Sooner Offense vs. Tiger Defense

by ccmachine on Dec 6, 2008 12:53 AM CST in Football

Bradford can put the finishing touches on a solid Heisman campaign!

Oklahoma leads the Big 12 and the nation is points scored per game with 53.3 while the Tigers are second in the conference when it comes to points allowed with 24.7. Oklahoma knocked the swagger off the Tigers last year in San Antonio partly to a dominating offensive performance. This year we find that the Sooners are even better on offense and the Tigers a little worse.

Oklahoma’s Pass Offense Against Missouri’s Pass Defense

Missouri faces the task of slowing down Oklahoma’s scoring machine by matching up against the Sooners with the nation’s 117^th ranked pass defense. OU will counter with the 3^rd ranked passing offense in the nation that produces 354.3 yards and almost 4 touchdowns per game.

Tigers defensive end Stryker Saluk leads the team in sacks with 8.5 but Oklahoma has only given up 11 sacks all season. When the defensive line fails to pressure the quarterback it turns disastrous for the secondary. Missouri is surrendering 277 yards and 2 touchdowns through the air in each game.

Oklahoma’s Rush Offense Against Missouri’s Rush Defense

The Sooners are 12 rushing yards away from history! While I’m confident that the 12 yards will come I’m not so sure about DeMarco Murray and Chris Brown’s average of 202.4 yards per game. OU has the nation’s 21^st ranked rushing attack but the Tigers bring a very respectable rush defense to the table that is ranked 24^th in the country. Allowing only 119.4 yards per game Missouri has only had one running back go for over 100 yards against them this season. Linebacker Sean Weatherspoon leads the Tigers in both tackles with 126 total and tackles for loss with 16. Oklahoma will most definitely need to account for him.

Offensive Keys To Victory Against Missouri

Throw the Football – Without trying to sound arrogant, cocky or conceited Missouri shouldn’t be able to keep up with Oklahoma’s passing game. If they can’t cover Kansas how in the world are they going to cover Gresham, Iglesias, Johnson and Broyles? There are too many weapons at Bradford’s disposal and the Tigers have absolutely no track record for stopping anyone through the air this season.

Pound the Ball – Use the dynamic duo of Brown and Murray to wear down the Tigers defense. We shouldn’t get frustrated if the run game isn’t working early and Oklahoma certainly shouldn’t move away from it as the game wears on. Because of the aforementioned success the Tigers have had against the run they are going to have some good plays against Oklahoma’s rushing attack but running the ball will keep the defense honest. As we’ve said just about every week of the season, "the better the run game is working the more success they’ll have through the air."

Dominate Up Front – Oklahoma’s offensive line now features four All-Big 12 selections and they need to go out and prove their merit tonight by manhandling the Tigers defensive line. Keep the pressure off Bradford, let him work his magic and then pave the way for a 100-plus yard rushing night.

Attack the Blitz! – The pattern this season has been when Missouri blitzes opponents get big gains. The Sooners must recognize the blitz and then take advantage of it. Continued success at this will make the Tigers want to do it less and then Bradford will be able to just sit back and pick the defense apart.