The week after its first stumble of the season, OU’s defense is looking to turn frustration into fuel.
The Sooners are treating their 23-6 loss to Texas as a way to grow and are focused on making sure the loss does not translate to its game against South Carolina.
“Don’t let your past opponent beat you twice. … We have to learn from it and keep our heads held high because there’s still a lot of football left,” senior defensive lineman Damonic Williams said.
OU’s defense, which entered the Red River Rivalry ranked No. 2 nationally in yards allowed, had its roughest outing of the season in Saturday’s 23-6 loss. The Sooners gave up 302 total yards and two touchdowns to the Longhorns — both season highs — while failing to force a turnover for the fifth time this season.
For junior defensive back Gentry Williams, the performance served as a wake-up call.
“We got humbled on Saturday, but we’re going to move on,” Williams said. “We’re able to learn from it.”
The growth mindset has been echoed throughout the defensive unit, which is determined to prove that one loss doesn’t erase weeks of dominance. The group still leads the Football Bowl Subdivision schools (FBS) in yards allowed and remains one of the stingiest units in the country against the run and the pass.
“One loss doesn’t defeat this team,” redshirt sophomore defensive lineman Taylor Wein said. “That’s not who we are, and we’re just going to learn from it and get better.”
Junior defensive back Peyton Bowen echoed that message and emphasized the team’s ability to grow through adversity.
“That’s just this day and age,” Bowen said. “We can’t let that affect us. We need to take this, learn from our scars (and) our mistakes from this game, which I think is going to help us.”
OU heads to unranked South Carolina for its first true conference road game of the season before resuming its gauntlet of a schedule with the final five games being against AP Top 25 opponents.
“We still got a (Southeastern Conference) opponent on the road,” Williams said. “It (doesn’t) get easier, so we’ve got to continue to get back to the basics.”
South Carolina ranks second to last in the SEC in total offense, averaging just 310 yards per game. The OU defense has an opportunity to reassert itself against a unit that has struggled to protect sophomore LaNorris Sellers, the second-most sacked quarterback in the conference.
Venables’ players are not taking the Gamecocks lightly either.
“They’re a great opponent,” Wein said, “… so we’re excited to play.”
This story was edited by Joshua McDaniel.
