Iowa State @ Oklahoma preview
Gaylord Family - Oklahoma Memorial Stadium
Last Meeting ( Oct 20, 2007 ) Oklahoma 17, Iowa State 7
No. 6 Oklahoma continues its quest for respect when Iowa State visits Gaylord-Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium Saturday.
The Sooners sit at 6-0 and 1-0 in the Big 12 Conference, with wins over No. 17 Florida State, No. 23 Air Force and Texas. But except for the 47-17 trouncing of the Seminoles in Week 2, Oklahoma’s efforts have not been overly impressive. Bob Stoops’ team ranks 90th in rushing offense and 93rd in total defense. The Sooners have been outscored 51-17 in the fourth quarter.
Oklahoma (6-0, 1-0 Big 12) had its bye week to address those issues and now turns its attention to Iowa State (3-3, 1-1), which has problems of its own.
The Cyclones are coming off a 68-27 loss to No. 10 Utah and could be without starting tailback Alexander Robinson. If Robinson can’t go - he’s listed as a game-time decision with a leg injury - the Cyclones will turn to freshmen running backs Shontrelle Johnson and Jeff Woody.
With Robinson gimpy, Iowa State’s offense failed to convert a single third down against Utah. It was a disappointing performance, especially compared to the Cyclones’ 52-point outburst in a win over Texas Tech on Oct. 2.
Cyclone quarterback Austen Arnaud’s struggles continued. He completed 13 of 31 passes with two interceptions against Utah. He has thrown eight touchdowns with seven interceptions this season.
Oklahoma has seven interceptions and leads the nation in turnover margin.
The Cyclones’ defense surrendered 31 points in the second quarter to Utah and is allowing more than 200 yards rushing per game.
Oklahoma will attack the suspect Iowa State defense with a trio of stars in quarterback Landry Jones, running back DeMarco Murray and wide receiver Ryan Broyles. Jones has thrown 11 touchdowns with three interceptions. Murray is averaging 110 rushing yards and two touchdowns per game and Broyles and is second in the nation with 9.2 receptions per game.
The Sooners are getting healthier at the right time, too. They expect running back Roy Finch and linebacker Austin Box to make their season debuts against Iowa State.
It’s a tough matchup for the Cyclones, who are 3-34-1 in Norman. Oklahoma is 69-2 at home under Stoops.
The teams last met in 2007, with Oklahoma struggling to put the Cyclones away in a 17-7 home win. The Sooners will need a much more impressive performance Saturday if they are to convince their critics that they are legitimate national title contenders.