How does the return to multiple non-conference games affect OU?
Why the Sooners love having non-conference games again
NORMAN — OU hasn't gotten out of the woods yet. Not by a long shot.
Even though Nebraska, the squad the Sooners face Saturday, is a shell of its former self at this point, the Cornhuskers still have the talent to jump up and bite OU if it's not sharp.
But with the final non-conference game looming, Sooners' defensive coordinator Alex Grinch looks back and sees the differences last season's truncated schedule made in terms of the growth timeline and how this season's slate could help bring his group and the whole team along.
“We had one last year and then it led into a bye and then you're right into the conference slate,” Grinch said after Saturday's 76-0 battering of Western Carolina. “If memory serves me, that didn't go real well early.”
No, it didn't.
A season ago, OU started with a 48-0 drubbing of Missouri State that wasn't exactly spectacular for nearly three quarters. The Sooners scored 31 in the first quarter, kicked a field goal early in the second and then managed just 14 points over the final 40 minutes of clock time. Two weeks later, the Sooners seemed ill-prepared for a four-quarter game, letting what was a 21-point lead in the final two minutes of the third quarter disappear in what was ultimately a 38-35 loss to Kansas State.
A week later, Iowa State knocked off the Sooners to send them to an 0-2 Big 12 start for the first time since the John Blake era. The COVID-19 pandemic wiped out scheduled games against Army and Tennessee last season.
OU started out this season with a less-than-stellar performance against Tulane in a 40-35 win, a chance to right some of those mistakes against a lesser opponent in Football Championship Subdivision Western Carolina, and then this weekend's game against Nebraska before beginning Big 12 play.
While Scott Frost's tenure with his alma mater hasn't gone swimmingly overall, the Cornhuskers will certainly offer the Sooners a barometer of where they stand going into the conference opener against West Virginia at 6:30 p.m. in Norman on Sept. 25.
“They've settled in, had a lot of chances to win the opener and settled in and played well the last couple weeks,” Sooners coach Lincoln Riley said Monday of the Cornhuskers. “A good football team. Obviously will be the best team that we've played. Talented group.”
A return to normality when it comes to scheduling has also allowed OU to explore its roster more and try to find the best combinations.
Part of that, of course, came with playing the Catamounts last week, as the Sooners used 35 players on offense and 39 on defense in the historically lopsided win.
But part of it also is having more time before getting into the grind of a conference schedule.
Two more games, and the reps they provide — especially for young players — are an invaluable help to development, both individually and as a team.
Riley was happy with his team's growth from Tulane to Western Carolina. Now, the question is how will the team grow from Western Carolina to Nebraska — and beyond.
“The new challenge is, all right, you played a complete game, you did some good things, everybody feels better in the locker room, all of that — what do we do with it?,” Riley said. “Is there a sense of satisfaction or are we a hungry team that knows we've got a long ways to go (and) we're gonna get a lot better?
“We had a successful week because we allowed ourselves to be pushed out of our comfort zone and work and improve and be very intentional about everything. … Nothing should change. We've got to have a tough week and continue our climb.”