Five Takeaways From the Oklahoma Football Victory over Kansas State

Oct 18, 2014; Norman, OK, USA; Kansas State Wildcats wide receiver Curry Sexton (14) is tackled by Oklahoma Sooners cornerback Zack Sanchez (15) during the game at Gaylord Family – Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

The Defense Grew Teeth

After the Texas game, Oklahoma’s defense was reeling, so many prognosticators expected Bill Snyder to exploit weaknesses and take the fight to the Sooners on a homecoming weekend in Manhattan. Well, that didn’t happen: The Sooner defense shut out the Wildcats. At the end of the game, Kansas State had 110 totals yards (65 rushing, 45 passing).

The Sooner defense was also opportunistic, coming away with three interceptions (one returned for a touchdown by Zack Sanchez) and sacking Wildcat quarterbacks Joe Hubener and Kody Cook six times. Better yet, Oklahoma’s tackling was vastly improved, a stark contrast to the Texas game, where Sooner defenders whiffed on multiple opportunities to make tackles and stop the Longhorns. Whatever the coaches did in practice to refocus on fundamentals worked to near perfection.

Moving forward, the question for the Sooner Nation is which defense will show up the remainder of the season. If the Kansas State game truly signifies a turning point for Mike Stoops’ unit in terms of sound fundamentals and good game-planning, then that bodes well for the remainder of the season.

Next: The Running Game Found Its Groove