NORMAN — It’s hard to pin any of Oklahoma’s struggles on the defense.

The Sooners, who are 3-3 after falling 21-13 to Kentucky on Saturday, are second in the SEC in total defense, allowing only 260.7 yards per game. OU also ranks in the top six of the conference in passing defense, scoring defense, sacks and third-down defense.

One area where the Sooners are lacking? Takeaways.

Through six games, OU has forced only six turnovers. Considering how frequently the Sooners have turned the ball over — 14 times already — it’s imperative for the defense to create more havoc.

“We have to create more turnovers,” defensive tackles coach Todd Bates said. “That's a big point of emphasis every week. That's part of our formula for success each week.”

The Sooners committed 10 turnovers and forced zero in their three losses. They turned the ball over four times in each of their most recent defeats against Georgia and Kentucky. OU beat New Mexico 14-6 in Week 3 despite turning the ball over three times and not forcing any takeaways.

In OU’s only win over a Power Four opponent this year — its 27-24 victory over No. 1 Texas on Oct. 17 — the Sooners intercepted Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning twice, and their offense didn’t give the ball away once. 

It’s easy to see how important the turnover margin was in that game. 

The Sooners, like they have all year, struggled offensively. But the two takeaways — plus a handful of key special teams play — took some pressure off the unit and paved the way for their upset win.

“If it’s on the ground, we have to come up with it,” Bates said. “We need to close the margin and get that thing going in our direction. When we do, we’re pretty good when we take care of the ball and when we take it away.”

It seems like a long shot that Oklahoma’s offense will suddenly become high-flying. Quarterback John Mateer has shown an inability to take care of the football; the offensive line is injury-riddled and struggling and the Sooners have yet to find a rhythm on the ground.

For OU to string together a handful of wins in the back half of the season, the defense has to play even better than it has.

Consequently, Bates and OU’s other defensive coaches have put an extra emphasis on creating turnovers.

“Those opportunities will be there — we have to make those plays when they present themselves,” Bates said. “We're harping on it every day, just like every defense in the country does. But we have to take the work that we're doing in practice, and it's got to come to life on the field on game day.”

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