Oklahoma’s Defense Has Plenty to ‘Clean Up’ After Loss to Michigan

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — It’s hard to pin Oklahoma’s 17-10 loss to Michigan on Saturday on the defense.

The Sooners gave up only 263 offensive yards and held the Wolverines to only 3.7 yards per carry. Michigan’s only second-half touchdown came after OU quarterback John Mateer threw an interception that allowed the Wolverines to take over at the Sooners’ six-yard line.

But considering how strong OU’s defense has become under coach Brent Venables, the unit didn’t live up to its high standards in the loss.

“They made us pay,” Venables said. “There's a lot of stuff to clean up and a lot of stuff to learn from. And obviously everyone's gonna be disappointed we left stuff on the table.”

According to Pro Football Focus (PFF), the Sooners missed 21 tackles. Linebacker Owen Heinecke led OU with 10 tackles, but he also had a team-high seven missed tackles. And it wasn’t just Heinecke who had his share of missed tackles; defensive backs Reggie Powers III, Courtland Guillory and Peyton Bowen and defensive tackle Danny Saili each missed two.

Several of Oklahoma’s best defensive players — like Heinecke, Guillory and defensive tackle David Stone — finished with PFF defensive grades below 60.

“(Michigan) did a good job of creating gaps,” Heinecke said. “We didn't do a good job of getting off the field on third downs.”

Bowen said, “We just have to keep our leverage, and that will ultimately lead us to better positioning on tackling.”

Specifically, the Sooners struggled to contain Michigan dual-threat quarterback Bryce Underwood.

Underwood, a sophomore, has yet to develop into a consistent passer at the college level, and he logged only 111 passing yards against OU. But his talent and athleticism has never been in question — and on Saturday, he made the Sooners pay.

The quarterback finished the game with 87 rushing yards, averaging 4.8 yards per rush. His longest scamper went for 38 yards and a touchdown in the first quarter.

OU’s defense simply wasn’t good enough against Underwood, who is far from the only dual-threat quarterback the Sooners will see in 2026.

Later in the year, Oklahoma will face off against proven running quarterbacks like Mississippi State’s Kamario Taylor, Ole Miss’ Trinidad Chambliss, South Carolina’s LaNorris Sellers and Texas A&M’s Marcel Reed. Before those tests, it’s imperative for the Sooners to improve at containment.

“He's actually exactly who we thought he was — really talented guy,” Venables said. “He's hard to get down one on one.”

The road ahead will be an uphill climb for Oklahoma. Of the Sooners’ remaining 10 opponents, five are currently ranked.

The defense is only partially to blame for Saturday’s outcome. But the unit must become sharper in several areas to prevent the loss from becoming season-defining.

“We don't have any other choice but to bounce back,” linebacker Cole Sullivan said. “We're a tough team. We're going to all have a sense of ownership for this game, for this loss. We all have to get better.”

Sign up to our free newsletter and follow us on Facebook and X for the latest news.

Add us as a preferred source on Google