It was pretty gutsy, actually. Like sticking a piece of gum over a leak in the Hoover Dam. Or trying to repair a flat tire with scotch tape. Or patching a rip in the rear of Phil Loadholt’s pants with felt.

In an attempt to replace injured linebacker Ryan Reynolds, defensive coordinator Brent Venables put together a patchwork defense that played just well enough on Saturday. And while it wasn’t always pretty, a win is a win.

Despite rumors that redshirt freshman Austin Box would slide from his spot as the second-string weak side linebacker to the middle, Venables and the coaching staff opted to instead move safety Nic Harris to fill the spot.

Sophomore Quinton Carter took Harris’ spot in the secondary. The move left OU with more speed on the field, but without a big body in the middle.

How did it look? Well, on the surface, it wasn’t pretty.

Kansas rolled up 491 total yards and 31 points. But there are a few things to consider.

First, 69 of those yards came when Brian Jackson slipped while covering Kansas’ Dezmon Briscoe one-on-one. Slipping is not poor defense, just poor luck.

A 75-yard drive took place in garbage time, when Kansas head coach Mark Mangino kept his starters in and called plays like a seventh-grade football coach with his son at quarterback.

Kansas fans may say that’s “fighting until the final whistle,” but if Todd Reesing had gotten injured on that final drive, those same fans would be angry and calling for Mangino’s head.

And don’t forget the highlights the defensive players had. They were in the backfield all day, sacked the elusive Reesing five times and could easily have taken him down even more times.

They also intercepted two passes, forced two fumbles and broke up eight passes. When they needed to, they stepped up.

So it wasn’t perfect. Still, considering Kansas’ offensive power, what OU did was fairly impressive, with just a week to put it together. But it won’t hold up all season.

Harris is a big defensive back and a talented player, but he’s not a middle linebacker. On Kansas’ touchdown drive in the third quarter, the Jayhawks rushed five times for 71 yards, mostly up the middle.

The only reason OU’s defense held up for the entire game is that Kansas wanted to pass. If that was Oklahoma State out there, the game could have gotten ugly.

It was obvious on Saturday why players are assigned certain positions.

Football isn’t about putting the 11 most talented players on the field; it’s about playing the 11 players who are the best at the positions that make up a defense.

Eleven great defensive backs couldn’t all start on defense; someone has to play the line.

So eventually, OU needs to find a true middle linebacker. Venables admitted there would be situations when someone like Box needs to play.

The good news is the linebacker position is Venables’ area of expertise. On top of producing a few Butkus Award winners, Venables is known for crafting stud linebackers — like Curtis Lofton and Travis Lewis — out of nowhere.

If OU wants to continue to compete against the numerous potent offenses of the Big 12, Venables will have to work his magic once again, shaping someone — or multiple people, I suppose — into an adequate middle linebacker.

Otherwise, the dam may just burst.

— Steven Jones is a language arts education junior.