Stormin in Norman
Fansided

Oklahoma football: Storylines for Sooners’ Big 12 opener with Kansas State

By Chip Rouse

Sep 26, 2020; Norman, Oklahoma, USA; Kansas State Wildcats running back Keyon Mozee (6) runs with the ball as Oklahoma Sooners defensive back Pat Fields (10) chases during the second half at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 26, 2020; Norman, Oklahoma, USA; Kansas State Wildcats running back Keyon Mozee (6) runs with the ball as Oklahoma Sooners defensive back Pat Fields (10) chases during the second half at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports /
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Saturday’s Oklahoma football game against Kansas State was supposed to be a matchup of two undefeated teams.

Kansas State had shutout South Dakota 34-0 and dominated Missouri 42-10 in its first two games of the 2022 season. But then, Tulane, the same team that marched into Norman a year ago and gave the No. 2-ranked Sooners all they could handle before falling 40-35, did the same to Kansas State, but this time came away with a 17-10 victory.

So, the 2-1 Wildcats travel to Oklahoma for the Big 12 opener for both teams and looking to get back in the victory column and win at OU for the third time in the last five visits.

Oklahoma has lost only eight Big 12 games since the 2015 season and two of those have been to Kansas State.

The Sooners, ranked No. 6 this week by both the Associated Press and the Coaches Poll, are a 12.5-point favorite, but recent history suggests that Oklahoma won’t have that easy of a time against the visiting Wildcats. Four of the last five games between these two teams have been decided by seven points. The average margin of victory in those four contests was 5.75, with the two teams splitting the four games.

Oklahoma has a 77-21-4 record in the century-old series that will be coming to an end when Oklahoma leaves the Big 12 to join the SEC.

Here are the prime storylines surrounding the 103rd game in the long-running series between Oklahoma and Kansas State:

  • This will be Brent Venables’ first game against his alma mater as a head coach. The Sooners were 7-0 against Kansas State when Venables was on Bob Stoops’ OU staff from 1999 through 2011.
  • One of Kansas State’s hallmarks the past 10 seasons has been taking care of the ball, and they are doing so again this season. Both teams are among the nation leaders in this department through three games. OU has committed just one turnover (a lost fumble) in 2022; Kansas State has two turnovers so far this season.
  • Both teams are led on offense by transfer quarterbacks (Dillon Gabriel for OU and Adrian Martinez for Kansas State), who are in their first season playing for their respective teams.
  • The road team in this series has won eight of the last 11 games. Since the beginning of the Big 12, the road team has a 12-7 record in the series. Kansas State is 4-5 in Norman in the Big 12 era.
  • Who will win the battle between the nation’s 18th ranked offense (Oklahoma, 500.7 yards per game) and the 20th-ranked defense (Kansas State, 276.0 yards allowed per game)? The answer to this will decide the game.
  • Kansas State running back Deuce Vaughn is averaging over 100 rushing yards per game. The Oklahoma defense has not yielded more than 60 net rushing yards to any player in a game this season.

My pick for the game: Oklahoma 35, Kansas State 24

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