The play of the Oklahoma Sooners’ secondary went into a tailspin at the same time the program’s reputation for defense really hit the skids.
That’s not a coincidence. In a conference where teams can attack relentlessly through the air, you can’t afford to have any holes on the back end. OU had them in abundance. That turned personnel rotations into random combinations of players, with the coaches hoping to find something that would stick.
OU’s defensive backfield showed signs of stabilization in 2019. The Sooners ranked 45th nationally in Defensive Passing S&P+, a dramatic improvement from coming in 89th in 2018.