This Week, It Was Long Drives That Plagued Oklahoma's Defense

Oklahoma was on the wrong side of a historic loss Saturday, leaving more questions than answers on the defensive side of the ball.

DALLAS — Once again, the Oklahoma Sooners were inexplicably run out of the Metroplex on Saturday. This game was different, though.

Last week, Texas Christian embarrassed the Sooners by way of the big play. Oklahoma experienced multiple coverage busts resulting in long touchdowns and defenders aimlessly searching for him. Wide receivers were wide open downfield, leaving fans questioning the overall defensive scheme.

Against Texas, there were big plays, of course. There were busted coverages here and there. But instead of allowing a slew of big plays and wondering what could’ve been like a week ago, Oklahoma was historically dominated by the Longhorns, losing 49-0.

After the opening drive of the game, Steve Sarkisian put together an absolute masterclass. Texas’s first three touchdown drives were surgical, as the Longhorns marched 80-plus yards down the field on each possession. It didn’t really matter what Texas was trying to do offensively, everything worked.

“Execute at a better level, helping with play calls and helping them get off the field," Brent Venables said following the loss. "Had four touchdown drives of 79-plus yard. There’s plenty of opportunities in those drives and, in my opinion, we can do a better job of coaching and playing to get off the field.”

Texas had touchdown drives lasting 12 plays, eight plays, and two different nine-play sequences in the first half alone. While Oklahoma’s defense eventually rolled over, there were plays that could’ve helped prevent a defeat like this.

Such as on the second drive of the game. After generating momentum on the first defensive series thanks to a Danny Stutsman open-field tackle, the Sooners had a chance to keep the Longhorns rattled early. Quinn Ewers threw an ill-advised pass, maybe his only mishap of the contest, right into Woodi Washington’s hands. It appeared Washington had come away with a takeaway, but he couldn’t complete the catch to the ground.

That's been the story of Oklahoma's 2022 defensive unit. Almost tackles, almost interceptions and almost big plays have hampered momentum in all three of the Sooners losses. As a heavy underdog with a backup quarterback in the game, those miscues are unacceptable. Sure, it’s a tough play to ask Washington to make, but those are the types of plays that can change a game.

After Washington’s drop, Texas’ 12-play, 90-yard drive lasted 4 1/2 minutes and took every bit of life out of Oklahoma. Obviously, the Sooners lost by a lot more than a touchdown, but the way Texas set the tone early allowed them to run away with it.

The Sooners’ inability to get off the field on fourth down was costly on the scoreboard in the first half, but evident in the trenches in the second half. Oklahoma was clearly worn thin coming out of the halftime gates, and Texas took advantage of big plays and good field position.

“In some ways we look like maybe a tired football team," Venables said. “Again, there’s probably several reasons why. Right now, we’re having to play near perfect football and we’re just not able to do that.”

There aren’t many different ways to lose by 30-plus points, but the Sooners have discovered two of them. TCU exposed the busted coverages while Texas dominated the line of scrimmage. Oklahoma's defense seems to be unravelling to a new low.

"I don't think it's one thing," Ted Roof said. "It's a combination of things. It's usually not just one thing. From tackling to communication to whatever. But our inability to stop the run and get off the field on third down, those are things that, it's tough to win when you aren't doing that."