Sooners lacking in coverage

BY JAKE TROTTER • Published: October 14, 2008

photo - Jordan Shipley of Texas scores a touchdown on a kick return during the first half of the college football game between the University of Oklahoma Sooners (OU) and University of Texas Longhorns (UT) in the Red River Rivalry on Saturday, Oct. 11, 2008, at the Cotton Bowl, in Dallas, Texas. By Bryan Terry — Jordan Shipley of Texas scores a touchdown on a kick return during the first half of the college football game between the University of Oklahoma Sooners (OU) and University of Texas Longhorns (UT) in the Red River Rivalry on Saturday, Oct. 11, 2008, at the Cotton Bowl, in Dallas, Texas. By Bryan Terry

NORMAN — With loads of momentum and a 14-3 lead, Oklahoma kicked off to Jordan Shipley, who ran through several arm tackles on the way to game-changing 96-yard touchdown.

The return allowed Texas to hang in the game long enough to recoil and counterpunch to a 45-35 win.

The Sooners rank 109th in the nation in kickoff return coverage and join Army, Colorado and Illinois as the only teams to have surrendered two kickoff return touchdowns.

If it weren’t for a tremendous hustle play by Lendy Holmes against TCU, the Sooners would be the only team guilty of allowing three kickoff return touchdowns.

Last year the Sooners didn’t alow a touchdown all season.

So what’s happened to this year’s coverage unit?

"Sometimes you can get too robotical, have too much thinking,” said former OU linebacker Lewis Baker, who was a terror on special teams for the Sooners last season. "Those guys just need to go be football players and go make a play and not be so afraid of making mistakes.