LAWRENCE, Kan. — Senior defensive end Charles Tapper was a playmaker in Oklahoma's 62-7 win over winless Kansas on Saturday.
Tapper had a realization this summer about his game. In August, coming off of a frustrating junior year in which the Baltimore, Maryland product failed to live up to expectations — gathering just three sacks all season — Tapper spoke about what he thought he was doing wrong in 2014.
“Last year I thought I could walk on the field and people would just bow down to me,” Tapper said at OU Media Day. “No, like you have to go out and defeat the man in front of you, and then you have to defeat the quarterback.”
Saturday he solidified the changes he set out to make in the offseason.
Tapper sacked freshman Kansas quarterback Ryan Willis three times – equaling his entire total from 2014 – and forced two fumbles on the day.
On back-to-back drives in the middle of the third quarter, Tapper first stripped the ball from Kansas running back De’Andre Mann, then had a sack-strip fumble on Willis on the next drive.
As to why Tapper suddenly broke out, he credits a conversation he had with defensive line coach Diron Reynolds.
“He told me, 'Be an athlete, go play football. Stop trying to be a robot. I want you to do what you do, just play football and make plays,'" Tapper said after the win.
Defensive coordinator Mike Stoops commented on Tapper’s performance after the game and his evolution as a player.
"(Tapper’s) missed some plays this year, and really the last couple of games we’ve seen him really come on, and it couldn’t be at a better time to get another playmaker up front,” Stoops said. “He has all the ability in the world. It was fun to see today.”
For the second consecutive week, Tapper made a difference in the turnover game, as Oklahoma has now forced six in the past two games. Against Texas Tech last week, Tapper tipped a ball at the line of scrimmage that Frank Shannon dove to intercept.
OU coach Bob Stoops gave Tapper plenty of credit for Saturday's victory.
“Charles had a huge game,” Stoops said. “Charles has had a great year. He had another really strong night tonight, as did many of those guys. He’s been making a lot of big plays.”
Saturday's game might mark Tapper's return to the form he had in his sophomore year, when he accounted for 5.5 sacks in his first year as a full-time player. He noted before the season that a contributing factor to the lack of success he had in 2014 was due to his shape and that he needed to get back to where he was the year prior.
“Getting in shape was the biggest thing for me. If you look at the Sugar Bowl game, I ran down a receiver,” Tapper said. “I needed to get back to the shape where I can run down receivers and I can play every snap.”
When asked whether or not this game was his best, he compared it to that 2013 Sugar Bowl victory.
“Best game of my career," he said. "Way better than Alabama.”
