OU Football: Sooner defense gets three turnovers, Alex Grinch a happier man
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Oct. 31—Oklahoma defensive coordinator Alex Grinch began by saying he thought "it was everything."
Given what Sooner coach Lincoln Riley had said before him, it jibed.
"It just felt different," he said of the Sooners week of preparation for Texas Tech, at one point adding "We had some good conversations this week."
So maybe it was a meta solution that paid off in a specific way for the Sooner defense Saturday afternoon against the Red Raiders.
What's clear is that on the way to a 52-21 victory, the last seven of Tech's points coming long after it had ceased to be a competitive game, the Sooner defense was much better than a week ago and better than it had been for most of a month.
How it performed against Tech was long the lines of how it performed against Nebraska and West Virginia, games it held the opposition to 16 and 13 points.
"There was more better football on display," summarized Grinch.
Though OU finished allowing 373 yards of total offense, 104 on the ground and 269 through the air, the numbers were not the story.
Tech went three-and-out its first possession. It went five-and-out its second possession. Though it scored on an 8-play, 83-yard drive on its third possession, it produced no points its next four possessions.
Before the Red Raiders scored their second touchdown, the Sooners had scored five to go with a 53-yard into-the-wind field goal from Gabe Brkic.
The Sooner defense played a game that did not let the Red Raiders threaten.
It helped to have several players back on the field.
D.J. Graham returned at cornerback. Delarrin Turner-Yell returned to play one safety spot and Pat Fields returned to play the other.
Though he didn't start, Jalen Redmond also returned to a defensive tackle spot, freeing Isaiah Thomas to create havoc off the end, batting down two passes and putting a hand on the ball of another before the pass could be thrown and then going on to recover the fumble he forced himself.
"It's fun to see the results for him," said Grinch of Thomas.
The forced fumble and recovery was the play that opened the door for Spencer Rattler to relieve at quarterback and throw his first touchdown pass since Oct. 2.
Two of Tech's drives ended on interceptions from Fields and Justin Broiles. Fields and DaShaun White led the Sooners with eight tackles each.
"It was very uplifting and very motivating ... because we see what we're capable of and still have things we can get better at," said Thomas, who also had a piece of two tackles behind the line of scrimmage for 6 lost Red Raider yards.
Grinch enjoyed the turnovers.
"I would say effort and intent," he said. "The ball has a tendency not to come out unless you make at least some attempt at it."
He added that in the previous Tuesday's practice, a special count had been made of all the times defenders could have attempted to strip the ball and didn't.
The count was 30.
Saturday was better than Tuesday, and a few Saturdays before that, too.
Clay Horning
405 366-3526
Follow me @clayhorning
