Alex Grinch on possible personnel changes: "We're always looking at other options"
Fresh off back-to-back conference losses for the first time since 1998, it's become clear that Oklahoma needs a jolt of life, especially on the defensive side of the football.
And in a Wednesday press conference, Alex Grinch indicated that personnel changes may be on the horizon as his defensive continues to flounder.
“We’re always looking at other options," said the Sooners' defensive coordinator. "I’ve got to coach them better, but no, you’re certainly always looking at rotating more. We’d like to. I think we’re getting to the point where we can.”
Grinch did note that experience does factor into his evaluation of an individual's play, and admitted that he's leaned on experience early in the season as his team re-acclimates to game speed. But with several talented underclassmen waiting in the wings for their shot, Grinch may have a bit of a shorter leash for his incumbents going forward.
“Can we get it fixed? Absolutely we can," said Grinch. "Because those guys have proven to do it over an extended period of time. [But] they did not do it last weekend.”
Despite the Sooners' inconsistencies in tackling and pass coverage last Saturday, they nearly escaped Ames with a win. However, the margin for error will be even smaller this weekend, as Sam Ehlinger and a hungry Texas team come to the Cotton Bowl with designs on revenge. Oklahoma hasn't yet faced a quarterback with the physical tools that Ehlinger possesses, and it's worth noting that he's a particularly tough player to bring down on first impact. Given the Sooners' tackling woes of late, it stands to reason that Ehlinger isn't going to pull any punches this weekend.
“The biggest thing that you’ve got to focus on is the things that you can impact," Grinch said. "With an opponent the quality of Texas, obviously they certainly have our full and utmost respect. The rivalry aspect of things certainly adds another layer. ... Sam's an elite quarterback who's been doing it for a long time at a high level."
Though the popular sentiment is that Grinch's gung-ho emphasis on takeaways is hurting the Sooners' fundamentals, he's not willing to acknowledge that it's as big of a factor as some seem to believe. Oklahoma has forced just two turnovers through three games.
“I think if you bury your head into the grass, I would not give you that out," said Grinch. "If you’re diving at an ankle and you’re not coming up with anything, I wouldn’t accuse those individuals of trying to come up with a takeaway.”
As Spencer Rattler and the offense try to find solid footing, the Sooners haven't been able to rely on explosive scoring plays to lift them to victory this season. Over the past three years, Oklahoma's historically potent offensive attack has largely compensated for the team's defensive shortcomings. But here in 2020, that won't fly anymore.
“I think that’s our role within this organization," said Grinch. "We gotta have more ownership across the board regardless of what happens on the other side of the ball. … We gotta do a better job as players, a better job as coaches, to play four full quarters.”
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