Bedlam 2017: How To Contain OU’s Best Defensive Player, Obo Okoronkwo

One of Oklahoma State’s biggest challenges this Saturday is going to be attempting to contain Obo Okoronkwo. The stud Oklahoma DE/LB has been a terror for many Big 12 offensive coordinators in the past two seasons. I broke down what Obo is capable of and also some different concepts Oklahoma State can use to try and slow him down.

I actually watched a decent amount of film on Okoronkwo this summer, one of my favorite plays is noted below.

Great technique. One arm power rush. Love it. Well actually I hate it. pic.twitter.com/vGjACT8LFv

— Adam Lunt (@AdamLunt817) July 10, 2017

This play really stuck out because it’s what makes Von Miller and other guys in the NFL so unstoppable, the long arm power rush. It’s pretty simple, one arm is longer than two.  Meaning that if you come into a rushing situation and you extend one arm out and continue to face your hips up field, you can create more separation and less blocking surface area.   Thus making it harder to block. This is next level stuff here, and it was shown as a junior. Victor Salako is a strong guy and was rarely beaten on power rushes, Okoronkwo pretty much throws him to the ground.

Watching him play, the thing that popped out immediately is Obo’s motor. For this particular article, I focused on the OU/Texas game where he had 1 sack and 5 QB hurries (that’s good for a whole team by the way). Half of the impact made by Obo in this game was simply not giving up on broken plays, he has a relentless motor.

When you add that with his natural pass rushing ability, you form a pretty dangerous threat for the Oklahoma State offensive line.

Obo Okoronkwo’s strengths

1. The first thing you notice here is the explosion off the line of scrimmage, which already puts the LT at a disadvantage. Obo has great hands and you can see him here swatting away the LT as he turns the corner. As he flattens out you can see the LT trying to push him up field to create a lane for Ehlinger to step up in the pocket. Obo is strong enough to keep his lane to reach the QB and get the strip sack.

2. Another example of a strong speed rush. First notice the hands again, doesn’t allow the RT to get hands on him. This type of flexibility/bend to turn the corner can’t really be taught. The biggest reason why Myles Garrett went No. 1 overall in the NFL Draft was ability to bend at this level (that and being 4 inches taller and 30 lbs heavier). This puts so much stress on an offensive lineman to be able to block this. More often then not if there isn’t a sack involved, at minimum there is a holding penalty.

3. Obo isn’t only a speed rusher on the outside, he showed consistent ability to have multiple pass rush moves to cause disruption. For some reason Texas decides to leave their true freshmen RT on an island and he gets burned inside. You can see the tackle set his feet outside almost immediately after the snap expecting the speed rush, only to have Obo quickly move inside. Another reason why you have to be prepared for a variety of moves from him.

4. Same example moving inside. Except this time Obo is strong enough to split the double team for the QB hurry.

We’ve established that Obo is a great player, now you’re probably wondering what Oklahoma State can do to help contain him. I think the good news is Oklahoma State has a pair of tackles that they have a lot of confidence in. Zach Crabtree played really well vs. West Virginia, and seems to be rebounding well from his injury. Although Aaron Cochran had some moments early in the season, he has been fairly consistent since then in pass protection.

There have been a few lapses in past games where the scheme has allowed an opposing DE to rush 1 on 1 vs. a Cowboy Back or a running back, and that is certainly something Oklahoma State has to avoid. Below are some examples of adjustments that can be made to slow down Obo Okoronkwo.

Oklahoma State adjustments

1. This is actually something that we have seen in the last 3 games from Oklahoma State offensively, but pulling a guard or tackle to close off the backside free rusher is a great way to control an overaggressive DE.

Oklahoma State actually pulled a tackle 2-3 times on RPO plays vs. West Virginia. Below Texas uses this strategy and it actually works as it is intended to, except the backside tackle does a poor job of sealing his defender and he makes the play.

This isn’t a play Oklahoma State will run with a QB draw here. However, they will package inside zone plays with a pulling guard, with the Cowboy Back offset on the weak side (to replace the RB in this case) who comes across the formation as lead blocker. We haven’t seen this a lot especially this season, but I think there is a decent chance we see some type of variation of this on Saturday.

2.  This concept isn’t one that requires a lot of football knowledge, you can simply run plays away from Obo. Although it makes you predictable and cuts the field in half, you take him out of the picture for the most part. Simple strategy that could be effective if the play calling is right.

3. This example is probably the most likely to happen given Oklahoma State’s tendencies. Using the running backs and Cowboy Backs to chip block Obo while coming out of the backfield. It’s an effective strategy since Obo is an excellent speed rusher and you can hinder his momentum.

The ability of Oklahoma State to be able to contain Obo Okoronkwo will most likely have a big impact on their ability to move the ball consistently. He is able to cover up some holes OU has in their secondary. To be able to capitalize on those OSU will need to make sure No. 31 is accounted for.