Saturday marks the second Oklahoma football game of the strange 2020 season and the second and final game played in the month of September.
The significance of that is September has been a winning month in Oklahoma history, and especially during Lincoln Riley’s time as head coach of the Sooners. Since 2000, Oklahoma has won 86 percent of its September games (61-8), and Riley is a perfect 14-0 during the month.
You have to go back 35 years, to 1985, to the last time the Sooners played that few games in the month of September. Oklahoma opened its 1985 national championship season on Sept. 28 with a 13-7 win on the road at Minnesota.
The last time the Sooners played a conference opponent in the second game of the season was in 1999, Bob Stoops’ first season as the Oklahoma head coach, a 41-10 Sooner win at home. Before that, Barry Switzer’s Sooners played at Kansas State in the second game of the 1985 season.
Stadium sellout record still in tact in terms of available tickets sold
Prior to this season, Oklahoma football had recorded 129 consecutive sellouts at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium, dating back to the first game of the 1999 season.
Their were 22,700 fans in attendance for the opening game this season against Missouri State. Believe it or not, the attendance at that game also represented a sellout. Because of COVID-19 and social-distancing requirements, all of the tickets available for the game were sold.
The official capacity of Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in 2019 was 80,126, but last season the Sooners averaged 83,256 fans per game. That figure put OU at No. 13 in the nation.
The number 53 has double meaning for the Sooners this weekend
Oklahoma has won 53 consecutive games when leading at the end of the third quarter. The last time the Sooners lost a game after leading through three quarters was in Dec. 2014. OU led Oklahoma State 28-14 entering the fourth quarter but lost 38-35 in overtime.
The Sooners have scored at least 28 points in 53 straight games. That figure leads the nation. The next longest active streak is 17 games by Ohio State.
Kansas State has the best road record at Oklahoma since 2012
Oklahoma has dominated the all-time series against Kansas State (76-20-4) and are 37-8-3 when playing in Norman. That notwithstanding, the Wildcats have the best road record against Oklahoma of any Sooner opponent since 2012.
The Sooners have lost just 10 times in 130 games at home since 1999, and K-State is responsible for two of those losses. K-State is 2-2 at Oklahoma Memorial Stadium since 2012 with wins in 2012 and 2014.
OU quarterback Spencer Rattler’s passing efficiency rating leads the nation
Former No. 1 quarterback recruit Spencer Rattler completed 14 of 17 passes in his starting QB debut two weeks ago, and two of the incompletions were dropped in the end zone. He finished the game with an eye-popping passing efficiency rating of 303.3, the best in the country by 50 points so far in this sideways college football season. That is both a Big 12 and an OU freshman record for a single game.