Perrion Winfrey, DL
Perrion Winfrey will never be a high sacks type of guy. At least, he hasn’t been since he came to Oklahoma. However, Winfrey’s motor and disruptiveness make him a menace on the interior.
The Sooners will need a strong game from him inside as he looks to eat and blow up double teams in Baylor’s wide zone running scheme. If Winfrey can disrupt the combo blocks he will see, he can put a damper on Baylor’s hopes to pound the ball.
Baylor wants to run the ball as much as possible, or at least until they feel they’ve lulled teams to sleep, allowing them to attack for massive chunk plays in the passing game. For them, it’s about staying on schedule and ahead of the chains.
Winfrey’s disruptive plays are a big part of whether or not Oklahoma wins this game defensively.
Brian Asamoah, LB
In essence, this note applies to the entire linebacker group. However, Asamoah will likely see a significant part of the snaps tomorrow. Tackling, tackling, and more tackling. That’s the name of the game for the Oklahoma Sooners this week against the Bears.
These Baylor running backs are not scared of contact, and the defense has struggled with tackling. Assuming the Sooners are disruptive at the line of scrimmage, there will be opportunities for negative plays to limit the Bears to minimal gains. Asamoah and his teammates at linebacker have to wrap up and finish plays.
For a team that operates much better when they stay on schedule, tackling and minimizing significant gains will be critical. Forcing Baylor quarterback Gerry Bohanon to beat you with his arm is a much better gameplan than letting these running backs run all over.
Oklahoma has their work cut out for them. Make no mistake about that. However, they have the talent and the means by which they can exploit the Bears to win this game.
Play your best players, focus on stopping the run, and play sound football and tackle these running backs when you have the chance. If they can, the Sooners’ defense will have done their job to put the Sooners in a favorable spot to win this game.