Oklahoma Striking Jackpot With Takeaways at Opportune Times

NORMAN — A few weeks ago, when his team was the only team in FBS without a takeaway, Oklahoma coach Brent Venables said he believed they would come.

While he wasn’t exactly alone in that belief, some inside the locker room walls had trouble buying in.

“When it was four or five games in with no turnovers, it felt like that,” Sooners cornerback Eli Bowen said this week when asked if he ever felt like they weren’t going to come this year. “But that’s just the way the ball went.”

But headed into Saturday’s matchup against No. 22 Missouri at Gaylord Family - Oklahoma Memorial Stadium (11 a.m., ABC), the Sooners have been creating turnovers in bunches.

They had three takeaways in each of the last two games, and have surpassed four SEC teams in total turnovers forced, including the three ahead of them in the College Football Playoff rankings — Texas A&M, Georgia and Ole Miss.

Venables consistently preached the importance of creating turnovers.

“Nothing impacts the game like turnovers,” Venables said. “It always has been that way, it’s not a new thing. At every level of football, if you win the turnover margin, you have a much better chance to win the game.”

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Since the beginning of the 2023 season, the Sooners are 17-0 when winning the turnover battle and 6-10 when coming out on the wrong end of that category.

Venables regularly shows his team plenty of NFL clips of defenses forcing turnovers, among other methods.

“Maybe it’s two minutes a day, but it’s — you start the meeting with, you know, these (NFL) players that the players really look up at these guys ripping the ball and popping the ball out, and showing the offense the same thing,” Venables said. “Just continue to keep feeding that part of the mindset and the process of how you play really good defense.”

But Venables also worked to make sure his team didn’t push to create turnovers at the expense of playing sound all-around defense.

“Maybe you’re ripping at the ball more than you are actually tackling and putting your pads on people and running through people and now you’re not tackling and you’re not forcing turnovers,” Venables said. “So I think our guys have had a balance there. We stress it every day because we do a turnover circuit every day.”

While the Sooners have played excellent defense all season, the importance of turnovers has been made clear in the last two games.

Against Tennessee, R Mason Thomas’ 71-yard fumble return for a touchdown put the momentum on Oklahoma’s side early after it looked like the Volunteers might jump out to a quick 14-0 lead.

Then in the second quarter, Peyton Bowen intercepted Joey Aguilar deep in Sooners’ territory, returning it 37 yards and setting up an eventual Tate Sandell field goal.

Just before halftime, Robert Spears-Jennings picked off Aguilar again in OU territory and returned it to the Tennessee 28, setting up another Sandell field goal that put the Sooners up 16-10 at halftime.

Three turnovers leading to 13 points in an eventual 33-27 Oklahoma win.

Then last week against Alabama, linebacker Kip Lewis charged up the middle late in the first quarter, forcing Crimson Tide quarterback Ty Simpson to release the ball early. Eli Bowen picked it off and returned it 87 yards for a score, not only ending a promising Alabama drive but also putting the Sooners up 10-0.

In the second quarter, Michael Boganowski hit punt returner Ryan Williams and Jaydan Hardy came in from the side and punched the ball free to be recovered by Sammy Omosigho.

Two plays later, John Mateer’s 20-yard touchdown put Oklahoma up 17-7.

Oklahoma Sooners, Jaydan Hardy — Oklahoma defensive back Jaydan Hardy forces a fumble on a punt return against Alabama. The Sooners have forced six turnovers over their last two games. | Carson Field, Sooners On SI

Just before the end of the third quarter, with the Sooners trailing, defensive end Taylor Wein hit Simpson in the backfield, knocking the ball loose to be recovered by Kendal Daniels.

Another Sandell field goal put Oklahoma ahead for good.

Three more turnovers led to 10 points in an eventual two-point victory.

“They’re huge in these games that are decided by one score,” Venables said. “When you’re not getting them, it puts a little more stress on every part of your team. You don’t have the short field goal for the kick or the short field for the offense to go operate and start to get into a rhythm and create a lot of pressure on people.

“When you’re not getting them, inherently, every other part of your team is a ‘victim’ to that as well.”

Missouri has turned the ball over at least once in each of its last nine games, and has multiple turnovers in four of its last five.

Venables told his team their fortune in the turnover category would change, that it was just a matter of time as long as they stuck to the same defensive principles he was preaching.

Fortunes have certainly shifted in a big way, and the Sooners figure to need more of it against the Tigers.

“Luck of the draw, man,” linebacker Kobie McKinzie said. “You know, blackjack. It just happened to come on at the right time — 21.”