Poll Recap: The Defense Has Disappointed Fans

There’s not much of a debate whether this is one of OSU’s best offenses ever or not (it is). Yes, they faltered against TCU, but through the first five games of the season, they’ve been either good or amazing.

We all knew they would be good coming into the season, and when healthy, they’ve easily surpassed my expectations.

That’s the offense. The defense is another matter, and also the subject of this week’s twitter poll.

Tuesday Poll: The #okstate defense this year has ________________ my expectations.

— Pistols Firing (@pistolsguys) October 10, 2017

Out of the 1,533 that voted, 782 feel that the defense has not lived up to expectations, while 629 voted that their expectations of the defense have been met.

That second one was the overwhelming favorite in the comments sections.

“I voted met my expectations cause I knew our secondary wasn’t very good” – Tyler Strader

“Met, because I didn’t expect much. I’m in believe it when I see it mode.” – Tmansdad

“They look like the 2007-10 defenses.” – Barry Ballinger

“They never meet expectations. I’m a Glenn Guy I love the dude and maybe it is what it is.. From a recruiting standpoint this is the best it can be and just force turnovers, but it leaves a lot to be desired. Unless we turn it around I think we are due for a change or maybe just a demotion because I think he can be a great motivator and probably has some good defensive principals..” – Saucy Takes

“#1 in big 12 in yards per play and #25 nationally. #3 in big 12 in points per play and #43 nationally. I think the perception of this defense is a lot worse than it actually is. If the refs don’t call a fumble a TD and Mason doesn’t fumble & throw a INT on a freaking screen pass the perception of defense is a lot better. The defense isn’t great maybe not even good but it’s not like they have played horrible this year.” – Tbeezy

Here’s the thing about this question; what were your expectations? Did you expect a top-10 nationally ranked defense or did you expect a good defense with no preseason first round draft picks and a young and experimental secondary? If it was the later and your expectations weren’t met, I don’t know what to tell you.

If it was the former, then no, they have definitely not lived up to your expectations.

Here’s the real question to ask: were our expectations too high? We all bought into Clemson transfer Adrian Baker before the season and thought he would be the answer for the secondary. Only, he’s barely played. The best guy has been A.J. Green and he’s looked, well, green.

We all wanted to buy into the Ramon Richards move. It hasn’t failed, he hasn’t allowed a lot of big passing plays to get past him like in years past, but he also hasn’t wowed us with a ton of big plays either.

We knew the defensive line had depth and talent at the top. They’ve looked good against everyone but Tulsa and TCU, getting pressure and getting into the backfield.

But really, if you ask yourself to be honest, this defense is exactly what we thought they would be coming into the season; good not great. Fast but not elite. Talented but no big stars.

Here’s the thing that really matters; they’re good enough to help bring another Big 12 title back to Stillwater, especially when matched up with that offense. If they do that, I think we’ll all change our expectation levels to met.