The defense has been slowly changing the narrative for the Oklahoma Sooners over the last couple of seasons. In 2020, as they finished the season allowing just 17 points per game over the last seven games, they found a level of success they hadn’t seen in a long, long time.
Their streak of success started with their matchup with the TCU Horned Frogs. In the three weeks leading up to their matchup in Fort Worth, the Sooners defense allowed 40 points per game to Kansas State, Iowa State, and Texas. They’d gone 1-2 in conference play to that point and hadn’t shown the promise of defensive improvement that many were expecting under Alex Grinch.
After the Red River Shootout, the Sooners traveled back to the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex to take on the Horned Frogs and put themselves back into the Big 12 title conversation.
Led by Max Duggan, the Horned Frogs played a solid game, but weren’t able to string enough drives together to put points on the board. The Sooners controlled it throughout, but Duggan established himself as a quarterback to watch completing 71% of his passes and throwing for 276 yards and a touchdown. The Sooners limited him to 18 yards on nine attempts, completely taking away a huge part of his offensive attack.
As the 2021 season approaches, Duggan remains a name to watch in the Big 12. Steve Lassan of Athlon Sports ranked his top 20 quarterbacks ready for a breakout season in 2021 and Max Duggan came in at number 13 on the list.
Duggan finished 2020 with just 10 touchdown passes and 1,795 yards, but considering he missed time leading up to the opener due to heart surgery, along with the other limitations of practice time last year, the gains from September to December provide promise for ’21. The Iowa native threw for 265 yards and ran for 104 in a Dec. 5 win against Oklahoma State and connected on 10 of 13 passes for 160 yards and a score in an easy win against Louisiana Tech the following Saturday. Duggan led the team in rushing with 526 yards and reached the end zone 10 times on the ground. An improving supporting cast should only help Duggan’s development this fall. – Lassan
In 2020, Duggan showed a ton of resiliency, helping lead the Horned Frogs to a come back win over Texas. He was up and down in his first season as a starter, but heading into 2021, is a player capable of taking over a football game.
The Sooners’ defense will be challenged by Max Duggan and the Horned Frogs. TCU is even a sleeper to challenge for the Big 12 title according to Josh Pate of 247Sports. In order to repeat as Big 12 champions, the Sooners defense will need to be on point when they face Duggan and the Horned Frogs.
[listicle id=36380]