Tag: college football week 5

How to watch, stream, listen to the Oklahoma Sooners vs. the Texas Longhorns

Trying to figure out where to find the Sooners game on Saturday, here’s how to watch, stream, or listen to their matchup with Texas.

How to Watch

Date: Saturday, Oct. 9

Time: 11:00 a.m. CDT

TV: ABC

Line: Oklahoma -3.5*

Over/Under: 64.5*

*lines courtesy of Tipico Sportsbook.

Stream

Available on fuboTV (try it free).

How to Listen

Sooner Sports Radio Network

The radio broadcast of Toby Rowland, Teddy Lehman, Chris Plank and Gabe Ikard is also available through the free Varsity app, available on Apple IOS and the Google Play Store.

  • Ada on KADA FM 102.3 and AM 1230
  • Altus on KWHW FM 93.5
  • Antlers on KDOE FM 102.3
  • Ardmore on KVSO FM 107.5 and AM 1240
  • Bartlesville on KYFM FM 100.1 and KPGM 1500 AM
  • Broken Bow on KKBI FM 106.1
  • Clinton/Cordell on KCLI FM 97.3, 95.5 HD, and AM 1320
  • Duncan on KDDQ FM 105.3
  • Durant on KLBC FM 106.3
  • Elk City on KCOO FM 94.3
  • Fort Smith, AR on KLSZ FM 100.7
  • Frederick on KYBE FM 95.7
  • Guymon on KKBS FM 92.7
  • Hobart on KTJS AM 1420
  • Lawton on KJMZ FM 97.9
  • Liberal, KS on KKBS FM 100.5
  • McAlester on KNED AM 1150
  • Miami/Grove on KGLC FM 100.9
  • Muskogee on KTFX FM 101.7
  • Oklahoma City on KRXO FM 107.7
  • Ponca City on WBBZ AM 1230
  • Poteau on KPRV FM 92.5
  • Shawnee on KGFF FM 100.9 and AM 1450
  • Tulsa on KMOD FM 97.5 and KTBZ AM 1430
  • Wichita, KS on KGSO FM 93.9 and AM 1410
  • Woodward KWOX FM 101.1

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions.

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Oklahoma Sooners’ Marvin Mims “Marvelous” once more

After seeing no more than two targets in each of the last three games the Marvin Mims led the Oklahoma Sooners in receiving vs. Kansas State

Marvin Mims has had a less than stellar sophomore campaign. Not because he’s played bad, but primarily because we’ve hardly seen him involved at all. Things have not been nearly as easy to come by this year after leading the team in catches, yards, and receiving touchdowns last year as a true freshman.

The explosive plays Mims was known for last year haven’t existed for him or anyone else in 2021.

Recently, we explored where Mims’ production may have gone.

The Sooners’ offensive line and their inability to give quarterback Spencer Rattler time stood at the foundation of those issues.

Against Kansas State, the offensive line gave Rattler time, and guess who posted his second-best game of the season? You guessed it: Marvin Mims.

Mims operated out of the slot and on the outside. He finished the game with just four catches, but they totaled 71 yards. They were timely and explosive yards. The Sooners offense as a whole looked much better than it has all season with the passing and running game working in tandem.

We’ve been fed the same variation of “We’re so close” from head coach Lincoln Riley, and Saturday, he showed why.

When Mims is involved, it opens the flood gates for all of the other receivers on this team who have made tough catches and held down the fort as Mims adjusts to being game planned for out of the slot. Kansas State didn’t bracket him nearly as much, and it would cost them as they blitzed from the slot to try and get Rattler off schedule.

Here below, the Sooners again found ways to get Mims open in the slot on what looks to be a deep crossing route.

The Sooners don’t have anyone like Marvin Mims, who has shown the ability to make explosive plays in abundance. It’s very plausible Mario Williams is another guy like this, but until we see it, Mims will hold that crown. For the Sooners to evolve into the offense they can be, Mims will have to keep stacking performances like this together. His next challenge will be against the Texas Longhorns, a team he had four catches for 52 yards and a touchdown against last year.

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Is Oklahoma’s tumble down the power rankings coming to a halt?

