OUInsider Roundtable: Can Sooners be more aggressive, limit Ollie Gordon?

Oklahoma fans pictured things happening a lot differently after the Sooners defeated Texas earlier this month.

The Sooners appeared on track for an easy bid to the Big 12 Championship and, maybe, a College Football Playoff berth. Instead they struggled against UCF and Kansas, and the Jayhawks eventually handed the Sooners their first loss of the season.

Now, the Sooners find themselves in a five-way tie for first place in the conference standings. That includes Oklahoma State, who the Sooners meet on Saturday in Stillwater (2:30 p.m., ABC).

Win the game, and the No. 9-ranked Sooners control their own destiny and have a lot in front of them. Lose, and everything becomes a lot murkier.

In the latest installment of OUInsider Roundtable, Jesse Crittenden and Bryan Clinton discuss the Sooners' struggles the past two games and preview what's become a must-win game for Oklahoma:

Jesse: Penalties have absolutely killed the Sooners the last two weeks. Against UCF, it was a Jaren Kanak unsportsmanlike conduct penalty that negated a third-down stop on the goal line and gave the Knights a fresh set of downs, which they capitalized on. Against Kansas, unnecessary roughness and unsportsmanlike conduct penalties on the same play moved the Jayhawks 30 yards up the field and they eventually scored to take an early fourth-quarter lead. The Sooners were particularly undisciplined against the Jayhawks, recording season highs in penalties (11) and yards (101).

Some of the Sooners' penalties have been questionable this season. But that doesn't take away from the reality that the Sooners have been undisciplined in recent weeks. The Sooners rank 99th nationally in penalties per game (7.0) and 97th in penalty yards (59.88), with both marks ranking dead last in the Big 12. The Cowboys, however, rank inside the top 40 in both stats. If the Sooners want to win, they've got to be more disciplined.

Bryan: Mistakes at inopportune moments in games. Yes, there's never a good time to make mistakes on the football field but some of the mistakes that Oklahoma has made over the last couple of weeks have been truly terribly timing. Whether it's a blown assignment on Jason Bean's long touchdown run on a play directly following an OU turnover or allowing UCF to convert on 4th and long with a deep pass over the middle to keep their final drive alive, OU has made its biggest mistakes in the biggest moments as of late. This week, the Sooners will play a team that is motivated and plenty good enough to capitalize on their mistakes, and Brent Venables' squad will need to be at its best and the biggest moments. That means no procedural penalties on third and short, no personal fouls after the play, and no miscommunication defensively. Get those things cleaned up, and the game will go much more smoothly.

Jesse: It's not just about targeting the Cowboys' leaky secondary down the field. The Sooners also need to do a better job of targeting their playmakers. Nic Anderson, who is averaging 23.8 yards per reception, saw just two targets last week. Jalil Farooq has just six catches for 34 yards in his last two games. Brenen Thompson, who made an impressive 39-yard grab late against Kansas, didn't enter the game until the fourth quarter and has barely seen the field this season. Simply put, the Sooners need to get the ball to their playmakers and let them put pressure on the Cowboys' defensive backs.

Bryan: Challenging Oklahoma State's defense vertically is going to be one of the biggest keys for OU in this game. There should be opportunities for Oklahoma to attack the Cowboys on the perimeter, but that only remains effective if Dillon Gabriel can keep OSU's secondary from playing press coverage. As much as Oklahoma fans may not want to hear it, I expect a heavy dose of swing screens and plays that get the ball to their athletes on the perimeter so they can make plays in space. Doing that will keep Oklahoma State's defense off-balance and allow Jeff Lebby to stay one step ahead of the Pokes and call the game aggressively. When the deep ball is working, Oklahoma's offense is among the nation's best, and when it's not, things become stagnant. Getting back to that kind of rhythm will be key this week, and I like OU's matchups down the field with Nic Anderson and Brenen Thompson able to take OSU deep.

Jesse: Until last week, the Sooners had largely been good at defending the run. But the Jayhawks pummeled the Sooners to the tune of 225 rushing yards and four touchdowns while averaging 5.5 yards per carry. A big reason for that was the lack of physicality from the defensive line, particularly on the interior. The Sooners as a whole finished with a season-low three tackles for loss and zero sacks.

Gordon has averaged over eight yards per game over the last five weeks, but he's not just explosive. He's really physical, too. He rans sixth nationally in average yards after contact (4.67). He also runs the ball a lot, and he wears down defenses. So the Sooners need two things: The defensive line has to play better, and Danny Stutsman needs to be on the field. If both things are the case, I think the Sooners can do just enough to limit him.

Bryan: I believe they can slow him down, but stopping Ollie Gordon is probably something sooner fans should not expect. First of all, Oklahoma State is going to hand him the ball 30–35 times. With that many opportunities, Gordon will have at least a few plays go his way. Oklahoma's focus needs to be minimizing the impact that he has on the scoreboard. If he turns 30 carries into 120 scoreless yards, that's a huge win for the Sooners defense. In the last three games, Gordon has had scores of 75, 46, 53, and 42 yards, and most of his biggest plays have come after first contact. Getting him to the ground and making Oklahoma State snap the ball again will be key for this Sooners' defense, and will be a major challenge throughout the contest.

Jesse: It's all about limiting Gordon. The Oklahoma State offense, which has scored over 40 points per game in the last five weeks, goes as he goes. Starting quarterback Alan Bowman has been fine and is capable, but the Cowboys were able to defeat Cincinnati 45-10 despite Bowman completing just 17-of-34 attempts for two touchdowns and an interception. Why? Because Gordon had four touchdowns.

It's unrealistic to expect Gordon not to have a few explosive plays. And the Sooners' offense is going to need to make plays, too. But the defense can't let Gordon pick up chunk yardage on every play. The Sooners have to make Bowman (8 TDs, 5 INTs this year) throw down the field.

Bryan: Tackle. Tackle. Tackle. Oklahoma's tackling has been suspect over the last couple of weeks, and while those games have been against good running backs, Gordon is on another level right now. Additionally, a player like Brennan Presley is more than capable of slipping a tackle and turning a small gain into a much bigger problem. To begin the season, Oklahoma didn't miss many tackles, and consequentially, they got off the field at a much better rate. This week, they'll need to show that they are capable of getting guys to the ground on first contact. If OU can tackle the way that it did against SMU or Texas, I think there's a chance for them to pull away in this game. However, a tackling performance like we saw against UCF or Kansas, and Oklahoma State will ride the best running back in the country to a victory.