R Mason Thomas Looking for Adjustment to 'Small Details' for Oklahoma's Defense

The Sooners are looking to bounce back from an uncharacteristic performance when they take on Tennessee this weekend.

Oklahoma defensive end R Mason Thomas | Carson Field, Sooners On SI

NORMAN — Not that Oklahoma’s defense needs fixing, but to Sooners’ defensive end R Mason Thomas, the solution to defensive missteps like OU had last week against Ole Miss is simple.

“Practice habits is game reality,” Thomas said. “So if we won’t do it in practice, definitely won’t do it in a game. … It’s hard to make a habit or break a habit, but if we continue to do it, we’ll be on the right track. Small details won’t hinder us anymore.”

The Sooners’ defense has been one of the best in the nation this season.

Even after the loss to the Rebels, the Sooners are sixth nationally in total defense, points allowed per game, rushing yards allowed per game, third in first downs allowed per game, second in sacks per game and 10th in passing yards allowed per game.

But in last week’s 34-26 loss, the defensive surrendered nine third-down conversions and managed just one sack.

Two of those third-down conversions came on third-and-long rushes by Ole Miss quarterback Trinided Chambliss.

“Just have to keep our rush lanes,” Thomas said of the third-down troubles. “Have to keep our lane integrity. Especially for guys that can wiggle around, smaller guys that can run faster. Tennessee’s quarterback has some of that too. For us to keep our pass rush lanes, make sure we contain him, rolling him out of the pocket will be good.”

The 18th-ranked Sooners will get a chance to show improvement in the category when they take on No. 14 Tennessee on the road Saturday (6:30 p.m., ABC).

---

Read More Oklahoma Football

• How Oklahoma is Helping QB John Mateer Get Back to Playing His Best Football
• Oklahoma Players, Coaches 'Confident' They'll Rebound Against Tennessee
• After Puzzling Start to Season, Oklahoma's Ben Arbuckle Promises More Xavier Robinson

---

Volunteers’ quarterback Joey Aguilar has 91 rushing yards and two touchdowns this season. He rushed for 59 of those against Arkansas on Oct. 11.

The loss to Ole Miss broke a streak of four consecutive games with at least one sack for Thomas and his pass rush grade according to Pro Football Focus was 58.4 — his lowest regular-season grade in the category since the BYU game in 2023.

But Thomas is less concerned about his numbers — 22 tackles, 8.5 for loss, 5.5 sacks — than he is about the defense as a whole.

Thomas was asked about what it would take for the Sooners to slow down Tennessee running back DeSean Bishop, who comes into the game with 652 yards and nine touchdowns and averaging 7.2 yards per carry.

“We have to have population at the football,” Thomas said. “Have to get him on the ground. Any good running back can run through trash. They can take a few hits and stay up, so we have to have population at the football.”

The defense remains confident, even after their recent setbacks, Thomas said.

“We’re still confident in what we do,” Thomas said. “Nobody can take that away from us. To lose like that, it does hurt. But we still have our confidence — our juice. We know we can go still attack what we have in front of us, the goals we set at the beginning of the season.”