Were Missouri is lacking in defense they are very strong on offense. The Tigers are just behind Oklahoma in scoring offense at 45 points per game and will be a serious threat to Oklahoma’s defense. Chase Daniel has two dangerous weapons in Jeremy Maclin and Chase Coffman and he knows how to use them. The Tigers are next to last in the conference when it comes to rushing attempts per game but have a solid 5.5 yard per carry average.

Oklahoma’s Pass Defense Against Missouri’s Pass Offense

This is where the Sooners appear to be at a disadvantage. Oklahoma is ranked 99^th in the country in pass defense and Chase Daniel has thrown for 3,880 yards and 34 touchdowns. OU will have their hands full because Daniel is also mobile which allows him to be dangerous when flushed from the pocket. The good news for Oklahoma is that their pass rush ranks 3^rd in the country with 39 sacks and we’ve seen more than once that Daniel is prone to make mistakes when he constantly has to run.    

Oklahoma’s Rush Defense Against Missouri’s Rush Offense

While Oklahoma is only 12 yards away from having dual 1,000 yard running backs Missouri running back Derrick Washington needs 37 yards to cross the 1,000 yard barrier. Washington has crossed the goal line 17 times this year and you can’t overlook Maclin as a threat either because he has rushed for 248 yards as well.

Oklahoma has allowed four backs to rush for over 100 yards against them but they do rank 18^th in the nation against the run. Travis Lewis has been a beast this year for the Sooners with 123 stops and he provides an almost sure tackle should a runner get past the defensive line. The good news here is that in their games against Oklahoma State and Texas the Tigers rushing attack was almost completely shut down.

Defensive Keys To Success Against The Tigers

 

• Stop the Run – As stated earlier the Tigers have a habit of seeing their rushing attack disappear. The Sooners defense thrives on making opponents one dimensional (see Texas Tech) and if they put the breaks on Washington, especially with just their defensive line, then that allows them to pin their ears back for Daniel.

• Make the Tackle – I always smirk a little when I put this in every week but it is so vital that we just can’t leave it out. Missouri is the third opponent in a row for the Sooners to have a legitimate homerun threat in their offensive lineup. Miss a tackle on Maclin and he’ll make you pay dearly. The same is true when it comes to Chase Daniel. Just getting to him isn’t enough they have to bring him down. Like we saw with Zac Robinson last week he can become very dangerous when scrambling.

 

• Account for Coffman – Maclin is going to draw a ton of attention from the Oklahoma secondary but tight end Chase Coffman will draw linebacker coverage. OU has the speed to keep up with him but the danger is in losing him on a play action or misdirection.

   

• Pressure And Contain Daniel – Oklahoma just keeps coming with their defensive ends. Jeremy Beal and Frank Alexander have been outstanding the last two weeks. They both have the power to bulrush a blocker and the speed to chase down a quarterback. Couple that with pressure up the middle from Gerald McCoy and the Sooners should be able to pressure Daniel to leave the pocket. From there they also have to prevent him from heading up field and turning what should have been a 10 yard loss into a 15 yard gain.   

2007 OU/Missouri