Tag: Iowa State Cyclones

Report Card: All three phases contribute as Oklahoma cruises to 30 point win over Iowa State

Oklahoma plays complementary football and rolls to a 50-20 win over Iowa State. A look at this week’s report card.

Oklahoma put together a complementary effort on Saturday night, beating Iowa State in their last matchup as Big 12 foes. In the Sooners’ 50-20 win, Oklahoma had big day on offense, added a defensive score, and a blocked punt resulted in a safety.

It was a pleasant sight as the Sooners avoided getting caught in a trap game. A few busts in coverage made the game closer than it was.

Outside of the two big plays, the Sooners allowed 234 yards and six points across the remaining three quarters. Brent Venables was able to rally and refocus his troops when the game got to 21-20 in the second quarter. The Sooners didn’t allow another point over the final 39 minutes of the game.

Here’s how the Sooners fared in this week’s Report Card.

‘It’s honestly just preparation’: Billy Bowman on why they’ve had so much interception success

The Sooners lead the Power 5 in interceptions and Billy Bowman might know why that is.

It was the first drive of the game. The [autotag]Iowa State Cyclones[/autotag] had the ball in a third and long situation.

[autotag]Rocco Becht[/autotag] took the snap, rolled out to the right, and threw it downfield. [autotag]Billy Bowman[/autotag] undercut the pass and picked it off. Bowman was able to stay in bounds, run across the field, and follow his blocks to the endzone. The Sooners started the game with a pick-six.

Later on, they added another interception giving them 10 for the season, which is the most among Power 5 teams.

Bowman was asked about what has led to the early season success after Saturday’s game.

“It’s honestly just preparation,” Bowman said. “Throughout the week we take that very seriously in practice breaking up passes or catching the ball and bursting 10 yards with it to create those habits. We just want to create good habits, and it travels over to the game.”

Outside of a bad angle on one of the Iowa State touchdowns, Bowman had one of his better games as a Sooner. He finished with three tackles and, of course, that pick-six. That gives him 12 tackles on the season and two interceptions. He’s now tied for the team lead with [autotag]Key Lawrence[/autotag] and [autotag]Gentry Williams[/autotag].

This secondary has a renewed confidence they need to carry over into this weekend. They’ll have their work cut out for them against one of the nation’s best-receiving groups.

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

Wide receiver Brenen Thompson flashes in first action of the season vs. Iowa State

Brenen Thompson showed why Oklahoma is so high on him in his first action of the season against Iowa State.

With the start of the second quarter just underway and the [autotag]Iowa State Cyclones[/autotag] cutting the Sooners’ lead to four, the Oklahoma offense trotted onto the field. The Sooners offense had been unstoppable, a trend that would continue for much of the game.

The Sooners started on their own 25-yard line, and [autotag]Dillon Gabriel[/autotag] took the shotgun snap. He would then by some time before launching one way downfield to newcomer [autotag]Brenen Thompson[/autotag], who made an incredible adjustment to an underthrown ball, reeling it in for a 54-yard gain.

This was Thompson’s first action of the season after transferring from the Texas Longhorns this offseason. He told reporters after the game it felt good to get his feet wet.

“It was amazing,” Thompson said. “We work our whole lives for that. You dream of that stuff. You love it.”

Thompson finished second on the team with 62 receiving yards, just behind [autotag]Jalil Farooq[/autotag]’s team-leading 81 yards. Thompson brings another element to the Sooners’ offense.

He has speed similar to former Sooners great, [autotag]Marquis Brown[/autotag]. Because of that speed, something [autotag]Jeff Lebby[/autotag] and company are going to have to find ways to get him more and more involved in the offense.

What better time to do that than the week you play your former team in the [autotag]Cotton Bowl[/autotag] in Dallas?

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

‘We’re not a championship team, right now’: Brent Venables sees improvement but knows there’s still work to do

Brent Venables knows what a championship team looks like and know his team has work to do.

