It’s no secret that the addition of previously suspended players Ronnie Perkins and Rhamondre Stevenson has completely changed the makeup of this Oklahoma team, both offensively and defensively.
While Stevenson isn’t capable of totally offsetting the Sooners’ persistent run-blocking struggles, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that a 250-lb tailback would turn a handful of negative plays into minimal gains.
As for Perkins, it’s not as if Oklahoma’s defensive line was in need of help by any stretch of the imagination. RUSH linebacker Nik Bonitto was getting pressure just fine in Perkins’ absence, but adding one of the country’s top defensive ends on top of that has really elevated this defense’s ceiling.
In fact, when looking at advanced metrics among power five teams only since week nine (when Stevenson and Perkins returned), it becomes pretty clear that Oklahoma is playing as good of football as anyone right now.
Notably, Oklahoma’s opponent this week, Iowa State, is up there as well. Where the Sooners have a significant advantage over the Cyclones, and everyone else, is specifically on the defensive side of the ball.
Only Wisconsin is in the same stratosphere as Oklahoma in the last six weeks, but the Sooners clearly have a sizable advantage in terms of pass defense, thanks largely to their elite pass rush.
It’s worth noting that Oklahoma has played only four opponents during this period: Texas Tech, Kansas, Oklahoma State and Baylor. While one of these teams is ranked, none possess particularly strong offenses.
Perkins and the Oklahoma defense will get their first real test on Saturday against one of the best offenses in the country in Iowa State.
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