Ward finds pressure from different angles
NORMAN — D.J. Ward isn’t one to gush.
He’s not one to get demonstrative or show much excitement.
But the smile tells it all, when he’s asked about whether or not his senior year has gone about like he expected with the offseason changes to Oklahoma’s defense.
“It’s given me more opportunities, that’s all,” Ward said. “Just making the most of them.”
Ward’s impact for the Sooners continues to grow, primarily when OU goes to a four-man front defensively.
The Sooners didn’t use it much early in the season, and they still do plenty of adjusting in and out of it, but the fourman front has been more and more prominent recently.
Ward was big a week ago against Texas Tech, when he came up with three critical second-half tackles, and it figures to be big again Saturday when the Sooners face another high-powered passing offense in Oklahoma State and Mason Rudolph.
Against the Cowboys, it figures to be critical that Oklahoma get pressure on the quarterback.
“We’ve got to get to him and make him uncomfortable,” Ward said. “Because he’s a Heisman candidate. So if he’s comfortable back there, it won’t be a good look for us.
“We’ve got to get him off the spot and make him try to improvise.”
While Ogbonnia Okoronkwo has been clearly the Sooners’ top pass-rusher this season, Ward’s ability to contain and even bring down from the other edge is starting to make a difference.
While Ward’s 18 tackles are still 10 off his careerhigh 28 from a year ago, it’s clear he’s being more disruptive. Ward has 4.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks this season. Entering this year, Ward had just two sacks and no additional tackles for loss during his career.
It hasn’t just been Ward who has helped solidify things opposite of Okoronkwo.
Kenneth Mann has been probably Oklahoma’s second-best pass rusher all season. Amani
Bledsoe has the ability to play both on the inside and the outside.
“You want guys that can create plays,” Sooners defensive coordinator Mike Stoops said, calling Ward’s work recently “unbelievable.” “We’re starting to create confusion and getting matchups and things we want for our players.”
With Okoronkwo on the other side, Ward has found more room to
work.
“People are so focused on him, people just kind of flush away from him and flush right into my arms,” Ward said.
Sooners coach Lincoln Riley said the more Ward continues to emerge, the tougher it is for offenses to find ways to find time to work.
“Ogbo gets a lot of attention, but we’ve got another guy that can win one-on-one,” Riley said.
“Playing one great passrusher, one disruptive guy like Ogbo himself is a pain, but you start having other guys making plays in the mix, that’s gonna be really, really tough. So it’s important. Those guys are gonna get some one-on-one matchups, whether it be in the run or the throw game. Us winning those and us being able to win at the line of scrimmage will be critical.”