The Sooners held their ground in the AP Top 25 and climbed three spots in the CBS Sports Power Rankings. Is this a sign that their tumble down the power rankings is coming to a halt?

Oklahoma’s 37-31 win over Kansas State is undeniably the most important number from week 5. However, as a bonus, could the Sooners’ tumble down the power rankings and polls finally be coming to a halt?

While Oklahoma slipped to fifth in the USA Today SPORTS AFCA Coaches Poll, the Crimson and Cream maintained the no. 6 spot in the AP Top 25. Furthermore, the early returns on this week’s power rankings are promising for an OU squad that finally reignited its offense in Manhatten. 

Dennis Dodd of CBS Sports has the Sooners securely within the top 10 of his weekly power rankings, bumping them into sixth place after placing them at no. 9 a week ago. 

The Sooners are better on defense. The issue is offense. But Spencer Rattler shook off criticism (at least from students) to post efficient numbers (22 of 25, two touchdowns) against Kansas State. Don’t let the 37-31 final fool you. OU pulled away in the second half. Now comes the defining moment of the season: Red River. It might be the last meeting of the rivals as Big 12 members.

Is Dodd’s assessment of the Sooners a sign that their stock is once again on the upswing? Because their offense certainly appears to be. Oklahoma found points when it mattered most vs. West Virginia, and Spencer Rattler and company kept the chains moving throughout the afternoon against the Wildcats.

However, the Sooners scored on seven of their eight possessions, not counting the end of the game where they kneeled on the ball, and the passing game and the running game both looked pretty good.

–John Williams of Sooners Wire 

Other Big 12 Members spotted in Dodd’s Power Rankings

Oklahoma State (5-0) jumped seven spots to no. 15 following their 21-14 win over the previously undefeated Baylor Bears. The Cowboys gifted Baylor three additional possessions off turnovers on Saturday, but the defense made sure none of them resulted in points. Oklahoma State allows just 18 points per game, good for the fourth-best mark in the conference. 

Texas (4-1) continues its climb back into the media’s good graces following its loss to the Razorbacks in week 2. Dodd placed the Longhorns at no. 19 after squeaking past TCU, 32-27.

This week’s matchup between the Oklahoma Sooners and the Texas Longhorns will go a long way to determining the hierarchy in the Big 12. A loss by either side will be a significant setback to playing for the Big 12 championship in December.

Much of how national observers view the Sooners will depend on how they fare against the Longhorns this Saturday.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions.

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Have the Oklahoma Sooners overcome their offensive woes?

After combining for just 39 points against Nebraska and West Virginia, did Oklahoma’s offense get right in their 37-point outburst vs. Kansas State?

[mm-video type=video id=01fh3me65g1tvqpxegf2 playlist_id=none player_id=none image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01fh3me65g1tvqpxegf2/01fh3me65g1tvqpxegf2-63d2ea2210f73c01b19aff2e584c706b.jpg]

For at least one game, it looked like it.

In their win over the Kansas State Wildcats, the Oklahoma Sooners executed well and were efficient on their way to a 37 point outburst that is a bit of a surprise in the context of the last few weeks.

However, the Sooners scored on seven of their eight possessions, not counting the end of the game where they kneeled on the ball, and the passing game and the running game both looked pretty good.

In his weekly overreactions piece, USA TODAY Sports’ Erick Smith takes a look at the Sooners offense and declares it back to the level of production we’ve come to expect.

Rattler looked like the 2020 version of himself that was brilliant in the second half. He hit 22 of 25 passes for 243 yards and also was effective running when lanes opened up.  The 37 points scored Saturday almost equaled the combined 39 generated against Nebraska and West Virginia.

Yet, this was just one performance. The running game still needs to get going, starting this week against Texas. Rattler needs to prove he can’t build upon the performance and avoid shaky decision-making and the offensive line has to protect him. A big day against the Longhorns in the Cotton Bowl would start to generate  belief than Riley was right when he said the unit wasn’t far off. And maybe it could be the catalyst for Oklahoma to start living up to its promise. – Smith

If you take away the 12-yard loss on the botched snap to Caleb Williams in the first quarter, the Oklahoma Sooners ran for 144 yards on 25 carries, averaging 5.76 yards per carry. The running game had six runs of 10 yards or more and three runs of 15 yards or more. It was a good day for the running game, even if it wasn’t dominant.

