Why Oklahoma LB Dasan McCullough's Return Was a Welcome Sight for OU
NORMAN — What a week for Dasan McCullough to get healthy. What a week for the Oklahoma linebacker to break out.
McCullough, a sophomore transfer from Indiana and the Sooners’ ultra-talented cheetah linebacker, got his first OU start at Cincinnati last week and comported himself well as the Oklahoma defense rose up and allowed just two field goals in a 20-6 victory over the Bearcats.
After missing most of the first three games with an ankle injury, McCullough got the start and went the distance with 49 defensive snaps at Cincinnati.
“It felt great,” he said after the game, “and I felt like this was a great week for it to come back. A lot of my family got to see me play with me being born in Ohio and Cincinnati at that. So it was great. It was great to be back and get the rust off a little bit. So I'm ready to get on the rest of the season.”
McCullough played in high school in Indiana, but as the son of a coach, he’s been all over. His dad, Deland, played college football at Miami-OH, played for the Cincinnati Bengals and later coached at his alma mater, as well as Indiana, USC, the Kansas City Chiefs and now Notre Dame.
After the game, McCullough and defensive lineman Jonah Laulu enjoyed a Cincinnati toast, popping the top on a couple cans of local favorite Skyline Chili.
“OK, so me and Jonah got handed the chili,“ McCullough said. “And at first we were just supposed to cheers it and kind of look and smile. But we were like let's drink it. So we took it, drank it, and then the video cut off right before we had to spit all that out. But it was good though. It was good.
“Yeah, I love Skyline Chili personally. Just not the chili in the can. Just not the chili in the can itself, I'm not a fan. But I love Skyline. And being from here, my mom had it last night. She asked me if I wanted some. So no, it's been huge though. I'm glad I got to have my opener back in Cincinnati."
McCullough finished second on the team Saturday (behind Danny Stutsman) with seven total tackles, and he teamed up on one of the Sooners’ seven tackles for loss.
“He’s got a big body and can cover a lot of grass,” Stutsman said “… and he’s a really sure tackler.”
“I thought he played well,” said defensive coordinator Ted Roof, “and I expect him to continue to grow and get better. He’s still — he’s a second-year guy. He’s a true sophomore. To see the development of him moving forward with that position, is something that we need and we expect — and so does he.”
McCullough was the “next man up” when senior Justin Harrington went down with a knee injury. It’s a hit to the Sooners’ depth, but the 6-foot-5, 219-pound McCullough is now being fast-tracked as the starting cheetah. His position will be emphasized this week as the Sooners take on Iowa State, which historically favors tight ends in the passing game and a hard, physical running game.
“Stopping the run's really a mentality. So we've just have to stay disciplined to our jobs and have a physical mentality of coming down and hitting. So having that mentality regardless of how the offense is performing, all outside factors. We just got to be locked in on what we've got to do.”
McCullough found himself in coverage a lot on Saturday, and for the season (including just two plays against Arkansas State, he’s posted an overall defensive grade of 70.3 and a coverage grade of 76.3, according to Pro Football Focus. As part of the deal that comes with playing cheetah in Brent Venables’ defense, he’s lined up 32 times as a slot corner, 15 times in the box, three times on the defensive line and once as a deep safety.
“I felt like I played good,” McCullough said. “I had a busted coverage on a screen-and-go, which I'm still thinking about. But besides that I felt like I played well in coverage today. I did well with the adjustments that they did with the motions and things like that. So I felt pretty confident.
“Yeah, I ended up getting comfortable. I started to feel comfortable, I would say, through all these reps at practice and the spring and the spring game. I kind of was a little comfortable with it. Obviously in the game, especially the Big 12 opener, it's a little bit of a bigger stage. But it felt good though. I felt like I was made for that. So I can't wait to keep going on. Especially going back home next week with Iowa State is gonna be huge.”
