Oklahoma-Texas: Three Keys to the Game

OU can win Saturday if they do three things: Wind the Clock ... Bust Out ... Dynamic Duo.

DALLAS — Oklahoma is a 9-point underdog Saturday against rival Texas. It’s the first time in 13 years the Sooners aren’t favored to win the Red River Shootout.

After back-to-back losses for only the second time since 1999, OU’s back is up against the wall. The Sooners were badly blown out last week at TCU, but in a rivalry game like this, both sides know the other has a chance to steal victory.

Here are three things OU must do to leave Dallas with a win on Saturday afternoon:

Wind the Clock

Offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby loves to run his offense with high tempo. That’s what he would prefer.

But the Sooners have proven over and over again through five games this season that up-tempo isn’t always a good thing.

Davis Beville :: John E. Hoover / AllSooners

In this case, it can be a disaster.

Quickly giving the ball back to a potent Texas offense — especially against an OU defense that is reeling from lack of consistency and lack of confidence — would work to Oklahoma’s detriment.

Lebby needs to scheme up the Texas defense so the OU ground game can wind clock and shorten the game. If Texas has more than 11-12 possessions, the Longhorns’ chances of winning go up. Oklahoma won’t win a shootout with this offense.

First up, Lebby can find a set of plays or personnel packages that backup quarterback Davis Beville (or juco transfer General Booty, or freshman Nick Evers, if it comes to that) is comfortable with and has operated with success in practice. Find what they like, and perfect it.

Second, involve the quarterbacks in the run game. Evers seems a good fit, although Micah Bowens could show his value here.

Third, work the play clock. There’s absolutely no need to snap the football with more than 10 seconds showing. That doesn’t fit what Lebby wants to do, but good coaches adjust to their personnel.

And fourth, with a scary lack of experience at quarterback, there’s no reason to play a bunch of wide receivers. They’re not great blockers, and you’re not going to throw them the football anyway. Lebby should deploy a lot of heavy personnel — tight ends Brayden Willis, Daniel Parker and maybe freshman Jason Llewellyn, plus Tawee Walker, who got a snap or two at fullback at Nebraska, or maybe line up some jumbos in the backfield on short yardage plays — and double his efforts on running the football.

Bust Out

That’s everything for the defense: take the busts out of the playbook.

Justin Broiles (25) and Tre Morrison :: John E. Hoover / SI Sooners

When asked about communication breakdowns and players not getting the right signals, defensive coordinator Ted Roof said the Sooners don’t have any calls that allow for receivers to run 20 yards past the defender.

But you might not know it by watching last week’s game at TCU. 

If Roof is calling one defense but the safeties think they’re playing a different defense, the result is frequently a touchdown for the other team. 

Against Texas, Roof should streamline the call sheet and simplify the communication process. The Longhorns are good enough to score 40 without help from the OU defense. If the Sooners don’t eliminate the busts, Texas will try to score 60.

Dynamic Duo

Texas has one of college football’s best running back/wide receiver tandems in Bijan Robinson and Xavier Worthy. It’ll be near impossible to stop them both. 

Xavier Worthy and Jaden Davis :: Bryan Terry / The Oklahoman-USA Today Network

So focusing on the one who’s guaranteed to get the football 20 times or more — Robinson — could be the best option. Quarterback Quinn Ewars’ return to the lineup means coach Steve Sarkisian will test the OU secondary deep. 

The Sooners need to try to get to Ewars through conventional methods, with an occasional blitz mixed in, but can’t compromise their defensive integrity to get there. Worthy will get his catches — 6-8 is probably the right number for the OU defense — but Woodi Washington and Jaden Davis and D.J. Graham and the safety corps simply need to limit his yards after catch. 

It’s Robinson that the OU defense can’t afford to let roll unchecked down the field. Fanatical effort to the football and gang-tackling Robinson is at the top of OU’s defensive to-do list. Adding a safety to the box might be the only way to do that, but that could allow for a big day from tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders or wideout Jordan Whittington over the middle. 

Still, that’s preferable to Robinson rushing for 225 yards.