Twisters Are Looking for a Steadier Season

Oklahoma City was a middle-of-the-road team last year, and the standings did not flatter it. A 5-6 record left the Twisters fifth in the West, and the scoring totals explain why. They put up 201 points and allowed 241, a small deficit that added up over a full schedule.

Coach Hal Brennan does not think the gap is hard to close. "We were in most of our games," he said. "We just did not win enough of the ones that came down to a single possession."

Who carries the offense

Quarterback Jalen Lockhart threw for 2,474 yards and 14 touchdowns. Those numbers are workable, though not the sort that scare opposing coordinators. The passing game was steady more than explosive, and it relied on Lockhart avoiding mistakes.

Wide receiver Ethan Quarles was his top target, with 663 receiving yards and three touchdowns. The yardage is solid, but only three scores suggest the Twisters had trouble finishing drives through the air.

On the ground, running back Victor Abbott rushed for 653 yards and four touchdowns. He was a reliable runner without being a game-breaker, and the offense never fully settled on how much to lean on him.

"We want to be more decisive," Brennan said. "Pick a lane and live in it."

Defense

Defensive lineman Victor Zeller led the defense with five sacks. That is a respectable total, and it is the number the Twisters would most like to push higher. A team that wants to cut down on points allowed generally needs a front that can end drives on third down.

Zeller said the group has worked on its timing. "It is not only about speed," he said. "It is about getting there when the quarterback is still deciding."

The shape of the West

Fifth place in a six-team conference leaves little cushion, and the Twisters know the distance to the top is real. At the same time, they were not far from the middle of the pack, and a few better outcomes in tight games would have changed their season.

The questions heading into the opening week are straightforward:

• Will the passing game find more touchdowns near the goal line?
• Can Abbott get enough touches to make the running game a reliable threat?
• Does Zeller get help from the rest of the front seven?

Oklahoma City is not a team in turmoil. It is a team that looked average last season and spent the offseason trying to be a little better in specific places. That can be a quiet recipe for improvement, since small gains in red zone scoring or third-down defense often have an outsized effect on a record.

Fans should not expect a dramatic transformation. They can reasonably hope for a team that stays in games and finds ways to win a few more of them.