Keys to the Game - Oklahoma vs. Oregon

John Harris breaks down the keys to Oklahoma vs. Oregon.

a. Oregon QB Dennis Dixon vs. Oklahoma LB Zach Latimer, Rufus Alexander, Demarrio Pleasant and even Nic Harris – Since Bob Stoops has been the head coach at Oklahoma, the ‘book’ on how to beat his defense is to utilize play action deep over the top and/or use a mobile QB to counteract the aggression of the Sooner defense. Dixon is the latter, and mobile probably doesn’t even begin how electric he is with the ball in his hands. But, this defense frustrated Dixon last year in the Holiday Bowl, rewriting their own ‘book’ on how to not let Dixon beat them. That book’s first chapter is named Latimer, Alexander and Pleasant. And, no, that’s not a law firm in Norman. However, what makes this a more intriguing matchup than in last year’s Holiday Bowl is the fact that Dixon seems to be much more comfortable in the passing game than he was last year and his numbers bare that out. But, when the Oklahoma staff got together this week, number one item on the board was to not let Dixon get outside and hurt them on scrambles, options or zone read type plays. Alexander and Pleasant, and perhaps nickelbacker Nic Harris, have the biggest responsibility, and that’s to play Dixon from the backside on action away from them. If they have a back to their side, the opportunity for Dixon to fake to a RB, then pull and run the ball right at that backer is quite high. At the snap of the ball, that linebacker keys Dixon immediately and then shadows him until he knows for sure the ball has gone the other way. It’s a pretty simple read, but if the defensive line gets handled up front and a pulling guard is attacking Alexander or Pleasant, the job is extremely difficult. But, if they at least make the right read, that’s half the battle, then they need some help up front to occupy linemen (which OU didn’t do a good job with against Washington, at least in the first half). Then, they have to make a play. Simple, right? We’ll see, just remember what Vince Young did to OU last year – Dixon is like mini-Vince and that’s scary for all Sooners. Oh yeah, there’s that Stewart/Johnson running combination to worry about as well.

b. Oklahoma’s bevy of WR vs. Oregon CB Walter Thurmond and Willie Glasper – It’s one thing to lose two All-Pac 10 type corners – Justin Phinisee and Aaron Gipson – to graduation, but it’s another to then lose a third corner to an injury. Oregon CB Jackie Bates is out for this game and that hurts the depth and overall level of play at this position. And, don’t think that the Oklahoma offensive staff won’t go after those corners. But, maybe not in the way you might think. If you watched the Tennessee – Cal game, the Vols threw short, quick routes at backup corner Syd Quan Thompson throughout the game. They beat him deep once, but what hurt him was having to come up and make a tackle in the open field. What does that have to do with this game? Well, with Glasper coming into the starting lineup, he’s going to be excited and concerned about giving up the deep ball, keeping everything in front of him. The last thing he really wants to do is keep coming up to tackle quick hitch routes or quick slants and risk missing a tackle in the open field. The Oklahoma receivers are good with the ball after the catch and short quick bubble screens or quick throws can really help QB Paul Thompson. So, all aspects really play into the Sooners’ hands.

c. Oklahoma RB Adrian Peterson vs. Oregon LB/S – In one word, this one comes down to: manhood. Well, okay, tackling was the other word to think about, but okay, go with manhood. Stopping the stud OU RB isn’t about schemes, game plans or whether you’re playing on grass or turf, it’s about getting your hands on Peterson and getting him to the ground. That’s a simplistic way to look at it, but you know, football isn’t rocket science. The key though to tackling him will be the Duck safeties – Nelson and Chung. The former is probably the X factor because he’s the most physically punishing defender that Oregon has. It’s not that Nelson has to come out and put knockout hits on Peterson, but his ability to run through Peterson keeps the OU back from getting 2 or 3 more yards after contact. Nelson’s desire to hit matches Peterson’s speed and power bursting through the line. Tacklers cannot, repeat cannot, come up, breakdown and give Peterson space before making contact. They’ve got to answer his burst with explosion of their own. Peterson won’t stop his feet and the Duck defenders can’t hit, stop their feet and hang on. They’d better beat him to the hole, put a hat on him, drive and wrap up.

d. Oregon OT Max Unger and Geoff Schwartz vs. Oklahoma DE C.J Ah You and Larry Birdine – Ah You was the Holiday Bowl Defensive MVP and Birdine is healthy, but facing a spread attack like this one is extremely difficult for the Sooner defensive ends, especially against two experienced tackles like Unger and Schwartz. With a speedy QB at the helm, the Oregon tackles really have an advantage, especially in the passing game. When Ah You and Birdine rush Dixon, the Duck tackles can direct them any way they want. If they take a high rush, Unger and Schwartz ride them right on past Dixon, who can dance to the inside and escape back to the perimeter. If they try to spin or rip back to the inside, the massive Duck tackles ‘cave’ them in, while Dixon bounces to the outside and again has the ball on the run out of the pocket. Not good. Not good at all for OU. There’s one distinct pass rush ‘line’ that the Sooners have to take to get to Dixon which keeps him from taking a direct path out of the pocket.