Oklahoma defensive struggles against Tulsa 'disappointing'
NORMAN, Okla. - Tulsa had more than 600 yards of offense last week, including 427 in the air and that's more than enough to get the attention of Oklahoma defensive coordinator Mike Stoops.
"I think it turns the light on pretty quick," Stoops said. "You get exposed in some areas if you're not prepared. Certainly that was the case the other night. You have to learn from it. You have to critique yourself. We tried to help them with some calls and we still didn't execute them right. That was the disappointing part. That's part of learning."
Oklahoma won the game 52-38.
The absence of Jordan Thomas hurt the Sooners. The sophomore cornerback was suspended for one game. He should be back against West Virginia. Freshman P.J. Mbansor filled in and was beaten badly on several plays.
"No matter what we say you have to make plays and you have to be fundamentally sound," Stoops said of Mbansor. "In some areas, he wasn't. He has to work on those and he has to become consisten in practice day in and day out. From that comes confidence. It comes from preparation. He needs to put more time and effort into it."
Meanwhile, after the game Saturday, coach Bob Stoops said he didn't blame Mbansor at all. In fact, Stoops laid the blame at Thomas, saying it was Thomas who let the team down and because of it the Sooners were forced to play someone inexperienced.
"It gets down to covering people," Mike Stoops said. "You have to have great cover guys because it's such an isolation game."
