
It is Wednesday so let’s take a peek in the Tulsa World mailbag.
Every week, we will answer your questions in our newsletter. Of course, this week’s questions are heavy on the defense.
So without further ado …
Oklahoma State’s Tylan Wallace (center) makes a catch under pressure from Oklahoma’s Brendan Radley-Hiles (left) and Justin Broiles (right) at the Bedlam football game in Norman, Okla., on Saturday, November 10, 2018. MATT BARNARD/Tulsa World
Why did we only rush 3 on 4th-and-12 at the end of the Bedlam game? – @parcell24
This happened on Taylor Cornelius’ 24-yard touchdown throw to Tylan Wallace with 1:03 left to pull the Cowboys within 48-47.
I asked Lincoln Riley about the play after the game.
“The fourth-down play, we decided to play some loose zone there and the thought was we felt like we could get some pressure just with our rush. Our guys have been winning one-on-one. More than anything, if they were going to get one there, we didn’t want it to be a one-on-one shot to one of their guys. We wanted to make him make a tough throw in a window. Give the guy credit. They did.
“We came out of a zone a little bit more, I thought we could’ve squeezed it better, but they made a great play. They had a good route dialed up against what we had called, made an extremely good throw and a very competitive catch.”
Oklahoma Sooners cornerback Tre Brown (6) knocks away a potential go ahead two point conversion indented for Oklahoma State Cowboys wide receiver Tylan Wallace (2) during the NCAA football game between the Oklahoma State Cowboys and the Oklahoma Sooners on Saturday, November 10, 2018. IAN MAULE/Tulsa World
Hi Eric, if you look at the 2-point play closely, it was OSU QB’s pass that was off by a fraction towards Tre Brown’s dive. Had the ball been on money, OSU would have had conversion. – Thomas D.
Thomas is referring to the final two-point conversion throw by Cornelius in Saturday’s 48-47 win. In previous copy, I wrote that Tre Brown had a pass breakup, which is correct according to the official statistics. I do agree with Thomas that a good throw would have completed the two-point conversion.
Oklahoma defensive coordinator Ruffin McNell prays with defensive lineman before the NCAA football game between the Texas Tech Red Raiders and the Oklahoma Sooners at Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock, Texas on Saturday, November 03, 2018. IAN MAULE/Tulsa World
What is stopping OU from replacing the present defensive coordinator immediately to make sure that we win the remaining couple of games convincingly, sufficient to become a playoff team? What was good for the last DC can be good for the current DC too, right? – Peri. B
Peri’s question was prefaced by passionate thoughts including what would have happened if OSU didn’t miss a field goal, an extra point and the eventual two-point conversion. He added that he’s thankful for the OU offense and it was heartening that Kyler Murray was ready to drive down and score if OSU converted the two-point conversion.
The narrative about Oklahoma football has not changed – outstanding offense, shaky defense.
Will there be changes? I think Lincoln Riley will evaluate everything at the end of the season. With two regular-season games left, common sense dictates it’s impossible to do an overhaul plus Riley wants the right fit. It’s possible that the next defensive coordinator is currently at another school and that person would not leave his current job near the end of the year.
Oklahoma Sooners quarterback Austin Kendall (10) scrambles for yards during the NCAA football game between the Oklahoma Sooners and the Florida Atlantic Owls at Gaylord Memorial Stadium in Norman, Okla. on Saturday, September 01, 2018. IAN MAULE/Tulsa World Tulsa
We have a lot to play for this year, but let me ask about QB next year. Who is it? Austin Kendall, Tanner Mordecai, Spencer Rattler? Assuming Kyler Murray is not coming back. – @FromtheJtotheR
My guess is it would be Austin Kendall. He would be a junior entering his fourth year in Lincoln Riley’s system. While he possesses a totally different skill set than Kyler Murray, Riley will put him in positions to be successful.
Mordecai has looked good in limited action this season, and Rattler will be one to watch in the future, especially given his dual-threat ability.
