Week 2 scouting report: SMU

After a 73-0 victory over Arkansas State in Week 1, it is time for the Sooners to shift its focus to their next opponent.

In Week 2, Oklahoma will welcome the SMU Mustangs to Owen Field after they dismantled Louisiana Tech on Saturday, 38-14.

Here's a deeper look at what SMU will bring into Norman this week.

Date: Saturday, Sept. 9, 5:00 p.m. CT

TV: ESPN+

Radio: 107.7 FM

Record: 1-0

Last Week: SMU 38, Louisiana Tech 14

Head coach: Rhett Lashlee (second season)

OC: Casey Woods (second season)

Offensive Scheme: Spread/Air Raid

DC: Scott Symons (second season)

Defensive scheme: 3-3-5

Key Players

• Offense: QB Preston Stone, WR Jordan Hudson, RB LJ Johnson

• Defense: DE Elijah Roberts, LB Alexander Kilgore, DT Kori Roberson

OFFENSE

• Tempo: SMU ran 79 offensive plays against La. Tech last week, which aligns exactly with their average from a season ago, 79.9 plays per game. Coach Lashlee loves to use tempo to dictate the game, similar to what we've seen from Oklahoma offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby.

• Offensive Line: Despite 38 pass attempts, many of which were 20-plus yards downfield, SMU's offensive line did not allow a sack last week. Additionally, the Mustangs O-Line paved the way for 209 yards on the ground, averaging 5.1 yards per carry.

• Skill Talent: Oklahoma's defense will have a much stiffer test with SMU's skill talent this week, as the trio of Stone, Johnson, and Hudson were all four-star prospects out of high school, with the latter two holding offers from the Sooners. Both Johnson (Texas A&M) and Hudson (TCU) are newcomers via the transfer portal, and will present a big challenge in Week 2.

DEFENSE

• Defensive Line: The Mustangs absolutely dominated the LOS against Lousiana Tech Saturday, while collecting six sacks, 11 tackles for loss, and surrendering just 25 yards on the ground. One of the biggest plays of the day came via former Oklahoma defensive tackle Kori Roberson, who batted a pass, intercepted it, and returned it 16 yards for a score.

• Rush Defense: As mentioned above, SMU allowed just 25 yards on 24 carries Saturday, averaging just 1.2 yards per attempt. While it may look different against OU, the Mustangs regularly implemented a six-man box but occasionally walked down a safety to help in run support.

• Getting Off the Field: SMU only allowed 11 first downs in Week 1, and held Lousiana Tech to 5-of-14 on third down. Regularly setting up third-and-long situations, SMU was able to limit the Bulldogs playbook for most of the game, making third down an obvious passing situation more often than not.

OFFENSE

• Third-down Efficiency: Despite doing what they wanted for most of the game offensively, SMU did show the propensity to struggle moving the chains on third down, finishing 7-19 on the day. However, they did show that going on fourth down is something that might happen frequently, converting on three of four attempts.

• Field goals: SMU was just 1 of 3 on field goal attempts, as Collin Rogers missed from 49 and 36 yards, respectively, in the third quarter. His one made attempt, from 34 yards out, was in the second quarter while Rogers was also 5/5 on XP.

DEFENSE

• Passing defense: After allowing Lousiana Tech to rack up 241 yards through the air, and 110 yards after the catch, the SMU passing defense might be something that Oklahoma can attack. This is even more likely considering that the Sooners' offensive line should protect against the pass rush much more effectively than the Bulldogs did.

• Win on third and fourth down: This one seems obvious, but SMU's offense only converting on 7-19 third down attempts means that they could struggle situationally, especially on the road in Norman. That means that the Sooners' defense could see more than a couple of fourth-down tries. Just as they did in Week 1, OU needs to win battles on late downs to dominate this game.

• Attack SMU vertically: Oklahoma will likely test SMU's safeties early and often in this game, as the Mustangs did seem vulnerable at times in Week 1. If they stack the box against OU, there will be corners on islands against Andrel Anthony and Nic Anderson, which is a bad combination. If/when the Sooners find success through the air, the running lanes will open up as well, allowing Dillon Gabriel and company to operate at full capacity.

• Pressure Preston Stone: According to Pro Football Focus, Lousiana Tech was only able to record two QB hits and just five QB hurries against SMU last week. It doesn't matter who you're playing with that little pressure, any college quarterback that has that much time to operate is going to have success through the air. The Sooners will have a chance to cause havoc with SMU wanting to push the ball down the field, and they'll need to capitalize on those chances.