The Sooners defense had not earned a shutout since holding Iowa State scoreless in 2010.
That changed Saturday, when Oklahoma blanked Louisiana-Monroe 34-0 on a sweltering night in Memorial Stadium in Norman.
Defensive captain Corey Nelson manned the middle of the field all night for the Sooners, recording eight tackles, one sack and two tackles for a loss.
“We’re not satisfied at all, and I’ll make sure that the defense won’t be satisfied with this win that we got…Especially with a shutout, we have to continue to stay hungry and stay humble.” — Corey Nelson
The improvement from last year’s defense was notable. But, Nelson and his teammates maintained they have much to prove.
“We’re not satisfied at all, and I’ll make sure that the defense won’t be satisfied with this win that we got,” Nelson said. “Especially with a shutout, we have to continue to stay hungry and stay humble.”
Louisiana-Monroe came into Norman with an offense attack lead by senior QB Kolton Browning. Browning was held to just 128 yards passing on 39 attempts and was picked off by junior Julian Wilson on the Warhawks’ first drive of the second half.
“We did a pretty good job getting a lot of pressure on the quarterback,” sophomore defensive end Charles Tapper said. “To get a shutout against them is a pretty good accomplishment.”
The defense did more than just blank Louisiana-Monroe; it kept Oklahoma’s offense calm and under control in a first half where Knight was struggling to find his rhythm.
Knight averaged just two yard per completion in the opening half and had to rely on his legs and his running backs to keep the offense on the field. But in the second half, the newly named quarterback found his confidence as the Oklahoma backfield continued to produce.
While it was a tale of two halves for the offense, the Mike Stoops led defense was precise throughout the entirety of the contest.
The Sooner front seven was especially active on the hot night, holding the Warhawks to just 38 yards rushing compared to the 305 yards the Louisiana-Monroe defense allowed Oklahoma on the ground.
“I thought we had great pressure all night,” Stoops said of his defense. “It was pretty evident that they handled the run really well.”
Before the season opening shutout, the last glimpse of the OU defense was a scene of Johnny Manziel validating his Heisman Trophy at the Cotton Bowl. The Sooners gave up 41 that night in Cowboys Stadium.
No, the Warhawks didn’t have the firepower Texas A&M possessed, but Saturday night was quite an improvement for a defense in need of confidence.
“We want to have the mindset that we’re playing with a chip on our shoulder, and that a lot of people are counting us out,” Nelson said. “And you know, we have to show people that we are an Oklahoma defense.”
Follow
