Tag: oklahoma state cowboys football

3 key offensive players to watch for Oklahoma as they take on Oklahoma State

Take a look at the three key offensive players for Oklahoma as they get set to take on the Cowboys of Oklahoma State.

In the state of Oklahoma, two top-10 football programs are setting themselves up to fight an absolute brawl of a football game for in-state supremacy and ultimately decide one school’s fate as it pertains to the College Football Playoff.

Oklahoma dispatched of Iowa State last week behind their now healthy defense which is filled with playmakers at all three levels again. Offensively, they remained in a funk due in part to the play of their talented, yet unseasoned true freshman quarterback who seems gunshy right now.

Meanwhile, Oklahoma State sports one of the nation’s best defenses. Oklahoma State has allowed one offensive touchdown in its last four games, allowing less than six points per game in four games since losing to Iowa State.

Oklahoma will simply have to make plays to win this game. Do we expect this to be a typical Big 12 track meet reminiscent of the Big 12 in the 2010’s? No.

It’s actually possible it looks like a Big 10 game eclipsing no more than 25 points on each side, but, regardless, the Sooners will have to sustain drives and hope to wear down this Oklahoma State defense which will be invigorated by being at home.

Who are the key cogs in Oklahoma’s attack this week? Check them out below.

Robert Congel/Andrew Raym, Center

While no real confirmation has come out about starter Andrew Raym missing this game, we’ll operate under the pretense that he does and, if so, that means more Robert Congel who replaced Raym in the Iowa State game when he went down with the ankle sprain.

Congel helped open some major holes in the fourth quarter as Oklahoma salted away the game and could do the same if Oklahoma leans heavily on the run against the Cowboys. If Raym plays, the same will be required of him.

Ultimately, this is less about the player and more about the position. The center has to win at the point of attack or this veteran and talented front seven is going to maul the Sooners and put them in unfavorable down and distance situations which currently is not a place you want a true freshmen quarterback going through a slump on the road.

Jadon Haselwood, Wide Receiver

Choosing Haselwood instead of the other receivers was really hard simply for the fact that the receivers as a unit need to step up. They go up against a physical and tough Cowboys’ pass defense ranked 10th in the country.

Defensive coordinator Jim Knowles plays a 4-2-5 and it’s going to require some individuals to win at the line of scrimmage or go up and make a play to come out on top. Haselwood has a been a favorite of Williams since he’s taken over the spot.

They’ve connected on four touchdowns and if Williams is to break through, it’ll be because his favorite target made some major catches and plays for him. Another aspect of Haselwood’s game that simply won’t get enough credit is his run-blocking ability out wide. It’s opened up bigger plays for his team in almost every game. Look for that to be a factor as well.

Kennedy Brooks, Running Back

Kennedy enters this game as the bellcow of the Sooners’ offense. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know that unless Riley opts to air it out, Brooks will be featured early and often.

The Sooners need a sturdy 100-plus yards from Brooks. He may not be the sexiest runner or the fastest, but he makes things easier for others with his production. They will need that production to keep this offense from getting too far off schedule.

They haven’t shown the proficiency needed to believe they can survive this game while getting into third and longs too often. With Brooks naturally toting the ball the most, he could see some action in the passing game where he can play a role catching or in pass protection trying to neutralize guys like star Oklahoma State linebacker Malcolm Rodriguez.

The bottom line is this: the Sooners don’t have to become the Baker/Kyler era offense to win games because of how well the Sooners can play defensively when healthy. However, they need to make the plays when presented to them and limit the opportunities their defense has to bail them out of poor field position after too many failed drives. If that happens, the Sooners will be knocking on the door of a win come the fourth quarter.

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Sooners Defensive End Isaiah Thomas ready for ‘Oklahoma Super Bowl’

It’s a high-stakes battle in this year’s Bedlam. Redshirt senior defensive lineman Isaiah Thomas previewed the battle against the Cowboys.

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A trip to the Big 12 championship game for Oklahoma. Its chances to perhaps make it to the program’s fifth College Football Playoff. All of that is on the line on Saturday at 6:30 p.m. in Stillwater, Okla., when Oklahoma meets Oklahoma State for the latest edition of Bedlam.

