Oklahoma's Secondary Must Prevent Moments of 'Panic' Against Texas

The Sooners were flagged for three pass interference penalties against TCU, something OU must eliminate against the Longhorns.

NORMAN — Oklahoma’s defensive backs are in for another major test this Saturday.

Coverage busts last weekend allowed the TCU Horned Frogs a pair of easy touchdown throws, one for 62 yards and one for 73 yards.

Communication has been an emphasis this week in an effort to eliminate the busts, but the Sooner secondary had another concerning trend against the Horned Frogs.

OU defensive backs were flagged for three pass interference penalties, and safety Trey Morrison likely got away with a fourth in the second half.

On all four occasions, the defensive back appeared to be in position to try and make a play. Instead, neither Woodi Washington or Damond Harmon turned their heads around, allowing the referees to throw the flag.

“I thought we panicked a couple of times when the ball was in the air,” OU coach Brent Venables said immediately after the loss Saturday. “We've got to get our head back. We're in face, we're in a good position, don't grab, get your head back around, play through the man, through his eyes, through his hands and we didn't do that. Under pressure in critical situations we've got to help our guys play with better fundamentals, better awareness and don't panic.”

The road ahead doesn’t get any easier, as the Sooner secondary will have to contend with a talented Texas wide receiver corps on Saturday led by standout Xavier Worthy.

Oklahoma’s cornerbacks don’t need to look anywhere other than last year’s contest against the Longhorns to see just how much of a threat Worthy is. As a freshman, he burned OU for nine catches resulting in 261 receiving yards and two scores, including a 75-yard screen pass that busted for a touchdown on the first play from scrimmage.

With another explosive offense on the horizon, Washington said the secondary has been working overtime to make sure they’ll play with proper technique in the Cotton Bowl.

“(Monday) we were outside after practice just working on getting our head around because that was the main thing from last game,” Washington said after practice on Tuesday. “I know I had two penalties from that and a couple of other plays where we didn’t get our head around. If we just do that, do the small things right I think we’ll do a great job during the game.”

Putting in that work on the practice field is the only thing Venables and the defensive coaches know how to do to try and prevent those moments of panic from popping back up to hurt the team in the future.

“You literally put them in that spot, in phase, in position, and then there’s some techniques to finish at the top of the route,” Venables said. “OK, he’s not looking back for the ball. So now what do you do? You’ve been beat. What do you need to do when you get beat? So you practice getting beat in your drill work and your fundamental work.

“And again, you practice when you’re in great position. Don’t panic, get your head around, play through the man, play through his hands. If you’re looking back for the ball and there’s a lot of contact, 99 percent of the time, they’re not calling it. You get in phase with a guy and you’re not looking back for the guy and you run into him, and there‘s the same level of contact, they’re going to call it virtually every time, and they should.”

As if OU’s defensive problems the past two weeks weren’t concern enough, there will be added pressure heaped onto the defense as the Sooners head toward the Texas State Fair.

Uncertainty at quarterback surrounds Norman this week after Dillon Gabriel exited in the second quarter against TCU and was placed in concussion protocol.

The defense can’t afford to give Steve Sarkisian’s offense any free yardage, whether through penalty or coverage bust, making this week’s preparation all the more important.

“Sometimes you learn the most through, again, failure and defeat,” Venables said. “Some of maybe the bad habits, the inconsistent habits that you’ve been in practice maybe, you get a little more focus all the time, so guys can make the improvement that we’ve got to make.”

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