Oklahoma returns to action following a bye week and welcomes in Kent State out of the Mid-America Conference for a Saturday afternoon game at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium.
The Golden Flashes come into the game on Saturday against the well-rested Sooners, ranked No. 5 this week in the Associated Press Top 25, with a 1-3 record, which is already an improvement over a year ago. Kent State failed to win a game in the 2024 season, going 0-12 overall and 0-8 in the MAC.
This will be Oklahoma's first game since defeating Auburn 24-17 on Sept. 20 to improve to 4-0. OU starting quarterback John Mateer broke his hand in the first quarter of that contest. He had surgery last week and will miss at least the Kent State game. Sooner head coach Brent Venables has not provided a specific timeline for Mateer's return. Backup quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. will get the starting call against Kent State.
This will be only the second meeting all-time in football between these two schools. The previous meeting was three years ago in Norman, with Oklahoma winning 33-3. It will be Oklahoma's fourth and final nonconference game of the 2025 season. Six of the Sooners' seven remaining regular-season opponents are ranked this week in the Associated Press Top 25.
Oklahoma will honor the 1985 national championship team during the Kent State game. This year marks the 40th anniversary of the Sooners' 1985 national title, the sixth in the program's history.
The game with Kent State will be televised nationally on the SEC Network at 3 p.m. CT. The announcing crew will be Dave Neal (play by play), Fozzy Whittaker (analysis) and Morgan Uber (on the sidelines).
What to know about Kent State
- Of Kent State's four opponents to start the season, two were ranked teams. The Golden Flashes lost to then-No. 24 Texas Tech 62-14 and to then-No. 7 Florida State 66-10. Both games were on the road. Their lone win was in the season opener, a 25-17 victory of Merrimack College (Massachusetts).
- The Golden Flashes are by far the worst defensive team Oklahoma will face this season. They are 13th out of 13 MAC teams, giving up an average of 44 points a game and 543 yards of total offense. Their offense is more pass oriented, averaging 204 yards through the air, fourth-best in the MAC, and just 86 per game on the ground. Kent State ranks last out of 134 teams in total defense, next to last in scoring defense and No. 132 in rushing defense.
- When quarterback Dru Deshields throws the ball, his primary target is redshirt freshman Cade Wolford, who has nine catches and four touchdowns in four games. Wolford ranks fifth nationally with an average of 26.4 yards per catch.
- Over the past three seasons, Kent State has won just twice in 28 games. The Golden Flashes are led by interim head coach Mark Carney, who was named to the post in April this year. He is in his third year with the Golden Flashes. He was previously defensive coordinator.
What to know about Oklahoma
- The key storyline for Oklahoma in this game is sophomore quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr., who will make his first start of the season but fifth of his career in place of the injured John Mateer. Hawkins played in seven games last season, alternating with Jackson Arnold. He completed 63% of his passes for 783 yards and three touchdowns. He also ran for 204 yards and a touchdown. Brent Venables said about Hawkins this week at his weekly press conference that "He's done a great job of keeping his head down and improving his understanding of the offense and the fundamentals of being a quarterback." Everyone seems to believe that the offense will be in good hands with Hawkins, and that will be on full display on Saturday.
- The Oklahoma defense leads the nation in opponent third-down conversion percentage (17.9), opponent plays of 10-plus yards (25) and opponent punts per game (8.3), and ranks second in total defense, opponent pass yards per attempt (4.6) and touchdowns allowed (3), and is third nationally in scoring defense (9.0) and passing defense (118.5 yards per game). Additionally, the Sooners lead all FBS teams with 16 total sacks (4.0 per game) and are tied for third, averaging 9.2 tackles for loss per game.
- This game will mark the season debut for a couple of Oklahoma players who have been out with injuries: transfer wide receiver Javonnie Gibson and sophomore cornerback Eli Bowen. Gibson, a transfer from Arkansas-Pine Bluff, was especially impressive after arriving at OU but broke his leg during spring practice. The speedy wide receiver will provide an additional receiving weapon and deep threat for Hawkins and Mateer when he gets back. Bowen played in 11 games a year ago and started eight at cornerback.
- Redshirt junior Grayson Miller leads the country with a punting average of 51.0 yards per kick, and seven of his 13 punts have been 50-plus yards.
Key matchup
Oklahoma's run game (104th in the country, averaging 125.3 yards per game and 3.6 per carry) vs. Kent State's rushing defense (132nd in the country, allowing 256.3 yards per game, allowing 6.4 per attempt).
Prediction
Oklahoma is favored by 45.5 points in this game, and ESPN analytics gives the Sooners a 99% chance to win the game. Let's face it, if the Golden Flashes were to spring an upset in this game, it would be one of historic proportions. The only real question is will OU cover? I'm not sure they'll cover, but I expect the Sooners to win big. The fact that the rivalry game with Texas looms next week might just save Kent State further humiliation.
Oklahoma 51, Kent State 10
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