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OU's defense has delivered this year
Sooners have relied on unit's consistent play.

OU's Brian Jackson (2) misses a tackle on Nebraska's Roy Helu Jr. (10). Stephen Pingry/Tulsa World
 
By JOHN E. HOOVER World Sports Writer
Published: 11/14/2009  2:24 AM
Last Modified: 11/14/2009  6:41 AM

 NORMAN — For Oklahoma to salvage any shred of college football's upper-crust respectability this season, the Sooners will have to win their last three regular-season contests, then prevail in a bowl game and end up with nine victories.

Half of those will be at Memorial Stadium, where OU has won a school-record and nation-leading 28 consecutive games.

But more than half of those will need to be delivered by the Sooners' defense.

Evidence for that lies just seven days hence, when the Oklahoma defense put together arguably its best performance in 11 seasons under Bob Stoops, at the same time the Oklahoma offense was putting together arguably its worst.

The result was a 10-3 loss at Nebraska, the first time in the Stoops era OU didn't score a touchdown. Now, with Saturday night's home game against Texas A&M up next, the question is harsh, but simple: does the Sooner defense have to play like that every week?

"I don't know about 'have to,' " said defensive coordinator Brent Venables. "Our expectation is to play 'this way.' And 'this way' means a lot of different things."

Nebraska got 10 points off Sooner turnovers, then played in a hard shell of conservatism: take no chances on offense, play all-out on defense. It worked.

"You don't expect (anyone) to beat you with seven first downs (allowed) and (you) force 11 punts away from home," Stoops said. "It's hard to believe."

OU is a 20 1/2-point favorite Saturday against Texas A&M. The Sooners (5-4, 3-2) have beaten the Aggies (5-4, 2-3) six years in a row, and Stoops' teams are 64-2 at home. The last time OU dropped a game in Norman was 2005 — also the last time a Stoops team lost four games, and the last time Oklahoma was unranked.

But that team started poorly and finished strong. This year's Sooners appeared to have turned a corner in victories over Kansas and Kansas State, but last week in Lincoln suffered an immeasurable setback. Players' focus — illustrated by false start penalties, personal foul penalties, dropped passes and missed field goals — was no better in Week 10 than it was in Week 1.

Offensively, that is.

Defensively, things last week were better than ever. Nebraska had just one first down at halftime, converted only one third down (on an OU penalty) all night and finished with its lowest offensive output (180 yards) in four years.

"They're doing a very good job," Stoops said of his defense. "They're really doing a great job of preparing. I watch them and they've been a smart group about being where they need to be. They recognize formations and what people are doing and are able to get on the same page and make adjustments to it."

But there has been no talk — and there won't be — from defensive players or coaches angry with their offensive counterparts.

"We don't look at it like that at all," Venables said. "To have a chance to win, we really need to play very well as a team."

Against Texas A&M's wide open offense — 293 yards per game passing, 185 rushing — it'll be a challenge.

The Aggies' defense, on the other hand, ranks 95th nationally in total yards allowed, and 98th in points allowed. The Sooners — who have scored at least 30 points in 23 consecutive home games — should have opportunities to score.

And if A&M's defense rises up against an injury-riddled and mistake-prone OU offense? Will Oklahoma's stern and stingy defense suddenly feel the pressure of having to carry the rest of the team?

After all, the same thing, in reverse, happened just last season, when college football's most prolific offense carried an unsteady defense and brutally bad special teams all season until the offense finally cracked in the national championship game.

Will it happen to Venables defense this time?

"I haven't sensed it. I don't see that. My message to the guys isn't that," Venables said. "Again, from Day 1, (players are told) 'This is what we want to be. This is what we're capable of being. This is the history, even well before we got here — whether it's these players or these great teams or these great defenses — this is the standard. This is right and this is wrong. This is a good play and this is a bad play. This is great technique and this is not great technique.'

"The end result, playing really well is a byproduct of so many different things: incredible effort, guys investing and performing at a high level, and it starts over every week. Just because you played well last week doesn't mean you'll play well this week. You have to invest in it. I can't say that enough. That's the God's honest truth."

