The Oklahoma Sooners went into a hostile road environment and took care of business Saturday afternoon against a tough Kansas State team that they hadn’t beaten since 2018.
The Sooners played a really good game and the outcome doesn’t necessarily reflect how well Oklahoma played as Kansas State continued to grind away and keep the Sooners on their heels.
Kansas State needed a kickoff return for a touchdown to bring the game within six and the Sooners were able to salt the game away after recovering an onside kick at the end.
The Good: Give the Quarterback His Props
That was easily the best game of the season for Spencer Rattler. It wasn’t perfect, but it was almost perfect as the Sooners’ signal-caller completed 22 of 25 passes for 243 yards and two touchdowns.
He was controlled and composed while under pressure from a talented Kansas State defensive front. Per Pro Football Focus, Rattler faced pressure on seven of his drop-backs. He took two sacks, but otherwise was 5 of 5 for 101 yards and a touchdown under pressure.
Against the blitz, Rattler was 8 of 8 for 86 yards and two touchdowns against Kansas State. He did a much better job navigating the pocket, getting the ball out of his hands quickly, and bailing on the pocket at the right time. When he did get outside the pocket, he and his receivers were much more effective in the scramble drill.
In every game, you’re going to find several throws from a quarterback that just weren’t good and that’s true in this game. If you want to nit-pick, there are a few throws from Rattler you can do that on. However, he played a great game and was a big reason the Sooners got out of their offensive funk.