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University of Oklahoma Athletics
Game Primer: OU at Oklahoma State
November 03, 2017 | Football
5 Oklahoma
11?Oklahoma State
?November 4 / 3 p.m. CT / Boone Pickens Stadium / Stillwater, Okla.?
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Game NotesOPENING KICK
? No. 5/8/9 Oklahoma (7-1, 4-1 Big 12) goes for its 15th consecutive true road win when it plays at No. 11/11/10 Oklahoma State (7-1, 4-1) on Saturday at 3 p.m. CT inside Boone Pickens Stadium (capacity 60,218). The game will be televised nationally by FS1 with Gus Johnson, Joel
? ESPN College GameDay will air from Stillwater on Saturday, marking the 32nd time the show will have been on hand for a game involving Oklahoma. Only Ohio State (41 times), Alabama (39), Florida (37) and Florida State (33) have been featured more often than OU. The Sooners are 22-9 in such games, including 11-2 in true road game matchups (last was a 31-16 win at Ohio State in September).
? Saturday will mark OU's 112th all-time meeting against OSU, tying the 112 games against Texas for the Sooners' most versus any program.
? The Sooners are 14-1 against OSU when both teams are ranked in the AP poll. OU is 12-0 in those cases when it is the higher-ranked team.
? Oklahoma's 86 wins against Oklahoma State are
? OU has won 20 of its last 21 Big 12 games dating back to the 2015 season. Its only loss came at the hands of Iowa State (ranked No. 14 this week) on Oct. 7.
? This marks just the second time since the start of the 2005 season that the Bedlam game is not the final regular season contest for the programs (2012 was the
? The last time Bedlam happened this early on the calendar was in 2004 (Oct. 30).
? Oklahoma has won its last two games in Stillwater by a combined margin of 91-47. It has outrushed OSU 509-332 (255-166 average) in those contests.
KEY STORYLINES
? Oklahoma has dominated the Bedlam Series, owning an 86-18-7 (.806) all-time record against Oklahoma State (OU's most wins against any opponent; next most is 73) and is 39-7-5 (.814) in Stillwater. The Sooners have won six of their last seven at Boone Pickens Stadium, including a 58-23 game against the No. 11 Cowboys two years ago to claim the Big 12 title. OU is 10-2 against OSU with Mike Gundy as the Cowboys' head coach.
? This week's game will arguably feature the nation's top two offenses. OU leads the country in total offense (586.1 yards per game), yards per play (8.3) and
? Saturday will mark just the fifth time (third straight year) that OU and OSU will meet with both teams ranked in the top 11 of the AP poll, with the Sooners winning each of the first four matchups. No. 7 Oklahoma beat No. 11 Oklahoma State 38-20 last year in Norman to win the Big 12 championship, No. 5 OU beat No. 9 OSU 58-23 in 2015 in Stillwater for another Big 12 title, No. 3 OU beat No. 11 OSU 61-41 in 2008 in Stillwater and No. 2 OU won 24-14 over No. 3 OSU in 1984 in Norman. The Sooners are 14-1 (.933) all-time against the Cowboys when both teams are ranked in the AP poll (8-1 since 2000).
? After finishing fourth in Heisman Trophy voting in 2015 and third in 2016, Baker Mayfield is off to his best career start in 2017. In seven-and-a-half games (he did not play after halftime against UTEP), Mayfield is 171-for-236 (72.5 percent) through the air with 23 touchdowns and three interceptions. He is averaging 328.5 passing yards per game. Mayfield leads Power 5 QBs with his 195.6 pass efficiency rating (next best among Power 5 QBs is 176.2) after last year setting the FBS single-season record with a 196.4 mark, in pass completion percentage (72.5) and yards per pass attempt (11.1).
? Oklahoma's 14-game true road winning streak is the longest active streak in the country and is tied for the second longest in school history (also 14 from 1973 to 1976). The program's only longer streak was 24 games (1953 to 1958). Alabama (13) and Wisconsin (six) are the only other programs that own an active streak longer than five games. The Sooners' last true road loss came more than three full years ago (37-33 at TCU on Oct. 4, 2014). During the 14-game streak, the Sooners have outscored opponents 681-381 (49-27 average) and have outgained them 8,013 yards to 5,795 (572-414 average). Six of the 14 wins have come against top-25 teams.
? Mayfield is 12-0 in true road games as a Sooner, throwing 40 TDs against six interceptions. He is 10-0 in Big 12 road games, with 34 TD passes and just four interceptions (8.5-to-1 ratio).
SCOUTING OKLAHOMA STATE
? No. 11/10 Oklahoma State is 7-1 overall and in a four-way tie for first in the Big 12 (with Oklahoma, Iowa
? OSU is coming off a 50-39 win at West Virginia, as quarterback Mason Rudolph threw for 216 yards and three touchdowns, giving him a school-record 77 for his career (Brandon Weeden held the record with 75). Freshman running back J.D. King ran for a career-high 142 yards on 36 carries (3.9 average). He rushed for a TD and caught another.