In his post-game press conference, Kansas State Head Coach Chris Klieman admitted that they made a concerted effort to take the deep ball away from Spencer Rattler and the passing game. So instead of forcing it, Rattler and the Sooners’ offense killed them with throws under 20 yards. Per Pro Football Focus, Spencer Rattler completed 21 of 22 passes under 20 yards. To put it into a percentile, that’s a 95% completion percentage.

Teams will continue to take away the deep ball from Spencer Rattler and the Oklahoma Sooners until they get tired of getting beat underneath. And Rattler’s proven that he can beat teams inside 20 yards downfield. With the running game operating as it did on Saturday and Rattler deadly inside 20-yards, opposing defensive coordinators will eventually have to walk a safety into the box to help. And that’s when Rattler and the Sooners can take advantage.

With a big matchup with the Texas Longhorns coming next week, the Sooners needed an offensive display like this to build confidence ahead of the Red River Showdown.

At 5-0, the Oklahoma Sooners have proven they can win games in multiple ways. As long as they keep winning, that’s all that’ll matter. With a defense that has played as strong as they have and an offense that came to life in week five, the Sooners look like they’re putting it all together.

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12 Sooners who Stood Out in Oklahoma’s win over Kansas State

In their win over Kansas State, the Oklahoma Sooners got contributions from a variety of sources. Here are 12 Sooners who stood out.

Football is the ultimate team game. It takes 11 guys on both sides of the ball and a variety of role players to put a team in a position to win the game. Though it’s a quarterback’s game, it takes a team to win football games.

And that’s what the Sooners got on Saturday in their 37-31 win over Kansas State. It wasn’t a perfect team win, but the defense held the Wildcats to 24 points (that kickoff return for a touchdown isn’t on the defense) despite Skylar Thompson and Deuce Vaughn having monster games.

The defense also got the offense a short field and looked to be on the verge of scoring until a botched snap and penalty forced them to kick a field goal after having second and goal at the one.

In the first half, it looked as if the Kansas State defense was going to be as stingy as West Virginia’s. However, Spencer Rattler and company continued their efficiency and at the end of the game they had scored on of their eight possessions (not counting the kneel-downs at the end).

It wasn’t a win that moved the needle in the eyes of the voters, who allowed the Sooners to drop back a spot in the USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll and let a team jump them in the AP Top 25.

Despite how the Sooners are viewed nationally, they’re 5-0 and coming off arguably their best win of the season. Here are 12 players who made significant contributions to the win.

Oklahoma Sooners stay at 6, get jumped in AP Top 25 Poll

For the second straight week, the Oklahoma Sooners saw a team climb in front of them in the latest AP Top 25 Poll.

As it was in the latest USA TODAY AFCA Coaches poll, the no. 6 Oklahoma Sooners found a team leaping them in the Poll. While they didn’t fall in this week’s version of the AP Top 25 Poll, they did get jumped by a team coming up to fill in the top five for Oregon after their loss to Stanford.

The Cincinnati Bearcats, after their win over Notre Dame, continued to make their case for a place in the College Football Playoff. It was a significant win and obviously spoke to voters as they jumped the Sooners and joined the top five.

Last week, it was Penn State and Iowa that jumped the Sooners in the AP Top 25 Poll. Now the Sooners are possibly looking at an uphill battle to make it into the top four of the College Football Playoff rankings when they’re first released or even the final rankings in December.

Oklahoma may be 5-0, but their four wins against the FBS have only managed an average point differential of 5.25 points per game. That margin of victory is undoubtedly sitting at the forefront of the minds of voters.

The Sooners have a huge test this week with the Texas Longhorns next on the docket, and style points certainly won’t be the focus.

The good news for the Sooners is that Iowa and Penn State will play next weekend, and Alabama and Georgia could eventually meet up down the road, which could open the door for the Sooners if they can continue their winning ways in 2021.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions.

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Big 12 Power Rankings: Full slate of conference games provides clarity after Week 5

After a full slate of Big 12 games, the conference is beginning to provide some clarity. Where do the teams stack up after week five?

