OU Defense Fortunate To Be More Boom Than Bust Against Kansas State

If you had said before the game that this Oklahoma defense was going to hold an excellent running team like Kansas State to just 24 yards rushing in the game, I'd have told you we might have witnessed one of the great defensive performances in recent memory.

Safe to say that's not what we say on Saturday afternoon in Manhattan.

The inability to (1) execute simple coverage, even on a player as talented as Tyler Lockett, and (2) fail to realize until 200+ receiving yards later that you needed to put your All-American corner on Lockett were both mind-baffling decisions on the part of OU's defensive coaches.

Not entirely sure how much credit is deserved to Oklahoma taking away Kansas State's running game or the Wildcats coaching staff for not utilizing it. Going into the game we were worried about John Hubert's ability to hurt OU on the ground and with the first play from scrimmage you saw why. But then, for whatever reason, K-State never really went back to him and he would finish with a paltry 17 yards on just nine carries.

It was a very up and down game for the OU defense at times looking very good and disruptive up front, but at others generating zero pressure and suffering from extremely costly busted coverages.

However, Oklahoma does deserve credit for making some very much needed halftime adjustments and preventing the monumental busts in coverage that plagued them in the first half. A lot of that had to do with assigning Colvin to Lockett wherever he went on the field, but it was also about Zack Sanchez and Quentin Hayes playing much more fundamentally sound in the second half. Both of whom got a little redemption with interceptions in the second half, Sanchez even taking his to the house in what many could rightfully call the turning point in the ball game.

Honestly though outside of that there really isn't much to discuss with respect to the OU defense in this game. No real standouts in terms of individual performances.

Just need to rest up with the bye week and get healthy for what is looking like an an extremely difficult test in Bedlam two weeks from now.