th quarter came, the offense got conservative, and helped allow TCU score 22 consecutive points. All of a sudden, TCU found themselves back in the ball game. Afterwards, the Sooners extended the lead to 6, and the defense held down the fort to escape with a 52-46 win.
Inconsistency on defense, specifically at the cornerback position opposite of Jordan Thomas needs to improve for the Sooners to become the team they believe they wholeheartedly can be. The Sooners have shown flashes of great defense all season, but they have been interspersed with equally atrocious defense in other spots. So that begs the question, why? Schedule? The Sooners have played 3 top offenses in their first 4 games, but in the Big 12 they will play a few more. Is it coaching? Well, Mike Stoops isn’t a popular guy in Norman, but his achievements recently would indicate he hasn’t lost the step many would claim.
It is youth on the defensive side of ball that is hurting OU, and making it difficult for them to compete consistently on every quarter and every drive. Besides the cornerback position, the Sooners other struggles are at linebacker, which, ironically, may the be the most talent-filled unit they have. The Sooners are constantly in position to make plays, but small issues arise each time that ultimately show it isn’t talent, or athleticism the Sooners lack, nor is it coaching because they are in the right spots. Some issues with one-on-one tackling, corners not quite getting their eyes turned around, and the linebackers making the wrong read against complex offensive schemes. Relax, Sooner fans these are very fixable issues, and trust me OU came a very long way in two weeks, and TCU never throws in the towel either. TCU has this tendency against OU, and other top teams, to just never be out of a game. Most importantly, be patient Sooner fans because the defense will get better.
Well, we start with the bad, so we can end with the good! Let’s be honest, QB Baker Mayfield is simply awesome The dude single handedly turned the tide of the ball game early on, and did so with his feet. While it is a long shot hell find himself on the Heisman ballot this season, he had a Heisman-like performance, despite losing two fumbles. Baker has been good all season long, but finally on Saturday night, he was great. Mayfield had 4 total touchdowns on Saturday, 2 on the ground and 2 in the air. As the Fox Sports’ Gus Johnson suggested, “This team is virtually unbeatable when they are running the football.” Charles Davis responded saying, “It makes you wonder why they didn’t do it more against Ohio State and Houston?” Thank you Lincoln Riley for finally deciding to use Mixon and Perine, who have been averaging a solid number of yards in each game with limited touches. Keeping feeding the beasts! If Oklahoma can continue to run the football in Big 12 play, keep Mason Rudolph, Seth Russell, and Patrick Mahomes on the sideline, it would really help the inexperienced OU defense.
The Oklahoma rush defense looked back to its old ways this week after being gouged two weeks ago by the Buckeyes. It seems like Matt Romar made a much bigger difference than many would expect.
Oklahoma is the best team in the Big 12. While many might say that isn’t saying much the Big 12 winner will get a chance to prove themselves down the stretch. The Sooners must continue to improve defensively, but it appears they will get there before long. With 5 guys out last week with injury, surely getting their depth back will help close the deal in the 4th quarters of games moving forward.
Despite the rough start to the season, there’s still plenty of reason for optimism in Norman!
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