After a full slate of Big 12 play, the conference power rankings are starting to shake out a bit. More than ever, there is parity in the Big 12. Every team from 1-9 (sorry, Kansas) has a chance to beat anyone else in the conference week-to-week.

Texas Tech looked like a completely different team after taking a 70-point shellacking at the hands of Texas a week ago. The Red Raiders went into Morgantown and beat a West Virginia team that held the Sooners to 16 points in Norman.

Texas and Oklahoma State won their games after poor performances from quarterbacks who looked to be taking a step forward a week ago. Iowa State bounced back from their loss to Baylor. And speaking of Baylor, the Oklahoma State defense is legit. To hold the Bears to 14 points despite losing the turnover battle 3-0 is a pretty impressive feat. They made Gerry Bohanon look like an average quarterback.

This week the top three teams remained unchanged, but teams 5-9 saw a shakeup. Let’s take a look at this week’s Big 12 Power Rankings.

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly from Oklahoma’s 37-31 win over Kansas State

The Sooners avenged losses from the last two years, defeating nemesis Kansas State 37-31. What stood out in this week’s the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly?

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.

Up Next: The Bad

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REPORT: Delarrin Turner-Yell unavailable for game vs. Kansas State

As the Oklahoma Sooners attempt to remain undefeated in 2021 they’ll have to face Kansas State without safety Delarrin Turner-Yell.

All of the injury intrigue this week has been on the Kansas State side of things with the mystery surrounding quarterback Skylar Thompson. However, the Oklahoma Sooners are dealing with injuries as well and were dealt a blow with pregame news that Delarrin Turner-Yell didn’t make the trip to Manhattan.

Per former Oklahoma Sooners offensive lineman-turned Sirius XM host Gabe Ikard, Turner-Yell won’t be available this week after he suffered an injury last week in the Sooners win over West Virginia.

Turner-Yell suffered a lower-leg injury in the second half of last week’s game, a game where he had an impressive interception in the first quarter.

Starting in his place will be redshirt senior Justin Broiles.

The loss of Delarrin Turner-Yell will be felt by an Oklahoma Sooners defense that has been playing well this season. Turner-Yell has played more than anyone other than Pat Fields for the Sooners defense and he leads Oklahoma in tackles.

While Broiles will start expect to see Key Lawrence get a lot of work this week as Alex Grinch likes to play a lot of players on his defense and will try to find the best fit.

Though it’s unknown why Justin Harrington entered into the transfer portal, the timing is certainly curious with the injury to Turner-Yell keeping him in Norman for today’s game.

The Oklahoma Sooners are looking to vanquish a foe they haven’t beaten in two seasons and remain undefeated. In order to do so, they’ll do it without one of their leaders on the defense.

12 Kansas State players to know ahead of matchup with the Oklahoma Sooners

Get ready for Oklahoma’s matchup with Kansas State by getting to know these 12 Wildcats ahead of Saturday’s game.

When the Oklahoma Sooners kickoff Saturday’s game with the Kansas State Wildcats, they’ll be looking to avenge losses from each of the last two seasons. In 2019, it was their only blemish heading into the College Football Playoff. In 2020, the loss attempted to derail their Big 12 title defense.

The Sooners recovered and won the Big 12, but their back-to-back losses to Kansas State continue to hang over their head. Is this the year Lincoln Riley overcomes Chris Klieman in an intriguing Big 12 matchup?

Kansas State is once again a solid team. There are still some questions as to who will play quarterback. After sources indicated Skylar Thompson might play earlier in the week, Chris Klieman stated it was unlikely he would play. Tim Fitzgerald of GoPowercats on 247Sports still leaves some possibility that Thompson could play, but also leaves quite a bit of doubt in his update yesterday.

If Thompson is unable to play Kansas State will likely go with Will Howard as well as Jaren Lewis.

The biggest threat is running back Deuce Vaughn who our own Bryant Crews discussed in this profile ahead of Saturday’s matchup. If the Sooners can slow him down, then they’ll have a great chance at slowing down the Kansas State offense.

Let’s dig deeper than Deuce and get you ready for this pivotal Big 12 matchup by taking a look at six Kansas State players on offense and six on defense you should know.