No. 4 Oklahoma (9-0, 6-0 Big 12) routed Texas Tech (5-4, 2-4) on Saturday in Norman, 52-21.
The Sooners defense allowed 373 total yards to the Red Raiders and got two interceptions. Both came on deflected passes. The first was caught by senior safety Pat Fields after redshirt sophomore defensive tackle Jalen Redmond tipped a pass in the air, and the second was caught by redshirt senior safety Justin Broiles after Texas Tech receiver Loic Fouonji failed to make a catch.
Here’s what OU defensive coordinator Alex Grinch had to say about his defense after the game:
On the defense’s improvement
“I saw what you saw in terms of just the overall feel of it. It felt better. It felt like more intentional work which coincided with more intentional work I felt over the course of the week in preparation. Now, obviously, there's missed opportunities and then you're always gonna have some and those are the ones that are going to frustrate you. But there's better football on display, I think as I would evaluate in real time. We'll attack those things that we have to get better at. With opportunities at the catch point, to be more competitive in those instances.
“Number one, you have to make sure that you have guys in position to do that. Again, based on my vantage point, that certainly was the case today, still frustrated on the inability to get more of those guys on the ground so the work continues. I was pleased with the progress and we got some young guys in there at the end unfortunately Jordan (Mukes) got banged up, but it was good to get some of those guys in.”
On Keshawn Lawrence moving to cornerback
Number one, our patience is at zero when it comes to individuals, whether it's from a preparation standpoint, not attacking the work week or guys from a performance standpoint, as you go into week nine. 1-A on that would be, Keshawn has played to a level the last couple of weeks when Delarrin (Turner-Yell) was out to establish himself as a starter on our defense. I sent him a text message on Sunday night and said ‘what do you think about playing corner, you deserve to be a starter.’
“You have to like the guy that doesn't bat an eye. I can't remember his exact words but anyway, that's role one — attack the week, and continue to get better. He made some plays today and had a couple others I think he can and will make in the future. We’re looking for playmakers in the secondary and trying to find the best eleven guys. He's established himself as being a starter and it's our job to find the right spot for him.”
On Jalen Redmond’s return from injury
“I don't want to put too much on him. We really put in a lot of work into him. In the spring and fall, he really had the intention of getting better at his craft. He's one of those guys that really worked at it and then practiced harder. He practiced like a guy that hadn’t played in a year. He was really progressive for us and had an impact for us early on the year and then he was off the field again. You feel for him, because that's been the story of his career so far. He’s kind of up and down from an injury standpoint.
“We're gonna ask a lot of him in this last month, there's no doubt about it. The other guys around him have to play to a standard as well. I think it's also a visual for some of those other inside guys. … There's one more slice to the pie type of deal. So now, we're excited. Believe me, they're seeing 31 out there. That’ll make sure you're awfully happy defensively.”
