I don’t think anyone is ready to take Oklahoma’s improved “Speed Defense” for granted yet, even if the opponent is just Kansas. The Jayhawks have found a way to do a few things right on the offensive side of the ball and playing on the road always brings its share of distractions.
On the season Kansas ranks 97th in scoring offense with an average of 23.4 points per game. They are passing at a clip of 189 yards per game (109th nationally) and running for an average of 164.4 yards per game (64th nationally).
Here are three keys to success for the way Oklahoma attacks the Kansas offense.
1. Take away the run!
Oklahoma’s defense was embarrassed by Pooka Williams in Norman last season. Just a freshman at the time, Williams roasted the Sooners for 252 rushing yards and two touchdowns in OU’s eventual 55-40 win.
With this week’s news that Khalil Herbert has left the team, Williams once again becomes the lone feature back. Les Miles loves to run the ball and he had found success with Herbert in the line up. In the Jayhawks’ first game absent of their leading rusher, last week against TCU, Kansas was held to under 100 rushing yards for the first time this season.
If the Sooners can stuff KU on the ground then they’ll have the ability to put the Jayhawks behind the chains and make things very uncomfortable for quarterback Carter Stanley who has already been sacked 8 times this season.
2. Force Turnovers
As I said on our game preview podcast, these aren’t my expectations they come directly from the defensive coaching staff. The minimum number of turnovers for the defense is two per game. Currently they are one behind pace, logging seven for the season.
Oklahoma’s defense recorded a season-high three turnovers against South Dakota. I would expect to see them try and duplicated that Saturday morning in an effort to get back on pace.
The Jayhawks have put the ball on the ground seven times this season, losing four of them, and have thrown two interceptions. There should be opportunities for the Sooners to get takeaways.
3. Play Clean
What’s the best way for an undermanned team to stay in a game? By helping them out. With the Red River Rivalry looming next weekend in Dallas, expect the Sooners to have an even stronger focus on eliminating penalties, assignment breakdowns, and poor fundamentals. This is the last chance to clean all of that up before facing the biggest game of the regular season.
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