? The Cowboys rank third nationally out of 129 teams in total offense (569.3
? Rudolph leads the Big 12 in total offense, averaging 366.0 yards per game (358.2 passing). Wide receiver James Washington leads the league with 125.6 receiving yards per contest and has hauled in a team-high eight TD catches. OSU's run game is also a strength, as it ranks third in the Big 12 with its 198.6 yards per game. Sophomore Justice Hill averages a league-high 104.5 rushing yards per outing. He and Rudolph have each registered seven rushing TDs.
? On the other side of the ball, the Cowboys rank 25th nationally in rushing defense (125.4
LAST YEAR VS. THE COWBOYS
? No. 9 Oklahoma registered 629 yards of offense (352 after half) in posting its second straight Big 12 championship and 10th in the last 17 seasons by beating No. 10 Oklahoma State 38-20 in Bob Stoops' final game in Norman. OU, which outgained the Cowboys by a 301-31 margin on the ground in the second half, became the first team to go 9-0 in the Big 12 regular season.
? Baker Mayfield completed 13-of-19 pass attempts for 288 yards and three TDs with no turnovers. He averaged 22.2 yards per completion and 15.2 yards per attempt despite several dropped passes. It marked the ninth time in nine Big 12 games that he accounted for at least three TDs.
? Running backs Samaje Perine (season-high 239) and Joe Mixon (99) combined for 338 of OU's season-high 341 rushing yards. Perine scored on a 1-yard run and Mixon on a career-long 79-yarder. Perine also registered a 66-yard non-scoring run and was named Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week.
? Wide receiver Dede Westbrook finished with four catches for 111 yards and one TD (a 69-yarder) before being knocked out of the game with 6:58 left in the second quarter due to an injury.
? The OU defense held OSU 20 points below its average entering the day (ranked 14th nationally at 40.4 ppg) and to 97 yards below its season average (ranked 16th nationally at 500.2
MAYFIELD UP FOR THE CHALLENGE
? Playing away from home has not been an issue for Baker Mayfield, especially the last two seasons. In OU's 11 games away from Norman since the start of the 2016 season (seven true road contests, four at neutral sites), Mayfield has completed 238-of-329 passes (72.3 percent) for 3,706 yards (336.9 per game) and 32 touchdowns against just six interceptions (5.3-to-1 ratio) for a pass efficiency rating of 195.4. He has averaged 15.6 yards per completion and 11.3 yards per attempt. Mayfield has also rushed for six scores in those outings, helping OU to a 10-1 record (lone loss was to Houston in the 2016 opener at NRG Stadium in Houston).
? Mayfield is 12-0 in true road games as a Sooner, completing 263-of-367 passes (71.7 percent) for 3,697 yards (308.1 per game) and 40 touchdowns against just six interceptions (6.7-to-1 ratio) for a pass efficiency rating of 189.0. He has averaged 14.1 yards per completion and 10.1 yards per attempt. Mayfield has also rushed for nine scores in those outings.
? Even better, Mayfield is 10-0 in Big 12 road games at OU. He's completed 217-of-293 passes (74.1 percent) for 3,124 yards (312.4 per game) and 34 touchdowns against just four interceptions (8.5-to-1 ratio) for a pass efficiency rating of 199.2. He has averaged 14.4 yards per completion and 10.7 yards per attempt. Mayfield has also rushed for eight scores and is averaging 4.3 yards per
MORE MAYFIELD
? Baker Mayfield has thrown a TD pass in a school-record 34 consecutive games (every contest of his OU career). Only Texas Tech's Graham Harrell (36; 2006-08) had a longer streak in Big 12 history and only five have longer streaks in FBS annals (see charts on page 4). Mayfield has thrown at least two TD passes in a Big 12-record 21 straight contests (63 TDs to 11 interceptions during the stretch). OU's Sam Bradford held the previous league record for consecutive games with multiple TD passes (17 in the 2007 and 2008 seasons).
? Mayfield threw 21 TD passes between interceptions (from the third-to-last game last year and this year's Texas contest on Oct. 14). His school-record streak of attempts without an interception reached 200 (Jason White held the previous OU standard of 198 straight passes, all in 2004).
? If Mayfield finishes in the top four of Heisman Trophy voting this year, he'll become the fifth player and first since Georgia's Herschel Walker (1980-82) to accomplish the feat three times. The other three to do it were Glenn Davis (Army; 1944-46), Doc Blanchard (also Army; 1944-46) and Doak Walker (SMU; 1947-49). Mayfield finished fourth in 2015 and third last year.
? Mayfield completed his first 16 pass attempts against UTEP (school record to start a game) in the season opener and his final 14 pass attempts at Ohio State.
