Stormin in Norman
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Oklahoma football: Five bold predictions with five days to go

By Chip Rouse

ARLINGTON, TX - DECEMBER 07: Head coach Lincoln Riley of the Oklahoma Sooners celebrates with his team including Caleb Kelly #19 and Marquise Overton #97 after defeating the Baylor Bears 30-23 in the Big 12 Football Championship at AT&T Stadium on December 7, 2019 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images)
ARLINGTON, TX - DECEMBER 07: Head coach Lincoln Riley of the Oklahoma Sooners celebrates with his team including Caleb Kelly #19 and Marquise Overton #97 after defeating the Baylor Bears 30-23 in the Big 12 Football Championship at AT&T Stadium on December 7, 2019 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images) /
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MORGANTOWN, WV – NOVEMBER 23: Caleb Kelly #19 of the Oklahoma Sooners recovers a fumble for a 10 yard touchdown against the West Virginia Mountaineers on November 23, 2018 at Mountaineer Field in Morgantown, West Virginia. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)
MORGANTOWN, WV – NOVEMBER 23: Caleb Kelly #19 of the Oklahoma Sooners recovers a fumble for a 10 yard touchdown against the West Virginia Mountaineers on November 23, 2018 at Mountaineer Field in Morgantown, West Virginia. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images) /

The Sooner defense will nearly double its takeaway total of the past two seasons

Since arriving in Norman from Ohio State ahead of last season, defensive coordinator Alex Grinch has emphasized the need by the Sooner defense to create more takeaways. Grinch believes that the sole objective of the defense is to get the ball back for the offense, and the surest way to do that is to force and recover turnovers by the opponents.

The season before Grinch joined the OU coaching staff, Oklahoma had a total of 11 takeaways. Unfortunately, the Sooners were unable to improve on that number last season. By contrast, in Oklahoma’s 2000 national championship season, the Sooners tied for fifth in the nation with 33 takeaways.

A second year in Grinch’s system and with nine defensive starters returning, the focus on takeaways will finally take hold. The Sooners will generate 20 or more takeaways, and in a season with at least two fewer games. The last time an Oklahoma defense created as many as 20 takeaways in a season was 24 in 2017, and two years before that, in 2015, the Sooners were credited with 27 takeaways.

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