Oklahoma's Defense Hoping Alamo Bowl Will Serve as 'Springboard' Into 2024

With so much returning experience, the Sooners are intent on making the most of the extra bowl practices to make another leap forward headed into the SEC.

SAN ANTONIO — Headed into Thursday’s Alamo Bowl, plenty of attention is focused on the soft opening of the Jackson Arnold era at Oklahoma.

The true freshman quarterback will close the season with his first start for the No. 12-ranked Sooners (10-2, 7-2 Big 12), but OU’s defense is also looking at make a statement against No. 14 Arizona (9-3, 7-2 Pac 12).

Key veteran pieces in linebacker Danny Stutsman, safety Billy Bowman and defensive linemen Ethan Downs, Jacob Lacey and Da’Jon Terry have announced they’ll return to Norman next year for OU’s first trip through the SEC, forming a formidable backbone for Brent Venables’ third defense back at Oklahoma.

Typically, the 15 practices between the regular season finale and the bowl game serve as developmental snaps for younger players on rosters across the country.

For the Sooners, the past three weeks have been spent trying to improve on their weaknesses to make another leap in play before spring practice begins in a few short months.

“Just as a coach, you’re always learning,” OU defensive coordinator Ted Roof said ahead of the Alamo Bowl on Tuesday. “You should be always learning and wanting to learn and grow. Well for our players, like some of the guys that are more established, it’s been good because there’s things that everybody needs to work on and improve at.”

Oklahoma has still given younger pieces of the defense valuable practice reps in December, as the coaching staff looks to raise the floor of the entire defense.

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“Some of the younger guys,” said Roof, “just to get them quality reps that maybe didn’t get as many reps during the season… Where they will be launching from as a player once spring practice starts without those reps as opposed to with those reps they’ve gotten in bowl practice, it’s going to be a lot different. They’ll be in a much better place and have gone through this and getting meaningful reps and the pace of it and everything. It’s win-win. It’s great.”

The development from 2022’s defense was clear on the field, but OU still finished the regular season ranked No. 77-nationally in total defense and 99th in passing defense, though Oklahoma allowed just 22.2 points per game, which ranked 41st in the FBS.

Oklahoma will need to make another big jump in 2024 to keep pace in the SEC, something the defense is working to make a reality.

“It’s big time,” Bowman said. “Getting these young guys here on board quicker will help a lot too because you get them to learn from the experience we have coming back.

“And then that experience that comes back, it becomes more polished. Knowing the details, understanding the details, it’s really what we need to focus on.”

Thursday, Arizona’s offense will be a formidable test.

The Wildcats average 34.3 points per game (22nd) and throw for 304.5 passing yards per contest (12th), which will stress the Sooners.

With a healthy respect for Arizona’s firepower, Downs said the defense is going to bring the same edge to the Alamo Bowl that they did for every other game this year.

“Another three weeks of development and preparation to get a victory at the end of the season,” Downs said. “That’s what we’re shooting for. We’re treating this like a championship… The guys we have now using that as like a springboard to jump forward, we’re really excited about this game to prove our skills at the end of the season. How much we’ve grown at the end of the season.”

Those small gains could prove to be the difference in the Alamodome Thursday night, and will only further serve OU going into 2024.

“We’re a handful of plays away from deducting those two losses,” Bowman said. “So I would say it’s having the confidence in what we’re doing.

“But by a lot of us coming back, it’ll be a more experienced team and I think it’ll really help us going into the SEC.”

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