Oklahoma football: A look ahead at unfinished Sooner business
By John Makuch
November 20 @ home vs Iowa State
Iowa State is a team that has given Oklahoma all kinds of trouble in recent seasons. Lincoln Riley is 37-5 against Big 12 teams in his four-plus seasons as the Sooners’ head coach, and two of those losses are to Iowa State.
Disappointment is the only word that can describe the Cyclones this season, however. With a high number of returning starters on both sides of the ball, including quarterback Brock Purdy and running back Breece Hall, Iowa State was considered the Big 12 team that would be Oklahoma’s biggest challenger for the 2021 conference crown.
After losses to Iowa, Baylor, and West Virginia, the Cyclones are still in the conference race, but hanging on by a thread. This makes the No. 21 road test at Oklahoma a must-win for both the Sooners and Cyclones, if for different reasons, and should make for a highly competitive game.
Only time will tell if Iowa State can get back the mojo that sent them to the Big 12 Championship last year, which was the last time the Sooners and Cyclones met.
Oklahoma took that game 27-21, with Spencer Rattler under center, but that may have been the last chance Iowa State will get for a Big 12 football title for some time.
Despite its up-and-down season, however, Iowa State is still a very good football team and has the talent and the coaching staff to take down any team in the country on a given Saturday.
The Cyclones also catch the Sooners coming off what is expected to be a very hard-fought game at Baylor the week before. Although OU will be Iowa State’s second consecutive road game following a trip to Texas Tech the week before.
ISU has stood out defensively, allowing under 20 points per game, and has the offensive firepower to control the pace of the game, something that the Sooners have struggled with at times this season. Playing ball control on the road, however, is harder to do, which is why it is important for the Sooners to strike quickly and often and take that option away from Iowa State.
Next to Oklahoma State. Iowa State is the second best defensive team in the Big 12, allowing opponent under 300 yards of offense per game. This will be a serious test for Caleb Williams and the Sooner offense.
Last Saturday, Iowa State recorded an impressive 30-7 win over the Texas Longhorns, so the Cyclones could be getting hot at the right time, and Oklahoma will need to be prepared for that possibility.
Winning by single-digit margins and allowing unranked opponents in stay in games is why many experts don’t consider the Sooners a top-four playoff team. Style points aren’t the issue for Oklahoma at this point in the season. Continuing to win and showing that the Sooners can take care of business against quality teams, as well, needs to be the focus.
If OU could pull off a double-digit win margin, that would be icing on the cake.
The Sooners should continue their undefeated season with a home victory. The Sooners claim a 42-28 win with the help of the home crowd.
This should set up a Bedlam game for the ages in the regular-season finale.