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NORMAN, Okla. -- There might be a silver lining in Oklahomas season-opening loss.Houston quarterback Greg Ward shredded the Sooners in a 33-23 victory that knocked Oklahoma from No. 3 to No. 14 in the AP poll , but the Cougars might have done the Sooners a favor by showing them what they need to fix in the secondary with Ohio State looming on Sept. 17. Oklahoma will start the process Saturday against Louisiana-Monroe.When you lose, its hard to look at some of those positives for us, Oklahoma defensive coordinator Mike Stoops said. In the long run, Im sure it will pay off, we hope. We recognize that when you play a team like that (Houston), it exposes some of your weaknesses immediately.Stoops said there could be changes in the secondary. Ward passed for 321 yards and two touchdowns, and the Sooners got beat deep at times and struggled to tackle. Dakota Austin and Parrish Cobb, in particular, got picked on. Stoops said P.J. Mbanasor and former receiver Michiah Quick could get serious looks this week.Its pretty open right now, Stoops said. Well see who is the most consistent player out there. We need somebody to be consistent. You arent going to win every 50-50 ball, but you have to win your share. When they (the other team) win every time, that becomes a problem.Oklahoma will face another versatile quarterback on Saturday. Louisiana-Monroes Garrett Smith passed for 208 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 150 yards and another score in a season-opening win over Southern. With Houstons success through the air, Stoops said, Oklahomas defensive backs can expect to be tested Saturday.The ball is going to keep coming, Stoops said. Thats one thing they ought to be ready for because its going to keep coming, so you just have to take it on as a personal challenge. To me, thats your pride and technique and thats why you are here. Were going to be challenged, and you have to be up for it. Well find out who is man enough for the challenge and who isnt.Houston avoided Oklahoma star cornerback Jordan Thomas and targeted the others. That makes the need for a cornerback other than Thomas to become a consistent playmaker critical.Its huge, Thomas said. That way, they (the other corners) dont feel like theyre in the hot seat. They dont have that much more stress on them to play perfect or to make a certain play here or here. I feel like its really, really crucial to our defense.All was not bad against the Cougars. Houston, a prolific running team a year ago, managed just 89 yards on 40 carries. Ward, who rushed for 1,114 yards last season, managed just one yard on 18 carries against the sooners.If you would have told me wed have held that team to 80 yards rushing and lost, I would have thought you were crazy, Stoops said. But its still finding the balance between putting all that pressure on guys that maybe cant handle it, finding ways to help.Stoops hopes the players learned a valuable lesson about preparation after falling short in that area before the Houston game.If you get too full of yourself -- and you can be overly confident and not prepare the right way -- then youre going to get humbled, he said. In this game, youre always one game, one play away from always getting humbled. Thats why you have to always stay the course and always prepare and work at it.---Follow Cliff Brunt on Twitter (at)CliffBruntAP Custom Anthony Rendon Jersey . How great will be revealed in the next couple of days at the board of governors meeting in Pebble Beach, Calif. Custom Nationals Jerseys .Y. -- The Buffalo Sabres have placed centre Cody Hodgson on injured reserve and recalled two players from their AHL affiliate in Rochester. http://www.customnationalsjersey.com/ . LOUIS -- St. Authentic Custom Nationals Jersey . Nigeria beat surprise package Ethiopia 2-0 in the second leg of their playoff for a comfortable 4-1 aggregate victory. Victor Moses converted a 20th-minute penalty after an Ethiopian handball, and Victor Obinna made certain of Nigerias place in Brazil with his powerful free kick in the 82nd at UJ Esuene Stadium. Custom Anthony Rendon Jersey . What general manager Dave Nonis called "short and productive" negotiations ended with Kessel signing a US$64-million, eight-year contract on Tuesday. ' ' '