By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Foundation

Eric Ogor has a knack for making game-changing plays.

The third-year sophomore linebacker has been used primarily as an edge pass rusher, particularly the last two weeks. He recorded a sack in each of the last two games and added another tackle for loss, a quarterback hurry and a pass breakup in Saturday's 34-20 loss at Duke.

"He's quick, he's fast off the edge, and he's a real strong guy in the weight room, but he brings it to the field, too," senior defensive end Brian Nance said. "He changes the game. He's going to be a good player for us."

Guys like Nance and defensive tackle Ira Lewis are what motivate Ogor, a 5-foot-11, 205-pound sophomore from Richmond, Texas.

"When you see them out there, it makes you want to go faster, like, 'Nah, I'm going to get there before you,''' said Ogor, who had another sack against Duke wiped out by a penalty. "That's what we do in practice. Iron sharpens iron. The coaches always say compete, and that's what we're doing. Even though we're supposed to be focused on winning the game and doing our own assignment, we're still competing against each other on who's going to make this play. And that's something the defense has really strived on."

Linebackers coach Mike Siravo says Ogor "looks like he's got a knack" for getting to the quarterback.

"If you can affect the quarterback, that changes any game," Siravo said. "We've just got to find guys that can do it, and Eric looks like he's got a knack for it. He's just got to keep going. He got a couple more opportunities (against Duke), but he missed one and got a penalty on the other one."

A two-time all-state pick at Richmond Foster, Ogor admits that he only knows "about 40 percent of everything I'm supposed to." Bit by bit, piece by piece, game by game, he's getting everything that Siravo and defensive coordinator Phil Snow are throwing at him.

"It's not just that you know it all, it's the nuances and the different game and different personnel, the X, Y and Z that make it different," Ogor said. "You have to make all these coaches literally hate you, constantly asking them, 'Hey, what's this, what's this, what's this?' Just constantly talking football, you don't stop. The game's always changing, so you can never master everything."

Head coach Matt Rhule calls Ogor a "work in progress."

"I think his role is a little bit limited right now, but he does bring something to the table in terms of getting to the quarterback," Rhule said. "He had a good practice (last Tuesday), so we're seeing him make steps. We're just trying to play the long game with Eric and some other guys like that, just knowing he's only going to get better and better with experience."

Since getting blistered for 585 yards in the season-opening loss to Liberty, the defense as a whole has made dramatic improvements over the last two weeks. Opposing offenses converted on 65 percent of third downs in the first six quarters (22-of-34), but are just 4-for-24 (16.7 percent) against the Baylor defense in the last six quarters.

"The biggest thing I see in myself and for our defense is we're all just buying in and really focusing on what our thing is that we have to do," Ogor said. "If the person next to me has one job, I have to believe that he's going to do his job so that I can do mine. I can't try to take over someone else's job, trying to make a play, and then I mess up my assignment. So now, I'm starting to trust my teammates more than I already was, and we're all collectively just trying to get better."

As a group, Siravo said what the linebackers have done the first three weeks of the season is "not good enough."

"We're giving up big runs," he said. "That's on the front seven. You get big runs, that's discipline and toughness, and it's on the front seven, it's on my guys. So, that's that, it's not good enough. I like their effort, I like their relentlessness, but the detail, the toughness, the discipline is nowhere near where it needs to be yet."

Baylor's defense will get some help this week with cornerbacks Grayland Arnold and Jordan Tolbert and linebacker Lenoy Jones Jr. returning from injuries and senior safety Taion Sells coming off a three-game suspension.

"Defensively, I think we're getting a lot better in terms of sack totals and third down," Rhule said. "We've been pretty good in the red zone on defense (giving up three touchdowns in 11 red-zone chances).

"We're just trying to conquer one thing at a time, knowing that if you do that, if you aggregate all that, then you have a chance. It really has nothing to do with the opponents we face, it has all to do with us. Are we playing the way we think we're capable of playing? If you do that, week-in and week-out in all three phases, then eventually you'll have a pretty good team."

Also making his season debut this week, when the Bears (0-3) face third-ranked Oklahoma (3-0) at 5:30 p.m. Saturday at McLane Stadium, is junior running back Terence Williams. Senior tight end Jordan Feuerbacher has been cleared after missing the last two games with a hand injury, Rhule said, "it's just a matter of how he feels."

"This is what everybody lives for," Ogor said of playing the Sooners. "It doesn't matter if we're 0-3, 3-1 or 0-7. When the opportunity to play a good team comes around ÃÆ'Æ'à € ' ¢ÃƒÆ'Æ' ¢' ¬" and we're a good team, too ÃÆ'Æ'à € ' ¢ÃƒÆ'Æ' ¢' ¬" that's why we're ready. It's all about going out there and having fun and playing with your teammates."

Baylor's game against Kansas State (2-1) on Sept. 30 has been set for a 2:30 p.m. kickoff at Bill Snyder Family Stadium in Manhattan, Kan., and will be televised by either ABC or ESPN2. Final television designations will be announced early next week.