Redshirt senior defensive lineman Isaiah Thomas knows what’s at stake coming up on Saturday.

“It’s a special game and like I said after we won against Iowa State, it’s the Oklahoma Super Bowl is what I’ve heard it called before,” Thomas said.

Thomas feels Oklahoma will see an improved quarterback in Oklahoma State junior signal-caller Spencer Sanders. Sanders enters Saturday having completed 159-of-264 passes for 1,997 yards with 15 passing touchdowns against just six interceptions.

Over the Cowboys’ past five games, Sanders has been intercepted just once.

“In all honesty, from what I’ve seen, I think he’s definitely improved in the throwing game. We all know he’s very mobile, you know, he can hurt you with his feet, but I think he’s improved throwing the ball. I know at times early in your career, you know, obviously you’re not the developed player you are later on into your career and you can definitely see him making those strides and the work that’s been put in. That’s what I’ve been seeing on tape as an improvement standpoint by him and it’s actually good to see. Competition is always fun, so the way he’s been out there playing, you know, leading his team to where they are now, it’s been impressive to see,” Thomas said.

Sanders remains a threat with his feet, too. The Denton, Texas, product has five rushing touchdowns on the season and has rushed for 417 yards.

Thomas said the key for Oklahoma to slow down Sanders in the run game is to trust their defense.

“I’d say the challenge is more so us playing honest within our defense and doing your job. I know we have times where guys just want to make a play, you know, try to be productive. Sometimes we get out of our gaps and things happen to where if we would have just ran that certain stunt or that certain movement we would have been in position to make plays. With a quarterback like him and the run game like they have, if we just play it honest, I think we’ll be fine. That all starts with us believing in our job and trying not to be a hero. If you try to be a hero, you go to zero, but if you just do your job, you end up making the plays and being where you want to be at,” Thomas said.

Oklahoma State enters this Bedlam game on Saturday with a defense that has gotten plenty of attention nationally. The Cowboys rank No. 3 in total defense, No. 4 in rushing defense and No. 10 in passing defense.

OSU is tops in the country in third-down conversion defense, pitched a shutout last week at Texas Tech and have allowed just one offensive touchdown over its past four games.

Thomas doesn’t feel as if his group is being overlooked coming into this Bedlam game.

“You know, I wouldn’t say all that. Obviously, you’ve got to give credit to where credit’s due. If you perform well, you’re going to get noticed for it and they deserve that because they have been performing well. I wouldn’t say we’ve been overlooked at least from my perspective, because I focus on what we have in our locker room and out there on the field. What we do obviously works as well. We have the same record going into this game. Obviously, there’s spurts and there’s times where we don’t execute when we want to, but, at the end of the day, we do just good enough to get to the amount of wins with 10 wins and have that blemish on our record but other than that I wouldn’t say we’re overlooked. Just they’ve been credited to what they’ve been doing which they deserve,” Thomas said.

Oklahoma enters off a week in which the Sooners recorded seven sacks, 11 tackles for loss and forced three turnovers. Thomas hopes he and his teammates can leave Boone Pickens Stadium feeling similar to how they did a season ago after topping Oklahoma State, 41-13.

“I think the special moments that I’d say is just specifically last year the feeling walking off the field with the players that we had like Ronnie Perkins and Rhamondre Stevenson. Not knowing it was their last game, but playing as if it was one of their last games. Just moments like that. David Ugwoegbu’s interception and just the way Perk dominated. Not any specific moments, but just the feeling of winning a game like that just because of how special it is to our state and just how impactful it is to college football. No moments in particular but just the satisfaction of winning,” Thomas said.

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‘A game with a lot of important things riding on it’: Lincoln Riley gets Sooners set for top-10 Bedlam showdown

Oklahoma head football coach Lincoln Riley met with the media to preview the Sooners’ top-10 showdown against Oklahoma State in Bedlam.

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Oklahoma head football coach Lincoln Riley met with the media to preview the Sooners’ battle in Stillwater, Okla., against Oklahoma State.

