OU defense seeks validation this bowl trip
Woodi Washington tackles Xavier Hutchinson
Pool photo / Josh Gateley
Last season, a story-book turnaround ended in disastrous fashion on one of the biggest stages in college football.
Oklahoma defensive coordinator Alex Grinch took over the worst defense in the history of Sooner football and turned it into a respectable unit.
Actually, Grinch made it more than that. His “SpeedD” was a top defense in college football a year ago, helping push the Sooners across the finish line to earn their fifth straight Big 12 Championship and their third straight bid to the College Football Playoff.
And then the wheels fell off the wagon.
Missing numerous starters due to injury, suspension and an early ejection, the Sooners ran into the historic buzz saw that was Joe Burrow’s LSU offense.
Racking up 692 yards of offense, Burrow tossed the ball all over Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. After finishing with 493 yards and seven passing touchdowns, Burrow embarrassed an Oklahoma defense trying to make a statement about the shift in defensive culture ongoing in Norman.
A year later the stakes are lower.
Tre Norwood intercepts in front of Charlie Kolar
Pool photo / Ty Russell
It’s not the College Football playoff, but the Cotton Bowl pits the Sooners against another high-powered offense from the Southeastern Conference. The Florida Gators are also led by a Heisman Trophy candidate quarterback with an explosive arm in Kyle Trask.
But somehow, despite losing their most productive player at every level, the Oklahoma defense that will line up opposite the Gators offense is even better.
Led by a fierce and deep defensive line, the Sooners can finally achieve something long missing from an Oklahoma defense if they can slow down Dan Mullen’s offense: validation.
Grinch said his defense is embracing the challenge, and looking forward to competing with one of the nation’s best offenses.
“I look at it as an opportunity to compete at the highest level in a tremendous bowl game,” Grinch said. “To put yourself in an elite bowl matchup against an elite team, an elite offense, as you mentioned. You've earned the right to be in these situations.”
Though Grinch feels the defense has raised its level of play, there are still those who doubt Oklahoma can perform against the best in college football, pointing back to last season’s performance against LSU.
“I feel like there's still a notion that we don't have a lot of respect as a defense when playing against those types of teams. So going against Florida, it's a great opportunity,” sophomore rush linebacker Nik Bonitto said.
“There's a huge opportunity in front of us to prove ourselves as a defense and show we belong with one of the best in the nation,” he said. “I feel like we're ready to take on that challenge.”
Defensive lineman Isaiah Thomas said he’s excited to face the Gators, and is embracing the battle ahead of him.
“We're glad to take on any challenge with any team we face,” Thomas said. “With a high-powered offense like Florida, it will really give us that challenge to give us a real feel of what our defense is really made of and see what players are willing to step up in a big-time game.”
The Big 12 took a big step forward this season with five teams in the conference finishing in the top 40 of total defense nationally, yet Bonitto said he feels like Oklahoma still has to do more to earn respect.
Pat Fields tackles Brock Purdy
Pool photo / Liz Parke
“I just feel like it hasn't reached the national level because I feel like ... I guess we just have to prove it against these other teams, these other high-powered offenses and on a national stage,” Bonitto said. “Then hopefully people around the country, they'll see that the Big 12 isn't the same Big 12.
“We have a lot of great defenses in this conference,” he said.
As the defensive play has stepped up in the conference, the Sooners still felt slighted by their fellow members of the Big 12. When the all-conference teams were named last week, Oklahoma didn’t have a single player named to the first team despite Nik Bonitto being named a first team All-American by Pro Football Focus and Ronnie Perkins earning honorable mention honors.
“I guess it speaks to just how — the quality of defenses that are in the Big 12 now, for someone like that to not even be on the first or second team,” Grinch said sarcastically of the all conference voting, “the standard must have gone up exponentially in the last 12 months.”
Perrion Winfrey tackles Brock Purdy
Pool photo / Liz Parke
Redshirt junior defensive back Tre Norwood said the defense can pull lessons from last year’s embarrassment in the College Football Playoff to prevent a repeat performance against Florida.
“I feel like from last year to this year, we've grown as a defense. I feel like we've all just bought in,” Norwood said. “From the first guy to the last guy on the defense, we've all just bought into playing to our standard.
“You can tell all 11 guys that are on the field, whenever we're playing the game, they're all bought in to playing to the bottom line,” he said.
With another chance to earn the respect of the country, Grinch said his defense is ready to attack the challenge ahead.
“It's a tremendous challenge. There's no question about it … the best offense we've faced this year,” he said. “Obviously, you talk about a quarterback playing as well as anybody in the country, skill across the board.
“What a way to end 2020.”
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