Oklahoma Sooners offense finally supports 'D’

Posted Sunday, Oct. 25, 2009 Comments   (0) Print Share Share Reprints
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By MIKE JONES

jjones@star-telegram.com

LAWRENCE, Kan. — Hey, even Brent Venables got an interception.

"Yeah," Oklahoma’s defensive coordinator said, "I’ve got a lot of them. I might be the defensive leader on our staff with those sideline picks."

Venables may also be the country’s leading defensive coordinator the last two weeks.

A week after slowing Texas’ explosive offense, Venables’ defenders limited Kansas’ high-octane bunch to less than 400 yards and 30 points for the first time in nine games.

The offense finally came to the party in the second half and the 25th-ranked Sooners (4-3, 2-1 Big 12) bounced back from last week’s frustrating loss to the Longhorns with a 35-13 road victory over the No. 24 Jayhawks.

"It was huge," coach Bob Stoops said. "Just really proud of our football team the way they played against a really good Kansas team that’s been playing well.

"A great performance overall."

But once again, the defense deserved center stage.

"Really special, outstanding at every position," Stoops said. "We came up with big turnovers, pressures, sacks. And even in some tough situations, our defense got us out of it.

"Brent and our defensive guys had a great game plan. We were very aggressive in how we played and our players deserve the credit. They covered well and made big plays, got a lot of pressure with blitzes and just kind of took them out of their rhythm."

For the record, OU’s defense held the Jayhawks to their lowest offensive output of the season (290 yards), ending an eight-game streak of 400-yards plus. The three interceptions — one of which cornerback Dominique Franks returned 85 yards for a touchdown — were a KU season high. The Sooners also sacked elusive quarterback Todd Reesing three times and made receiver Dezmon Briscoe a nonfactor.

"I was very impressed with them," KU running back Jake Sharp said.

End Jeremy Beal got his first career interception off a tip by roommate and defensive tackle Adrian Taylor, who also had a sack and spent a lot of time in the Jayhawks’ backfield.

Venables did a nice job of mixing the new dime package he showed last week with the regular set and brought the house from both inside and out.

"We’ve got a great coach who had a great game plan," Taylor said. "You never know where he’s coming from [with the blitzes], so it keeps them confused and makes it a lot easier for us to get one-on-ones up front.

"Our emphasis is winning those battles."

OU was credited with six QB pressures, but that seemed light.

"[Reesing] scrambles around and buys a lot of time," Franks said. "Today when he scrambled around, there was somebody in his face and he had to get the ball out quick."

The Sooners’ defense continues to be the rock this team is built upon. But the offense showed a glimmer of future development in this first win of the season outside the state of Oklahoma.

After a rough first half, the offense behind Landry Jones — missing multi-purpose back DeMarco Murray because of an ankle injury —came alive in the second half, scoring on drives of 75, 70 and 80 yards.

This after a first half in which it contributed nothing but an early 46-yard drive following safety Quinton Carter’s interception of Reesing’s first pass. And at that, it took OU five cracks inside the 2-yard-line to put it in on the first of three TDs from Chris Brown.

"We struggled a little to get things going in the first half," Jones said. "But the second half, we executed the way this offense can.

"This was a huge win. For the offense to come out and put up [28] points on the road and the defense coming out and playing lights out football all game long ... it was a really good game.

"And we needed that."

Jones completed 26 of 38 passes with one interception for 252 yards and two touchdowns. He was 14-of-17 for 170 yards with TD passes of 9 yards to Adron Tennell and 8 to Brown in the second half.

"I was so proud of the offense," Taylor said. "We played super hard last week and didn’t come out with a win.

"For us to bounce back in a road game against a good Kansas team with record-holders all over the field speaks volumes about the character of our team."

Mike Jones, 817-390-7760

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