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Prolific offense is the reputation by which No. 8 Oklahoma lives, but Bob Stoops doesnt mind hearing about how far his defense has come in a few short weeks as the Sooners pack their bags for a Big 12 showdown at 10th-ranked West Virginia on Saturday night.In a 66-59 win at Texas Tech on Oct. 22, the Sooners gave up 854 yards of total offense.Since, Oklahoma has given up an average of 321.4 yards per game in three wins.We havent changed defenses, Stoops said. Guys are playing better.That improvement needs to keep up for the Sooners to have success this week when they travel to West Virginia in a game that will go a long way toward determining the Big 12 champion.The most glaring improvement has been in the secondary, where cornerbacks Jordan Thomas and Jordan Parker have settled in after a rough first part of the season.Thomas, who was strong a year ago as a sophomore, struggled to maintain his success early, being repeatedly beaten deep by opposing receivers.Parker, a freshman, has been the latest to step into the other cornerback role after three other players started there early in the season.Stoops said the improvement goes deeper.It isnt just the secondary, Stoops said. Its the linebackers, everybody. Its been -- it was really solid the other day. I say the linebackers are a big part of it.Stoops specifically mentioned Oklahomas two inside linebackers -- Jordan Evans and Emmanuel Beal -- for their improvement.Evans had two interceptions and two sacks last week.It has been a complete U-turn from that game, Evans said, pointing back to that game against Tech. Our intensity, our effort. Guys are making more plays. The No. 1 thing is guys are having more fun doing it. Guys are wanting to get back out there each and every Saturday and wanting to get to practice on Monday to get better and to keep it going.Evans said while the Tech game wasnt necessarily a must for improvement, its helped focus the defense in the weeks since.It should never have to happen, Evans said. We should have been doing that since Day One. The only reason I think it was good is we were still able to come out with a win in that game. Weve kind of flipped out defense around. It was a good wakeup call for us.One way the Sooners can effectively quiet West Virginias offense is to eat the clock with a deadly running game.Samaje Perine ran for 242 yards and four touchdowns in Oklahomas last game in Morgantown, his first career game with 100 or more yards on the ground. And tailback Joe Mixon is averaging 6.87 yards per carry during his career, the most in the Bob Stoops era among players with 100 or more carries.Mixon is spending several snaps per game split wide of the formation, ala DeMarco Murray, to help get both players on the field and dictate matchups.Its probably not quite as striking now because more people do it, Stoops said. I still think its effective and it still gives defenses some pause when youve got a linebacker thats way out on the numbers in a space where hes not used to operating. Just Demarco (Murray) along with Joe (Mixon) have such exceptional hands and an ability to get open. It works for us.Mixon enters the week second in the Big 12 in rushing with 937 yards.West Virginia has a very balanced rushing attack of its own with Justin Crawford, Rushel Shell III and Kennedy McKoy all averaging between 67-51 yards per game. This weeks effort might depend on injuries. Shell was sidelined last week at Texas and McKoy carried 25 times for 73 yards to be recognized by WVU coach as the Mountaineers offensive champion.The Mountaineers average about 211 yards on the ground while Oklahoma surrenders an average of 132.4. Last week, the Sooners struggled to slow down Baylors rushing attack early, surrendering 212 yards to the Bears.Perhaps more pressing for WVU is what the Mountaineers will get out of their quarterback.OU allows upwards of 300 passing yards per game, but in part those numbers are a byproduct of grabbing big leads and playing a softer coverage in the second half.WVUs Skyler Howard got away with one at Texas, leading the team to victory despite throwing three interceptions. Howard was 21 of 35 for 269 yards, guiding the offense to just one touchdown after they scored a quick 17 points in the first 15:11 of the game.Oklahoma leads 6-2 overall and 2-0 in Morgantown. The Mountaineers have not beaten the Sooners since they joined the Big 12. Los Angeles Lakers Gear .J. -- Seven games into a disappointing season, New York Giants defensive catalyst Jason Pierre-Paul is getting the feeling hes back. Stitched Lakers Jerseys . And when it opened, every player was at his stall. Thats a sure sign that a team is in a slump and is searching for answers. "Its embarrassing to be at home and play the way we did," said defenceman Josh Gorges. https://www.lakersjerseycheap.com/ .com) - The Montreal Canadiens embark on their first road trip of the season as they head out west to battle the Calgary Flames on Wednesday night. Lakers Jerseys China . -- Vincent Lecavalier got everything but the desired result in his return to Tampa Bay. Los Angeles Lakers Store . -- When the Florida Panthers fell behind by two goals in the first period to the top team in the NHL, it appeared they were on their way to yet another loss. The AFL says Sydney did not break any rules when they cleared onballer Josh Kennedy to return to the field after undergoing a concussion test in Saturdays qualifying final.Kennedy was checked by doctors but allowed to play on after copping a shoulder bump to the head from Greater Western Sydney forward Steve Johnson in the first quarter of the ANZ Stadium clash.The Swans were asked to provide more information about the incident but AFL football operations manager Mark Evans on Thursday said the club had not breached the rules.Evans said Kennedy had passed concussion tests during and after the game and had shown no ill effects since.The Swans told the AFL they were unable to immediately access footage of the incident on the interchange bench due to technical issues, and had also been managing an injury to ruckman Kurt Tippett at the time.The AFL intends to expand the Hawkeye medical system to all major venues next year to help clubs immediatelyy assess injuries after successful trials at the MCG and Etihad Stadium.ddddddddddddJohnson accepted a one-week suspension over the careless bump on Kennedy and will miss the Giants September 24 preliminary final against either Hawthorn or the Western Bulldogs at Spotless Stadium.Concussion has become an increasingly-important issue in contact sports worldwide.The AFL fined Port Adelaide $20,000 in July after it ruled the Power let Hamish Hartlett return to the field too quickly after a head knock.Half the fine was suspended until the end of the 2018 season.It is understood the AFL has also formally asked other clubs to outline how they have handled concussion tests.The AFLs 2015 injury survey showed games missed due to concussion continue to soar as clubs become more conservative about how they manage head knocks. 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