Oklahoma football: Four keys for Sooner survival in Stillwater

As you might expect in a rivalry series that is more than a century old, there have been many big games in the Oklahoma football series with in-state rival Oklahoma State.

The Sooners have won 14 Big 12 championships; Oklahoma State has one to its credit (2011). Oklahoma won 18 championships as a member of the Big Eight. The two teams actually shared a Big Eight title in 1976, the only one earned by the Cowboys during their time in that conference.

This year marks the 15th time in the last 17 years that the Bedlam matchup between Oklahoma and Oklahoma State has occurred on the final weekend of the regular season, and in a number of those years it also determined who played for or who won the conference championship.

OSU comes into the 2021 game as the higher-ranked team in the AP, the Coaches Poll and, most importantly, in the College Football Playoff rankings, No. 7 in all three. The Sooners rank 10th in the CFP rankings and the AP poll and No. 9 in the Coaches Poll.

Only twice before have both teams been ranked in the top 10 in a Bedlam showdown: No. 2 Oklahoma defeated No. 3 Oklahoma State 24-14 in Norman in 1984, and No. 5 OU won 58-23 at No. 9 Oklahoma State in 2015.

Here are four keys for Oklahoma if the Sooners are to win a third all-time matchup of top-1- teams in Bedlam:

Oklahoma offensive line needs to win battle of the trenches

Part of the reason for Oklahoma’s offensive inconsistency the past two games against two really good defenses was the up and down play of the Sooners’ offensive line. Pressure on Caleb Williams on passing plays has led to errant throws and bad decisions with the ball, and poor blocking has greatly hindered OU’s ability to run the ball. OU’s chances of winning this game, going against the best defense in the Big 12 and the third best nationally, largely rest on Williams and RB Kennedy Brooks having big games. And for that to happen, the offensive line must play extremely well and win the battle of the trenches.

Sooners must establish an effective run game

Let’s be brutally honest, if Oklahoma is unable to run the football against the fourth-best rushing defense in the country, the Sooners have no chance in this game. And that means yards not just by Kennedy Brooks but by Caleb Williams, as well. Williams running ability is an added element that must be accounted for by the defense. This also includes quick bubble screen out on the edge.

Sooners need to hit on several big-yardage plays

The Oklahoma State defense is too good for Oklahoma to count on long, methodical offensive drives to get to the end zone and core points. The Sooners are going to have to be able to hit on several big plays, whether through the air or breakaway runs. Chances are, this is not going to be a wild shootout like many Bedlam games in the past. Consequently, the Sooners must maximize every scoring opportunity that come their way.

Oklahoma leads all FBS teams in red-zone scoring. In 51 trips inside the red zone this season, the Sooners have scored 96-percent of the time, and 41 of those scores have been the six-point variety. They need to play like that on Saturday and not trade touchdowns for field goals.

Oklahoma needs to win the turnover battle

The Sooners need to win the turnover battle against Oklahoma State in order to increase their offensive possessions and opportunities to put points on the board. Oklahoma is tied for 13th nationally with a plus-nine turnover margin, which includes 12 fumble recoveries and eight interceptions. Creating turnovers and not giving the ball away is more important in this game than any other this season.