After Oklahoma State landed at No. 7 in the newest College Football Playoff rankings and the Sooners checked in at No. 10, Bedlam is officially a top-10 showdown Saturday night at 6:30 p.m. on ABC.

Similar to years past, there’s so much at stake in this latest edition of the Bedlam Series.

“Exciting week. Another episode of Bedlam, and as it’s become here in a lot of the years I know that I’ve been here, it’s a game with a lot of important things riding on it. So, that’s what makes it more fun. There’s no question about it. These rivalry games are always great, but when you’ve got two good football teams that are going at it with a lot at stake, it makes it even better. So, excited about the opportunity to get down to Stillwater, play an outstanding Oklahoma State team playing at a high level,” Riley said.

It will be the best defense Oklahoma has seen all season. Oklahoma State ranks No. 3 nationally in total defense, surrendering just 267.8 yards of total offense this season.

The Cowboys possess the country’s No. 4 rushing defense, allowing just 85.8 rushing yards per game. Oklahoma State is good against the pass, too. OSU surrenders only 182 passing yards per game to rank No. 10 nationally in that department.

The Cowboys are tops nationally in third-down conversion defense, letting opponents convert just 24.5 percent of the time. Oklahoma State ranks just 83rd overall in turnovers gained, so OSU is stopping opponents in large part without a bunch of turnovers.

“I mean, like we’ve said, it’s one of the more experienced defenses that, man, I can remember coaching against maybe in my entire career. I mean, it’s got to be top five as far as the most experienced defenses. You look down the depth chart, it’s senior, senior, senior, senior. I think occasionally there’s a junior in there, but not very often. And you know what they’ve done? They’ve played at a high level this year. They’ve played very consistent,” Riley said of Oklahoma State’s defense.

In its past four games, Oklahoma State has allowed just one offensive touchdown and the Cowboys shutout Texas Tech last week. It was the first time the Red Raiders had been shutout in a game since 1997.

“The front has done a good job creating pressure on quarterbacks. They’ve obviously had a lot of tackles for loss, sacks, all that. And just they’ve really played pretty clean football. They haven’t given up a lot of big plays, haven’t had a lot of penalties, haven’t had a lot of busts. And so they’ve made people, when people have moved the ball or scored points, people have had to earn it. And that’s what really good defenses do, and they’ve done it. Like I said, it’s just been a very consistent group. They’ve stayed very healthy, a lot of the same guys, same scheme. They’ve added their wrinkles like everybody does. But it’s a good group top to bottom, and I would say as you watch them you don’t just see like a ton of weaknesses on tape. Like, they don’t have an area where you just point to and say, ‘Man, that area is just killing them.’ They’ve got good playmakers at all levels,” Riley said.

It sets up massive road start for Oklahoma true freshman quarterback Caleb Williams. After becoming just the third Sooner quarterback in program history to throw six touchdown passes with zero interceptions in a single game against Texas Tech, Williams suddenly looks somewhat lost each of the past two weeks.

Versus Baylor, Williams completed just 9-of-18 passes for 142 yards with a pair of interceptions. Then, last week against Iowa State, Williams was held to just 8-of-18 passing for 87 yards with one touchdown pass to Mario Williams and an interception.

Riley is selling confidence in his signal-caller.

“I still have a lot of confidence in him because when he and when he as an offense around him have played at a high level, we’ve played [really well]. We’ve had a stretch of games, a set of games since he’s been the starter where we’ve played just as high of a level as we’ve ever played. Now, have we had some bouts of inconsistency? We have. But again, my confidence comes from the progress that he’s making that I see on Saturdays and behind the scenes, and then my confidence comes from I think some of the times when we have not been good [where] it’s not just us getting our butts kicked,” Riley said.

One of the charges Riley has shared with Williams is to make more of the routine plays against Oklahoma State.

“I think the thing I would say for him is just I think we need just a big stack of routine plays out of him. And they certainly don’t make that easy. But the more routine plays that he can make, then I think the big ones from him and from other players on our offense will come that way. And, honestly, when he’s done that, when we’ve done that as an offense, we’ve played pretty well. And again, that routine play can be described a lot of ways. Whether it’s a run, whether it’s a down-the-field throw, whatever it is, we just need to be steady and go execute and not make a lot of mistakes because you know you’re playing a group, again, like I referenced, that has so many starts, that has so much experience,” Riley said.

