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Oklahoma football: Staff roundtable – 12 questions facing OU in 2019

By Christopher Dukes

NORMAN, OK - NOVEMBER 11: Oklahoma Sooners fans cheer during the game against the TCU Horned Frogs at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium on November 11, 2017 in Norman, Oklahoma. Oklahoma defeated TCU 38-20. (Photo by Brett Deering/Getty Images) *** Local Caption ***
NORMAN, OK - NOVEMBER 11: Oklahoma Sooners fans cheer during the game against the TCU Horned Frogs at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium on November 11, 2017 in Norman, Oklahoma. Oklahoma defeated TCU 38-20. (Photo by Brett Deering/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** /
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(Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
(Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) /

Where do the Sooners finish ranked nationally in total defense at the end of the year?

CR: Turning around a defense that was as bad as Oklahoma’s was last season is not a one-year project. It should take at least a couple of years, and perhaps longer, for OU to get back to the defensive level that was a team strength in the early years under head coach Bob Stoops. It will take at least a couple of years for the defensive unit to become comfortable and confident under a new coordinator and new system, and for defensive coordinator Alex Grinch to get the players in place that fit best in his system.

The Sooners were 114th out of 129 FBS teams last season in total defense, allowing 454 yards per game. In 2014, the Sooners ranked 51st among FBS teams, averaging 383 yards of total defense per game. Barring any more serious injuries to key defensive personnel, I believe that somewhere in the top 50 or 60 is a reasonable expectation for the Sooner defense in the first year under Grinch.

CD: People forget in all the disparaging talks of the Sooner defense that the team was young last year – extremely young. That youth led to inconsistency which begat a ton of big plays for opposing teams.

Yes Alex Grinch and his new assistants will make a difference, but so will returning 10 starters and 20 members of the defensive two-deep roster. With all that said, there’s no reason this team can’t make a dramatic jump and become a top 40 defense in the coutnry, especially in metrics like points and yards per play, which are more of an indicator of a defense’s quality in the high-octane Big 12 than total points and yards allowed.

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