Bob Stoops has consistently emphasized that the chief objective he has for his Sooner football team – this season and every season in his 17 as the Oklahoma head coach – is too get better and show improvement every week.
Through two-thirds of the 2015 season, the Sooners appear to be right on schedule. The numbers over the past three weeks alone represent a stark illustration of the steady progress OU is making, especially since the problematic loss to Texas, and at the right time of the season.
Right now, the Texas loss stands out as an aberration in a season that has seen both the Sooner offense and the defense display steady improvement from week to week, and no where is that progress more dramatic than in the last three games in blowout victories over Kansas State, Texas Tech and, not surprisingly, Kansas.
Oct 31, 2015; Lawrence, KS, USA; Kansas Jayhawks quarterback Ryan Willis (13) is sacked by Oklahoma Sooners linebacker P.L. Lindley (40) and safety Kahlil Haughton (8) in the second half at Memorial Stadium. Oklahoma won the game 62-7. Mandatory Credit: John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports
The Sooners have already had two single-game offensive performances that exceeded 700 yards. I don’t recall that happening in some time. Over the last three games, Oklahoma has averaged 631 yards of total offense while also holding its opponents to an average of 230 yards of offense. That 400-yard differential is easily the best in the Big 12 over that period of time.
Here is another telling statistic that may or may not surprise you. The Sooners are averaging 45.6 points a game through eight games. That ranks fourth best in the Big 12, behind Baylor, TCU and Texas Tech, but it is the sixth best scoring averaging in the nation at this point in the season.
Where Oklahoma stands out, though, from the other offensive juggernauts that exist in the Big 12 is on the defensive side of the ball. The Sooners can also play some defense, which seems to be in noticeably low supply in offensive-minded Big 12 country.
Oklahoma leads the Big 12 in five defensive categories (total defense, pass defense, scoring defense, pass efficiency defense and sacks per game) and ranks in the top-25 in the nation in three of those categories (pass defense, pass efficiency defense and sacks), plus two others (pass completion defense and interceptions per game).
If you are hungry for a few more telling numbers that help put this season into perspective for the Sooners, keep reading:
0 – Number of times Oklahoma punted in the Kansas game in 13 total possessions. That is the first time the Sooners have not punted at least once in a game since Bob Stoops has been head coach.
20 – Where OU true freshman placekicker Austin Seibert ranks nationally in field-goal percentage (11 of 13).
23 – Where Oklahoma currently ranks among 127 FBS (Football Bowl Subdivision teams) in scoring defense (18.4 points per game).
35 – First downs for Oklahoma against Kansas; also the total yards rushing for the Jayhawks against the Sooners.
84 – Completion percentage for Sooner quarterback Baker Mayfield vs. Kansas on 27 for 32, 383 yards and four touchdowns. Mayfield did not play the final quarter and a half in the game on Saturday. Mayfield is currently 9th in the country in completion percentage (70 percent on the season) and No. 2 in the nation in passing efficiency.
104 – Difference in where OU ranks nationally in pass defense this season compared with the Sooners ranking in that category (13th vs. 117th).
146 – Number of points by which the Sooners have outscored their last three Big 12 opponents (180-34).
174 – Senior wide receiver Sterling Shepard had 174 receiving yards in the first half of the Kansas game. That is the second most in a half in OU football history (Juaquin Iglesias had 178 receiving yards in a half, also vs. Kansas, in 2008).
710 – Oklahoma’s 710 yards of total offense vs. Kansas is the eighth best in program history.
1,141 – Total offensive yards by which OU has outgained Kansas State, Texas Tech and Kansas in the Sooners last three outings (1,895-751).