Oklahoma football 2018 kickoff preview: Games 9 through 12

Add Oklahoma State to the list of Big 12 teams that will be without the services of a star quarterback. Mason Rudolph is now with the Pittsburgh Steelers, so Oklahoma State will enter its Nov. 10 road matchup in Norman with a new signal caller.

This annual rivalry game is one of those that is just tough to predict, because both teams will be playing at their very best to secure state bragging rights…and because it is Bedlam.

There is no doubt that Oklahoma State will miss Rudolph’s production. The Cowboys were a passing juggernaut in 2017, finishing the season ranked first nationally in passing offense. Rudolph was responsible for the lion’s share of that production, passing for 4,904 yards, 37 TDs and only nine interceptions.

As of this writing, it appears redshirt senior Taylor Cornelius will be starting for the Cowboys to begin the season. Cornelius did not see much in the way of action during 2017, so the Oklahoma defensive staff will have to monitor the 6-foot, 6-inch, 225-pound quarterback’s performance closely to see how best to defend him.

One thing is for sure: Cornelius was a heck of an athlete. In high school, he excelled at multiple sports, including baseball, basketball, track and field and, of course, football. This athletic specimen is exactly the type who has given the Oklahoma defense fits, so it will be interesting to see how this one plays out in November.

But Cornelius will be without the services of star receivers James Washington and Marcell Ateman, who combined for 2,705 yards and 21 touchdowns in 2017. Replacing that kind of production will be tough, but Oklahoma State always seems to reload rather than regroup at the skill positions.

Perhaps more alarming for the Oklahoma defense is the return of the Big 12’s leading rusher, Justice Hill. Last season, Hill gashed the Sooner defense to the tune of 228 yards and two scores, for a video-game like 7.6 yards per carry. Job number one for the Sooner defense against Oklahoma State will be containing Hill, a task easier said than done.

The Cowboys gave up 62 points to the Oklahoma offense in last season’s 62-52 defeat, so the Sooner offense should be able to move the ball on the Cowboys. The Cowboys did make a change in the offseason on the defensive side of the ball, brining in former Duke defensive coordinator Jim Knowles. It will be interesting to see how Knowles changes up that defense.

Expect this game to be another shootout, simply because the Oklahoma State defense, in spite of losing Rudolph to the NFL, may not take that much of a step back and OSU gets Justice Hill back, a guy that the Sooner defense had great difficulty slowing down in 2017.

Prediction: Oklahoma 55, Oklahoma State 48