Oklahoma Football: 5 Things the Sooners Need to Improve During Their Bye Week

The Oklahoma Sooners are heading into a bye week, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t work to be done.

Although the Sooners are sitting pretty at 4-0, some of the team’s vulnerabilities have been exposed in recent weeks. These vulnerabilities will need to be corrected if Oklahoma hopes to keep its march towards a national title intact.

Here are five things upon which the team needs to improve.

Stop Conceding Big Plays

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Sanchez (15) and the secondary will be just fine.

The Sooners secondary has had quite a solid start to the season.

However, the unit has slipped up a bit over the last two weeks. Out of the five touchdowns the defense has conceded, three have gone for over 30 yards, including a pair of bombs by West Virginia quarterback Clint Trickett last weekend.

Is it an area of concern? Sure.

But when you consider that standout cornerback Zack Sanchez has been playing through a shoulder injury, the big plays are not as bad as you think. Still, Sanchez has managed to pull in an interception in five straight games dating to last year.

With a week of going over film, and a chance to rest, the Oklahoma secondary should be as good as new come next week.

Need More from Quarterback Run Game

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Knight (left) could run more.

It’s a known fact that quarterback Trevor Knight poses a threat to run every time he drops back to pass.

Still, the Sooners have yet to really utilize that aspect of the sophomore’s game.

Through four games, Knight has rushed the ball only 14 times for 69 yards. Furthermore, he didn’t rush the ball once during Oklahoma’s game against West Virginia.

“Obviously, I didn’t need to run,” Knight said following the win against the Mountaineers, hinting at running back Samaje Perine’s big performance, per News 9’s Luke McConnell.

Either the Sooners are looking to keep their starting quarterback healthy and free from taking big hits or the team is hoping to catch future opponents off guard.

More Depth at WR

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Shepard is arguably OU's best offensive talent.

After Sterling Shepard, it’s hard to really trust the Sooners receivers.

In recent weeks, Durron Neal has made some major strides. The junior has caught 17 passes for 211 yards, although he has yet to find the end zone—unless you’re counting his passing strike to Trevor Knight.

Freshman K.J. Young has shown promise, hauling in 13 catches for 144 yards. However, believe it or not, only Shepard has a receiving touchdown.

The lack of depth was expected, after Oklahoma lost a lot of its experience to graduation. But at some point, this group of receivers is going to need to step up.

Right now, Shepard makes up for 40 percent of the team’s receiving yards, 28.9 percent of the receptions and 40 percent of the touchdowns.

Get the Belldozer Involved

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Bell has been missing lately from the Sooners game plan.

Blake Bell’s offensive production for the Sooners has been limited thus far.

Through four games, the senior quarterback-turned-tight end has caught just five passes for 62 yards and a touchdown. He’s also rushed once for two yards on a key third-down conversion.

When given the opportunity, Bell has impressed. Then again, his lack of production could also be a result of Bell being asked to block—an area in which he has been surprisingly good.

Still, it would be nice to see Bell get more looks his way. Even bringing out the Belldozer package in short-yardage situations wouldn’t be a bad idea either.

Trevor Knight's Accuracy Woes

Trevor Knight was supposed to be better than this.

The redshirt sophomore supposedly had a coming out party against Alabama in the Sugar Bowl, throwing for four touchdowns. Through four games this season, he has only managed to match that total, throwing for 1,065 yards and adding three interceptions.

But the major issue with Knight has been his accuracy.

Thus far, he has only completed 58.5 percent of his passes, including just 55.2 percent of those he threw against West Virginia. Not only is he missing his intended receivers, but he’s shown that he pretty much lacks the deep ball. 

Thankfully, the Sooners haven’t had to rely heavily on their passing attack. But when that day comes, let’s hope Knight will be able to put it all together.

All stats courtesy of NCAA.com.

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