Lincoln Riley doesn’t think much about the opinion that the Big 12 doesn’t play defense.

Riley is in his first year as Oklahoma’s head coach after serving as offensive coordinator each of the past two seasons. He has the Sooners 8-1 on the season with key wins over Ohio State and Oklahoma State.

The most recent win, a 62-52 win over Oklahoma State, has once again brought up the topic of defense, or lack thereof, in the Big 12. Each team gained more than 650 yards in the contest with Oklahoma throwing for nearly 600 yards (598). It was a shootout in the truest sense of the word.

Riley was asked about the perception that there is no defense played in the Big 12 on Monday following the game, and he believes that is an uneducated view of the conference. He also threw in a jab at the SEC in his response:

The Sooners did take down the Auburn Tigers in the Sugar Bowl last season 35-19 with Riley serving as the OC. Oklahoma gained 524 yards in that win with more than 200 yards rushing against the Tigers.

On the other hand, it should be noted that Oklahoma has given up at least 35 points four times this season.