Oklahoma football takeaways after hammering hapless Kansas

For the second time in as many games, Oklahoma football completely dominated a Big 12 opponent.

What we have witnessed from early November 2020 edition of Oklahoma football is nearly night and day different from the Sooner team that started Big 12 play 0-2. The Sooners are nearly back to full-strength, and because of that we are starting to see the OU team we expected to see all along.

Under Lincoln Riley, Oklahoma has shown a remarkable way of kicking into another gear once the month of November rolled around on the calendar. The Sooners have not lost a game in November — a winning streak that now has reached 22 games — the entire six seasons Riley has been on the OU coaching staff.

Getting better each and every game over the course of a season is the goal as well as the expectation of every championship-contending team, and no team in the Big 12 is playing as well as Oklahoma at this stage of the season.

That certainly bodes well for the Sooners, but they are still three games away from  the finish line and no margin for error if they are going to put themselves in a position to successfully defend the conference crown they have owned for the past five years.

That brings us back to Saturday’s blowout of a depleted Kansas was team that is just 7-89 against Big 12 teams since 2010 and 1-14 in conference games under head coach Les Miles. This was not the Sooners best game of the season, but it was a dominating performance nevertheless.

Here are the things we learned from this lopsided victory:

Rhamondre Stevenson is a man among boys

In just his second game back from a six-game suspension, senior running back Rhamondre Stevenson went over the century mark, gaining 104 rushing yards on 11 carries and two touchdowns. He also caught a team-high four passes for 60 yards. In two games, he has now totaled 193 yards and five rushing touchdowns. He is averaging 8.0 yards per carry, which is where he ended the 2019 season as the nation-leader in that category.

Stevenson’s size and strength make him extremely difficult to get to the ground on the initial try, which was heavily evident on Saturday as the bruising running back broke numerous tackles at the point of attack and dragged tacklers with him as he drove forward for hard-earned extra yards.

Dominating defense

The Sooner defense set the tone early, picking off Kansas passes on the Jayhawks’ first two possessions of the game. Oklahoma held the Kansas offense to just 246 total yards and just 14 pass completions on 35 attempts. The Sooner front seven dominated the Jayhawk offensive line and was in the backfield all day long, dropping freshman quarterback Jaylon Daniels a total of nine times for 73 yards in losses.

Kansas averaged just 3.2 yards per play and was just 3 out of 19 on third-down. All told, Alex Grinch’s defense was credited with nine sacks, aa tackles for loss and six quarterback hurries.

Over the last four games, all Oklahoma wins, the Sooner defense has recorded 20 sacks and 39 tackles for loss.

Oklahoma ranks 26th in the country in total defense through seven games (allowing 338.1 yards per game. That’s two spots better than Georgia (allowing 345.7 ypg), considered one of the best defensive teams in the Southeastern Conference.

Injuries to Spencer Rattler and Austin Stogner

Spencer Rattler injured his hip on his second-quarter touchdown run. He was in obvious pain afterwards, but returned to the game on the Sooners’ next possession. Although he was having difficulty completing his throws after the injury, the OU freshman signal-caller started the second half and played through a good deal of the third quarter before Lincoln Riley replaced him with backup Tanner Mordecai.

After the game, Riley said Rattler suffered a bruised hip but could have finished the game if he was needed to do so. Some fans, including the TV broadcast crew doing the game, questioned why Riley would leave Rattler in a game in which there was almost zero chance of losing and risk losing him to a more serious injury. With an extra week to rest the hip before the Sooners host Oklahoma State on Nov. 21, Rattler should be fine to go for that giant matchup.

Tight end Austin Stogner, who has become one of Rattler’s primary receiving targets, was seen gingerly walking to the locker room right before halftime. Stogner apparently was injured after taking a hard hit on a 22-yard reception across the middle of the field in the second quarter. He spent the second half on the sidelines in street clothes.

Riley said both players would be okay to go against Oklahoma State.

Sooners are peaking at just the right time

In their last two wins, a 34-point win over Texas Tech followed by the 53-point blowout of Kansas, the Sooners have outscored their two opponents by the average score of 62-16.

They call the month of November championship month for a reason. It’s the stage of the season in which you want to be playing your best football, and the time that separates the contenders from the pretenders. Seemingly left on life support with an 0-2 conference record after three games, OU has rebounded with four consecutive wins and, with three games to go in the regular season, has played itself right back into the Big 12 championship chase.

Arguably no team in the Big 12 is playing better right now than the Sooners. The upcoming Bedlam matchup with Oklahoma State will give us the definitive answer, but after the last several weeks, you’ve got to like OU’s chances. And the game is in Norman to boot.

Backups take advantage of blowout bonanza

One of the best things about being on the winning side of a blowout is the opportunity to get plenty of players in the game so they can get valuable game experience. Sooners played 48 players against Kansas and went as much as three- and four-deep on the depth chart.

In a year filled with as much uncertainty as this one, faced with both the typical fallout from injuries coupled with the risk of COVID exposure, you never know who will be available from game to game. There is nothing that replaces actual game experience for preparing backups to be ready when their number is called as the next man up.