Kip Lewis, Kobie McKinzie making strides for Sooners' defense

NORMAN — There are a lot of similarities between Kobie McKinzie and Kip Lewis. Both are redshirt freshmen who were part of the Sooners' 2022 recruiting class. They were both rated as four-star prospects by Rivals. They both play linebacker. They're both from Texas. Both of their names even start with the same letter.

In a lot of ways, Lewis and McKinzie just go together.

"We’ve been together since we came in," McKinzie said during Monday's availability, "and the joke is he’s from Easton, I’m from West Texas. Kip and Kobie. (OU coach Brent Venables) gets us mixed up all the time. But that’s my guy."

And on Saturday against Oklahoma State, they got their first chance to play a ton of snaps together.

With Danny Stutsman sidelined with a leg injury, Lewis made his first collegiate start against the Cowboys. He played 83 of 84 defensive snaps, per Pro Football Focus, and made a significant impact, finishing with a team-high and career-high 15 tackles.

Lewis has appeared in every game this season, but he's seen his snaps increase as of late. After averaging just 11 snaps over the first two games, he's played 125 in the last two games, per PFF.

"Kip really played well, he had 15 tackles and was all over the field," Venables said after the game. "He did a great job. Several guys did. Several guys stepped in for guys today. I thought they really stepped in. The competitive depth did show as positions. That bodes well moving forward."

Right alongside Lewis in the middle of the OU's defense was McKinzie. The Lubbock, Texas native played a career-high 56 snaps and finished second on the team in tackles with seven. He also finished with the sixth-highest PFF performance grade.

It was special moment for McKinzie.

"I feel that Kip gets that vibe that I’m his big-brother type," McKinzie said. "I’m older than him. I’ve always been a (middle linebacker), he’s always been a (weakside linebacker). We’ve always been literally role brothers. So I feel that he’s confident in me to know I’ll never lead him astray. It’s like having that big brother genuinely growing up with him because we’ve grown up together. It’s been really fun.”

It's been hard to find too many positives during the Sooners' recent two-game skid. But Lewis and McKinzie's performances against the Cowboys were encouraging.

“I’m proud of Kip and Kobie," OU defensive coordinator Ted Roof said after the game. "Kobie played more today than any other game and obviously Kip played every snap. They fought hard, man. They fought hard."

It's unclear how much the duo will play together as the Sooners enter the stretch run this season, particularly with Stutsman likely to return this weekend against West Virginia. But the redshirt freshmen duo has earned the trust of the coaching staff, and it's clear they enjoy playing together.

That's an encouraging sign as the two continue their careers.

"That’s my role man," McKinzie said. "I’ll go to war with him and anyone else in my mind, no matter who I’m playing with. And I feel like I’ve developed that leadership and that mindset to kind of carry on.

"Kip is a good player. He’s a really good player. He put on that show Saturday. It was fun, it really was. We didn’t get the outcome we wanted but it was fun.”