It will be the biggest challenge of Williams career and another performance like Oklahoma got last week out of redshirt junior running back Kennedy Brooks would go a long way toward making life easier for Williams and this Oklahoma offense.

“Yeah, no, I mean, when he’s played good, we’ve played pretty good. And it’ll be important. He’s had some good games in the past against these guys and has been key to some victories before. And we know this year is a new year, new challenge, but he and our run game are obviously a big part of what we do. They obviously help with a young quarterback. There’s nothing like being able to run the football at a high level on the road. And so it’s important every single week. And like you said, against a group like this that’s been good defensively against the run, it’ll be probably one of the keys to the game,” Riley said.

Brooks carried 17 times for 115 rushing yards against Iowa State. Asking for those numbers against Oklahoma State will be a tall task, but, if the Sooners are to set up a Bedlam rematch in the Big 12 championship game, then something similar is probably a necessity.

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Oklahoma Sooners jump three spots to No. 10 in latest College Football Playoff rankings

Oklahoma is back inside the top 10 of the College Football Playoff rankings. The Sooners enter Bedlam ready for a top-10 showdown.

With the latest College Football Playoff rankings out, Bedlam between Oklahoma and Oklahoma State is officially a top-10 showdown in all three rankings.

The Sooners jumped up three spots to No. 10 after hanging on to beat Iowa State, 28-21. Oklahoma had one of its best defensive days against the Cyclones. OU harassed ISU senior quarterback Brock Purdy to the tune of seven sacks, 11 tackles for loss and three turnovers.

Meanwhile, Oklahoma State took care of business at Texas Tech and jumped a pair of spots to No. 7 nationally. The Cowboys defense continued the tear that unit has been enjoying of late. OSU pitched a shutout in its 23-0 victory and held the Red Raiders to just 108 total yards of offense.

It was the first time Texas Tech had been shutout in any game since a 1997 game at Nebraska and the first time in a home game since Arkansas did so in a Southwest Conference game back in 1987.

Oklahoma and Oklahoma State got more good news in the form of Baylor’s ranking. The Bears beat Kansas State, 20-10, and moved up to No. 8 in the latest CFP rankings.

There was no change at the top. Georgia has been ranked No. 1 in each of the four CFP rankings in 2021. Fresh off its 56-7 beatdown of Michigan State, the Ohio State Buckeyes supplanted Alabama with the No. 2 spot.

Alabama dropped one spot to No. 3 and then Cincinnati rounded out the top four by checking in with the highest-ever ranking for a group of five school at No. 4 nationally.

Just on the outside looking in were No. 5 Michigan and No. 6 Notre Dame. The rest of the top 10 went as follows: Oklahoma State at No. 7, Baylor at No. 8, Ole Miss at No. 9 and Oklahoma at No. 10.

Here’s a look at the full top-25 CFP rankings.

It’s no guarantee that OU makes it into the final CFP top four, but it’s apparent that Oklahoma can pick up a pair of quality wins this week and next if the Sooners can beat Oklahoma State twice.

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‘I don’t think it will’: Mike Gundy doubts Bedlam rivalry will continue after Oklahoma Sooners exit for SEC

Oklahoma State head football coach Mike Gundy said that he doesn’t think the Bedlam rivalry will continue after OU exits for the SEC.

Oklahoma and Texas made waves this summer by accepting invitations to join the Southeastern Conference.

After the 14 SEC presidents and chancellors unanimously voted to extend conference membership invitations to Oklahoma and Texas, it took just a day for the two universities to accept.

Both the Oklahoma and Texas board of regents unanimously voted to formally accept invitations to join the SEC on a Friday at the end of the month of July.

Oklahoma and Texas’ leadership have both stated publicly that the universities intend to remain in the Big 12 Conference through June 30, 2025, when the current Big 12 media rights deal expires. Still, many feel the exit for both will come long before that.

