The Oklahoma Sooners are heading into their bye week riding a 2-0 start for the sixth time in the last seven years.
However, it isn’t all sunshine and rainbows in Norman.
A 69-13 thumping over Florida A&M Saturday put to rest much of the criticism facing the Sooners after a sluggish opening-week performance against UTEP. Still, many questions remain.
Although the final score displayed a comfortable 24-7 victory, the Sooners relied on two late fourth-quarter touchdowns to finally put the pesky Miners away. In fact, the Sooners were tied at halftime and could easily have been behind had it not been for three botched field goals by UTEP's kickers.
While the schedule might say there isn’t any football to be played in Oklahoma this weekend, Bob Stoops may have other ideas for his players.
With a more than likely 3-0 and top-15 Kansas State squad coming into town this weekend, the Sooners need to make the most of their practice time.
Here are three fixes the Sooners must make during the bye week.
1. Fix the Pass Protection
Richard Rowe-US PRESSWIRE
In the entire 2011 regular season, the Sooners ranked seventh in the nation with only 11 sacks allowed. Through two games this season, they've already allowed six.
It’s an alarming fact for a team that hasn’t allowed more than 21 sacks in a season since 2003, according to the Norman Transcript.
However, in the Sooners’ defense, the team has suffered significant injuries to the offensive line.
Prior to the season, the team lost senior center Ben Habern and senior guard Tyler Evans to season-ending injuries. Together, the two combined for 59 starts. Compare that to the combined 31 starts among the current starting five linemen.
Yikes.
With the conference schedule upon them, the Sooners will begin to start seeing tougher opposing defenses. So it’s imperative for the line to get its act together soon.
You can’t expect quarterback Landry Jones to lead the Sooners to their eighth Big 12 conference title since Bob Stoops’ arrival if he spends the majority of his time on his back.
2. Contain the Run
Richard Rowe-US PRESSWIRE
The Sooners’ offensive line isn’t the only line having trouble in Norman these days.
The team’s defensive line is ranked 64th in the nation and has been exposed already in the first two weeks.
Oklahoma showed improvement last weekend, allowing Florida A&M only 64 total yards on the ground. But at the end of the day, it was only Florida A&M.
The Week 1 matchup was a different story.
The UTEP ground attack burned the Sooners for 207 yards. Keep in mind, this is the same Miners team that only rushed for a total of 37 yards the following week against Ole Miss.
Unfortunately for the Sooners, they won’t have long to close up the gaping holes they’re providing opposing running backs.
Next week, Kansas State will bring its sixth-ranked rushing attack into Norman. The Wildcats have averaged 306 yards a game behind dual-threat quarterback Collin Klein.
The Sooners need to patch things up quickly if they hope to improve on their impressive 77-3 home record under Stoops.
3. Mix Up the Passing Attack
Richard Rowe-US PRESSWIRE
The Sooners have finished in the top 10 in total passing each of the past four seasons. They’ve finished in the top five in all but one of them.
Needless to say, a dangerous passing attack has been somewhat synonymous with Oklahoma in recent years.
This season, after playing two of the more softer defenses they will face all season, the Sooners currently rank No. 38.
While Oklahoma has amassed a total of 535 passing yards, wide receiver Kenny Stills accounts for 241 of themâ€"45 percent of the team's total receiving yards this season.
The only other receiver who managed to surpass 50 yards in a game was Justin Brown. The Penn State transfer hauled in two catches for 55 yards against Florida A&M. However, that was largely in part to a 46-yard reception.
While it’s great that Stills has shined after stepping up to the steep challenge of succeeding Ryan Broyles, the Sooners need to find other options.
If they don’t, defenses will start sending double and triple coverages Stills’ way.
There’s only so much one man can do.
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