X-factor resides on both sides of ball for Sooners' success in inaugural SEC season

This may be the year that Oklahoma switches sides in terms of where the strength of the team resides.

For year's Oklahoma has been best known for its offensive firepower and high-performance quarterback play. The Sooners have ranked in the top-3 nationally in total offense in four of the past seven seasons. Throughout this period OU was best described as all offense and no defense.

Since taking over for Lincoln Riley in December 2021, Brent Venables has been on a focused mission to prepare Oklahoma football for the move to the SEC. And the first order of business was to revamp and build a defense that was SEC tough. In just two short years, Venables is well on the way to doing just that.

The OU head coach and his defensive coaches may still be a year or so away from establishing a defense that would rival the championship-level defenses Venables put on the field during his time at Clemson, but he's getting much closer with a defense that is dramatically better than the one he inherited in 2022.

With as many as eight defensive starters returning and five of the top-six tacklers from a year ago, including a pair of preseason All-SEC First-Team selections in LB Danny Stutsman and S Billy Bowman, this may be the first time in a long while that the balance of power in Oklahoma football has switched to the defensive side of the line of scrimmage.

Don't get me wrong, the Oklahoma offense still has enough weapons to move the chains and put up plenty of points, even in the defensive strong SEC, but this season, the ability of the defensive unit to play more complementary football than in recent seasons will be a prime factor in OU's chances of winning close games and exceeding expectations.

The strength of the Sooner defense entering its first SEC season, though, is at the second and third levels (the backers and defensive secondary). The real X-factor in Oklahoma's success in its inaugural season in its new conference is at the line of scrimmage -- and on both sides of the ball. This is where the games are likely to be decided, especially in conference play.

Venables knew that to win games in the SEC, you have to match up size wise and play strong, physical defense and that great defenses start on the defensive line at the point of attack. The Sooners have a history of outstanding D-linemen, but they haven't been as good or deep as they could be at the position for a number of years. This coming season that should change, and it can't come quick enough.

Damonic Williams, a defensive tackle transfer from TCU was a headliner for the Sooners out of the portal, but OU also has a couple of elite defensive line prospects in its 2024 recruiting class -- DTs David Stone and Jayden Jackson -- who are expected to see the field early and often. Oklahoma also has defensive end Ethan Downs back, a strong performer a year ago, for another season. Also back for another year are Da'Jon Terry, a former transfer from Tennessee, and Trace Ford, who transferred to OU from Bedlam rival Oklahoma State after the 2022 season.

If the defensive line is considered the weak link in the OU defense, then things should be all right defensively in 2024. All joking aside, though, the Sooners can have a group of All-Americans manning the linebacker and secondary positions, but if the defensive line is not able to get pressure on the opposing quarterback and disrupt the offensive flow, the Oklahoma defense, no matter how much better it has become, will operate at a disadvantage against most teams in the SEC.

The same is true of the opposite side of the line of scrimmage, and the offensive line is perhaps the biggest uncertainty as Oklahoma football Team 130 takes to the practice field this week for the start of fall training camp.

When you have to replace all five regular starters on the offensive line, there are always going to be questions and concerns for the immediate future, That was the situation confronting Oklahoma and O-line coach Bill Bedenbaugh as OU prepares to begin play in the SEC. Bedenbaugh hit the portal hard for experience and veteran leadership to go along with five O-linemen in the Sooners 2024 recruiting class, the best of which appear to be Eugene Brooks and Eddy Pierre-Louis, both rated as four-star prospects.

Bedenbaugh feels good about the five offensive line transfers, which include center Branson Hickman from TCU, , named this week to the 2024 Outland Trophy watch list. The other offensive line transfer additions are interior linemen Febechi Nwaiwu from North Texas and Geirean Hatchett from Washington and tackles Michael Tarquin from USC and Spencer Brown from Michigan State. All logged considerable playing time at their former schools, and Bedenbaugh says he is very comfortable that this year's offensive line room is fully capable of getting the job done. The Sooners also return juniors Jacob Sexton and Troy Everett.

While the natural focus of the fans and media every year at this time season is on individual stars, both incoming and returning, and what to expect from overall offensive and defensive play, in the SEC, the difference between winning and losing is largely determined at the point of attack, and that is the often overlooked battle in the trenches.

Oklahoma's ability to hold its own on both sides of the line of scrimmage will be the X factor in how well the Sooners do in the upcoming 2024 season, which officially kicks off 30 days from now.