Grinch has Oklahoma defense stealing opponents’ offensive hopes

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Lincoln Riley’s Oklahoma offenses are always capable of providing opponents with a nightmare before gameday. But this year the Sooners have added a Grinch who could steal a national championship.

Halfway into his first season as Oklahoma’s defensive coordinator, Alex Grinch has transformed the fortunes of a unit that previously stood out as the team’s Achilles heel.

Last year, the Sooners ranked 114th nationally in total defense, 101st in scoring defense, 119th in third-down defense and dead-last in passing defense. Those deficiencies were plenty evident in last year’s game at West Virginia, a 59-56 Oklahoma win.

“Defensively, they are much improved,” said West Virginia coach Neal Brown. “That’s the storyline of this season.”

This season, Oklahoma is 41st in total defense, 37th in passing defense, 31st in scoring defense and ninth in third-down defense.

The primary difference? The Sooners are getting active in the backfield.

Oklahoma ranks 11th nationally with an average of 3.7 sacks per game and 15th nationally with an average of 8.2 tackles for loss. Both traits were on full display against Texas. Oklahoma sacked Longhorns quarterback Sam Ehlinger nine times and recorded 15 TFL.

“We wanted to get after them last year. They weren’t as explosive as they are this year,” said West Virginia left tackle Colton McKivitz. “They’ve definitely turned a page in the right direction up front. We’re going to be challenged with our younger guys in the middle, but also on the edges. They definitely present a different problem than in past years.”

Those problems start with 302-pound nose guard Neville Gallimore, who is playing his position as well as any Sooner since eventual three-time all-pro Gerald McCoy a decade ago.

“He has changed his body from last year,” said West Virginia co-offensive coordinator Matt Moore. “He’s playing really hard. He is going to be a high draft pick.”

Gallimore has five tackles for loss and three sacks while eating up enough blockers to open opportunities for his teammates to wreak similar havoc.

“He sticks out when you turn on [the film],” Brown said. “He has been a real difficult block for everyone they’ve played against. He’s defeating double-teams and getting penetration against the run and against the pass.”

Linebacker Kenneth Murray, the preseason Big 12 defensive player of the year, is also living up to the hype. Murray has a team-high 42 tackles and is tied for the team lead with six TFL.

“He runs extremely well and is making plays sideline to sideline,” Brown said.

Murray is the nephew of former West Virginia defensive back Lind Murray and grew up rooting for the Mountaineers, but did not garner much recruiting attention from WVU’s previous coaching staff.

West Virginia co-offensive coordinator says the Sooners play an exceptionally aggressive brand of defense, which is made possible by the fact they’ve rarely faced deficits.

“They get ahead and cause you to have to throw,” Moore said. “That’s what happens in games where you give up this many sacks.”

Like Riley, Grinch is a bit of a wunderkind.

The 39-year-old got his first coordinator job at Washington State in 2015, and within three years had the Cougars playing respectable defense despite complementing Mike Leach’s uptempo Air Raid offense. The 2017 Cougars held Oregon to 10 points, the Ducks’ lowest-scoring game since the infamous 2009 opener against Boise State that ended with LeGarrette Blount’s sucker punch.

Grinch returned to his native Ohio to serve as Ohio State co-defensive coordinator last year, but left for Oklahoma when Ryan Day was promoted to replace the presumably retired Urban Meyer. Despite inheriting the same players who struggled last season, Grinch’s 3-4 scheme has turned the Sooners into a well-rounded force to be reckoned with.

“They play really hard,” Moore said. “The scheme is similar to what Vic [Koenning] does with all the movement and slants and guys moving around a lot. And they have really good players. It’s going to be a challenge for us.”





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