Dean's List: Keys to OU Victory over Missouri

Dean Blevins breaks down what the Sooners must do to beat Missouri Saturday.

Thursday, May 26th 2011, 11:59 am

By: News On 6

Dean's List: Keys to OU Victory over Missouri

Originally Published: Oct 20, 2010 4:19 PM CDT

Dean Blevins
Oklahoma Sports Sports Director - Oklahoma City

Offense

1. QB Landry Jones must keep his composure and make good decisions because he’ll feel heat from a much-improved Mizzou defense and from all that’s on the line.

2. Get the ball to Ryan Broyles in space. That looks easy, but Missouri will do what Texas did if it needs to. Third-down conversions become much easier if the short game with Broyles is open.

3. Protect the football. Turnovers in a hostile environment and giving the ball to a potent offense is a recipe for disaster.

Defense

1. MLB Tom Wort must play smart and be a force. MLB’s (most notably Curtis Lofton vs. Chase Daniel) have played major roles against the Tigers, and with Gabbert’s propensity for hitting throws over the middle, the freshman must make good drops, proper adjustments and be sound.

2. Stop run with pass defense personnel. Mizzou is not a good running team, and OU is usually lights out when they’ve gotten Missouri to be one-dimensional. Doing so without dedicating an extra man or calling run blitzes is ideal.

3. Don’t allow missed tackles in space to turn into big plays. OU sees this offense a lot and they know tackling well in space is mandatory.

Intangibles

1. Remain poised. OU’s a young team that handled the pressure of the Cotton Bowl well, and things like motion penalties on offense because of crowd noise must be avoided.

2. Block out distractions. It’s easy to get your mind off the task with ESPN Gameday rolling into Columbia and the hype surrounding being the No. 1 team in the BCS. It’s critical to have focus during the week of preparation all the way up to kickoff.

3. Play like you own the joint. Nothing beats confidence if you are able to back it up. Always keep in mind there’s a reason your coach has never lost to Missouri and that your program has won 19 of 20. There’s a fine line between confident and cocky, and a bunch of the former is always a good thing.