The Oklahoma Sooners have started the season undefeated through five games after a win over the [autotag]Iowa State Cyclones[/autotag]. The Sooners’ offense was on fire from start to finish on Saturday.

Defensively, the Sooners had some breakdowns in the first 21 minutes of the game. Not something they’d experienced before. After that, they responded, looking like the dominant team of previous weeks.

Brent Venables talked with reporters after the game, and he said being 5-0 is a great start, but there’s still work to be done. “We’re not a championship team right now,” Venables said. “But this was another step in trying to get there. I love the will and the fight and the toughness and the leadership.”

The improvement of Team 129 is evident. This game was a perfect example of that.

Last year, and really in the last seven years, that’s a game that is still up for grabs in the fourth quarter. It’s a game that turns into a shootout because the team doesn’t make the necessary adjustments to stop Iowa State’s offense.

The Sooners shut out the Cyclones in the last 39 minutes of the game while also going on a 29-0 run to close out the game. They allowed just over 80 yards in the second half after allowing nearly 300 yards in the first.

This team isn’t perfect. They probably aren’t elite either. But it’s headed in the right direction.

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

‘They tried to take our pride from us last year’: Jayden Gibson on the difference between Team 128 and Team 129

The Oklahoma Sooners are continuing to show growth in Year 2 under Brent Venables. Jayden Gibson’s seen the difference.

It’s no secret last year was a disappointing season for the standard of Oklahoma Sooners football. The Sooners went 6-7 in Brent Venables’ first year as head coach marking the first losing season since 1998.

A lot of questions were brought up in the offseason about if Venables was the man for the program. Through five games this season, he’s done nothing but put an end to those concerns.

[autotag]Jayden Gibson[/autotag] was a true freshman on that team a season ago. He told reporters, there’s a different feeling this year.

“I feel like this year, we’re just not going for any of that soft stuff,” Gibson said. “We’re going hard. If someone punches you in the mouth, you punch back. I remember some games we got punched in the mouth, and we never recovered.”

Saturday’s game was a perfect example of how the team is responding to adversity this season.

The Sooners got punched in the mouth early in the game as the Cyclones made it a 21-20 game with around nine minutes to go in the second quarter. The Sooners punched back by not allowing a point the rest of the way and closed the game on a 29-0 run.

As for Gibson, he’s ready to put the noise to rest.

“They tried to take our pride from us last year,” Gibson said. “They said that we were sorry, we were not OU. I’m not here for any of that.”

Gibson is one of a number of players in the midst of a breakout season. The sophomore wide receiver seems to make a huge play each week. Against, Iowa State it was no different. He came up big on a fourth down target, hauling in the Dillon Gabriel pass and breaking a number of tackles to get into the end zone for his second touchdown of the season.

Gibson’s only caught six balls, but he’s making the most of each reception, averaging 26.5 yards per catch. And with each big play, he’s flashing his incredible future with the Oklahoma Sooners.

Eventually, though, that future will become the present as he earns more and more snaps this season.

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

Three Stars: Dillon Gabriel shines bright and leads the way as Sooners dispatch of Iowa State

Oklahoma dominated Iowa State. Take a look at our three-stars from the game.

Oklahoma is one win away from matching their entire win total from last year. If they win their next game, the dialogue about what this Oklahoma team can achieve this year may shift significantly.

Next up is a game against their rivals, Texas. But that game wouldn’t mean nearly as much if they laid an egg against Iowa State.

The Sooners won decisively, beating the Cyclones 50-20 in front of a packed-out Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium Saturday night.

The game never felt out of the Sooners’ control despite a couple of busts in coverage leading to two Iowa State touchdowns. Those two touchdowns allowed the Cyclones to cut the Sooners lead to one at 21-20. But with about nine minutes left in the second quarter, the Sooners took control of the game.

Oklahoma reeled off 29 unanswered points to put the game to bed.

The passing offense continues to hum, and while Gabriel didn’t complete 90 percent of his passes, he looked in command and played with an edge on Saturday night.

