Oklahoma football: Sooners’ scoring offense big problem for Kansas
By Chip Rouse
Some would say that Oklahoma football gets a breather this weekend when the Sooners host perennial Big 12 cellar-dweller Kansas.
But you won’t find Lincoln Riley and the Sooners’ looking past Kansas. The Jayhawks travel to Norman this weekend sporting no wins in six games this season. Add to that the fact that Oklahoma has won 15 consecutive games against Kansas and a 77-27-6 overall record in its longtime series with the Jayhawks.
That paints a pretty bleak picture for Kansas’ chances of upsetting the 19th-ranked Sooners on Saturday afternoon. In fact, the Las Vegas oddsmakers have established Oklahoma as a 37-point favorite.
And here’s why. The Jayhawks are averaging just 16.2 points per game and the average scoring margin in their six losses this season is 29.6. Kansas’ best player, junior running back Pooka Williams, opted out of the season after four games for what he described as family reasons.
All Williams has done against the Sooners in the last two seasons is rush for 389 yards and two touchdowns and average over 11 yards per carry.
In Oklahoma’s last three games — wins over Texas, TCU and Texas Tech — the Sooners have averaged 49.3 points, best in the country over than time frame. The Jayhawks are allowing 46.2 points a game. This stat alone spells big problems for an undermanned Kansas team, which has faced
Even though Oklahoma has dominated the all-time series with Kansas, the Jayhawks have been responsible for a couple of the biggest upsets in OU’s storied football history. Twice in the Barry Switzer era, in the Sooners national championship season in 1975 and again in 1984, an undefeated and No. 2-ranked Oklahoma team lost to unranked Kansas.
Oklahoma is the ninth ranked opponent the Jayhawks have faced in their last 14 games.
The game will be carried on ESPN beginning at 2:30 on Saturday. Anish Shroff will be the play-by-play announcer, with Tom Lugginbill providing analysis and Kris Budden as sideline reporter.
What to watch for from Kansas
Kansas not only looks up to the rest of the Big 12 in the standings, the Jayhawks also bring up the rear in scoring offense (16.2 points) and total offense (267.5 yards per game) and rank next to last in total defense (456.7 yards allowed).
The Jayhawks are one the youngest teams in the Big 12. Kansas’ 2020 roster consists of 67 total underclassmen, including 37 true freshmen
One of those true freshmen is quarterback Jalon Daniels, who has started the last two games for the Jayhawks. He has completed 56 percent of his passes (61 of 108) for 546 yards. The offensive line has not done a very good job protecting the Jayhawk quarterbacks, however. Kansas has allowed a Big 12-most 29 sacks through six games, 13 more than the next worst team.
Sophomore Velton Gardner is KU’s leading rusher, averaging 54.2 yards per game and 4.5 yards per carry, ninth best in the Big 12.. The Jayhawks’ top two receiving targets are Kwamie Lassiter and Andrew Parchment. Lassiter has 27 receptions for 295 yards and one touchdown. Parchment has 20 catches for 167 yards a two touchdowns.
On defense, Kansas ranks fifth in the conference in defending the pass, but has had difficulty all season stopping the run. The Jayhawks are allowing a Big 12-worst 216 rushing yards per game. True freshman cornerback Karon Prunty has six pass breakups this season, which ranks second nationally among freshmen.
Keys to an Oklahoma victory
The Sooners should be able to win this game without breaking much of a sweat, but they need to play their game and avoid playing down to the level of the competition. They need to avoid a letdown after posting a big offensive and defensive game in winning by 28 points last week at Texas Tech and not get caught looking ahead to the giant game with Oklahoma State in two weeks.
Look for OU to get off to a strong start and score early and often in the opening half as it has in every game this season. The Sooners have scored 161 first-half points in their six games. Kansas has a total of 34 points in the first two quarters over the same number of games.
Running back Rhamondre Stevenson should have a bigger role in his second game back from a six-game suspension. He had 13 carries for 87 yards in the Texas Tech game, and his involvement will likely be increased this week. His presence strengthens the OU running game, which is a big part of the Sooners’ Air Raid offense, forcing the defense to stay honest and opening up the field for passing opportunities.
Stat line(s) to watch Oklahoma victory
- Kansas has not beaten a ranked Big 12 opponent since defeating 12th-ranked Missouri in 2008.
- Oklahoma leads the Big 12 with a 46.3 success rate in third-down conversions, while Kansas has allowed opponents to convert on third downs on 47.7 percent of their attempts, worst in the Big 12.
- The Sooners have won 21 consecutive games played in the month of November
Bottom line
The upset history in this series will not be repeated this season. Kansas has little to no chance to win this game, but we might also have said that prior to the Kansas State game, which was the last game Oklahoma played at home. Lincoln Riley will probably use plenty of players, because he can and to give them game experience, and rest the starters by the fourth quarter. The Sooners still win this one by a big margin.
Oklahoma 55, Kansas 17