Attack the Box
Iowa State’s defensive coordinator is one of the more creative defensive coaches in the NCAA. His 3-3-5 has inspired a lot of coaches. Even Brent Venables shadowed Heacock in the mid-2010s and took notes from him.
The Sooners need to be able to run the ball on Saturday night. The advantages schematically should be there as the 3-3-5 is weak on the edges. The tackles for Oklahoma, Walter Rouse and Tyler Guyton, will be critical. Utilizing outside runs to get numbers to the edge can beat Iowa State’s defense.
Wide receiver blocking could also help bust a few big plays as well.
The other variable is figuring out who will be the primary ball carrier for this strategy.
Venables has publicly said that they are looking for someone to be the bell cow, and this feels like a game where one could emerge. We don’t know who, but that would be an excellent development as the Sooners get deeper into Big 12 play.