One of the repercussions for Oklahoma is what will happen with its annual Bedlam rivalry game against Oklahoma State. In the Oklahoma board of regents meeting where the Sooners formally accepted their invitation to join the SEC, OU president Joe Harroz addressed his and the university’s hope that Bedlam would continue.

“I also want to say this and I’ve communicated this to Oklahoma State and that is we want the Bedlam rivalry to continue well past the expiration of this media rights agreement. Make no mistake. We want the Bedlam rivalry to continue. And make no mistake. Even with this change, we want to play Oklahoma State in every sport, in every year,” Harroz said.

Harroz indicated that Oklahoma would have preferred for Oklahoma State to join the SEC with the Sooners, but that the landscape didn’t allow for that to be a possibility.

“The next question is why not Oklahoma State? Why did you do this and not bring in Oklahoma State University? This is a question we’ve thought about a lot dating back to 2012. That was part of our thought process and our conversation. We’ve analyzed this landscape deeply. Lots of conversations about how we do this. We looked at solutions for us to move together, but that simply is not what the market we’re pursuing allows. That was true then and it’s even more true today in this changed landscape,” Harroz said.

Oklahoma State president Dr. Kayse Shrum responded to the Oklahoma board of regents’ vote several days later on Twitter. On Aug. 1, Shrum tweeted the following statement.

“Many have asked about the future of Bedlam. We enjoy the intensity and tradition whenever we play OU in any sport. Right now, there are too many unknowns to determine what the future holds. Our athletic program is strong across the board and I have great respect for the dedication and hard work of our student-athletes in the classroom and their sports. Be assured we will move ahead with purpose, always honoring the principles we live by in the Cowboy Code and doing what is right — even when it’s hard. Go Pokes!” Shrum said.

Now, with the 2021 Bedlam game upon us, Oklahoma State head football coach Mike Gundy was asked if he thought the series against Oklahoma would continue.

“I don’t think it will. I just don’t think there’s a business side of it that…I don’t make that decision. I guess Dr. Shrum and Chad Weiberg, they could do whatever they wanted or the board. I don’t know who’s involved in this. I don’t think it’s a realistic thing that it’s going to happen based on the business side of power-five conference football in the Big 12 or the SEC. That’s just my opinion on it. I mean, I could be wrong and I’m not getting that from anybody. I’m just answering the question you asked me,” Gundy said.

Gundy felt the Cowboys’ existing non-conference commitments and an expanded Big 12 with BYU, Cincinnati, Houston and UCF would mean continuing the Bedlam series is unlikely.

“So, that’s 10 power-five conference [games], so if you’re going to go back into this game, you would be willing to play 11 out of a 12-game season, which would be extremely difficult,” Gundy said.

“And, from a business standpoint, we all know this. The more success and games you win in football is a huge revenue avenue for your athletic department and your university, because the more you win in football, enrollment goes up. That’s the fact. Marketing money goes up. There’s a huge amount of money involved in that. So, you would say, if we were running a company and you’re in a business standpoint, somebody would have to make a decision. Do you want to risk some of that and how many other teams across the country that are competing to get into the final four are willing to play 11 conference games and only have one non-conference based on the amount of money that could be sitting there at the end? Whether you like it or not, I’m guessing that’s what’s going to take place.”

Gundy noted he’s not been involved in discussions with Shrum and Weiberg where either has said that Bedlam won’t continue. However it ultimately plays out, count Gundy in the camp that isn’t in love with the change.

“Well, Berry [Tramel] can tell you that I’m a traditionalist and I didn’t like any of it. I didn’t like when the Big 12 broke up whenever that was and Missouri and Nebraska headed out. And then, I didn’t like any of it. I liked it the way it was. I liked it. I thought the divisions were good. I just liked it that way, so, I mean, I’m not fired up about any of it, but, obviously, it doesn’t make a difference what I think,” Gundy said.

Oklahoma and Oklahoma State will renew Bedlam for perhaps the final time in Stillwater at least for the near future on Saturday night at 6:30 p.m. on ABC.

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Where does Oklahoma stand in FiveThirtyEight’s College Football Playoff projections entering Bedlam?

