JD PicKell: Offensive success will lead to more success elsewhere for Oklahoma

Oklahoma is under a new regime in 2022, and On3’s JD PicKell believes one basic offensive philosophy will allow their defense to shine. This complimentary type of football, if done correctly, could result in the Sooners remaining near the top of the Big 12 and one of the most exciting teams to watch in the nation.

“Ultimately what it comes down to is, if you score as an offense, you put pressure on the opposition,” PicKell said. “You’re saying, ‘no duh,’ well, in terms of complementary football, how do you think the opposing offense is calling it if they’re down 17-0 in the second quarter? Maybe you start to press, maybe you start to feel a little more sense of urgency, you get out of your own game plan, and you’re now operating at a level that you don’t really want to operate at.

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“You can’t just call the normal offense that you would call because you’ve got to get points. Because guess what? Oklahoma is going a mile a minute and they’re scoring a lot of points. They’re putting the pressure on you to match them. And so when you get out of your comfort zone as an offense, it allows the defense to be a little bit more creative and to play for free, and to ultimately know what’s going to come their way.”

The Sooners welcome new head coach Brent Venables and nabbed UCF transfer Dillon Gabriel as his starting quarterback. PicKell is a huge fan of the Gabriel move specifically, along with Venables adding former Golden Knight offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby, who was the OC at UCF when Gabriel was there, to fill the same position in Norman. The combination is one that PicKell is eager to see at work.

“If they just want to stay in their own consistent offense that they will usually run if it’s 0-0,” PicKell said. “Well, then you’re running the risk of Oklahoma running you out of the building. You can’t trade a [field goal] every other drive for 14 points. It doesn’t work that way. That’s how you get blowed out of games.

“So, I very, very strongly believe this offense will be complementary to the defense. I think it’s going to work and it’s going to work fast – that’s why I feel so good about Oklahoma. Jeff Lebby and Dillon Gabriel, I’ve said it once in 1,000 times on the show, it’s going to be a quick marriage. I think it does wonders for Oklahoma.”