JD PicKell: Oklahoma's offense must find a way to complement the defense

After many years as an offensive-minded team under Lincoln Riley, Oklahoma has turned course by hiring long-time defensive coordinator Brent Venables as head coach. While he brought in Jeff Lebby, one of the brightest young offensive coordinators in college football, there is still expected to be a transition for both sides playing together in year one.

On3’s JD PicKell broke down the dynamic between the two sides of the ball at Oklahoma, saying the offense’s ability to complement the defense could have a significant impact on the Sooners’ ability to compete right away in the Big 12 and College Football Playoff discussions.

“This offense is going to run a lot of plays,” said PicKell. “It’s going to be very high-tempo, it’s going to be pedal-to-the-medal, rock-and-roll. A lot of plays. That’s a good thing, as long as you’re converting first downs.

“Because if you go three-and-out in a matter of 10 seconds: incomplete pass, incomplete pass, stopped on third down. Well, guess what? The defense who was just out there a few minutes ago barely got the chance to sit down and look at the previous drive and get some water before they’re back out on the field. So it doesn’t compliment the defense if your offense can’t get anything done. And it’s a little bit more of a delicate balance because of how many plays you run and how quickly you go. It leaves you a little bit exposed to ultimately get your defense worn out.”

JD PicKell believes Oklahoma offense can complement defense

Continuing, JD PicKell gave his final take on whether the Oklahoma offense can complement the defense in 2022 and beyond.

“That’s kind of what complementary means, ultimately. Essentially, does the offense cater to making the defense better in this scenario? … Yes, I believe it does. And here’s why: Oklahoma’s going to make it a priority to run the ball early and often. So even if they’re getting stopped on third down and they go three-and-out, I would venture to say, more often than not, one and a half to two of those plays will be runs. So they’re going to take time off the clock in that way. Even if they’re getting to the line real quick, clocks still ticking.

“In addition to that, Dillon Gabriel is a really efficient passer for his career. He’s like 62-percent completion percentage. Reunited with Jeff Lebby – I know that we’ve talked about that ad nauseum, but he’s very efficient with his passes. So one, that tells you the ball is going to the right place, he’s accurate. But the ball is getting completed a lot, which again, means chains keep moving. At the very least, the clock keeps running. So you’re not having these scenarios quite as frequently where you’re throwing it out to your guy and it’s incomplete, and no time’s off the clock. And the defense is, again, dog tired and has to go back out there.”