The defense pitched a second-half shutout and cleaned up some costly miscues that led to scores in the first half.

Here are this week’s 3 Stars from the win.

Up Next: Three Stars

Pages: Page 1, Page 2

‘You couldn’t write it up better’: Dillon Gabriel on the Sooners staying hot offensively

The Oklahoma Sooners couldn’t have scripted a better game from the offense.

There’s been one constant since [autotag]Matt Campbell[/autotag] took over as head coach of the[autotag] Iowa State Cyclones[/autotag] when they play the Sooners. It’s going to be a tough, hard-fought game.

In fact, the Sooners had never beaten the Cyclones by more than 10 points in the [autotag]Lincoln Riley[/autotag] era. They also only scored 40+ one time. All of those historic offenses, with arguably the best play-caller of all time and Campbell’s defenses made them work.

Then came [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] and [autotag]Jeff Lebby[/autotag] to Norman. The Sooners have faced the Cyclones twice and in both games, the Sooners won by 14 or more points, including Saturday’s 30-point win. The Sooners also dropped their first 50-point game in that time span as well.

Dillon Gabriel talked to reporters after the game about the night.

“You couldn’t write it up better,” Gabriel said. “Putting points on the board and a night game in the palace.”

Gabriel completed 26 of 39 passes for 366 yards, three touchdowns, and only one interception. The Sooners quarterback completed passes to 10 different receivers. He also carried the ball eight times for 37 yards and two touchdowns. It was an incredible day for Oklahoma offensively, led by it’s veteran signal-caller.

“I think it’s something we go back to. It’s rhythm, creating completions, making competitive plays, and moving the chains,” Gabriel said. “I feel like as we get into that rhythm we’re able to obviously play a bunch of different guys and spread the ball around.”

For Gabriel, it was his fourth 300-yard passing day of the season. He’s completing 75.2% of his passes and has thrown for 1,593 yards and 15 touchdowns. He’s also rushed for four touchdowns on the season. He’s seventh in the nation in yards and fourth in passing touchdowns.

He’s had a fantastic start to his second season in Norman. With the running game struggling to find consistency, Gabriel’s efforts have him in the Heisman conversation.

He’s done a fantastic job spreading the ball around to Oklahoma’s incredible depth of playmakers. The Sooners will have to continue to spread the ball around with their toughest challenge of the season right around the corner in the Red River Rivalry.

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

5 takeaways from Oklahoma’s 50-20 win over Iowa State

5 takeaways from the Oklahoma Sooners 50-20 win over Iowa State on Saturday evening.

Oklahoma continues to march right through their final season in the Big 12 by dispatching one of their long-time foes in the conference one last time. Saturday evening, the Sooners pulled away from the Iowa State Cyclones and in a 50-20 blowout.

The game itself started off with a bang as Billy Bowman returned an interception to open the scoring for the Sooners before the offense even took the field.

A couple of coverage busts led to two Iowa State touchdowns and kept the Cyclones in the game early into the second quarter. Oklahoma would respond, scoring the game’s next 29 points to seal the victory.

The Sooners played a good game for the most part. While they continue to evolve and grow as a team, they can now turn their attention to their biggest game of the season. In the aftermath of the win, here are 5 takeaways after watching Oklahoma get to 5-0 on the season.

Social media reacts to the Oklahoma Sooners 50-20 win over Iowa State

After it was close through the first quarter and a half, the Oklahoma Sooners went on to dominate Iowa State 50-20 and here’s how Social Media Reacted.

It was a tight ball game into the second quarter, but after Iowa State cut Oklahoma’s lead to one, it was all Sooners from there on out.

When it was 21-20, it began to feel like all of the Sooners-Cyclones matchups during the Lincoln Riley-Matt Campbell era, but then Oklahoma realized that this team is built different. The Sooners went on to score 29 unanswered points, creating the largest margin of victory in the matchup since a 52-16 win in 2015. That was the year before Campell arrived in Ames.

