One of college football’s biggest non-conference matchups is still more than three weeks away, but that hasn’t stopped the Sooners from getting in some early preparation.Oklahoma and Ohio State will meet Sept. 17 in Norman. However, two weeks before, OU travels to Houston for a season-opening game at NRG Stadium.And the Cougars’ head coach? None other than former Ohio State offensive coordinator Tom Herman.”It’s very unique,” Oklahoma defensive backs coach Kerry Cooks said. “Any time you’ve got a situation where the head coach used to be at a university you’re going to play, especially non-conference, and you’ve got a chance to package those things together because there’s going to be similarities.”Ohio State and Houston ran very similar schemes in 2015. In his first season with the Cougars, Herman, for the most part, stayed true to the offense that won him the 2014 Broyles Award as the nation’s top assistant coach. The cornerstone of the playbook lies behind center — both teams have speedy quarterbacks.After a stellar freshman campaign cut short by injury in 2014, Ohio State’s J.T. Barrett battled for the starting job last season. Despite spending much of the year as backup to Cardale Jones, Barrett passed for 992…
Continue Reading: Too early to look ahead? Oklahoma defense utilizing Houston coach Tom Herman's ties to Ohio State
