After back-to-back weeks on the road the Sooners are back in Norman on Saturday with a 4-0 record on the season and a national ranking of #14 in both the AP and Coaches polls. Up next is an Iowa State team that scored a very necessary win over Oklahoma State, in Ames, last Saturday and is looking to continue that success on the road this weekend. Oklahoma is 79-7-2 all-time against the Cyclones, and currently riding a three-game winning streak in the series. That said, the Cyclones have had some recent success against OU, winning most recently in 2020 and also pulling an upset in Norman in 2017. The Sooners currently sit as a 20-point favorite for Saturday night and here are some key players to keep an eye on during the game.
Team Stats
| Team | ISU | OU |
|---|---|---|
| Total Yards | 308.3 | 506.8 |
| Yards Passing | 225.0 | 349.0 |
| Yards Rushing | 83.3 | 157.8 |
| Yards Allowed | 292.5 | 310.8 |
| Pass Yards Allowed | 177.3 | 215.5 |
| Rush Yards Allowed | 115.3 | 95.3 |
The Quarterbacks
There hasn’t been a more criticized Oklahoma quarterback for his success since Landry Jones was breaking records in Norman. Gabriel had his “worst game of the season” against Cincinnati last Saturday. He completed 68% of his passes for 322 yards, with a passing touchdown, while also running for 23 yards and another score. While a portion of the fanbase is looking to criticize Gabriel, he’s led the Sooners to a 4-0 record and is the signal caller for an offense that currently ranks 4th nationally in scoring with an average of 46.8 points per game. Gabriel is #11 nationally in passing yards (1,227), #3 in completion percentage (78%), and #5 in passing touchdowns (12). I think those stats pretty much sum up his value to the team.
Iowa State’s Rocco Becht is completing 64.7% of his passes on the season, with 897 yards and seven touchdowns to three interceptions. Last week against Oklahoma State is was above average, though. The freshman quarterback completed 71.1% of his passes against the Pokes for 348 yards and three touchdowns. Becht is going to be Iowa State’s key to success or failure. The Sooners are expected to stonewall ISU’s rushing attack, placing the burden of the offense firmly on the youngster’s shoulders. That’s pretty much been the story of the season for Becht and the Cyclones. Even so, they’ve managed to find victory in two of their four games. This will be the toughest challenge they’ve faced so far.
The Running Backs
Your guess is as good as mine here. Last week it was Marcus Major who logged a season-high 15 carries. He went for 63 yards, at a pace of 4.2 yards per carry, against a very stout Cincinnati defensive front. For the season, it’s still Tawee Walker who leads the team in carries (34), rushing yards (176), yards per carry (5.2), and rushing touchdowns (2). Brent Venables said on Tuesday that the rotation is determined by what happens at practice, so there’s really no telling what’s going to happen on Saturday. Whoever gets the call will face an Iowa State defensive front that gave up 5.5 yards per carry against Oklahoma State last week.
Running the ball has been a struggle for Iowa State this season. Cartevious Norton leads the team with 43 rushing attempts but is averaging just 2.9 yards per carry. The Cyclones are averaging just 2.9 yards per carry as a team and 83.3 yards per game. This should be a massive advantage for the Sooner defense.
The Receivers
Andrel Anthony has emerged as a star in the Oklahoma receiving corps. He’s fending off efforts from Nic Anderson and Jalil Farooq, though. The bottom line here is that the Sooners are deep and talented at the receiver position. Anthony is averaging 17.1 yards per reception on the season, and has 371 yards on 21 catches. Nic Anderson’s four touchdowns lead all Oklahoma receivers, as does his 27.9 yards per catch average.
Iowa State’s Jaylin Noel has been the primary target in the passing game. He’s hauled in 20 passes this season for 202 yards and a score. The 5-10/200 junior is averaging 10.1 yards per catch.
The Defenders
Oklahoma linebacker Jaren Kanak was back at practice on Monday and appears to be good to go on Saturday night. Just in case though, we might want to keep an eye on Konnor Near and Kobie McKinzie. Near recorded two tackles in the Tulsa game and McKinzie has six total tackles on the season.
The Cyclones are managing just 308.3 yards of offense per game and 225 of those are coming through the air. This puts Oklahoma’s pass rush in the spotlight on Saturday night. The Sooners have seven quarterback sacks through four games, and linebacker Danny Stutsman is the only Sooner to record more than one on the year. I would expect that to change on Saturday. There’s also potential that Key Lawrence and the rest of Oklahoma’s secondary to make some big plays.
Iowa State is holding opponents to 292.5 yards per game which sets up a matchup between the Big 12’s best scoring defense in Oklahoma, and the Big 12’s best defense in yards allowed in Iowa State. Junior safety Beau Freyler leads the Cyclones with 26 total tackles. Sophomore muddle linebacker Caleb Bacon has two quarterback sacks, and sophomore safety Jeremiah Cooper has a team-best three interceptions.
Follow us on Twitter: @SportsHeartland