OFFENSE ROLLING DESPITE LOSS OF KEY WEAPONS
? Despite losing three highly accomplished offensive skill players to the NFL Draft in the spring, Oklahoma leads the nation in yards per game (586.1) and yards per play this year (8.3). The departed trio of Biletnikoff Award winner Dede Westbrook (1,524 receiving yards, 18 total TDs last year), Samaje Perine (OU's all-time rushing leader; 1,060 rushing yards, 12 rushing TDs last year) and Joe Mixon (single-season OU record of 2,331 all-purpose yards, 16 TDs last year) accounted for 5,447 all-purpose yards and 47 touchdowns last season.
? Last year the Sooners averaged 7.5 yards per play, the second-highest figure in school history (the 1971 team averaged 7.6), but this year's squad is averaging 0.8 more yards per play. OU's 586.1 yards per game this year are 31.3 more per contest than last season (554.8).
? OU has registered more than 500 yards in seven of its eight games this year (490 at Ohio State in the
GETTING DEFENSIVE
? The Oklahoma defense is coming off a contest against Texas Tech in which it gave up just seven points and 226 yards (4.6 per play) over the final three quarters. The Red Raiders managed just one score on its final nine possessions (six punts, one interception, one turnover on downs).
? Senior defensive end/linebacker Ogbonnia Okoronkwo leads the Big 12 and is tied for 11th nationally with 7.0 sacks (0.9 per game), paces the Big 12 and is tied for sixth nationally with three forced fumbles, and ranks second in the league with 13.0 tackles for loss (1.6 per game). He has 20.0 career sacks to rank second at OU among linebackers and tied for 10th with Darrell Reed among all players.
? Okoronkwo recorded at least half of a sack in each of OU's first six games and at least one full sack in five of those contests. He has at least 1.0 tackle for loss in every outing.
? Senior defensive end D.J. Ward is tied for seventh in the Big 12 with his 3.5 sacks while redshirt sophomore defensive lineman Kenneth Mann is tied for 11th with 3.0 sacks. Parnell Motley is tied for seventh in the league with two interceptions (returned one 77 yards for a TD against Tulane).
IMPACT FRESHMEN
? Three of Oklahoma's top playmakers on either side of the ball are true freshmen. Running back Trey Sermon ranks second on the team by averaging 60.9 rushing yards per contest and by amassing five total touchdowns (three rushing, two receiving).
? Wide receiver CeeDee Lamb, who last year as a high school senior registered 2,032 receiving yards and 33 touchdowns, leads the Sooners with six receiving scores. He ranks second with 30 catches and third with 67.5 receiving yards per game despite missing the final
? Kenneth Murray has started every game at middle linebacker and ranks third on the team with 43 tackles (5.4 per contest). He became OU's first true freshman in 42 years to start a season opener at inside linebacker (Daryl Hunt was the last to do it in 1975).
EXTRA POINTS
? With a win Saturday, Lincoln Riley would become the fourth Oklahoma head coach (out of 22) to win at least eight games in his debut season, joining Jim Tatum (8 in 1946), Barry Switzer (10 in 1973) and Chuck Fairbanks (10 in 1967).
? The Sooners have won 20 of their last 21 Big 12 Conference games. Six of those 19 victories have been by a touchdown or less, three by 8-14 points, three by 15-21 points and the other eight by at least 22 points (six by at least 35 points).
? Oklahoma has scored at least 30 points in 17 of its last 18 games (its school-record streak of 15 games was halted three weeks ago in a 29-24 win over Texas).
? The Sooners have scored a touchdown on their opening possession in all five Big 12 contests.
? OU ranks first nationally by averaging 8.33 yards per play while giving up 5.63 yards per snap. That means it is averaging 2.70 more yards per play than its opponents, good for the nation's fourth-best differential. Alabama (+3.08) ranks first and is followed by Ohio State (+2.85), Georgia (+2.78), OU and UCF (+2.62).
? By comparison, OU has completed at least 60 percent of its passes in each of its last 18 games, and at least 70 percent in 10 of those contests.
? Junior Austin Seibert ranks sixth nationally by registering touchbacks on 78.3 percent of his kickoffs (47 of 60). He is 7-for-9 on field goal attempts on the season (5-for-5 the last three games) and has made all 44 point-after attempts.
? OU is 11-3 all-time against the AP's No. 11 team. It has won five straight matchups and nine of the last 10.
? Junior Mark Andrews ranks third among the nation's tight ends with his 16.6 yards per catch this season. He has registered team highs of 36 catches and 599 yards and has scored four touchdowns.
? Senior fullback Dimitri Flowers has scored a team-high seven touchdowns on his 30 touches this season (one every 4.3 touches). He is one of just four players nationally with at least four rushing TDs and at least three receiving TDs this season, joining Penn State's Saquon Barkley, N.C. State's Jaylen Samuels and Iowa's Akrum Wadley.
? Since the start of the 2015 season, OU ranks first nationally in passing efficiency rating (184.6; next closest is 166.7 and next closet Power 5 is 160.4), completion percentage (69.6) and points per game (43.5) and is second in total offense (552.8), seventh in passing offense (326.4; sixth in Power 5) and 19th in rushing offense (226.4; ninth in Power 5).
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