John E. Hoover 581-8384
john.hoover@tulsaworld.com
By JOHN E. HOOVER World Sports Writer

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COMMENTS 
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17 comments have been made for this team so far. Tell us what you think below!
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Some reader comments for this story were copied from "COMING SATURDAY: OU will depend on defense," which was published on 11/13/2009.
Report Comment
Arbythree, Tulsa (11/13/2009 12:13:31 PM)
Keep the faith Sooners!
Report Comment
FaithnHim, Crested Butte, (11/13/2009 12:15:12 PM)
I believe the answer is "YES" the defense does have to play the way they played against Nebraska every week. And it would appear as if OU will even need the defense to put up some offense. Gotta score points somehow.
Report Comment
Arbythree, Tulsa (11/13/2009 12:35:59 PM)
Well, thank goodness we are in the "Home of the SOONERS!!!!!!!!!"

LOL.
Report Comment
FaithnHim, Crested Butte, (11/13/2009 12:52:51 PM)
Home of the Brave Sooners Arby!!
Report Comment
livinglarge, (11/13/2009 12:55:11 PM)
Boomer!!!
Report Comment
Arbythree, Tulsa (11/13/2009 12:56:19 PM)
SOONER!!!!
Report Comment
get to the CHOPPA! , Broken Arrow (11/13/2009 1:17:08 PM)
The Defense has been playing at a championship level all year and will do so on saturday. They will not let each other let up just because their isn't a championship in sight. Then we will see most of them head to the NFL. Keep it up D!!!
Report Comment
lovethemsooners, Fayetteville (11/13/2009 7:17:50 PM)
If not for our defense, we might be 4-5 right now instead of 5-4. Wow, 5-4! That's pretty bad! Now I know what it feels like to be an OSU fan!
Report Comment
swivel mcgee, Tulsa (11/13/2009 11:51:50 PM)
If only! Everything that could have caused reason for concern has occured for the offense. Then you throw in the fact that the offensive line should be playing for Baylor...maybe Stoops should hire a secretary to organize his recruitment trips.
Report Comment
lamarfan, Lamar (11/14/2009 8:16:15 AM)
How can a college such as OU get such low level offensive linemen, or is it just coaching? It seems that at most every spot is low, but we all know most of our starters could start for most teams right now, so what is going on?
Report Comment
The Masked Assassin, Parts Unknown (11/14/2009 8:45:06 AM)
Most of our DEFENSIVE starters, maybe. I'm not so sure we have that many on offense that could start for most TOP 20 teams. It'b be hard to ask the defense to do any more than they have but they probably need to force some turnovers the rest of the way to jump start the O. Go for more strips. Jump some routes. All out blitzes. Whatever it takes. It's risky to take chances without a lead but at this point it may be necessary. Probably not as much tonight, but for sure in the last two.
Report Comment
JR, (11/14/2009 9:09:05 AM)
We have several young men we WILL be watching play on SUNDAYS!!!! Good job Defense!! Boomer Sooner.. ( 40 Years ) Tradition, Tradition, Tradition............
Report Comment
Cool Tool, roswell (11/14/2009 9:28:28 AM)
Hopefully Tress Way won't travel with the team this week. And yes I know it's a HOME GAME. I'm hoping that some guys on the defense will tie Tress Way to the slop sink in a Janitor's closet somewhere ... hopefully on a whole other continent.
Report Comment
The Masked Assassin, Parts Unknown (11/14/2009 10:15:48 AM)
What a jack-a@# you are, tool.
Report Comment
OU@BVAR, Bella Vista (11/14/2009 3:37:25 PM)
Well said Masked Assassin
Go Sooners
Report Comment
Cool Tool, roswell (11/14/2009 10:02:46 PM)
GO O'Hara GO!!! No. 43 Rulz!
Report Comment
Commish, Tulsa (11/15/2009 12:28:00 AM)
If the OU offense was simply average the Sooners would be 10-0. Losses of 14-13, 21-20, 16-13, and 10-3 is a clear sign of atrocious offense. I can't give the defense enough credit. They've played lights out this season. The kicking game also stinks, but it hasn't been reliable in a long time. For the last several seasons OU hasn't needed a last second FG. When it needs one, however, it's usually bad news.
 

 
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