BCS National Championship: Time to stop talking
OU Insider: Sooners’ defense has chance to show doubters how good it is
By Jake Trotter
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Published: January 8, 2009
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Forgive the Oklahoma defenders if they seem agitated.
After all, their manhood has been challenged by the Florida Gators, notably quarterback Tim Tebow and linebacker Brandon Spikes, leading into the BCS National Championship. Tonight at Dolphin Stadium, we’ll learn what constitution this Sooner defense possesses. "For the lack of respect we’ve been receiving, you have no choice but to have a chip on your shoulder if you have any fire, any competitive spirit,” said linebacker Keenan Clayton. "It’s to a level now where we have to prove a point. "We need to get back to the old Oklahoma defense and hold it down. And I guarantee you’re going to see a defense you haven’t seen all season.” But talk — and there’s been a lot of it this week — is cheaper than sand in Miami. The Sooner defense we’ve seen so far has been erratic, at best. Sure, many of the outcomes have been decided in the first half, leading to sloppy, unfocused play. Sure, the offenses of the Big 12 can make many a defense look ridiculous. Sure, the loss of its leader, middle linebacker Ryan Reynolds, sent the defense into a 2 ½-game tailspin. But playing like the No. 62-ranked unit won’t get the job done, not tonight against a big-play Gator offense that claims to be as fast as high-speed Internet, plus the boost. "Our guys recognize the challenge,” said defensive coordinator Brent Venables. "They’re all competitive. They’re exposed to all the information out here, how great and insurmountable everything is. "But in money situations, our guys have been tremendously successful.” Tonight, the Sooners have the rare opportunity to silence, as safety Nic Harris calls them, "critics and newspaper men,” in the biggest money situation these players have ever partaken. Few, it seems, including the Gators, believe this Sooner defense is up to the challenge. "If they can stop our offense, hey, my hat goes off to them,” Spikes told reporters Monday. "But I really don’t think they can. As long as we play well on defense, give the ball back to Tim and the rest of those guys, we should roll.” Coach Bob Stoops admitted Wednesday his players didn’t take that lightly, saying "they’re a prideful group, no matter what, so I’m sure it has bothered them.” But how will they respond? Said linebacker Travis Lewis: "Our defense isn’t going to show up supposedly, Florida is going to roll over us. People underestimate our defense so much. I could be wrong. Florida could put up 40 points on us. "But I doubt that. I think in big games on big stages our defense shows up as well as any defense in the nation. We think our defense is up to the challenge.” Said defensive end Jeremy Beal: "People think we can’t play defense. At Oklahoma, we’re known for defense. Time to prove them wrong.” Said Clayton: "Everyone feels like they have a point to prove and show up and have the best defensive performance we’ve had all season. We haven’t met the standard of an Oklahoma defense. But it’s coming. On Jan. 8, we’re going to step up and meet the challenge.” Time to walk the talk. A national title depends on it.
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BOOMER SOONER!
and Poundem with OU Offense!!!
You Have My Faith Sooners Now Go Take Everyone Elses Respect..
OooooooooooooooooU!
BOOMER SOONER!!
By the way, I would caution Venables about talking about this game and money with OU's history.
But here is the truth:
The SEC and its backers, and by extension the Florida Gators and their backers, are convinced the Gators will beat Oklahoma in the BCS title game Thursday because Oklahoma, stuck there in the Big 12, has never seen a defense like Florida's.
Keeping the Sooners away from this piece of real estate will be difficult. Really difficult. (AP)
It's a good point, fair and valid.
But it completely ignores the other side of the story, and that's my problem with the arrogance of SEC football. It doesn't acknowledge the other side. It doesn't even seem aware that there is another side. But there is. Oklahoma is on the other side.
And while it's true that Oklahoma hasn't seen a defense like Florida's ...
It's just as true that Florida hasn't seen an offense like Oklahoma's.
Hell, nobody has. Until this season, an offense like Oklahoma's didn't exist. The Sooners throw the ball like BYU back in the day when BYU was breaking every passing record known to man, but the Sooners run the ball like a wishbone team. They have thrown 49 touchdowns. They have run for 45 touchdowns.
