Oklahoma is in a peculiar situation, but not one it isn’t used to being in.
The Sooners have won five-straight Big 12 Championships, but that hasn’t come without some speed bumps. Oklahoma has lost at least one game, most of them unexpectedly, since Lincoln Riley got to Norman, Oklahoma, in 2015.
This year it was Kansas State, just as it was a year ago. The Wildcats shocked Oklahoma in a 38-35 upset a week ago with the Sooners turning the football over four times, getting stuffed on a fourth-down and having a punt get blocked.
Now, they go on the road to Ames, Iowa, for a matchup with Iowa State. The Cyclones have been a thorn in Oklahoma’s side for the last three years with Matt Campbell pulling off an upset in 2017, pushing the Sooners in 2018 and almost winning again in 2019.
Here is what Oklahoma this week said about its matchup with Iowa State.
LINCOLN RILEY
“They’ve done a great job defensively in this league for a long time. They’ve got really gifted defensive coordinator who does a great job. They’ve done a great job of adapting to the talent that they have. They’ve played in this three-man front with a lot of different drop-eight schemes for a long time. They’re really the standard in the country for teams that have done that. A lot of what you see in the Big 12 you’re starting to see leaking into other conferences. I’ve even started to see it a little bit more at the pro level. I think that stems from some of the things these guys are doing. They do a tremendous job. No surprise that they would come back and respond and play a lot better after the loss that they had, with the staff and experienced quarterback and a lot of good returning players. It’s a fun challenge playing them. They do a tremendous job. We have the utmost respect for them and their program.”
adrian ealy on jaquan bailey
“He’s a great player for them. He’s been doing it for a couple years now. All we can do is go out there, attack the week, get better every day and when Saturday comes, it comes.”
ALEX GRINCH
“I think probably, game one, you see some missed opportunities and not to evaluate their tape in terms of their perspective on things. But I think that shows. No, I’ve got a lot of respect both the ability to run the ball and direct the ball both downfield and elite matchups with their size. The use of tight ends. You know, very multiple in terms of formations and shifts and motions and all that. This is a very difficult offense to defend. To put yourself into a situation that No. 1, don’t lose the down before the ball is snapped, because there’s a lot of moving parts and you got to make sure that you discipline that way. And that just gets you to the snap, and then at that moment, you got to execute. So, they put a lot of stress on you. And they impressed. When you watch them specifically last weekend, just just the ability … explosive plays more on the run game this past weekend, but they certainly have proven to direct the ball downfield as well.”
DASHAUN WHITE
They’re gonna be a big challenge, for sure, especially coming after last week and the way things went. Our mindset going into this week and even our preparation for the last two or three days has been really, really good. Feeling really good about how we line up against them. Obviously, they have a really talented offense. Their quarterback likes to run around a little bit. I find confidence in resetting and doing what we do game-in, game-out.
BRENDAN RADLEY-HILES
“Definitely a respect offense. Definitely. Definitely. Quarterback is a great guy. Uses his head. He makes smart decisions. I’m looking forward to definitely going in on the road and having a great game. Having a great, fun, discipline, poised game. I’m looking forward to the matchup. You have to come prepared when you go to Iowa State, when you play Iowa State. Great offense. Great coach. They are going to do their thing, but we got to make our plays.”
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