Dillon Gabriel had another great game, accounting for more than 400 combined passing and rushing yards and five total touchdowns. It was a fantastic performance to help get Oklahoma to 5-0 and set up an undefeated Red River Rivalry game in the Cotton Bowl.

Though there are still things to work on heading into the big-time showdown, the Sooners are heading in the right direction.

Here’s how social media reacted to the win.

Sooners offense shines, defense settles in as Oklahoma beats the Iowa State 50-20

Oklahoma Sooners put together another strong performance knocking off the Iowa State Cyclones, 50-20.

The Oklahoma Sooners took on the [autotag]Iowa State Cyclones[/autotag] in their conference home opener in Norman on Saturday and came away with a huge 50-20 win to move to 5-0 on the season and 2-0 in Big 12 play.

The Sooners had a great start to the game as [autotag]Billy Bowman[/autotag] picked off [autotag]Rocco Becht[/autotag] and took it back for a touchdown on the first drive of the game. Iowa State came right back with a 51-yard strike on a 3rd and 18 on a busted coverage.

The Sooners took their first drive right down the field to answer. [autotag]Dillon Gabriel[/autotag] led the 75-yard drive and capped it off with a one-yard touchdown run. The Sooners immediately gave up a huge run but ultimately held the Cyclones’ offense to a field goal.

Oklahoma got a touchdown on their next possession as Gabriel hit a wide-open [autotag]Nic Anderson[/autotag] for 39 yards.

But then another defensive bust led to a 67-yard touchdown for the Cyclones. After a missed field goal by Zach Schmit, the Cyclones cut the game to one on a field goal of their own.

But the Sooners responded as Gabriel hit [autotag]Jalil Farooq[/autotag] for 46 yards. Gabriel ran it in from six yards out on the next play to make it 28-20 and the Sooners never looked back.

On the Cyclones ensuing drive, Oklahoma got a stop and then Peyton Bowen blocked his second punt of the season. After Trace Ford was unable to recover the blocked kick, the ball rolled out of bounds for a safety.

On their next drive, the Sooners put three more points on the board to go up 33-20.

Gentry Williams picked off Becht on the Cyclones’ next drive. Gabriel then found Stoops to end the half with the Sooners up 40-20.

Oklahoma outgained the Cyclones 340 to 272 in the first half.

The Sooners started the second half where they left off as Gabriel found [autotag]Jayden Gibson[/autotag] on a 41-yard touchdown pass on 4th down. It was an incredible display of balance and athleticism as Gibson bounced off of several would-be tacklers to get into the end zone and extend Oklahoma’s lead to 47-20.

After that, it was a defensive showdown for both teams for the rest of the quarter. The Sooners ended the quarter with a 4th down stop and took a 27-point lead to the fourth.

In the fourth quarter, Oklahoma was content to simply run the clock out. Though they only added a field goal, in the fourth, they did a great job milking the clock and holding strong on defense to close out the game.

They outgained the Cyclones 523 to 352, allowing only 80 yards in the second half.

Dillon Gabriel was fantastic yet again for the Oklahoma Sooners. He completed 67% of his passes for 367 yards and three touchdown passes. He also carried the ball eight times for 37 yards and two scores.

Jalil Farooq led the receiving corps with five receptions for 81 yards on the day. Brenen Thompson saw his first action as a Sooner with two catches for 62 yards and a touchdown.

Defensively, the Oklahoma Sooners shut down the Cyclones after allowing 20 points in the first 21 minutes of game time. The Sooners held Iowa State to just 4 of 15 on third down. They held Rocco Becht to a completion rate of 45% and limited the damage after the early coverage issues.

For the first time this season, a team found some success on the ground. Iowa State ran for 150 yards and 5.6 yards per carry. However in the second half, the Sooners held the Cyclones to 2.63 yards per carry.

The Sooners remain unbeaten, setting up the [autotag]Red River Rivalry[/autotag].

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