After a year of trusting another defensive coordinator, head coach Brent Venables is back to acting as the DC this year. And, well, they’re giving up all of 14 points per game – one of the best in the entire country. The’ve absolutely stymied most of their schedule, but Michigan, Auburn, and South Carolina haven’t exactly been good offenses all year, so take that with a grain of salt. They did hold Tennessee to 27 points and gave up 34 to Ole Miss, which are really the only two high-level offenses they’ve faced on the season. Still, they’re in the argument for the top defense in the SEC.
Venables has a history of running something of a chameleon defense. It’s mostly a 4-3 or 4-2-5, but he’s constantly shifting the fronts around and hunting matchups. Some games will feature a more true heavy DT and NT combo with edge rushers, but some games he’ll use some big ends as interior rushers more often. And there will always be plenty of blitzes and simulated pressures with stunts. It’s a creative approach to the front seven, and it’s extremely disruptive. The Sooners have an absolutely absurd 97 tackles for loss this season.
