Carlson: Why Jim Knowles and his Oklahoma State defense haven't been nice to young quarterbacks
Jenni CarlsonOklahoman
TILLWATER — Jim Knowles seems like a nice guy.
Friendly. Cordial. Gracious.
But neither the Oklahoma State defensive coordinator nor his Cowboy defense is all that nice to opposing quarterbacks, especially young and inexperienced ones. Knowles and Co. want to be inhospitable to them.
Hostile, even.
“I hope so,” Knowles said. “We’ve worked really hard at disguising what we’re doing, being in all the right positions and being able to add in some pressure every now and then.
“I think that can be tough for a young quarterback.”
No doubt about that. The past two weeks, the Cowboys faced second-year quarterbacks who had recently taken over as starters. The way OSU treated them, they might’ve been rethinking their life choices.
Next up for OSU: OU and its true freshman quarterback.
Beware, Caleb Williams.
There are lots of reasons the OSU defense has become the best in the Big 12 and one of the best in college football heading into Saturday’s Bedlam showdown. But prime among them is an ability to affect opposing quarterbacks. It starts with the pressure exerted up front — the Cowboys lead the nation in sacks with 42 — but it extends to everyone and how coverages are mixed and blitzes are disguised.
That is OSU's secret sauce.
Yes, the Cowboys have a great all-around defense. Covering. Tackling. Causing turnovers. Grabbing momentum. OSU does all of it well. But what the Cowboys do best is harass and confuse the quarterback.
They are particularly hard on inexperienced ones.
“When we get a young quarterback, it makes everybody’s mouth water to be honest,” Cowboy safety Devin Harper said. “It’s a chance for everybody to make plays and get in disguises and work what we do, work our magic.”
The week before TCU played OSU, Chandler Morris made his first career start. The quarterback who transferred from OU was masterful in an upset of Baylor. The Bears have a really good defense — OU learned about that the hard way — but Morris shredded them.
His stat line: 29 of 41, 461 yards, two touchdowns, no interceptions.
Against the Cowboys, Morris looked like the inexperienced quarterback he is. He was only 11 of 20 for 103 yards. No interceptions but no touchdowns either.
It was more of the same for OSU against Texas Tech quarterback Donovan Smith.
The week before facing the Cowboys, he had a huge day against Iowa State. The Cyclones have a stout defense, too, but Smith dismantled them.
His stat line: 25 of 32 for 322 yards, three touchdowns and one interception.
The Red Raiders scored 41 points in a win.
It was more of the same for OSU against Texas Tech quarterback Donovan Smith.
The week before facing the Cowboys, he had a huge day against Iowa State. The Cyclones have a stout defense, too, but Smith dismantled them.
His stat line: 25 of 32 for 322 yards, three touchdowns and one interception.
The Red Raiders scored 41 points in a win.
“Just enough zone looks to keep our quarterbacks guessing and to keep them off balance.”
Smith was even benched for a time Saturday night, but both before and after, he didn’t look comfortable. Throws were off. High. Low. Wide. Wild.
Cowboy coach Mike Gundy points to the internal clock that runs in every quarterback’s head. Play the position long enough, and you have a sense of how long you should be able to stand in the pocket.
That clock gets accelerated against OSU.
“If the offensive line starts the game and they’re protecting for him … they’re comfortable,” Gundy said of quarterbacks. “If they start and they’re not protecting for him very well, they hurry their throw, they move their feet, they get in panic mode.
“That’s pretty much every quarterback there is at any level.”
Jarret Doege can attest. The fifth-year quarterback at West Virginia was completely out of sorts against OSU. He went 15 of 22, which isn’t terrible, but he threw for only 109 yards, no touchdowns and one interception.
Here's the thing, Caleb Williams is better than Morris or Smith. Better than Doege, too.
“He’s a special talent,” Gundy said. “He can run around and throw the ball. It’s kind of like Nolan Ryan in football — he can fire it down the field from about any release. He’s very agile and elusive, faster than what he looks because he takes big strides, and he’s willing to just chunk it down the field and try to make plays.
“We faced some quarterbacks that have similar qualities this year; I’m not sure they have the same package that he has.”
But Williams is still a true freshman, a teenager who will be making just his sixth career start Saturday night.
And we saw him struggle against Baylor (10 of 19 for 149 yards, no touchdowns, two interceptions) and Iowa State (8 of 18 for 87 yards, one touchdown, one interception).
In case you’ve been under a rock somewhere, OSU’s defense is better than those two.
The Cowboys plan to let Williams know it.
“Every time you see a young quarterback or a new guy come in, you’ve got to put pressure on them to make them feel uncomfortable,” Cowboy defensive end Tyler Lacy said. “That’s the objective we have, especially with Coach Knowles.
“He tells us all the time, ‘Make him feel uncomfortable. Make him get out of the pocket. Make him do things he’s not capable of doing.’”
So much for Knowles seeming like a nice guy.
