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The Oklahoma Sooners are taking on one of the most dynamic quarterbacks in college football on Saturday. South Carolina Gamecocks' LaNorris Sellers is off to a stellar start in his third season at the helm.
Sellers has thrown for 1,548 yards, 14 touchdowns and five interceptions this season. But what makes him so dynamic is what he can do with his legs. Sellers has rushed for 507 yards and four scores this season. He's coming off a 96-yard and two-touchdown performance against the then-No. 11 Tennessee Volunteers in South Carolina's upset win.
Oklahoma legend Teddy Lehman sent a warning to the Sooner defense on how difficult Sellers is to bring down.
"I remember last season at South Carolina," Lehman said on 'The Oklahoma Breakdown with Ikard and Lehman.' "... I was telling them, like, you cannot leave your feet when you tackle him. A lot of times, whenever you tackle someone right at the point of contact, there's a little bit of- it's not a dive, but you kind of do leave your feet to some degree, right? Unless you're like head-on with someone and you got a good base under you and you're running your feet, but like when you're chasing someone down, or there's a little bit of an angle, there's a little bit of a lunge. And if you do that against LaNorris Sellers, you will not tackle him. He will bounce and give ground, and you'll go to the ground."
Lehman's advice puts a premium on Oklahoma's tackling fundamentals. The Sooners will need defenders to stay balanced, keep their feet moving and finish through contact rather than relying on arm tackles or lunging at Sellers. That discipline will be especially important when he escapes the pocket, where one missed tackle can quickly turn a routine play into a major gain.