The Oklahoma Sooners dominated their season opener against the University of Texas at El Paso Miners. On paper, it looked like another dominant defensive performance, as Oklahoma won 51-0.
However, those who watched the game saw a different story. UTEP was able to get into Oklahoma territory three different times. But it missed a field goal attempt each time. The Sooners also struggled with containment at times and missed several tackles they usually make.
Head coach Brent Venables explains what might have caused the defensive mishaps.
"I don't want to misinterpret it as our guys weren't ready to play or were lackadaisical," Venables said. "That couldn't be further from the truth. Man, their hair was on fire. And we just didn't play with the cleanliness
and the discipline that you have to play with."
The UTEP game gave Oklahoma plenty to like, but it also reminded them that a dominant scoreboard doesn't necessarily mean a flawless performance. The Sooners overcame their mistakes because their defense consistently created pressure and kept UTEP out of the end zone.
That margin for error will be much smaller Saturday against the Michigan Wolverines on the road. The Wolverines will present a significantly tougher challenge, making Oklahoma's ability to clean up its tackling, containment and overall discipline just as important as the dominant numbers it produced in the opener. The UTEP shutout set the ceiling for this defense; Michigan will offer the first real chance to see whether the Sooners can reach it for four quarters.
The Sooners take on the Wolverines at 11:00 a.m. CT on Saturday on Fox.
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This article originally appeared on Sooners Wire: Brent Venables calls out the discipline issues in win over UTEP
