It was something of a defensive slugfest in Ames, Iowa as the Oklahoma Sooners defeated the Iowa State Cyclones 27-13. The Sooners are now 5-3 and are just one win away from bowl eligibility.
After starting 0-3 in Big 12 play, the Sooners have now won back-to-back games to get to 2-3.
The bye week worked wonders for the much-maligned Sooner defense. There weren’t any massive busts in coverage, the tackling was improved, and the front seven was stout against the run.
The Oklahoma game plan on defense was simple: take away the run and make Cyclones quarterback Hunter Dekkers win the game with his arm. They did just that. Iowa State ran the ball 27 times for just 66 yards. That’s less than three yards per carry.
The Sooners appear to have finally solved the puzzle that is mobile quarterbacks. After being gashed by the likes of Adrian Martinez and Max Duggan on the ground, the OU defense harrassed Dekkers all game long, only allowing the young signal-caller 31 yards on four carries. That’s not an optimal number, but much better than the 148 yards Adrian Martinez had back in September.
When the Cyclones started to make a comeback in the fourth quarter, the OU defense did bend, but they did not break. Justin Broiles and Danny Stutsman both came up with clutch interceptions that bailed out a stagnant Oklahoma offense.
Dillon Gabriel did what he had to do for the Sooners to win this game. He made accurate throws, and he didn’t turn over the football. On the day, Gabriel was 15 of 26 for 148 yards and a touchdown. Not a great day, but what the Sooners needed against a stout Cyclone’s defense.
Jeff Lebby called an absolute beauty of a football game. He established the run early. While Eric Gray didn’t quite feast, but he looked darn good against the stiffest run defense he will face all year. Gray ran for 101 yards and a touchdown and added two receptions for 14 yards in the win.
One issue the Sooners had was getting out of bad field position. Iowa State punter Tyler Perkins pinned the Sooners inside their own five-yard-line multiple times, and OU just couldn’t get out of the shadow of their own end zone.
OU punter Michael “Hangtime” Turk not only had a number of excellent punts, but he also was credited with a touchdown pass to kicker Zach Schmit on a nifty fake field goal in the first half.
Marvin Mims had a tough day. He never seemed to recover from a drop on OU’s first play from scrimmage and would end up dropping a would-be touchdown later in the game. The Cyclones held OU’s No. 1 receiver to just two catches and 16 yards on the day.
In response to Mims’ struggles, other wide receivers picked up the slack. Jalil Farooq had four receptions for 74 yards, and a touchdown, and Drake Stoops had three catches for 34 yards. Gabriel’s touchdown to Farooq made it 20-6 in the first half. Although Iowa State was able to pull within seven midway through the fourth, the Sooners’ defense came up with clutch stops at the end of the game to preserve the win.
Next week, the Sooners will come home to face the Baylor Bears. The OU defense performed well against Iowa State’s young QB in Hunter Dekkers. Will they do the same against Baylor’s Blake Shapen?
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