Speed D Unleashed vs. Coyotes

Oklahoma defensive back Brendan Radley-Hiles said he dreamed of having games like this, and he certainly wasn't the only one with high expectations.

That game finally arrived in a 70-14 drubbing of South Dakota on Saturday night before a sellout crowd of 82,181 at Gaylord Family – Oklahoma Memorial Stadium.

After struggling last season, a maligned Sooners defense is desperately seeking turnovers this season. Coaches repeatedly have drilled this into the players' mindset, and first-year defensive coordinator Alex Grinch has been particularly emphatic.

Radley-Hiles delivered the goods twice with a fumble recovery early in the second quarter at the OU 13-yard line that halted a 62-yard drive by the Coyotes, and later with a 30-yard interception return for a touchdown to give the Sooners a 35-0 lead early in the third quarter.

"I've had multiple times of just envisioning games like this throughout the entire time I've been in high school and college growing up," Radley-Hiles said. "But really just being able to have the reality strike is really a great experience for me tonight."

And Radley-Hiles wasn't the only person happy with his success.

"Everybody feels good for him, especially because we all know he had a tough year last year," sophomore linebacker DaShaun White said. "How much (work) he's put into it this off-season and to get his chance to make big plays, it makes us all feel good."

In the Sooners' 49-31 season-opening victory against Houston last Sunday, the only turnover the OU defense could claim was stopping the Cougars on a fourth-and-3 with 5:26 left in the game, which gave the Sooners possession.

"It's a turnover. It's a turnover. It's a turnover," OU head coach Lincoln Riley said emphatically afterward. "That's a huge thing. Our whole team was pretty jacked up in that moment, so they know how much we've been harping on that and investing all the work that we've been putting into that. We've got to get a few more."

In Saturday night's romp over FCS opponent South Dakota, the Sooners collected three old-fashioned turnovers – the first two from Radley-Hiles, plus an interception from true freshman cornerback Jaden Davis with 11:52 left in the game.

"It's got to continue," Grinch said of Radley-Hiles' performance. "What that stems from is doing the right things on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday (in practice). He's not the only one."

Grinch said proper practice led to Saturday's success. "That's when you, one, win football games, but (also) when you earn the right to do the appropriate things on Saturday... I'm excited for him. The message for him is to be confident, not comfortable."

The Sooners practiced what they preached.

"It was the No. 1 thing we talked about all week defensively," Riley said after his team improved to 2-0 heading into Saturday's 7 p.m. game against UCLA at the Rose Bowl. "It was turnovers, turnovers, turnovers. They were challenged every way possible and we responded."

Radley-Hiles arrived at Oklahoma as the nation's No. 2 overall cornerback prospect and the No. 17 recruit overall by Rivals, and also as the nation's No. 9 athlete overall by ESPN.

His performance as a true freshman last season left people wanting more – much more – including Radley-Hiles himself.

Grinch helped rescue Radley-Hiles with a position change that gives him a better chance for success. After playing strong safety last season, Radley-Hiles was moved to starting nickelback this season.

"I'm a little bit closer to the ball now," Radley-Hiles said. "Coach Grinch's defense is very simple. You maybe have three jobs total on a play call. And if you understand his defense, you can go from Point A, B to C very quickly. And once you operate at that speed, just play downhill and make plays... He (Grinch) gives me a lot of freedom, honestly. There are certain rules and regulations to playing that position, but for the most part he just gives me a lot of freedom to use my instincts and just play football."

Radley-Hiles added that he and the Sooners have only just begun to feed off turnovers.

"It just makes us hungrier," he said. "If you get one, you have to make sure that you get another. This year, I'm just trying to have fun and finish plays... It was just one game. I have to make sure I go into the next game as hungry as ever and make sure I provide plays like that for my team. Just keep trusting in my coaches."