Sooners Prepare to Stop Dangerous Robert Griffin

OU has had trouble against athletic quarterbacks in the past.

Thursday, May 26th 2011, 12:02 pm

By: News On 6

Sooners Prepare to Stop Dangerous Robert Griffin

Originally Published: Nov 16, 2010 2:17 PM CDT

Corey DeMoss
Oklahoma Sports Staff Writer

NORMAN, Oklahoma – The Oklahoma Sooners have had trouble containing mobile quarterbacks this season, and Saturday they will face one of the most athletic signal-callers in the nation, Baylor’s Robert Griffin.

Griffin is having the best year of his college career and has led Baylor to one of its best seasons in school history. The Bears already have seven wins, are bowl eligible for the first time since 1994 and led the Big 12 South for much of the year.

Griffin sustained a season-ending injury last year, so the Sooners have not faced him since he was a freshman in 2008. In OU’s 49-17 win that year, Griffin was one of the only Baylor bright spots. He ran the ball 21 times for 102 yards and the Bears’ only two touchdowns.

Since then, the supporting cast around Griffin has improved dramatically, as has Griffin’s ability as a pure passer. He currently ranks in the Top 25 nationally in quarterback efficiency, passing yards, total yards and points per game.

“You just see he’s comfortable in the pocket throwing the football, as well as he’s always been able to run with it,” OU head coach Bob Stoops said. “He stays in the pocket and is throwing it more probably than he did [two years ago]. He’s got a lot of good players around him that he’s aware of and uses.”

While Griffin has become a more conscientious passer, he is still a legitimate threat with his legs. He has rushed for more than 500 yards and is averaging more than four yards per carry, and has broken a 71-yard touchdown run this season.

“He's gotten better, reading his progressions and hitting the right people,” defensive end Jeremy Beal said. “Of course, we all know he can scramble and buy time. So he's definitely going to be the fastest quarterback we've played all year.”

Stoops said Griffin reads defenses better now and does not force himself into running when it is not necessary. But if given the opportunity, he can still break game-changing runs.

“A good part of it is how you play him defensively,” Stoops said. “I think you have to be really disciplined in where his opportunities are, and hopefully you are able to cancel them. Whether it’s certain ways defensive ends play, certain ways you structure and put your safeties and linebackers and where you try to squeeze him off.”

OU has used significantly more blitzes in its last two games to try and rattle opposing quarterbacks. That strategy worked against Texas Tech quarterback Taylor Potts, but will not necessarily be as effective against Griffin.

“Sometimes they want you to blitz,” Stoops said. “They’ve got certain schemes they can set up and hurt you different ways if you do. It’s just something you’re constantly mixing in and the more successful it is, if it’s bothering them you have a chance to do it more. If they’re picking it up and hurting you with it, you’ve got to be careful.”

In their first game of the season, the Sooners had trouble containing the athleticism of Utah State’s Diondre Borel. Borel did not break many runs, but did buy himself extra time in the backfield that allowed his receivers to get open.

Borel finished with 341 passing yards and nearly led Utah State to a fourth-quarter comeback. OU will face the same challenges against Griffin, and will have to disrupt his timing. And with a lack of blitzes, it will be up to the defensive line to create that pressure.

"You’ve got to cut the head off the snake,” Beal said. “[Griffin is] the leader of the offense and you got to get pressure on him. If you don't get pressure on him, he can buy time and that makes it harder on our secondary to cover a guy. He can't cover a guy for five, six seconds. So the D-line as a whole, we have to contain the guy and get some pressure on him.”