COLLEGE FOOTBALL Sooners defense has Cody on loose

The Oklahoma standout has a free hand where to line up.
NORMAN, Okla. (AP) -- Oklahoma has a new way of getting pressure on its opponents.
Take a menacing, massive defensive lineman and add the element of surprise. The result is an even more unpredictable and disruptive Dan Cody.
The new scheme worked to perfection Saturday as the No. 2 Sooners (6-0, 3-0 Big 12) kept Kansas State's offense out of the end zone for the final 44 minutes of a 31-21 win.
New concept
The concept isn't terribly complex. Instead of lining up in a three-point stance with his fellow linemen, Cody stands up like a linebacker and takes advantage of the ability to check out the offense. He then either attacks any weakness or drops back into zone coverage.
"We're not necessarily doing anything different besides me lining up somewhere else," Cody said.
The package proved extremely useful against a Kansas State offense with an affinity for throwing screen passes to a speedy and elusive Darren Sproles.
"Running the zone-blitz package gave me a lot of opportunities to rush from different places and disguised a lot of things," said Cody, a third-team All-American last season. "It was new to them. I think that's the reason it worked so well. As time goes on, people are going to catch onto it and we might have to go back to something else. But it's something we know we have now that we can always use."
Used it before
Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops said he used Jevon Kearse in a similar position -- he calls it a "spinner" -- when he was a defensive coordinator at Florida, but it's not something he can use with just any defensive lineman. Cody is an agile 6-foot-5 and 270 pounds and it doesn't hurt that he played linebacker in high school.
"He's very athletic, not just with his size and strength, but he's just got great mobility," Stoops said. "He's a smart guy also to be able to find his way to those places."
Main purpose
Stoops said there's some deception involved, but the main purpose of the set is to give one of his most talented athletes better matchups against opposing personnel and different angles at pursuing the ball.
Defensive coordinator Brent Venables said the Sooners in the past have generally used packages with an extra defensive back or linebacker. Instead, they're able to bring Cody.
"It allows us, when we do pressure, to bring a bigger, stronger, more explosive and violent guy," Venables said.
The Sooners practiced the set earlier in the season but didn't deploy it until their game against Texas two weeks ago.