The Good, the Bad and the Ugly: Oklahoma Sooners 38, Kansas State 17
That's six.
It was nice to see the Sooners play a less dramatic fourth quarter than usual was nice. Also nice: Aggressive play-calling aggressiveness in the fourth quarter. OU had an extremely effective passing attack led by Baker Mayfield, which combined with a commitment to run the ball, even without Samaje Perine.
The depleted defense hopefully will get some more pass rushers back for Texas Tech. Meanwhile, might we see a coming out party for Abdul Adams against Tech's terrible run defense?
OU is moving towards a three-game showdown with Baylor, West Virginia and maybe Oklahoma State for the Big 12 title.
The Great
Dede Westbrook
Just when defensive backs thought it was safe to return to Norman with Sterling Shepard gone, Dede Westbrook ate up another secondary. He scored three touchdowns, including the game-sealing 88-yard score. He’s looking like an elite college receiver with serious NFL potential.
Hopefully, it continues. OU is going to need lots of points.
Baker Mayfield
Sure, there was one interception – that was honestly two very good plays by Kansas State defenders. But completing 25 of 31 passes for nearly 350 yards? That’s playing quarterback at a very efficient level in some windy conditions.
The rope that Mayfield threw to Westbrook for the final TD was just amazing. He missed Westbrook one time on what would have been another deep TD, but the guy can't hit every deep pass.
Offensive line
Mayfield was barely touched while passing the ball. Even though OU’s per-carry average was pedestrian, the Sooners used the run effectively against a good KSU run defense.
The Good
Joe Mixon
Mixon rallied from an uneven Texas game to be the feature back when Perine went down. It was not a spectacular day, but more workman-like and effective.
Lincoln Riley
He was very aggressive at times in attacking KSU. The halfback pass was a beautiful call.
The Solid
Defense
KSU was held to 10 points and barely 250 yards for three quarters. That’s pretty efficient defense against an albeit limited offense.
Hubener scramble and long TD pass was really the only blemish on the performance. The stops in the third and fourth quarters were very nice to see.
OU never had it lead really challenged.
The Bad
Perine's injury
Not the news OU needed. The Sooners were finally gaining momentum behind their offensive quartet of Mayfied, Westbrook, Mixon and Perine.
The Ugly
Ugly hit on Geno Lewis
Was it legal? Maybe, but it sure seems like the rules are supposed to protect defenseless WRs.
-Atlantasooner