As OU football's Danny Stutsman elevates game, prospects grow brighter for Sooners defense
NORMAN — Danny Stutsman is familiar with the numbers.
So is Brent Venables.
Want to know the difference between the OU defense this season and the one that looked strong early last year before fading considerably?
It starts with sure tackling.
“I think it was seven missed tackles from PFF or whatever that means,” said Stutsman, the OU junior linebacker. “And then compared to like 33 last year. Coach V talked about that. You know it just shows how far we’ve come. Those tackling drills every single day with the coaches pays off. And obviously we know we have a lot to improve on.
“But really proud of how far we’ve come.”
Stutsman’s numbers were close but not exactly on the money.
The point they make, though, stands.
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Heading into Saturday’s non-conference finale at Tulsa (2:30 p.m., ESPN2), OU’s defense is once again riding high and beyond the scoreboard success — which was there early last year as well — the tackling numbers bear out the improvement Stutsman, Venables and others have talked about since preseason camp began.
The PFF Stutsman referred to is Pro Football Focus, a website that grades teams and players in a variety of categories.
Through two games, OU has just 11 missed tackles on defense, helping the Sooners outscore opponents 101-11.
The score numbers are better than through two games last year but not dramatically so, as OU outscored UTEP and Kent State 78-16 last season.
The tackling difference is dramatic, though, as Stutsman was dead on that the Sooners missed 33 tackles in those games.
Stutsman’s play is a big reason for the early success.
“He’s playing in a confident way,” Venables said. “He’s able to have a different level of anticipation because of his knowledge. … He’s a lot more comfortable. He’s able to lead. He’s not in the back. He’s in the front. Last year, David Ugwoegbu was probably our leader there. He’s taken those reins in leadership and confidence.”
Stutsman said he can feel the difference both personally and as a cohesive defense.
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“We’re just more comfortable,” he said. “We’re more experienced. The guys are kind of more familiar with what we’re doing and that gives more trust to the system and everyone’s responsibility.”
Even with some of the issues that popped up in last week’s 28-11 win over SMU, Brent Venables started off his postgame press conference with a smile.
Venables was heartened by the way the defense responded when the game got tight, forcing a quick turnover on downs on the Mustangs’ last drive and then getting an interception to put the game away for good.
“Finally seeing the fruits of our labor,” Stutsman said. “Last year, we had some growing pains. Obviously, we’re going to face some adversity, but I think we have the right tools to get through it.”
Stutsman is one of those.
“Last year at this time he was the guy that was new to the system and new as a starter and trying to figure it out,” defensive coordinator Ted Roof said. “He’s put a lot of effort and a lot of sweat equity in and he’s starting to see some of the results of that and I’m real proud of him and at the same time continue to push him.
“He’s gonna push himself to get better.”
Though Stutsman was marked for a pair of missed tackles against SMU, he finished with 17 tackles — one off his career high. He also recovered a fumble and had a sack and a quarterback hurry. Stutsman was named the Walter Camp National Defensive Player of the Week for his performance.
Venables coached plenty of top-flight tacklers during his time as OU’s defensive coordinator and at Clemson.
This defense still has plenty to go to live up to those standards but Venables evoked some of OU’s best when asked about the sure tackling.
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“Curtis Lofton was a guy that had very few missed tackles,” Venables said. “Guys like Rocky Calmus always got guys down. He just hardly ever missed a tackle. And Roy Williams was amazing in how he could hit people flush all the time. No matter what angle or what position he was coming from.
"So some guys are naturally good at it and it looks like you’re a great tackling team but they’re just really good tacklers. And then you develop it too. So I think it’s a combination of a lot of things. The test of a season will really tell you where we’re at.”
Defensive back Key Lawrence evoked another OU legend from before Venables’ day — Brian Bosworth. Bosworth spoke to the team before the season.
“Just keep grinding man,” Lawrence said. “The thing is that we’re just so hungry and so eager because we know what we can do and we know what we’re capable of. At the end of the day, we’ve got a lot to show for. We’ve got a lot of recovery to do. So we’re just trying to prove the world wrong, man.
“Because Boz came in and he said, ‘They know, we know and the whole world knows.’ We just had to engrave it into the defense of this team.’”
What ultimately is engraved into the identity of the Sooners’ defense will be determined over the next few months.
So far, though, this Sooners group looks like it’s at least improved from last year’s disastrous defense that got knocked over like a straw house in a hurricane.
Ryan Aber covers OU athletics for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Ryan? He can be reached at raber@oklahoman.com or on Twitter at @RyAber. Sign up for the OU Sooners newsletter to access more OSU coverage. Support Scott’s work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com or by using the link at the top of this page.
OU vs. Tulsa
KICKOFF: 2:30 p.m. Saturday at H.A. Chapman Stadium in Tulsa (ESPN2)
More: What OU football coach Brent Venables said about Kevin Wilson, preparing for Tulsa
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OU football optimistic with Danny Stutsman leading Sooners' defense
