Oklahoma-TCU: Three Keys to the Game

Fixing the Protection

TCU’s offense is to not be trifled with. The Horned Frogs common 46.3 factors and 510 yards per recreation. They’ve fleet receivers, a robust operating recreation and a quarterback who’s intelligent, skilled and environment friendly.

Kansas State’s offense got here into final week’s recreation in Norman with out almost the offensive credentials, and but the Wildcats did no matter they needed at occasions towards the Sooner protection.

Is OU in hassle in Fort Price? With some similarities in KState and TCU’s offensive methodology, can the Sooner protection get it fastened shortly?

“There’s not one magic bullet,” mentioned defensive coordinator Ted Roof. “It’s a course of that you’re going by way of. A part of it’s a develop and studying processing. A part of it’s figuring out it, which we actually have, and drilling it to repair it. That’s the method.”

OU must rush the passer extra successfully, boxing in Max Duggan quite than sprinting up area to provide him escape lanes, like they did final week towards Ok-State’s Adrian Martinez. The Sooner linebackers have to cowl their beneath zones higher quite than staring on the quarterback whereas tight ends and backs run unfettered.

“All of it works collectively,” Roof mentioned. “ … The exactness of it, that’s one thing we simply fell brief.”

Don’t Get Sloppy

The Sooners and the Horned Frogs are tied for second nationally with only one giveaway. But each defenses have been opportunistic. TCU is plus-3 in turnover margin, whereas OU is plus-4.

So taking good care of the soccer might be extra essential than ever. Possessions are at a premium.

Neither quarterback (OU’s Dillon Gabriel nor TCU’s Max Duggan) have thrown an interception but this season. That may’t change Saturday.

“Coach (Joe) Gillespie (TCU’s new defensive coordinator) has bought them taking part in extremely laborious and hard and bodily,” mentioned OU offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby. “They’ve created some turnovers with 4 picks, however a bunch that is disciplined, that is powerful. We’re gonna have to be at our greatest on Saturday morning.”

The workforce that will get sloppy with the soccer shall be at a major drawback.

Get Vertical

TCU’s go protection ranks 107th within the nation, and the Frogs are a hundredth in yards per completion allowed (12.77).

Oklahoma’s passing recreation, which ranks twenty fourth within the nation in yards per completion (13.91), has some distinct benefits with Marvin Mims, Theo Wease, Jalil Farooq and Drake Stoops catching passes from Dillon Gabriel.

The magic has to occur, although. Gabriel has missed some deep throws in his first 4 video games, together with an enormous one final week towards Kansas State. He’ll have to be on course towards the Horned Frogs.

“It’s a slim margin for error to be good to nice,” Gabriel mentioned. “We’re extraordinarily vital. … We’re all centered on being nice, not essentially good.”

Additionally, the Sooners want to wash up a few of the pre-snap penalties that wrecked so many drives towards Ok-State.

“I believe essentially the most irritating half for me and for us,” Lebby mentioned, “is that we go on the highway final week in entrance of an unbelievable crowd and we’ve zero pre-snap penalties. We had zero non-playing penalties on the highway, then we do what we did in the present day. From a consistency standpoint, that may’t occur.”