Oct 11, 2014; Dallas, TX, USA; Oklahoma Sooners defensive coordinator Mike Stoops (left) and head coach Bob Stoops signals from the sidelines against the Texas Longhorns during the Red River showdown at the Cotton Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports
Defensive Woes Against the Spread Continue
Sunday’s Daily Oklahoman featured a stark headline from sports columnist Berry Tramel: “OU’s porous defense fails the Baylor test.” It is hard to argue with that logic, as former Baylor offensive coordinator and now Tulsa head coach Phillip Montgomery’s offense carved up OU’s defense to the tune of 603 total yards (427 passing and 176 receiving).
The Oklahoma secondary had no answer for Tulsa’s potent attack, especially during a Golden Hurricane twelve-second flurry to end the first half that resulted in two Tulsa touchdowns to make it a 31-24 game. If not for Baker Mayfield’s heroics, Tulsa clearly had the momentum and the offense to pull off the upset.
Sooner fans who are glass-half-full types will view this as a necessary game against a worthy opponent that exposed Oklahoma’s glaring defensive weaknesses. Tulsa is Baylor-lite, so the OU defensive staff has plenty of time to correct the defensive issues and get the team ready for the November tussle with Baylor. And, as Oklahoma enters conference play, there will be plenty of opportunities to test and fine-tune the defense against other teams on the schedule that run similar offensive schemes.
Glass-half-empty types, on the other hand, will point out that Mike Stoops and company have had an entire offseason to fix these problems. The implosion against Tulsa suggests the staff has no clue how to address these issues and put together effective defensive game plans against the likes of Baylor, TCU, Texas Tech or Oklahoma State. If Tulsa can hang 603 yards of offense against Oklahoma’s defense – at home – what will Baylor do in November when Oklahoma travels to Waco? If the Oklahoma defense does not improve quickly, November will be a month to remember – for all the wrong reasons.