Championship November and Oklahoma’s defensive unit have to find the form they found last November. Last season they spearheaded an Oklahoma team that rumbled to the finish line as hot as any team in the NCAA. Two losses derailed their playoff hopes, but they would close the season with a dominant showing defensively against a Florida team in the Cotton Bowl.
Fast forward to now, and the Sooners are 9-0 with the Big 12 title, and a playoff berth is firmly ahead of them. Their defense has been up and down over the past month or so due to some untimely injuries to guys they can’t afford to lose. As guys trickle in healthy, the trajectory of this defense can assume the upwards trajectory it once was on.
In particular, a few names come to the forefront when discussing who will lead Oklahoma defensively as they look to remain undefeated this season.
Key Lawrence, DB
No one knows where Key Lawrence will line up tomorrow, but one thing is for absolute certain, he needs to be on the field often if Oklahoma is to win this game.
In two different games, Lawrence has shown himself to be adequate against the run and against the pass. He played in Delarrin Turner-Yell’s spot at strong safety when Oklahoma played on the road against Kansas and had multiple tackles for loss and forced a fumble coming up and filling gaps in the run game.
Due to a depleted group at corner, he moved outside to make his first start at cornerback the following week against Texas Tech. In the win over the Red Raiders, Lawrence had two pass breakups out there.
It’s simple. He can flat-out play. Against a balanced attack in Baylor, Lawrence has value laying in the box or lining up outside as Baylor looks to take their deep shots off play-action.