Oklahoma football 2018 kickoff preview: Games 5 through 8

Sooners host the Baylor Bears in Norman

The woeful 2017 Baylor Bears – yes, the same bunch that lost to Liberty – pushed the Baker Mayfield-led Sooners to the brink of an embarrassing defeat at McClane Stadium on last season. After a bye week, the Sooners dropped the next game, at home, against Iowa State. At the time, that perplexing outing in Waco was a pernicious sign of things to come.

In the Baylor game a year ago, the Sooner defense went to sleep, allowing Baylor quarterback Zach Smith to have a career day (33 of 50 for 464 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions for a nice 170 passer rating). Yes, Baylor nearly pulled out a victory in that one, and this 2017 Baylor team was light years away from the Art Briles-coached lethal offenses that often vexed Sooner defenses.

So as 2018 rolls around, the Sooners will be looking to erase the stench from that 2017 stinker. This task will be made easier by the fact that the Bears visit Norman and quarterback Zac Smith is gone. Then again, in 2017 home-field advantage didn’t seem to faze the Iowa State Cyclones.

Sophomore Charlie Brewer, who saw plenty of action in 2017, returns for the Bears. Brewer averaged 308 passing yards per game over the last four games of the season, and should only improve in 2018 with further reps and seasoning. He is a competent quarterback who can get hot if given the time.

The Sooner defense must pressure Brewer and keep him from getting comfortable and picking the OU secondary apart. If Mike Stoops’ assertion that the defensive line is the most improved part of the Sooner defense holds true, that needs to be demonstrated when the Sooners enter Big 12 play. Best way to disrupt precision passing attacks is to pressure the quarterback and make him hurry his throws.

Baylor returns John Lovett and JaMychal Hasty in the backfield. The pair combined for 759 yards and six scores in 2017. Overall, Baylor ranked a woeful 115th nationally running the ball in 2017, so even if the Bears improve in 2018, the rushing weakness is something the Sooner defense should be able to exploit.

Also, it will be interesting to see how Tennessee wide-receiver transfer Jalen Hurd fits into the Baylor offense. Hurd’s size (6 foot, 4 inches, 220 pounds) might present problems for the Sooner secondary.

Baylor flat out stunk defensively in 2017 (112th nationally) so if the Bears’ defensive woes continue in 2018 the Sooner offense, playing at home and with a few games already under its collective belt, should hum in this one. Once again, the key to winning a game the Sooners should win in dominating fashion is the defense. It will not get any easier from here as the Sooners enter Big 12 play in earnest.

Prediction: Oklahoma 55, Baylor 10