Iowa State is going for the sweep on Saturday night in Norman. A week after defeating Oklahoma State, 34-27, on Saturday, the Cyclones have their sights set on Sooners and sweeping through the Big 12 teams from the state of Oklahoma. Standing in their way is going to be an OU defense that is tied for second nationally in points allowed, at just 8.5 points per game, and tied for fourth nationally in points scored at 46.8 points per game. Here are four things to keep an eye on as the Sooners and Cyclones mix it up on Saturday night.
Will The Cyclones Be Able To Move The Ball On The Ground?
Stuffing the run has sparked Oklahoma’s defensive success through the first four games of the season. The Sooners are allowing opponents an average of just 95.3 rushing yards per game this season. They should be able to swallow up an Iowa State ground attack that is managing just 83.3 rushing yards per game. Keeping ISU one dimensional will allow OU the opportunity to keep the Cyclone offense behind the chains and opens the door for more defensive plays to be made behind the line of scrimmage.
Who Carries The Ball For The Sooners?
I keep telling myself that I’m not going to spend time writing, or talking, about the Oklahoma backfield, but it has reached a point of genuine curiosity at this point. A week after Tawee Walker completely disappeared within the Sooner offense against Tulsa, he returned for five carries against Cincinnati. However, it was Marcus Major who logged a season-high 15 carries after also having disappeared during the Tulsa game. Meanwhile, Jovantae Barnes and Gavin Sawchuk, who had led the team in rushing against Tulsa, weren’t used at all against Cincinnati.
Your guess is as good as mine as to what we’ll see on Saturday night.
Will The Sooners Score 60-Plus Points?
If you’re into following patterns then this is the game where Oklahoma should light up the scoreboard again. In Week 1 the Sooners posted 73 points. That was followed by a 28-point performance in Week 2. In Week three the point total was 66. Week four saw a season-low 20 points scored. That makes Week 5 the turn in the rotation for a big-point performance. That is, if you believe in patterns.
The Cyclones are allowing opponents to score an average of 16.5 points per game.
Who Lines Up At Middle Linebacker For The Sooners?
It’s highly unlikely that we’ll see Jaren Kanak on Saturday. Oklahoma’s starting middle linebacker was taken to the hospital on Saturday after having problems breathing. We was dismissed later that evening, but it’s hard to imagine him running back out there against Iowa State. That puts redshirt senior Konnor Near and redshirt freshman Kobie McKinzie in the spotlight for this week. McKinzie has appeared in every game so far, and has recorded six tackles. Near recorded two tackles against Tulsa. One of those two are likely to be the starting middle linebacker on Saturday night.
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