Opportunistic Oklahoma Secondary Forcing Turnovers at Greater Clip

NORMAN -- Oklahoma's secondary, a blend of young talent and veteran experience, is swarming to the ball and forcing turnovers, something it did little of last season.

The Sooners, who got a forced fumble and recovery from sophomore defensive back Kani Walker in a Week One win over Arkansas State, matched both feats against SMU on Saturday.

This time it was senior defensive back Key Lawrence who punched the ball out of SMU running back Jaylan Knighton's arm in the third quarter and linebacker Danny Stutsman who fell on it to end a promising drive by the Mustangs.

It was the sixth forced fumble of Lawrence's OU career.

"Great job chasing the ball," defensive coordinator Ted Roof said Monday at his press conference. Championship strain. Strain's a big deal. We've got to play with strain.

"You take that one off the tape and you show it, okay, here's what it looks like ... punching at the ball, finishing the play, those types of things. It was a good play."

After two weeks, the Sooners' defense has recovered half as many fumbles (2) as it did all of last season (4). Only five teams had fewer fumble recoveries, according to NCAA statistics.

The Sooners also got an interception from defensive back Justin Harrington, a redshirt senior.

Roof, while pleased with the production so far, said there's still a lot to learn.

"We're just starting out. We're by no means a finished product and we haven't arrived or any of that stuff," he said. "We're just a work in progress that is going to go out and grind every day and that's the attitude our staff and our players have.

"It's all about incremental improvement. We've got to get better because we left some plays out on the field the other night, some situations where we had opportunities to get off the field and didn't. We've got to close the door right there."

Tulsa head coach Kevin Wilson figures to test the Sooners' defense Saturday. Wilson, the Sooners' offensive coordinator from 2002 to 2010, directed one of the most prolific offenses in the country.

"Kevin's a smart coach that knows how to attack defenses," Roof said. "He sees the game real well and is an excellent play caller.

Throughout my career I've always had a lot of respect for him and the job that he does. He's doing a lot of things right now, which makes it tough to prepare for him."

Sophomore defensive back Robert Spears-Jennings, who injured his shoulder in the spring, returned to the lineup against SMU and gave the defense a lift, according to Roof.

"It was great to see him out there again," Roof said. "He came in and gave us a spark and it was good to see. I anticipate his role increasing, progressing as we go as he earns it."

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