Oklahoma’s College Football Playoff chances improved after its 28-21 win over Iowa State. How does FiveThirtyEight view OU this week?

Oklahoma rode one of its strongest defensive performance of the season to a 28-21 win in the Sooners’ home finale over Iowa State.

Defensively, OU recorded seven sacks, 11 tackles for loss and forced three Iowa State turnovers. Redshirt sophomore defensive lineman Jalen Redmond returned Iowa State quarterback Brock Purdy’s fumble just before halftime 42 yards for Oklahoma’s first defensive touchdown of the season.

It sets up a Bedlam showdown for the ages. OU and Oklahoma State each enter ranked inside the top 10 in both the Associated Press Top 25 and USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll.

The winner in Stillwater would go a long way toward securing a potential College Football Playoff berth. FiveThirtyEight uses statistical analysis for polling and predicting results.

It’s become a popular tool by ESPN and other media entities to prognosticate who the future College Football Playoff participants will be, what bowl game matchups might look like and which teams will win on a given week.

Last week, FiveThirtyEight gave the Sooners a 17 percent chance to make the College Football Playoff. Let’s take a look at how FiveThirtyEight views Oklahoma’s chances following the Sooners’ 28-21 victory versus Iowa State.

According to FiveThirtyEight, the Sooners’ chances to make the College Football Playoff improved by 6 percent after beating the Cyclones. Overall, Oklahoma has the seventh-best odds to reach the College Football Playoff.

Georgia has the overwhelming best odds to reach the playoff at 82 percent. Next is Alabama with 59 percent chances.

The big news this week was Cincinnati’s jump. The Bearcats saw an 18 percent improvement in its chances to make the College Football Playoff. Cincinnati beat SMU 48-14 and now possesses the third-best odds to get into the CFP with a 52 percent chance.

After that, it’s Ohio State with a 49 percent chance, Oklahoma State at 43 percent, Michigan at 31 percent and then Oklahoma.

According to FiveThirtyEight, Oregon saw the biggest drop in its chances to make the College Football Playoff after losing to Utah, 38-7. The Ducks’ percentage chances to make the CFP fell from 41 percent last week to just 18 percent this week.

With a win in Bedlam on Saturday, Oklahoma would likely sit with no worse than the fifth-best odds next week. If that unfolds, the Sooners would knock Oklahoma State out of the picture and leapfrog the loser of the Ohio State-Michigan game.

And, if Oklahoma can beat Oklahoma State twice, it looks like the Sooners would be in great shape to make the College Football Playoff.

Using the FiveThirtyEight predictor, Oklahoma’s chances to make the College Football Playoff would be at 81 percent to get into the CFP under the scenario where Oklahoma, Georgia, Cincinnati, Ohio State and Notre Dame all win out.

If all of those same teams win out but Alabama beats Georgia, FiveThirtyEight still has the Sooners with a 77 percent chance to make the College Football Playoff.

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Trio of Oklahoma Sooners earn Big 12 weekly awards for performances against Iowa State

Jalen Redmond, Key Lawrence and Michael Turk were all honored in the Big 12 weekly awards for their performances against Iowa State.

It was nearly a clean sweep by Oklahoma in the Big 12 weekly awards.

Redshirt sophomore defensive lineman Jalen Redmond won Big 12 defensive player of the week, sophomore defensive back Key Lawrence earned Big 12 newcomer of the week and redshirt senior punter Michael Turk was honored as the co-Big 12 special teams player of the week.

Redmond electrified the Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium crowd with his 42-yard scoop-and-score touchdown versus Iowa State. In the process, the Midwest City native recorded OU’s first defensive score of the season, first fumble returned for a touchdown since 2018 and the Sooners’ first touchdown by a defensive lineman in a home game since 1979.

“Oh man, it was exciting. I had one against Tulane and ended up tripping and falling on that one, so I had to get this one back. It was good. It was exciting. It was something to remember, especially on this night. Last home game,” Redmond said of the play.

Redmond finished with four quarterback hurries—the most by an Oklahoma defensive player since 2017—and one of them led to senior safety Delarrin Turner-Yell’s third-quarter interception.

