Former Sooner All-American breaks down Mississippi State's defense

The Oklahoma Sooners take the field against the Mississippi State Bulldogs on Saturday, hoping to get back on track after a loss to the Kentucky Wildcats. The Sooners enter the game with one of the nation’s worst offenses, but Mississippi State also has one of the worst defenses in college football.

Oklahoma ranks No. 126 in total offense, No. 81 in passing offense, No. 135 in rushing yards allowed and No. 115 in scoring offense. However, the Sooners could have success this weekend, as the Bulldogs rank No. 98 in total offense, No. 127 in passing yards allowed, No. 36 in rushing yards allowed and No. 111 in scoring defense.

While Mississippi State has some obvious defensive struggles, Gabe Ikard said the Bulldogs make teams work for every yard.

“The thing about this defense, they are going to make you snap it again,” Ikard said on the ‘Oklahoma Breakdown with Ikard and Lehman.’ “They do not want to give up an explosive play. It’s as if they’ve been deeply scarred by going against their offense every day. They’re going to make you sustain long drives and execute at a high level.”

For Oklahoma, the challenge will be turning those opportunities into points rather than allowing promising drives to stall. The Sooners have struggled to generate consistent production all season, making early-down efficiency and third-down conversions especially important against a defense built to force opponents to execute repeatedly. Establishing a dependable rushing attack could help Oklahoma stay ahead of the chains and create more manageable situations for the passing game.

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Former Sooner All-American breaks down Mississippi State’s defense

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