They have a 4,000-yard quarterback.
They have two 1,000-yard running backs.
History will show that this collection of offensive talent was among the best in college football history. We're too close right now to see it, but in time, we'll understand. Southern California a few years ago was pretty special when it had Matt Leinart and Reggie Bush and LenDale White and all those NFL receivers and even that NFL tight end.
But Oklahoma is special, too. Whenever he turns pro, even if it's this season, redshirt sophomore quarterback Sam Bradford could be the No. 1 overall NFL Draft pick. Running backs DeMarco Murray and Chris Brown, each with 1,000 yards this season, will play in the NFL. Murray will miss the BCS title game with an injury, but third-string running back Mossis Madu is sensational. Tight end Jermaine Gresham isn't just a future NFL player, but a future NFL star. Receivers Juaquin Iglesias, Manuel Johnson and Ryan Broyles will play in the NFL, too.
But all the attention is on Florida's defense. The Sooners have never faced a defense like this. Blah. And blah. And blah.
Here's the other side of that argument: Florida's defense has no idea what it's up against, either. None. The Gators' defense is undoubtedly good -- I'm not calling Florida a fraud -- but understand for a minute how lame the average SEC offense has been this season. Florida has faced just one quarterback, Georgia's Matt Stafford, who will play in the NFL. Just one. The only other quarterback in the SEC who could compete for a starting job at any of the top 10 offenses in the Big 12 -- and he's not good enough to compete at the top Big 12 schools, like Oklahoma or Texas or Texas Tech ... or at Missouri or Kansas -- is Jevan Snead of Ole Miss.
Poll
Which unit is more formidable?
Florida's defense
Oklahoma's offense
And we all know what Ole Miss did to Florida.
That's the untold story. Meanwhile, Big 12 defenses are being skewered by SEC mouthpieces. Look at all the yards the Big 12 gives up. Look at all the points. Look, look, look.
Fine. Let's look. But understand what we're seeing. There's an unwinnable chicken-or-egg argument here -- are Big 12 defenses down because Big 12 offenses are up, or vice versa? -- but let's look at the quarterbacks of the Big 12. And let's look at the offenses.
Sam Bradford won the Heisman Trophy. Colt McCoy of Texas and Graham Harrell of Texas Tech were among the top contenders this season. Chase Daniel of Missouri and Todd Reesing of Kansas were among the top contenders last season. Joe Ganz of Nebraska completed 68 percent of his passes, and you've never heard of him. Baylor has a budding superstar in Robert Griffin. He's 11th in the league in passing. Kansas State has a first-day NFL Draft pick in Josh Freeman. He's seventh.
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The problem with Big 12 defense isn't really Big 12 defense. It's Big 12 offense -- the quality, yes, but also the pace. See, Big 12 offenses use the spread and the hurry-up and basically do whatever they can to elongate the game, creating more snaps for themselves, yes, but more snaps for the other team, too. Look at it like this, and get ready, because this analogy comes from the NFL: Once upon a time, a 1,000-yard rushing season was the benchmark of greatness in the NFL. But then the season grew from 12 games to 14 games to 16 games, and now you sort of have to suck to start at running back in the NFL and not run for 1,000 yards.
It's the same thing, in reverse, for Big 12 defenses. The game is longer in that league. Offenses stretch it out, turning 60 minutes into something closer to 70. Yes, that skews the great offensive numbers being put up in the Big 12 -- but it also skews the sub-par defensive numbers. It's simply not fair, to anyone, to compare Big 12 defenses to SEC defenses, because that's like comparing the rushing stats of NFL running backs in 1972 to those in 2008.
So I'm done, and the point of this is not to predict that Oklahoma will beat Florida. Honestly, I have no idea who will win. This game will be sensational, that's all I know. But the arrogant assumption that Florida's defense will be the difference makes me giggle.
Because the truth is, the difference really could be Florida's defense.
After it gets its ass kicked by the best offense in college football history.