Redmond also recorded 1.5 tackles for loss and a sack. His scoop-and-score touchdown was set up by a fantastic play by Lawrence. The Nashville, Tenn., product bolted after Iowa State quarterback Brock Purdy, knocked the football loose and set off Redmond’s rumble into the end zone.

Lawrence had two forced fumbles, seven tackles, one tackle for loss and a sack to his credit versus the Cyclones. It’s the fourth game out of the past five for the Sooners where Lawrence has finished his day with seven or more tackles.

Meanwhile, Turk continues to annihilate footballs when given the opportunity. The Arizona State transfer blasted four of his six punts against Iowa State more than 56 yards. Three were 60-plus yard punts versus the Cyclones and that gives Turk eight punts of at least 60 yards this season and 16 of at least 50 yards.

Turk averaged 54.8 yards per punt against Iowa State and is averaging 52.7 yards per punt on the season. The Sooners’ single-season record is 47.8 yards per punt.

It’s the second time this season that Oklahoma had three players honored in the Big 12 weekly awards. The Sooners head to Stillwater, Okla., to take on Oklahoma State at 6:30 p.m. on ABC in what is one of the marquee games of this week’s college football slate.

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Oklahoma climbs two spots to No. 9 in the USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll

After its 28-21 victory over Iowa State, Oklahoma jumped a pair of spots up to No. 9 in the latest USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll.

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That’s more like it. Oklahoma is back heading in the right direction in the latest USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll.

The Sooners jumped up a pair of spots to No. 9 nationally after topping Iowa State 28-21.

Oregon’s 38-7 loss at Utah opened the door for some movement after the top two spots. Georgia remained the unanimous No. 1 after its 56-7 win over Charleston Southern and Alabama is still No. 2 following the Crimson Tide’s 42-35 win against Arkansas.

Ohio State blitzed then-No. 8 Michigan State in the first half. Buckeyes freshman quarterback C.J. Stroud tied a school record with six touchdown passes and finished with 432 passing yards.

Ohio State led that game over Michigan State 49-0 at halftime and went on to win 56-7. It made an impression on the voters, too.

Ohio State leapfrogged Cincinnati for the No. 3 spot in the poll. The Bearcats were next at No. 4 after beating SMU, 48-14. Notre Dame rounded out the top five in the poll at No. 5 after blanking Georgia Tech, 55-0.

The rest of the top ten went as follows: Michigan at No. 6, Oklahoma State at No. 7, Ole Miss at No. 8, Oklahoma at No. 9, and Baylor at No. 10.

Utah saw the biggest leap upwards in this week’s rankings, jumping six spots to No. 19 after the Utes’ blowout win over Oregon. Wake Forest fell nine spots after the Demon Deacons lost to Clemson, 48-27.

Oregon fell six spots to No. 11, while Michigan State dropped five spots to No. 13.

As Oklahoma looks to continue impressing, Oklahoma State being ranked seventh allows for that opportunity.

Here’s a look at the full USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll.

Full USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll:

Rank Team Record Points Change
1 Georgia 11-0 1,550 (62) –
2 Alabama 10-1 1,450 –
3 Ohio State 10-1 1,428 +1
4 Cincinnati 11-0 1,388 -1
5 Notre Dame 10-1 1,258 +1
6 Michigan 10-1 1,250 +1
7 Oklahoma State 10-1 1,210 +2
8 Ole Miss 9-2 1,049 +2
9 Oklahoma 10-1 1,010 +2
10 Baylor 9-2 977 +3
11 Oregon 9-2 864 -6
12 Iowa 9-2 722 +2
13 Michigan State 9-2 698 -5
14 Texas A&M 8-3 683 +2
15 BYU 9-2 675 –
16 Houston 10-1 572 +1
17 Pittsburgh 9-2 507 +2
18 Wisconsin 8-3 485 +2
19 Utah 8-3 478 +6
20 UTSA 11-0 475 -2
21 Wake Forest 9-2 404 -9
22 San Diego State 10-1 257 +1
23 UL-Lafayette 10-1 236 -1
24 NC State 8-3 196 –
25 Kentucky 8-3 91 +1

Dropped from the rankings:

No. 22 Arkansas

Others receiving votes:

Arkansas 67; Clemson 56; Mississippi State 42; Penn State 22; Appalachian State 20; Purdue 10; Coastal Carolina 9; Air Force 9; Oregon State 2

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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3 stars for Oklahoma in the Sooners’ 28-21 over Iowa State

Oklahoma bounced back with a 28-21 win over Iowa State to set up a massive Bedlam showdown. Who stood out? Here’s three stars.

