“He plays very fast. The last 5 to 10 yards when he closes are as good as anyone out there,” Venables said. “He hits everyone flush. Very seldom do you see him on the edge of a tackle. He’s a knock-back tackler with good instincts. His awareness is improving every week.”

Those skills will be on display at 7 p.m. Friday when the fourth-ranked Sooners (3-0) face Tulsa (2-0) at Chapman Stadium.

Lofton will be in a middle of a defense that will face its stiffest challenge to date. The Golden Hurricane rank fourth in scoring offense among Division I teams and 15th in scoring offense.

The Sooners will be stretched by Tulsa’s spread offense. It’s the kind of game a middle linebacker can make all the difference, good or bad. Lofton waited two years to have that pressure on his broad shoulders and he’s excelling under the challenge.

“This is the dream scenario we planned on,” Lofton said. “It’s kind of living the dream right now.”

John Shinn

366-3536

jshinn@normantranscript.com