Will Oklahoma Sooners Finally Live Up to Preseason Hype?
Defense
A Sooner defense that ranked No. 22 last year in points allowed with 22.1 was nowhere near as good as it looked. I’m sorry to say that, but look at how they did against Baylor, Texas, Texas Tech, and even an Alabama team that didn’t care about the game. All four games they gave up more than 30 points, so I don’t really care if they shut out Louisiana Monroe or limited rebuilding offenses against West Virginia and Notre Dame. Fortunately, there’s lots of talent returning here for the unit to improve, and to be fair, they had to deal with a 3-4 switch last year that shouldn’t be a problem this year with more experience.
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Starting up front, the Sooners return everybody on the defensive line, and this was, at least officially, a Top 25 rush defense. Junior defensive end Charles Tapper could become a breakout star after 9 tackles for a loss and 5.5 sacks. On the other side, sophomore Matt Dimon saw a good bit of action as a freshman last year. Where Oklahoma is really loaded, though, is at defensive tackle. Senior Chuka Ndulue had 5 tackles for a loss and 2.5 sacks last year, and senior Torrea Peterson only played seven games last year and should see lots more action this year. But the major strength lies with the younger players. Sophomore Jordan Wade and junior Jordan Phillips split a lot of action last year and should wreak lots more havoc this year. Phillips is another physical freak, standing at 6’6″ 334 pounds. With the 3-4 defense in place, the linemen aren’t going to rack up lots of stats, but they are very loaded and pose serious threats to any offensive line. Senior Quincy Russell will also be in the mix, and Stoops has two redshirt freshmen added to the group. With everybody back on a front line that rotates all the time, and two new players in the mix this year, this group should be very deep and experienced, and everybody should always be fresh.
The linebackers were even better than the line last year, and everybody is back there as well. Junior Frank Shannon was everywhere as the middle linebacker last year with 73.5 tackles, 7 tackles for a loss, 2 sacks, an interception, and a forced fumble. Sophomore Dominique Alexander recorded 65 tackles, 3.5 tackles for a loss, and 2 forced fumbles as a freshman last year, so watch out for him this year. Then there’s junior Eric Striker and senior Geneo Grissom on the outside. They’re back after wreaking incredible havoc last year, combining for 70 tackles, 19 tackles for a loss, 10.5 sacks, and 7 passes broken up. Those four guys should be better and more experienced this year. Then you have sophomore Jordan Evans, juniors P.L. Lindley and Londell Taylor, and seniors Aaron Franklin and Caleb Gastelum. All of those guys will be in the rotation and saw action last year, so this is a very deep unit as well as experienced and of course, talented.
Sep 7, 2013; Norman, OK, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers receiver Kevin White (11) fumbles the ball int he third quarter against Oklahoma Sooners cornerback Cortez Johnson (22) safety Quentin Hayes (10) and linebacker Frank Shannon (10) at Gaylord Family – Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. The Oklahoma Sooners beat the West Virginia Mountaineers 16-7. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports
The secondary might take a little bit of a hit, mainly with the loss of safety Gabe Lynn, but there is plenty of talent and experience here too. Aaron Colvin is gone at cornerback, but junior Cortez Johnson and sophomore Stanvon Taylor are both good enough to replace him. Sophomore Zack Sanchez could become a breakout player at the position after 2 interceptions and 13 passes broken up as a freshman, so he’s definitely secured a starting spot. Senior Julian Wilson will also be a regular, and likely a starter, after 3 interceptions last year. Senior strong Safety Quinton Hayes is the most valuable returner after 4 tackles for a loss, a sack, 2 interceptions, 6 passes broken up, and 2 forced fumbles last year. Now, replacing Lynn. Sophomore Ahmad Thomas saw a decent amount of action last year and could step in, but sophomore Hatari Byrd should have more raw talent. Either way, both of those guys will be in the mix, and either one should be pretty good, but neither will be as productive as Lynn. Still, the secondary should be a little bit better than last year with more depth and experience.
Although the defense looked bad at times last year, the numbers aren’t completely lying either, and lots of talent is back. So much is back, in fact, that it should be significantly improved this year. Let’s also not forget that players were still settling into a 3-4 system. That shouldn’t be a problem this year. You should see a defense that will actually cause trouble for the good offenses as well as the bad ones, and it should be able to slow down Baylor’s offense. But it won’t completely stop the Bears. Special Teams Preview on Next Slide