Oklahoma took care of business in its home finale of the 2021 season, beating Iowa State 28-21.

It sets up a Bedlam showdown against Oklahoma State that will be littered with Big 12 championship game and College Football Playoff implications.

“Really proud of the team. Gutsy team win. I think first for our seniors, our guys that played their last game in here. Always super, super important to us to send those guys out on the right note and very proud that the team was able to come together and get that done. Really proud of the response just of our football team after the loss last week,” Riley said.

Let’s take a look at three stars for Oklahoma in the Sooners’ win over the Cyclones.

Jalen Redmond

Any postgame awards have to start with the redshirt sophomore defensive lineman. Jalen Redmond finished with a pair of tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and one sack.

The Midwest City native showed off his athleticism on the game’s biggest play. Sophomore defensive back Key Lawrence closed in on Iowa State senior quarterback Brock Purdy just before halftime, jarred the football loose and Redmond scooped up the bouncing fumble and raced 42 yards into the end zone to give the Sooners a 14-7 halftime lead.

“Oh man, it was exciting. I had one against Tulane and ended up tripping and falling on that one, so I had to get this one back. It was good. It was exciting. It was something to remember, especially on this night. Last home game,” Redmond said.

Up Next: Staying Up Front

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3

Oklahoma Sooners ranked No. 13 in latest College Football Playoff Rankings

After being handed its first loss, the Oklahoma Sooners fell five spots to No. 13 in the latest College Football Playoff Rankings.

It wasn’t a matter of if, but rather how far would Oklahoma fall in the latest College Football Playoff rankings after its 27-14 loss at Baylor this past weekend.

The answer is five spots down the board to No. 13 nationally for the Sooners in the third edition of the 2021 season’s CFP Rankings. Oklahoma is the lowest-ranked one-loss power-five program.

Baylor jumped up two spots to No. 11 after outscoring Oklahoma 20-7 in the second half to hand the Sooners their first loss. Oklahoma State moved up one spot to No. 9 after the Cowboys’ 63-17 blowout win over TCU.

The top four remained the same: Georgia is No. 1, Alabama is No. 2, Oregon is No. 3 and Ohio State is No. 4.

The next three in the rankings saw no change either. Unbeaten group of five member Cincinnati remained just outside the coveted top four slots at No. 5 after a 45-28 win at South Florida.

Michigan remained ranked sixth and Michigan State remained seventh. Notre Dame jumped up one spot to No. 8 and Wake Forest climbed two spots to round out the top ten at No. 10.

Oklahoma’s five-spot tumble matched Texas A&M for the largest drop of any team in this week’s CFP Rankings.

At this point, the Sooners would need to make history in the CFP era in order to make it back into the program’s fifth playoff appearance.

Over the course of the College Football Playoff, the lowest-ranked teams at this juncture to eventually make it in have been Michigan State in 2015 and Oklahoma in 2019 when both teams were ranked ninth in the third CFP rankings.

With the odds now stacked against them, redshirt senior tight end and H-back Jeremiah Hall said immediately after the loss to Baylor that all Oklahoma can worry about now is winning out and seeing where the Sooners eventually land in the final CFP rankings.

“In the grand scheme of things, we all know that it does hurt our national championship chances, but, at the same time, we’ve been in this position before. We’ve made it into those College Football [Playoff] talks before. We’ll see how that goes because we can’t control it. Ultimately, we still have other goals in front of us. We are on a week-to-week basis, but we still want to win these games out, we still want to make it to a Big 12 championship, win that game and see where everything else takes us,” Hall said.

Oklahoma plays Iowa State in Norman at 11 a.m. on Saturday in its second consecutive Big Noon Kickoff on FOX.

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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