Game Preview: Oklahoma Sooners-Iowa State Cyclones
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| I call this one "Blue Steele." |
No. 12 Oklahoma (5-2) at Iowa State Cyclones (5-3)
Jack Trice Stadium (Ames, Iowa)
Nov. 3, 11 a.m.
TV: ABC
Line: OU -12
Series: OU leads 69-5-2, including 13 straight wins
GAME OUTLOOK
Iowa State has run 296 passing plays and 294 running plays – you can’t get more balanced than that… Quarterback Steele Jantz leads the Cyclones’ aerial attack by connecting 125 of 188 passes (66.5%) for 1,219 yards with 12 touchdowns and 8 interceptions for a 133.5 rating… Jantz was benched for a couple of games after a lackluster performance versus TCU in the fifth game… Jared Barnett was not impressive replacing him, so Jantz was reinstated to the starting role versus Oklahoma State two games later… Aaron Horne is the leading receiver with 34 catches for 316 yards and 2 TDs… Chris Young is second on the squad with 27 receptions for 293 yards… Wide receiver Josh Lenz and tight end Ernst Brun have each scored four times and pulled in 18 passes each… Shontrelle Johnson is the leading rusher with 343 yards on 82 totes and 1 TD… ISU is 87th in total offense (369.4 yards per game) and 83rd in scoring offense (25 points per game).
The Cyclones’ defense will be without one of their starting linebackers Saturday… Jake Knott will be sidelined the rest of the year with a shoulder injury that required surgery Monday… Knott, a two-time Big 12 defensive player of the week this year, leads the team with 79 tackles, six behind the line of scrimmage, and 2 INTs… Fellow linebacker A.J. Klein is second on the team with 67 stops… Klein was named the Big 12’s co-defensive player of the year in 2011, sharing the honor with OU’s Frank Alexander.
The secondary is solid… Free safety Jacques Washington leads the team with 3 INTs and is fourth with 51 tackles… Strong safety Durrell Givens is third with 52 stops, and he has 1 INT and 5 fumble recoveries… The defense is ranked 37th versus the run (135.1 yards allowed per game), but 101st versus the pass, yielding 267.4 yards per game…. ISU ranks 26th in scoring defense, giving up 19.8 points per game.
Punter Kirby Van Der Kamp has averaged 42.9 yards per kick, and 21 of his 49 boots have landed inside the 20-yard line… Horne is the punt return specialist and has an average of 17.7 yards per return, but no TDs… The Cyclones average 15 yards per kickoff return—Jarvis West leads the way with a 19-yard average, but no scores.
Tackle Lane Johnson and halfback Damien Williams both suffered ankle sprains and are questionable for the Sooners this week… This would be horrible news versus a big opponent, but their back-ups (Tyrus Thompson and Dominique Whaley) are capable of taking care of business if necessary.
The Sooners should bounce back with a win over the Cyclones… A win last week might have made this a tougher game for Oklahoma to be fired up about, but a loss to Notre Dame gives the Sooners more incentive to play well this week… Landry Jones now has another weapon at his disposal—Jalen Saunders, who tied Ryan Broyles’ school record of 15 receptions in a game last week… Jones should have a tremendous day versus the Cyclones’ weak pass defense.
OU’s defense is ranked 11th nationally in pass defense (167 yards per game) and 16th in scoring defense (17.4 points per game)… The secondary should be able to lock down the receivers, taking away Jantz’s aerial game, thus forcing ISU to run the ball, which is not its strength.
The Cyclones’ two home losses were tight contests… Texas Tech held a 14-13 lead going into the 4th quarter, but outscored ISU 10-0 in the final 15 minutes… Kansas State escaped with a 27-21 victory… If it comes down to the fourth quarter, OU will need to find a way to win, which it failed to do versus Kansas State and Notre Dame.
The Sooners still aren’t bowl eligible… If they play with a purpose, they should get a big win over the Cyclones… If not, they might have to wait another week to qualify for the postseason.
ETC.
*OU owns a 33-2-1 record in Ames, including 20 straight; the last time the Sooners lost in Ames was in 1960.
*OU is 12-3 on November 3rd, including nine straight wins.
*ISU is 7-7-1 on November 3rd.
*OU and ISU have met twice on November 3rd with each getting a victory on that date (ISU 13-0 in 1938 and OU 34-17 in 1973).
*Since 2004, OU is 20-0 coming of a loss.
*This game will be telecast to about two-thirds of the nation.
*ISU quarterback Bret Oberg tossed 4 TD passes and scored two more in a 43-40 loss to the Sooners in 1989.
*ISU linebacker Chris Moore recorded 27 tackles in a 38-0 loss to OU in 1986, according to ISU’s record book.
*OU’s Wahoo McDaniel kicked a 91-yard punt versus Iowa State in 1958, which was aided by a 35-mile-per-hour wind. The Sooners won that game, 20-0.
*Steve Owens rushed for 248 yards on 53 carries and scored 4 touchdowns to lead the Sooners to a 37-14 win over ISU in 1969.
*Ryan Broyles caught 15 passes in a 52-0 win over the Cyclones in 2010.