Stormin in Norman
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Five Things Bob Stoops’ Sooners Must Do to Win at Houston

By Chip Rouse

Oct 3, 2015; Norman, OK, USA; Oklahoma Sooners quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) looks to pass against the West Virginia Mountaineers in the second quarter at Gaylord Family - Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 3, 2015; Norman, OK, USA; Oklahoma Sooners quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) looks to pass against the West Virginia Mountaineers in the second quarter at Gaylord Family - Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports /
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Dec 31, 2015; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; Oklahoma Sooners place kicker Austin Seibert (43) kicks a field goal against the Clemson Tigers in the first quarter of the 2015 CFP Semifinal at the Orange Bowl at Sun Life Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 31, 2015; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; Oklahoma Sooners place kicker Austin Seibert (43) kicks a field goal against the Clemson Tigers in the first quarter of the 2015 CFP Semifinal at the Orange Bowl at Sun Life Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /

Austin Seibert’s Big Leg

Special teams are important in every game, but even more so in games against good teams that are expected to be closely contested.

It’s never preferable to have to settle for field goals instead of continuing or finishing off drives, but when the options come down to that you want to have someone with a big leg who is consistent in booting it between the uprights.

Likewise, if forced to give up a possession, you want your punter and punt coverage team to be able to gain field position by pinning an opponent deep in its own territory and forcing the other team’s offense to have to go the length of the field to score.

One Oklahoma player, Austin Seibert, handles both responsibilities. He did an excellent job of standing up to the pressure of big-time college football as a true freshman last season, and that experience should give him even more confidence in 2016.

He is the top punter in the Big 12 among those who are returning this season, averaging 42 yards per kick, and he was successful in 18 of 23 field-goal tries in 2015, his longest being 46 yards.

Seibert accounted for almost 10 of the Sooners 43 points a game, the fourth best scoring offense in the nation last season, and he will be counted on to give Oklahoma a competitive advantage in the kicking game and come away with a huge road win in Houston to open the 2016 season.

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