Three-and-out is the new college football turnover

MIAMI -- The Orange Bowl matchup between Oklahoma and Clemson is billed as the offensive shootout of the College Football Playoff's national semifinals.

That should be fine with Oklahoma.

The Sooners faced the No. 1 (Baylor) and No. 2 (Texas Tech) offenses in the country this season. In both games they forced 4 three-and-outs against those powerful offenses.

Those three-and-outs were huge for the Sooners' offense, who were more than capable of taking those lost plays and making them count for themselves.

SCOOPHD: BOB STOOPS TALKS FOLLOWING SUNDAY'S PRACTICE

"You have to get three-and-outs and turnovers," said Bob Stoops following Sunday's practice. "Your offense has to stay on the field and gain field position. You play the game together that way."

The three-and-out is like the new turnover in college football.

"I never looked at it that way, but yeah, we've got to start counting that as a turnover, a three-and-out," laughed Mike Stoops Sunday during his media session in Ft. Lauderdale. "That would be a new stat. That doesn't happen very often."

Think back to Oklahoma's disastrous Cotton Bowl after the 2012 season.

The Sooners came out of the locker room trailing Johnny Manziel and the Aggies just 14-13. Their offense produced three three-and-outs on their first three possessions of the second half.

The Sooners got smoked 41-13.

Three-and-outs.

"It gives you a lot of momentum and it gives you confidence in the game, and that's going to be important in a game like this," said Mike Stoops.

"Three-and-outs in today's game and in any league are big," added Bob Stoops.

With Clemson and Oklahoma, tempo and rhythm are huge offensively. Both teams like to play fast. Both teams like to build momentum.

OU knows all too well about letting Clemson steal momentum offensively after losing to the Tigers 40-6 in last year's Russell Athletic Bowl.

But this season, they have a defense that knows if they can force a three-and-out, they have an offense that can make the other team pay.

"We know if we can get Baker the ball as many times as possible that he's going to make a lot of plays," said Charles Tapper. "We love to see the offense on the field having fun and doing their thing.

"You love to be on the field as a defense but I'm like, 'No!' I'm ready to see Baker go in and make that Top 10 play or see Joe and Samaje run somebody over or see Shep make an amazing catch."

Bob Stoops is fond of talking about playing as a team. That talk often falls on deaf ears.

What he's really talking about is having an offense that can take advantage of great defensive plays, or great defensive stands.

Without that offense, the defense has little motivation to go out and make critical stops at critical times.

"It's what I've said the past few years: you have to play together," Stoops said yet again on Sunday. "You have to get three-and-outs and turnovers. Your offense has to stay on the field and gain field position. You play the game together that way."

In the past, teams could slug their way down the field. If a team turned the ball over, it gave the other team a chance to keep the football away from the other team.

Today, in the age of high-powered offenses, three-and-outs are just as big.

It's not a game of keep away. It's a game of offensive rhythm and momentum.

That's what Clemson/Oklahoma will be Thursday night inside Sun Life Stadium.

"You get that energy," said Tapper of three-and-outs. "Once you get that energy you start building that momentum and that starts to help out."