Defense springs into spotlight
Fall will be true test, but improvement in practices is evident
Fall will be true test, but improvement in practices is evident

By Mike Baldwin

Published: April 13, 2008

STILLWATER — On a day the defense continued its spring theme of showing vast improvement, it was apropos the annual Orange-White game was decided by a safety.

The Orange defeated the White team 9-7 in front of what Oklahoma State officials announced as a crowd of 20,000 on Saturday afternoon at Boone Pickens Stadium.

Linebacker Seb Clements tackled Beau Johnson for a 1-yard loss, and a safety with 3:46 left in the game. Tackles for loss were common as the defenses combined for five sacks and two turnovers.

"We're a better defense,” said coach Mike Gundy. "It's really hard for me to predict how much better until we start playing in September. But I do feel we're better from a depth standpoint, from a toughness standpoint. And we're faster.”

OSU fans have yearned for a quality defense that could complement dynamic offenses.

It's only spring. The real test arrives this fall. But 15 practices revealed the defense has improved.

"We've been playing well all spring, and this was the perfect opportunity to showcase that,” said linebacker Andre Sexton. "Even though we split people up, I feel we came together as a whole on defense and pretty much stopped the offense.”

How good were the two defensive units?

•There were more runs scored across the street in the OSU-Nebraska baseball game than points scored in the spring football game.

•Matt Fodge, punting for both teams, was one of the busiest Cowboys.

•There were as many turnovers (two) as touchdowns (two).

"You saw today what everyone has reiterated all spring, that the defense has gotten better,” said quarterback Zac Robinson. "You've seen it in scrimmages and you really got to see it today.”

Bolstered by five junior college transfers and several young players, the defense has more athleticism and more depth.

A good example was redshirt freshman defensive end Jamie Blatnick, who recorded three sacks in Saturday's game. Richetti Jones, another redshirt freshman, was active.

"It was nice to some of those young guys get pressure on the quarterback,” Gundy said. "We haven't had that in a couple of years here, since Victor (DeGrate) was here.

"It's exciting to see some guys have that potential. They're going to go through some growing pains but you're talking about guys with four more years here.”

Offensively, running backs Kendall Hunter and Beau Johnson combined for 129 yards on 21 carries. Dez Bryant had eight catches for 87 yards.

The quarterbacks' stats were ordinary.

"It seemed like they had a guy in my face or (Alex) Cate's face, or whoever, the majority of the time,” Robinson said. "Some of that is splitting up the offensive line, but a lot of it is they've just gotten a lot better.”

How much better? According to co-offensive coordinator Gunter Brewer and other offensive players, a lot better.

"I don't think there's any doubt we're much better defensively – athletically, physically – and some kids have matured and now know the system,” Brewer said. "What everyone saw today, on offense, we've seen every day through 15 practices.”

Even when the offenses threatened the defenses came up with some big stops. The White defense twice held the Orange offense out of the end zone on first-and-goal situations.

Five times the defense took over on downs. Outside of the safety, the biggest play arguably was defensive end Jeremiah Price combining with Jared Glover to stop Robinson from scoring on a fourth-and-goal play at the 2-yard line.

"We talk about not giving up points in the red zone,” said defensive coordinator Tim Beckman. "We talk about three-and-outs being a takeaway.

"But I thought we got a little lackluster in the fourth quarter. That's why I reminded them about the two games we lost in the fourth quarter last year.”

Beckman is a perfectionist. He joked he will give the defense a C-plus, possibly a B-minus for the spring. But even Beckman admits there were a lot of positives this spring for a defense that ranked 101st nationally last season.

"I've seen a lot of progress and I'm proud of how they're playing,” Beckman said. "They're buying into the system. We're taking baby steps. We're tackling better, getting off blocks better. I like the effort and the enthusiasm. And I can't say enough about the new coaches.”

The defenses weren't even at full strength. Senior cornerback Jacob Lacey and middle linebacker Orie Lemon had to show up late due to a class schedule. When they arrived early in the fourth quarter the score was 7-0.

"We're always in the shadows of the offense,” Lacey said. "We feel we have something to prove. To come out and play like that every day against our offense, it shows we have more depth which will really help us.”

Everyone agrees progress made this spring won't mean much if the offense is forced to win shootouts again this season.

Still, a 9-7 final score is a stark contrast to last year's 35-27 shootout.

"This is a big statement for us going into this season, a lot of momentum we can build from,” Sexton said. "We showed the fans something they've been wanting to see for a long time.”

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