As Oklahoma gets ready to face a Kansas State defense on Saturday morning that averages nearly 350 yards and just 18.7 points allowed per game, the theme should be the run game. The one constant in the seemingly ever evolving Lincoln Riley offense has been a constant rushing attack that ranks as one of the best ground games in the nation. This year is no exception but, unlike years past, it is headed by a quarterback rather than a running back.
Here are a few keys to Oklahoma’s success on the offensive side of the ball Saturday.
Run, Run, Run!
When you first take a look at the Kansas State defense you can’t help but think that 347.7 offensive yards allowed per game is pretty respectable, particularly in this current era of college football. However, if you take a deeper look you’ll discover that nearly 200 of those yards allowed come on the ground, and that opens a huge window of opportunity for teams that run the ball well.
Oklahoma State posted 526 yards on the Wildcats (373 on the ground) and Baylor went off for 426 yards, using the run game to set up 268 rushing yards.
Lincoln Riley has always run the ball to pass and that should be the case right out of the box on Saturday morning.
Take Advantage of Play-Action
My best guess is that the Wildcats are not going to try and stop Oklahoma’s rush attack with just base defense. That means safeties will be either cheating in or looking in the backfield to read what is happening. This sets up perfectly for play-action passing to set up downfield threats. Look for the Sooners to try and capitalize on this early and often!
Protect The Ball
Last Saturday’s game against West Virginia ended a streak of three consecutive weeks (Texas Tech, Kansas, Texas) where the Sooners turned the ball over. As much as Alex Grinch is pleading with the defense to force a turnover, Lincoln Riley is pleading with his quarterback to take better care of the ball. With the pace that Oklahoma is scoring this season, not turning the ball over pretty much puts points on the board.
Players To Watch
Jalen Hurts – Everything in the Sooner offense starts here. We addressed the turnovers, but there are a ton of positives as well. Hurts in Oklahoma’s leading rusher with 705 yards and 10 touchdowns. In addition he’s thrown for 2,074 more yards and 20 additional scores, with a completion percentage of 74%.
Kennedy Brooks – Lincoln Riley seems to have settled in to a good rhythm with Brooks being the feature back in this offense and it makes perfect sense. The redshirt sophomore is leads all running backs in yards this season (381) and has a whopping 8.5 yards per carry average.
Charleston Rambo – The absence of Grant Calcaterra again this week opens the door for Rambo to have more opportunity. Not that he was needing Calcaterra to be in, or out, of the game for opportunity. He’s second on the team in receiving yards and touchdowns.
CeeDee Lamb – This game sets up as a major opportunity for Lamb, especially if the Wildcats can’t contain Oklahoma’s running game with their base defense. He could very well end up duplicating, or bettering, the career day he had against Texas.
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