Everybody knows what Oklahoma's offense has done this season, rolling over opponents to earn a berth in the national championship game on Jan. 8 against Florida.
The top-ranked Sooners' 62-21 win against Missouri for the Big 12 title marked the fifth straight game over 60 points, something that was last accomplished in college football in 1919. Oklahoma (12-1) led the nation by averaging 54 points a game, the most since the 1944 Army team scored 56 points per contest. OU also became the first team to score 700 points in a season in 104 years and sports Heisman Trophy quarterback Sam Bradford.
But it begs to ask, could the Sooners have scored 60 points in five straight games in the physically demanding Southeastern Conference where even the worst defense is at least statistically better than some of the best in the Big 12?
"It would have been hard because the teams in this league can play defense,"
UF defensive coordinator Charlie Strong said.
But could they have done it?
"It would have been hard,"
Strong responded twice to the same question, with only a smile as the hint to how he really feels.
If you're a Sooners fan, here's the scary numbers:
- Eleven of the 12 teams in the SEC rank in the top 38 nationally in total defense, including five of the top 15 (Florida is No. 9).
- Texas is the top defense in the Big 12, ranking 50th nationally. Oklahoma is the next Big 12 defense in the national rankings at No. 65.
"They haven't played against us. ... Nobody puts 60 points up on us,"
declared UF defensive back Joe Haden.
Florida (12-1) has given up an average of 12.8 points per game this season. Oklahoma's defense leads the nation in turnover margin (plus-23), just ahead of No. 2 UF (plus-22).
The Gators' players took it personally when Bradford beat out Tim Tebow for the Heisman Trophy. Text messages flew into Tebow's phone just minutes after he failed to win the award for the second year in a row. He isn't telling what those messages said. But others aren't as bashful.
Many of those came from UF defensive players. And their implication was simple: "We'll take care of this on Jan. 8."
Florida has quietly snarled that comparing Tebow's stats to Bradford's wasn't right. That the SEC plays defense unlike anything the Big 12 has seen this year.
"It's a challenge for them to come against us, honestly, because they haven't seen a defense like us,"
Haden declared. "With the speed and the physical play and just knowing our assignments and just flying around. They probably played some good defenses, but our defense is definitely one of the top."
And Haden adds, forget about all those fancy numbers. Forget about predicting a 100-98 football game in Miami. He wants blood, guts and spit to determine the winner, not flash and dash.
But Strong isn't selling Oklahoma short. Not at all.
"It's as good an offense as we've faced,"
he said. "They have put up good numbers. You look at the last five games, 60-plus points and then the game before that is 58. So it's going to be a good challenge for us. ... You hope it never happens to you, so we'll see what happens."
