OU vs. Kansas: 5 thoughts from the game
By Ryan Neeley
Oct 19, 2013; Lawrence, KS, USA; Oklahoma Sooners quarterback Blake Bell (10) drops back to pass against the Kansas Jayhawks in the first half at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports
RUN DEFENSE
The run defense is really missing Jordan Phillips and Corey Nelson. Since the Sooners will not be getting them back this season players like Jordan Wade and Dominique Alexander will need to step up or Oklahoma will see themselves in some serious trouble when we play tougher competition. Expect Texas Tech to try to run it down the throat of the OU defense simply because several other teams have now found success doing so.
PASS DEFENSE
As bad as the rush defense looked in the first quarter the pass defense looked exactly the opposite. With the likes of Aaron Colvin and Zach Sanchez manning the corners and Gabe Lynn patrolling the middle of the defense the Oklahoma pass defense looked outstanding. They did not even allow Kansas to get positive yardage in the second half throwing the football. These next two games will test the secondary though. Baylor and Texas Tech have probably the best two air attacks in the Big XII and will test the OU defense.
LACK OF PASS OFFENSE
Blake Bell finished with just 134 yards through the air. I will argue once again that a pass game like this is not going to get the job done against tougher opponents, in fact if we are unable to produce yards through the air then I would not be surprised if both Texas Tech and Baylor do not beat us and beat us handedly. Perhaps the best pass was the one that LaColton Bester threw to Sterling Sheppard on the trick play. It is my opinion that if Blake Bell continues to struggle through the air that Stoops should think about giving one of the other two quarterbacks a shot at energizing the offense.
RUNNING BACKS
My favorite running back Keith Ford fumbled early in the game and was benched for the remainder. It has become apparent however that the coordinators have started to lean towards using Damian Williams and Roy Finch with some Trey Millard mixed in instead of using Brennan Clay. I had become a Brennan Clay fan and honestly do not know what happened to attribute to sudden drop off in carries. The fact that Blake Bell is now running the ball somewhat is a good sign in my opinion and I think Oklahoma should utilize the option more especially if the pass game continues to produce the mediocre results that it has in the past. I hope that Keith Ford gets the chance again this season to make an impact, I believe that he is possibly our most talented back and definitely the runningback of the future at OU.
ABSOLUTE CHAOS
This game had a little bit of everything. I mean when was the last time during an OU game that there was two punts blocked one for a safety, and an extra point ran back for two. Even though happenings like this make for an exciting game I hope that we can at least protect our punter for the rest of the season. As I harp on every week its plays like these that can be huge momentum turners in games and if we allow it to happen against Baylor, Tech, or OSU it could result in a loss.