Where Oklahoma's Run Defense Can Improve After Baylor Meltdown

Defensive tackle Isaiah Coe says If the Sooners are going to finish the season on a positive note, the defense needs to come alive in a hurry.

Ross Lovelace | Nov 9, 2022

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Oklahoma Sooners

After the first three games of the season, it sure seemed like Oklahoma’s run defense was going to be one of the strong points of Brent Venables’ first team in Norman.

The Sooners were a perfect 3-0, and the defensive line was a massive part in the team giving up just 30 points in all three contests combined. Both Reggie Grimes and Ethan Downs were racking up sacks off the edge and the pressure seemed to come from everywhere.

Fast forward two months, and Oklahoma currently has the No. 119 ranked run defense in the country after dropping its fourth game of the season to Baylor.

For the majority of the game, the Sooners held the Bears' rushing attack in check, but Baylor took over in the fourth quarter. The team’s final two drives spanned 145 yards and lasted 9:40 minutes. Even when Oklahoma so obviously expected the run, the defense still couldn’t stop it. On the day, Baylor rushed for 281 yards on 5.9 yards per carry, including 114 in the fourth quarter alone.

“We just have to put our heads down and get back to work,” defensive lineman Isaiah Coe said Monday. “We gotta understand where our assignments are, fill our gaps all types of things.

"We just have to be more consistent. Having more consistent three-and-outs, more takeaways, averaging less than four yards per carry for the season.”

The Sooners have tried many different rotations across the defensive line in an effort to fix the problem, but not a lot has worked. There seems to be constant confusion at the line of scrimmage, including positioning and where players are lined up. For Oklahoma to be able to finish the season strong, though, the defensive line will have to replicate that early season success for one final run.

One thing OU can do better?

“Playing together as a unit,” Coe said. “Everybody understanding their assignment. I know it sounds pretty basic, but in the heat of the moment, things have to go a certain way. As long as everybody gets the call, lines up correctly and everybody goes to their assignment, we can be one of the best run defenses in the nation. We were for the the first half of the season. … there’s no reason why we can’t get back to that.”

As Coe mentioned, fully understanding assignments and filling gaps is crucial in rediscovering success and is highlighted over film reviews. Communication seems like the biggest key to putting the puzzle pieces together. If the defensive line is playing as well as the early season stretch, the defense as a whole clicks much better. Pressure is a necessity for success in a Venables-led defense.

“Seeing what-if’s, here and there when you miss plays, that’s what practice is here for,” Coe said. “You go back and you watch the film Sunday after the game, get the corrections made, and that’s when we go out here and try and perfect our craft every week. I just feel like if we keep working we can be the defense that everyone wants us to be and the defense we think we can be.”

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Published Nov 9, 2022

ROSS LOVELACE

Experience Ross is a young, up-and-coming sports reporter who has covered the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Oklahoma Sooners over the past six years. He's made guest appearances on various radio stations and has helped out with the All Sooners podcast whenever he gets the chance. Ross enjoys public speaking and has done so at multiple churches and high schools across the OKC metro area. In addition to writing, Ross has been the Play-by-Play announcer for Crossings’ basketball and football programs since 2020. In high school, Ross worked for self-starter blogs and latched onto Thunder Digest, where he discovered his passion for writing. From there, he worked for the OU Daily as a women's basketball reporter and was hired by All Sooners. Ross landed an internship with Sports Illustrated's Inside the Thunder and has since become a full-time contributor. One day, Ross hopes to work in the NBA. Work History Education Ross holds a bachelor's degree in Public Relations and a minor in Communication from the University of Oklahoma. Personal Born and raised in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Ross played basketball and wrote for his own Thunder blog at Crossings High School in OKC, OK. He enjoys reading, New York Jets football and a week at the beach. Ross is engaged to be married at the end of the year. His Twitter handle is @Rosslovelace.