OU football notebook: Ready to work
BY ERIC BAILEY World Sports Writer
Thursday, October 04, 2012
10/04/12 at 2:38 AM
Oklahoma's David King expects a confident Texas Tech team when Oklahoma faces the Red Raiders on Saturday.
"We're going to get everyone's best shot and they're 4-0," the defensive lineman said. "They have a head of steam. Their offense is putting up 500-600 yards a game. They had an impressive win at Ames (24-13 over Iowa State). They're going to come out full of confidence.
"They beat us last year, and they'll be riding off of that, too."
Red Raiders quarterback Seth Doege said the Oklahoma game is just the next step.
"I think we're confident as a football team to play whoever we play," Doege said. "OU happens to be the next game on the schedule. So we're excited about it. I think guys are very confident because we started off with a win."
Aggressiveness isn't always good: Relentless blitzing isn't the exclusive answer to getting added pressure on the quarterback, Bob Stoops said.
"The thing about blitzing a bunch is it's either feast or famine," Stoops said. "You get there and it's a sack and it looks great. Other times they pick up it up or run something into it and the guy is hitting his head on the goalpost.
"Blitzing isn't always the answer. To us, you just have to pick and choose when you do it."
Chip on the shoulder: Linebacker Tom Wort said it's nothing new that the locker room takes things personal when questions arise about the defense.
"It's always been like that throughout the years that I've been here," Wort said. "If there's ever been a question mark about us, we come back with an attitude. I'm looking forward to see how we do this week."
Wort added that a loss can be motivation.
"When you take a loss, you get that chip on your shoulder and it kind of revitalizes you and gives you that attitude," he said. "I think we've always had that attitude whenever we've had a loss, we've come back with an attitude. You prepare that much more with intensity. I think it helps."
No revenge factor: Center Gabe Ikard hasn't circled the Texas Tech game on his calendar.
"I'm one of those people who feels like if you're playing with revenge, you're playing for the wrong reasons," Ikard said when asked about last year's 41-38 upset loss to Texas Tech. I play for my teammates and my school. Most of the guys feel, they beat us last year, but it's two completely different teams this year."
Weekly question: What do Oklahoma and Buffalo have in common? The teams are tied for last (No. 119) in turnovers gained in 2012. Both have one takeaway.
"We need turnovers. We haven't been very good at all in turnovers," safety Tony Jefferson said. "You can't expect to go in every week and win a ball game without causing turnovers. That's what our defense needs to do collectively. Whether it's a forced fumble picked up or interception. We need turnovers to give our offense momentum."
