OU vs. K-State - Sooners Jekyll & Hyde Defensive Recap
by Jordan Esco on Oct 30, 2011 1:00 AM CDT
in Oklahoma Sooners Football
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A tale of two halves. It's a cliche for a reason and it was never more fitting than this Saturday in Manhattan, KS. At least when applied to this Oklahoma defense and their 'make you want to pull your hair out' inconsistency. It's maddening to watch a defense play as dominantly as they did in the second half against the Wildcats and wonder who had possessed their piss poor tackling bodies in the first half??? With a 41 point win I don't want to spend a ton of time on the negative, but it needs to be addressed at least briefly. then I promise we'll move on to the good (i.e. the second half).
I'm not sure I know a word, or at least one that is allowed in this forum, to describe the OU defense's tackling (or lack there of as it were) in the first half. No disrespect to Collin Klein as he is clearly a talented runner and has made several defenses look bad, but the OU defense made him look like the second coming of Jim Brown or something. Repeatedly trying to deliver the "big hit" on QB run plays instead of performing the most simple task required of a defensive player, wrapping up!!! It lead to some very uneasy feelings early looking all too familiar to last week's performance against Texas Tech. The Wildcats had 213 yards at halftime, almost all of which had come on the ground. Also more than you'd like to see coming after initial contact.
So after arguably the most improbably field goal in school (NCAA?) history, OU has a six point lead at the half. K-State had those 213 yards and 17 points. They finished with 240 yards and 17 points. Or in more simple terms, they gained a mere 27 total yards and scored zero points in the second half. That folks is sheer and utter domination.
I don't know what in the h-e-double hockey sticks Bob Stoops and Brent Venables said to our defense in that locker room, but bra-freaking-vo gentlemen!!! Seriously, standing ovation type stuff. K-State could do absolutely nothing in the second half, literally. Now part of that is the lead the offense was able to generate, forcing Klein and the offense to have to pass. At that point any chance KSU might have had pretty much left the building much like the better part of their crowd. Forced to pass to get back in the game, the OU d-line was able to pin their ears back and get after the quarterback. The defense finished with seven sacks and seemed to pressure Klein at will in the second half.
Feel free to correct me in the comments if I'm wrong, but I'm not sure we can single out any one player on defense. It really felt like more of a team effort to me. Tony Jefferson tied for the team lead in tackles with six and had a sack, but he was perhaps the most egregious offender of the defense's poor tackling in the first half. Corey Nelson also had six tackles, got two sacks, but I don't really remember him standing out. Maybe Tom Wort, who I thought really made his presence known after missing that last game and a half, and his six tackles and two sacks. Ronnell Lewis and Frank Alexander had flashes, Aaron Colvin was his usual rock solid self, and I thought Sam Proctor stepped in and played well. I'll leave it up to you all, I'm going with a team MVP award.
On a related note, Gabe Lynn did not play a single snap. Now I know he was pretty awful last week, but be that as it may I'm not sure I see the point of him sitting the entire game today. I mean talking about absolutely destroying a kid's confidence. I think it would have made much more sense to work him in at some spots or get him in late when the game was well in hand. Just think that was a really poor decision by the coaches in my opinion.
A full four quarters of something close to what we saw in the second half would be just swell. They'll be facing a much more explosive offense next Saturday in Texas A&M and an Aggie team coming off a very disappointing loss looking to make a statement for their going away season. The home field invincibility was obliterated last week, so they'll have to get up for A&M and start a new home winning streak. It will take something at least vaguely resembling this second half Sooners defense to slow down the A&M attack. Let's pick a personality and go with it boys, oh and if it can be the one we saw today in that second half that would be just super!
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Seemed to me that it might even have been a tale of three quarters and one quarter.
Tackling was pretty good right up till the last minute of the 1st quarter. Then somehow in the second quarter not so good. Second half, as you say, amazing.
There was one play
Where Jefferson came on a blitz and, along with I think a DT, got major pressure on Klein. The part that caught my eye the most, though, was Jefferson shoved aside what looked like a 300 lb lineman. That’s incredibly impressive, and you’ll have to try to find it when you do the film study.
Also, it could’ve just been me, but at first glance, it seemed Brandon Williams just plain had no holes to run through and was trying to make something out of nothing. But later on it looked like he was having problems seeing where the lanes were developing. Maybe I’ll have to do my own film study.
I guess Tempe will have to work.
by KratosWasASooner on Oct 30, 2011 2:12 AM CDT reply actions
The problem with the tackling was fundamentals.
You always gotta put your helmet on the front of the ball carrier.
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by dasoonerman on Oct 30, 2011 8:03 AM CDT via mobile reply actions
agree with the fundamentals
and why is that? Seems like a recurring thing with Venables defenses through the years and an easy thing to fix. You don’t wrap up, you don’t play.
"Nonsense. By all means, move." Doc Holliday, the movie Tombstone.
If..If I was the DC
I would make them do the tackling dummy drills for 4 solid hours. They would line up hit the dummy, roll over and hit another, roll over and hit a 3rd. Run like hell down field 5 yards and hit another 3 dummy. This would go on for 4 solid hours. Of course I would give them breathers much like would happen in a game. When practice was done I would inform them that every time they tackled poorly in a game, there would be a repeat of the tackling practice.
The one thing being a lot older has going for it, most of us older have seen more CFB than most younger people have seen web pages.
and wrap your arms aroiung the the ball carrier!
The one thing being a lot older has going for it, most of us older have seen more CFB than most younger people have seen web pages.
The 2nd qtr concerned me, it made me think of the TT game and stupid play that went on and on and on
The one thing being a lot older has going for it, most of us older have seen more CFB than most younger people have seen web pages.
Just saw
a replay of the A&M-MU game and Jame Franklin scored a TD because 5 Aggies failed to wrap up and tackle. If you are on a team that theoretically has a chance at a BCS Bowl…maybe you should be able to tackle.
"Nonsense. By all means, move." Doc Holliday, the movie Tombstone.
A&M's defense
is really bad. They can run the ball and their passing game is OK, but their defense is atrocious. They’ve blown 3 big halftime leads, 2 of which were at home and the other one was in Dallas, b/c they can’t stop anyone.
I think the difference in the "mojo" came when the offense popped 'em right back.
Unlike last week when the offense couldn’t get it going. They feed each other. But you can also be a little more bold on defense when you know the O is gonna put up points.
My humble opinion.
Gabe Lynn
I agree. When this game got out of hand, he should have been in there every snap. How do we expect him to get better without giving him some game action? It occurred to me while I was watching the game get out of hand that perhaps we have these games where people like Gabe Lynn fail on such an epic level b/c we insist on playing our starters every freaking play when we’re up by 45 points. When someone goes down, as Fleming did and as Wort did, the backups aren’t ready to go b/c they’ve never had a chance to see the field and get adjusted to game action. Then the player fails and we beat him up on blogs and the coaches beat him up in the locker room but who’s really to blame here?
I didn’t come here to piss on our parade. The 2nd half yesterday was utterly dominant. So was the first quarter, for that matter and the coaches and the team deserve credit for coming out and manhandling the Wildcats. But when we’re up 40 points in the 4th quarter, it’s time for people like Lynn and Drew Allen (or Blake Bell) and other backups to get real game action so that they’re ready to go when the time comes. What purpose does it serve to see Landry get 500 yards passing or to have Travis Lewis still blitzing the QB in the 4th quarter of a game like that?
by chuckb on Oct 30, 2011 10:51 AM CDT reply actions 2 recs
rec'd
2011 for #12 - You will be missed
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by Jordan Esco on Oct 30, 2011 12:32 PM CDT up reply actions
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