The Oklahoma vs. Kansas State football series dates back 108 years to 1908.
Oklahoma holds a dominant advantage in the all-time series, winning 73 of the 96 games played between the two longtime conference foes. Kansas State has won 19 times and four contests have ended in ties.
While the Sooners have pretty much had their way with K-State on the gridiron over the years, the reality has been much different in the 24 seasons Bill Snyder has been the head coach in the Little Apple, otherwise known as Manhattan on the (Kansas) Prairie.
When coach Snyder arrived on the scene at K-State in 1989, the Wildcats were widely believed to be the worst program in NCAA Division I football. “Futility U” was how Sports Illustrated referred to Kansas State football in a headline in September 1989.
Before Snyder took over the down-and-out K-State football program in 1989, the Wildcats had not won a game in almost three seasons. In 93 seasons before Snyder came to the rescue, Kansas State had accumulated an all-time record of 299-510.
The Wildcats still may not be a winning program overall, but no one can argue that Snyder hasn’t made a dramatic difference in the way the K-State football program is perceived today. Kansas State is 196-103-1 under Snyder, the dean of all Big 12 football coaches and in his 25th season coaching K-State football.
Both Snyder and Stoops are the winningest coaches at the respective schools. Between them, they have won a total of 378 college football games. They rank first and second among active FBS (Football Bowl Subdivision) coaches in career wins at their current school.
Here are some more numbers you might find interesting in advance of Saturday’s showdown between these two old conference foes:
1 – Dede Westbrook’s ranking in the Big 12 in receptions per game (8.5), yards receiving per game (197.0) and points per game (15.0).
3 – Number of players on the Oklahoma roster from the state of Kansas.
7 – Yards per play average by the 2016 Sooners through five games. That is the highest total in the time Bob Stoops has been at Oklahoma.
10 – Number of games out of the past dozen in which Oklahoma has recorded more than 500 yards of total offense.
13 – Oklahoma is the only school among 128 FBS teams that has 13 seasons of at least 10 wins since 2000.
16-1 – Bob Stoops’ record in the game following the annual rivalry game against Texas. The one loss was to Kansas State, 31-30, two years ago in Norman.
18-0 – Kansas State’s record under Bill Snyder when the Wildcats score on offense, defensive and special teams in the same game.
40 – When the Sooners score 40 or more points in a game under Bob Stoops they are 99-1. When they hit 50 or better, the Sooners are 53-0 in the Stoops era.
80.8 – Rushing yards Kansas State is yielding per game in 2016. The Sooners are averaging 214 yards on the ground behind Samaje Perine and Joe Mixon.
89 – Oklahoma’s rank in total defense among 128 FBS teams. Four of the Sooners’ first five opponents have offenses that rank among the top 20 in the country (5. Ohio State, 8. TCU, 19. Houston, 20. Texas).
232 – Rushing yards by Oklahoma in last year’s 55-0 win at K-State. The Wildcats were held to 65 yards rushing in the game.
310 -Average yards of total defense allowed by Kansas State in five games this season, which ranks 1st in the Big 12 and 14th nationally.