Did Oklahoma CB Kani Walker's Takeaway Signal Something New for the OU Defense?

The No. 18-ranked Sooners (1-0) will try to create more havoc this week when they host SMU (1-0) in a 5 p.m. game at Owen Field. The OU defense will be much more pressed by an SMU offense that throws the football a lot and operates at a high tempo and has a lot of talented skill-position players and a lot of experience on the offensive line.

This is an Oklahoma defense that coaches — from previous defensive coordinator Alex Grinch to current head coach Brent Venables — has referred to as “scarred.”

More than a decade of bad defense will do that to a program.

But Walker and his teammates hope they’re the OU team that finally turns the corner defensively.

No more scars.

In addition to shutting out the Red Wolves 73-0 on the scoreboard, OU also yielded just 208 total yards and 10 first downs. Arkansas State converted just 2-of-12 third-down plays, and 0-for-1 on fourth down (actually Job One for this year’s OU defense).

The defensive front wasn’t exactly overpowering — the Sooners had just six tackles for loss, two quarterback hurries and one sack. And collecting just one turnover in the course of a football game isn’t a significant marker.

But the method by which the Sooners did get that one turnover may have finally signaled something new.

After a short pass completion in front of the Arkansas State bench, freshman safety Peyton Bowen came up into space and made a sure tackle. He wrapped up the ball carrier and didn’t give an inch, a physical stalemate. But then Bowen used his leverage and strength to start to twist the runner to the ground.

By then, Walker had raced in from his corner spot, reached in and grabbed at the football. As Bowen completed his rodeo bulldog throw, Walker’s long, powerful arms yanked the football out of the runner’s grip and into his own.

It happened so fast, and ASU’s Tennel Bryant was almost on the ground, it was almost imperceptible. The game was stopped as officials gathered to discuss, and the side judge quickly indicated he saw Walker rip the ball out.

“Shoot, I didn’t even know the ball was out at all," Bowen said. "I came down and I see Kani with it, and I was like, ‘Hey, fumble! Fumble! We got it!’ I didn’t even see the replay until the next day that he stripped it out, so that was cool.”

"He came in there and made the most of his opportunity," said linebacker Danny Stutsman. "He's talked about it. That's a dude who makes plays throughout practice. To see him make a play like that was awesome."

It was a takeaway of precision and aggression, of strength and power. Some takeaways happen because of the impact of a hard hit or because a tackler has reached his hand randomly toward the spot where the ball carrier has also happened to get just a little loose with his grip. Most turnovers are unpredictable, almost random.

But not this one. After Bowen’s capable tackle was successfully executed, Walker took it upon himself to separate man from ball. He went in with intent, and he came out with the football.

Walker called it a “great call by Coach V and Coach Hall (safeties coach Brandon Hall)” on the first-down throw from J.T. Shrout to Bryant.

“I knew I had to do my job, you know?” Walker said. “ … I knew I had help from my guy Peyton Bowen. And shoutout to Peyton Bowen for actually helping wrap him up and actually giving me an opportunity.”

Walker recalled that his responsibility on the play was to stay outside and force the action in to Bowen.

“Because if I woulda went inside, then he would’ve went upfield and the band would’ve cued and that would’ve been ugly,” Walker said. “That would’ve been ugly. But yeah, like I said, just doing my job you know? Staying outside, that was my only job during that play.”

Walker said cornerbacks coach Jay Valai has “been on necks about getting the ball out. He calls it peppering the rock.”

“ … So in my mind, I was like, ‘Oh, I’m the second guy to the ball. Lemme get the ball,’ like, ‘I want the ball.’ “

Walker posted a team-leading 91.7 overall defensive grade last week, according to Pro Football Focus. His 91.8 grade in pass coverage also led the Sooners, and his tackling grade of 78.3 ranked fourth.

The 6-foot-2, 202-pound Walker is in his second year with the Sooners after beginning his college career in 2021 at Louisville.

He played just 15 defensive snaps as a true freshman with the Cardinals, and last year played 65 total for the Sooners, per PFF.

He said his second year in Venables’ system just feels different — for everyone.

“It wasn't as hard,” Walker said. “But it's like, now that I'm like, second year in the system now it's just playing fast at this point, you know?"

The Oklahoma defense finished Venables' first season ranked 118th nationally overall and 117th against the pass. The Sooners did rank 35th in the nation with 21 takeaways, but only recovered four fumbles in 13 games. Only five teams had fewer than that. 

“I’d say last year, I'd say it kind of took a lot longer to click, but now it's not," Walker said. "Even just going through practice, we’re all just clicking. ... Yeah, we may mess up and stuff like that here and there, but we understand why we got to do ‘this’ or we understand why we got to do ‘this.’ It’s not like a five-minute conversation, if that makes sense, about why ‘this.’ It’s just, ‘Alright, cool,’ like, ‘We gotta do this because of this,’ and ‘Alright, let's get it fixed.’ And then we just go on to the next play.

“It's easier. Yeah, so like, now when you see a lot of guys playing faster, it's like we did this about like a thousand times. But it's good though. It's definitely a big improvement.”

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