NORMAN — On the football field, Kani Walker has had a knack for being in the right place at the right time.

It's happened a couple times last season, the first one coming when he forced a fumble against Arkansas State. The most notable came when Williams dove to catch an interception against Arizona after a tipped pass by Kendel Dolby.

Walker was again the right place in Friday's 51-3 win over Temple, when he made an interception in the first half. It was a little ironic when it was Dolby, again, who caused the pass break-up that led to Williams interception.

Dolby didn't even realize Walker had made the play until a few seconds later.

“Oh, my god. I think I replayed that probably like three, four times after the game," Williams joked on Monday. "I was laughing hard because he was telling me on the sideline that he didn't even know I picked the ball. So I was like, 'Oh, yeah, like I was right behind you, dude. You didn't even know it until he heard everybody screaming.'

"It's definitely the right place at the right time. Shoot, we prepare for that all week. Of course, we don't prepare for moments like that, but we always go for like chasing the ball, going after the ball. Because you never know if you could end up in those type of spots. So just always hustle to the ball. It rewards you even when you don't think it will."

That play, and that mindset, comes from the strides Walker has made since last season.

Walker made a significant impact last season, logging the eighth-most snaps on the entire defense (428, per Pro Football Focus). He finished with a 69.3 season grade — the sixth-highest among OU players who logged at least 300 snaps — but he was thrown into action primarily out of necessity, with Gentry Williams in and out of the lineups due to injuries. While there was positive moments, there were some down moments, too. The low point came in the loss to Kansas, when he finished with a season-low grade of 52.2.

But there's been a change since the spring. OU coach Brent Venables referred to Walker as the team's most-consistent cornerback in fall camp, and he earned the start against Temple.

"He’s developed high standards for himself, a no-excuse mantra, if you will," Venables said. "He’s shown up. He’d be the first one to tell you that (last year he's say he had) a headache — it was always something, so he’s grown up a lot... He’s really just matured and toughened and hardened up and has high standards for himself. He looks at himself, I think, different. I think that’s important through that maturation process, and that’s allowed him to show up every day and just do the basics at a really high level, day in and day out, and not get bored with it.

"That’s allowed him to continue to develop his skillset, become a really good corner and us coaches are still going to coach him and correct him, but he’s immediately taken responsibility, knows what he did wrong when those things happen. He’ll continue to get better from the beginning of the year to the end if he continues to have the same hungry, driven, humble, ambitious mindset, which he’s displayed that.”

Walker has seen that growth in himself, and it showed against Temple. He earned a 74.2 performance grade against the Owls, including a 81.2 coverage grade — the second-highest mark on the team.

“(It was) figuring out everything I had to figure out off the field," Walker said. "That was a lot. I had to mature a lot. So everything off the field that I wasn't understanding, for example, could be time management or something like that, I feel like everything off the field translates to everything on the field. I had some mental battles I had to face. I had to get over them for myself. And it just helped me keep a clear mind."

"I have my ups and downs, but it's always just straight on.”

That growth is important both for Walker and the cornerback room. Woodi Washington missed the Temple game with soreness and Williams was limited due to a shoulder injury. If Walker can stay consistent, he gives the Sooners another veteran option who has experience on the field.

And it's the talent around him that helps Walker stay locked-in.

"Our depth is crazy," Walker said. "We've got guys that could literally go anywhere and start day one... That helps me get better because like I know those guys are good. And it can be next week or within probably a couple more plays where they get in their rhythm and boom, your spot can be gone. So it always keeps you on your toes."

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