OU Football Preview: Sooners vs. Akron Zips

Oklahoma kicks off its 121st season of college football on Saturday, hosting the Akron Zips out of the Mid-American Conference. It also marks the 17th season of OU football under head coach Bob Stoops.

The 19th-ranked Sooners are looking to rebound from a disappointing 2014 season in which they failed to reach double-digit victories for just the fourth time in the Bob Stoops era at Oklahoma.

OU also ended last season out of the top 25. That also has happened just three other times since Stoops has been in Norman. It is worth noting, however, that in each of the years following a season in which the Sooners were not ranked in the final polls, they have rebounded to win at least 11 games.

Nov 8, 2014; Norman, OK, USA; Oklahoma Sooners wide receiver Michiah Quick (16) is pursued after a reception by Baylor Bears safety Terrell Burt (13) during the first half at Gaylord Family – Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports

So that brings us up to Saturday’s 2015 season opener at home against Akron. The Zips are coached by Terry Bowden, who is in his fourth season at the helm of the Akron football program. The Zips have won five games in each of the last two seasons, which are seven more than they achieved in the prior three years (2010-2012) combined (3).

“Great football family,” said Bob Stoops about the Bowden coaching tree in a Big 12 coaches teleconference this week. “The (Bowdens, Terry, his brother Tommy and their father, Bobby) have been great for college football. Terry and I aren’t playing (referring to the Saturday game hosting Akron). It’s just teams and programs. I’ve known Terry a long time, and I’m glad to see he’s still coaching.”

Terry Bowden has won 151 games in his college coaching career. That is just 17 fewer than Stoops.

On paper, this would seem to be a game Oklahoma should win rather handily and serve as a good tune-up for the huge nonconference matchup next weekend at Tennessee. The Sooners are four-touchdown-plus favorites over Akron, but it would not be wise for Stoops & Co. to approach Saturday’s game as a walkover.

The Mid-American Conference coaches have projected Akron to finish second this season in the MAC East Division behind two-time divisional champion Bowling Green. Moreover, college football analyst and publisher Phil Steele has ranked Akron No. 2 in his top-10 list of the teams expected to be the most improved in 2015.

The 2015 season opener at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium has already been announced as a sellout, the 99th consecutive Sooner home sellout, dating back to Stoops’ first game as head coach in September 1999. The sellout Sooner crowd of 85,000-plus probably won’t intimidate Terry Bowden’s team, though. Over the last five seasons, Akron has played in four of the nation’s five biggest college stadiums. They lost all four games, but in 2013, in the nation’s largest college venue at Michigan, the Zips lost by just four points to the Wolverines.

Oklahoma is 74-4 in home openers all-time and is 15-1 in season openers under Stoops. Akron is 1-11 the last six seasons on the road against nonconference opponents.

Nov 22, 2014; Norman, OK, USA; Oklahoma Sooners running back Samaje Perine (32) runs for a touchdown during the game against the Kansas Jayhawks at Gaylord Family – Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. He broke the ncaa all-time single game rushing record during the game. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

Texas Tech transfer Baker Mayfield won the starting quarterback job for the Sooners, beating out two-year starter Trevor Knight. Mayfield becomes the third opening-day starter at QB for OU in the last four seasons.

One of the key matchups in Saturday’s season opener will be Oklahoma’s Big 12-leading running game, behind last season’s freshman sensation Samaje Perine and newcomer Joe Mixon, against the Akron rush defense, which ranked 44th in the country in defensing the run game last season.

Bowden says he won’t name his starter at quarterback until right before game time, but it is likely to be two-year starter Kyle Pohl, who currently stands fourth in career passing yardage at Akron. The Zips return 13 starters from last season (seven on both offense and defense).

Akron was not a high scoring team a year ago, averaging just 22 points per game, but they were equally stingy on the defensive side of the ball, holding opponents to just 23 points per contest.

Three Things to Watch for in the Game

• The Sooners will unveil their new Air Raid offense, which will mean more passing targets and a more up-tempo passing attack than in recent seasons. It will be interesting to see if OU is able to establish better offensive consistency and productivity in the new offense.
• It is likely Akron will have difficulty running the ball against a very good Sooner front seven on defense. This means the Zips will look more to advance the ball through the air. Defending the pass, especially gains of 20 yards and more, was an Achilles heal for the OU defense in 2014.
• Look for Oklahoma to be more aggressive on defense than last season. The Sooners were minus-5 in turnover margin a year ago, giving the ball away five more times than they took it away from their opponents. They were plus-9 in the turnover category in 2013, a season in which they won 11 games.

My game prediction: Oklahoma 49, Akron 13