Oklahoma Preparing for LSU Rush

NEW ORLEANS —  If you’re a big fan of the blitz, you’ll enjoy watching Louisiana State’s defense go after Oklahoma quarterback Jason White in Sunday’s Sugar Bowl.

“I think LSU will blitz Jason in warmups,” Sooner offensive line coach Kevin Wilson said Thursday. “They keep coming, and that’s nothing new. We have to make sure we’re balanced, mix the run with the pass and keep sticking it to them.”

Having two outstanding cover cornerbacks in Corey Webster and Travis Daniels enables the Tigers to blitz from a variety of angles on almost every play. The approach has been extremely effective -- speedy LSU leads the nation in scoring defense, allowing an average of 10.8 points a game, and ranks second in total defense, allowing an average of 259.5 yards.

White, the Heisman Trophy winner whose mobility has been limited by two major knee surgeries in two years, could be vulnerable if Oklahoma fails to pick up the blitz. But the Sooners have a way of negating such pressure with their spread offense and a number of big-play weapons. If there’s one soft spot created by LSU’s blitz, it’s this: Opponents have had success sending a running back straight up the middle for quick-hitting passes.

“Believe me, it’s something we’ve worked on,” LSU defensive coordinator Will Muschamp said.

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There’s an asterisk next to 2001 in Oklahoma defensive end Dan Cody’s career statistics, one denoting a medical redshirt season. But there was no knee injury, no shoulder injury, no broken bones.

Cody, a 6-foot-5, 270-pound junior, left the team after his freshman year when he was diagnosed with clinical depression, which nearly ended his college career.

“When he left, I kept in touch with him on the phone, and I believed he wouldn’t be back,” Oklahoma Coach Bob Stoops said. “Once they got everything in balance, and through counseling, Dan started to understand it and felt stronger again. He asked me if he could return, and I said absolutely.”

Lucky for the Sooners. Cody played often as a backup in 2002 and started every game in 2003, recording 41 tackles and nine sacks while emerging as an emotional leader.

“Every time I go out there, I play as hard as I can for these guys, for this program; I try to give them everything I can because the program has given me so much,” Cody said.

Cody declined to discuss his condition in detail, saying, “I’m kind of ready to let that go,” but it’s clear it hasn’t been easy.

Said Stoops: “It was difficult for people to understand, maybe players or coaches, and it was difficult for Dan to understand why he wasn’t able to do what he had done well for so long. I took the approach that this was no different than overcoming a knee surgery, and some things take time to heal.”