OU football's defense looks legit. Danny Stutsman credits it to Sooners' 'pain' of 2022.

CINCINNATI — Danny Stutsman and Jaren Kanak folded their hands up and bowed at each other.

Plenty of other folks should be bowing to Stutsman and Kanak after the OU linebacking duo turned in another gem in the Sooners’ 20-6 victory over Cincinnati at Nippert Stadium.

Stutsman and Kanak have become the dynamic duo of the defense, with their choreographed celebrations, interesting hair choices and bone-crushing play in the center of Brent Venables’ reworked defense.

While there was plenty of attention paid to the help Venables brought in in the offseason, via the transfer portal and the signings of Peyton Bowen and Adepoju Adebawore in particular, it’s the players who were part of the defense that crumbled in Big 12 play last season who have played some of the biggest roles in this resurgence.

It’s Stutsman and Kanak and Isaiah Coe and Billy Bowman and some of the other players who went through the pain of last season’s 6-7 season who have played the biggest roles in giving this defense teeth.

“I think we had to go through that fire,” Stutsman said. “That pain from last year has really paved the way for the success we’re seeing now.

“It was pain, pain of regret, pain of discipline. It’s something that we’re striving for.”

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Stutsman finished with 13 tackles with 3.5 for loss. In four games so far, the junior has 43 tackles and eight tackles for loss.

He racked up tackles last year, too, but the way he’s doing it this year is different.

That was plainly evident in the first half.

On the five tackles Stutsman was part of, the Bearcats lost two yards total and none of the tackles happened more than two yards downfield.

“He’s probably grown as much as any player between first year and second year that I’ve ever coached as far as how he’s developed off the field,” Sooners defensive coordinator Ted Roof said. “It’s because he puts so much into it. He puts so much time and effort into it and the details, is very prideful.”

Kanak put up seven tackles and a quarterback hurry.

Venables built his defensive reputation on hard-nosed linebacker play and Stutsman and Kanak are looking like they’re in the mold of some of the players from the defensive heyday of Venables’ time as OU’s defensive coordinator.

“They were great,” Venables said of the Sooners’ linebackers. “They were downhill. They averaged under four yards a carry and they were a top-10 team rushing in the country.”

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Venables then went to some of the issues he saw in the defense, particularly in the second half, before coming back to the positive.

“Again, red zone and third- and fourth-downs, those guys were outstanding,” he said.

Cincinnati was just 3 of 15 on third downs, and two of those were converted from farther than 10 yards out.

The Bearcats were also 1 of 4 on fourth-down tries and were shut out in two trips inside the red zone.

“You look at the areas a year ago where we weren’t very good, we let people score touchdowns when they got in the red zone,” Venables said. “Today was an outstanding effort in those areas, third and fourth down and red zone stops.

“Our guys were fantastic.”

Kanak’s availability moving forward could be a question, though, after he was injured in the fourth quarter.

Kanak didn’t appear to take much contact on his last play but as Cincinnati lined up for the next play, Kanak crumbled to the ground, drawing boos from the Bearcats’ faithful who felt like Kanak was faking an injury to stall any Cincinnati momentum.

But moments later, Kanak was taken off the field on a cart and to a waiting ambulance. He was transported to a local hospital where he was checked out and released.

“The early results are things will be OK,” Venables said.

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Venables stopped short of calling his defense dominant.

“No, no,” Venables said when asked if he’d use that word to describe the Sooners’ defense. “It’s all relative. Our guys have been really solid and getting better. Really proud of their work and their commitment and willingness to practice the right way. But our guys know we’re nowhere close.

“Dominant mean you’re close to playing perfection — somewhere close. I don’t feel like we are. There are lots of places we’ve gotta get better … and our guys know it. I don’t have to tell them. They know.”

But they also know it’s a whole lot better to be focused on making the jump from where they are now to dominant than the leap from where they were a year ago to competence.

Stutsman used the last two Big 12 openers as an illustration.

Last year, Kansas State quarterback Adrian Martinez ran for 148 yards and four interceptions as the Wildcats torched the Sooners’ defense.

Saturday, the Sooners held Emory Jones to 42 yards rushing on 15 carries with no touchdowns. Nearly half of Jones’ rushing yards (20) came on one play.

“There has been so much improvement looking back,” Stutsman said. “It’s crazy to think how much improvement can happen in a year. Look at the K-State game — the fits that happened. Now here in a similar situation with a really good running quarterback and kept him in the pocket for most of the game.”

OU vs. Iowa State

KICKOFF: 6 p.m. Saturday at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman (FS1)

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This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OU football defense shuts down Cincinnati thanks to Sooners' 'pain'