Cowboys defense focused on limiting big plays
STILLWATER — Mike Gundy was off the team plane that departed from Waco, Texas, and in bed by 3:15 a.m. Sunday. His phone alarm, set to Prince’s 1985 funk hit “Raspberry Beret”, jolted the Oklahoma State coach awake less than four hours later.
Turns out, a quick night’s sleep washed away the pain of a 35-24 Baylor defeat, even after Gundy appeared piping-mad with reporters in the fleeting moments after its completion in McLane Stadium.
“If I spend one second worrying about it, then that’s just one more second I’ve wasted my time getting ready for Texas,” Gundy said. “Unfortunately, that’s the way our game is.”
It’s a message especially well-suited for the Cowboy defense, too.
Of Baylor’s 523 total yards on offense Saturday, 342 were the result of just nine plays that produced four touchdowns. OSU defensive coordinators
Glenn Spencer calls them “x-plays”, and when paired with four Cowboy turnovers, they were catastrophic in OSU’s chances at victory. Through its first four games, OSU has allowed 14 plays of 30 yards or more. That’s tied for third most nationally behind only San Jose State and Rice, according to cfbstats.com.
“I’ve met with the defense, the staff, they understand it,” Gundy said. “We still have to come up with solutions.”
It began with a Sunday film review session. For nearly three hours, between team and position group meetings, the Cowboys identified their miscues. The Baylor offense often kept its sets inside the tackle box, only to line up single receivers on the boundary lines. The threat of run often left OSU cornerbacks Ashton Lampkin, Ramon Richards and Lenzy Pipkins without safety help, and Baylor took full downfield advantage.
“All of the x-plays were preventable,” linebacker Jordan Burton said. “Sometimes we just have to play better technique. Sometimes we just have to make plays when we’re in position. It’s stuff that we can correct, come back and get better at.”
It will become necessity starting 11 a.m. Saturday inside Boone Pickens Stadium. The Longhorns’ offense has proven bigplay potential. Texas logged 13 plays of at least 20 yards in its first three games behind a bruising rushing attack. Defensive coordinator Glenn Spencer called first-year Texas offensive coordinator Sterlin Gilbert’s offense “one of the most physical” he’s seen from Austin since Spencer arrived at OSU in 2008.
Two Texas tailbacks — D’Onta Foreman and Chris Warren — each check in at more than 230 pounds. Add 6-foot-4, 243-pound, situational running quarterback Tyrone Swoopes into the mix, and the Longhorns’ rushing attack can’t be overlooked. It’s averaged a combined 283 yards per game.
“When they decide to run power and come right at you, they’re going to do it,” Spencer said. “They could care less what front you’re in, they’re going to come at you and try to mow you over.”
Texas quarterback Shane Buechele has looked anything but a true freshman, too, with already a firstyear-player program record seven touchdowns to go along with more than 200 yards passing in each of his first two starts.
“The stakes, the magnitude of what’s going on, isn’t too big for him already,” Spencer said. “He’s conquered that and has got a great supporting cast around him now.”
When Gundy discusses the need for improvement on defense, he likens it to driving a car with transmission problems. “You can keep driving as long as you want,” he said, “then eventually, you’re going to be on the side of the road stranded.” Safety Tre Flowers aims to play mechanic in the days leading up to kickoff.
“This week, we’re going to be tough on each other,” Flowers said. “Just like an older brother and younger brother. It’s going to be a hard week of practice, trust me.”