The University of Oklahoma football program is now heading into its second bye week of the season after its first conference win against the University of Texas this past weekend. Now sitting at 2-2 and unranked in the AP Top 25 Poll, the Sooners have a lot of work to do before taking the field again next weekend.
The biggest key factor Sooner defensive coordinator Alex Grinch is looking for in the next coming weeks is consistency. In Wednesday’s press conference, Grinch said he was pleased with the growth his defense showed in last week’s game following up his excitement by saying he is looking for a balance in the way that his players perform.
Putting a lot of emphasis on the old saying ‘consistency is key’ he said he wants his players to perform better on every single drive rather than their usual really good play following with a really bad play Sooner routine.
“What you do in the first quarter, the calls aren’t different in the fourth quarter,” Grinch said.
Following this statement, Grinch put some of the blame on himself and said maybe they should be different, perhaps that is the problem. However, Grinch is correct in saying if his players are capable of doing it in the first quarter, they should be just as capable in the rest of the game as well.
Through the past few weeks, the Sooner defense has been under a smaller microscope than usual. As the season has gone on, there have been more noticeable improvements in their performance than there has been in years past.
The improvements Sooner nation has started to see in the defense quicker than in years past can be attributed to two things. Grinch is finally hitting his stride and becoming comfortable with the Oklahoma football program and this year, the Sooner defense has more young and hungry players than we have seen in recent years past.
This bye week for the Sooners could not come at a more perfect time. Coming off of their first conference win, head coach Lincoln Riley is continuing to turn the negative energy surrounding his team around. After a win in the Cotton Bowl, we will see an energized and fired up team come next weekend.
Though the Sooners are not playing this week, they will be taking on 1-2 TCU at Amon G. Carter Stadium in Fort Worth on Oct. 24 at noon ET.
Photo courtesy of KStateSports.com
