Game Primer: OU at OSU

Saturday, November 30

Stillwater, OK

7 PM

University of Oklahoma

Oklahoma State

November 29, 2019 | Football

Scene Setter Gameday Central This. Is. Bedlam.Final Word Bedlam Classics

⁷Oklahoma

²¹Oklahoma State

Saturday, Nov. 30 / 7 p.m. CT / Boone Pickens Stadium

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OPENING KICK

• No. 7/7/7 Oklahoma (10-1, 7-1) looks to complete its third straight one-loss regular season when it plays at No. 21/21/21 Oklahoma State (8-3, 5-3) on Saturday at 7 p.m. CT. The contest will be televised nationally by FOX with Joe Davis, Brock Huard and Bruce Feldman announcing.

• Saturday will mark OU's 114th all-time meeting against OSU, tying the 114 games against Texas for the Sooners' most versus any program.

• Oklahoma has dominated the Bedlam Series, owning an 88-18-7 (.808) all-time record against Oklahoma State, and is 40-7-5 (.817) in the series in Stillwater. OU has won 14 of the last 16 meetings and is 12-2 against OSU with Mike Gundy as the Cowboys' head coach.

• OU's 88 wins against Oklahoma State are its most against one opponent and the second most in FBS history against one program (Nebraska has 91 wins vs. Kansas).

• The Sooners' 40 wins in Stillwater are their most on the road versus an opponent. They have won seven of their last eight at Boone Pickens Stadium and since 1936 are 34-4-2 (.875) in Stillwater.

• This marks the 12th time in the last 15 years for OU and OSU to meet in the final game of the regular season.

• OU leads the Big 12 in total offense (574.7 ypg) and total defense (336.2 ypg). The Sooners have never accomplished that feat in a full season.

• Oklahoma has won 20 straight November games (last loss on Nov. 8, 2014, vs. Baylor) and 23 of its last 24. Since the start of the 2000 season, it is 64-11 (.853) in the month.

• The Sooners are 15-1 against OSU when both teams are ranked in the AP poll. OU is 13-0 in those cases when it is the higher-ranked team.

• Oklahoma is 21-1 in true road games since Lincoln Riley arrived in Norman in 2015. With Riley as their head coach, the Sooners are 12-1 in true road games (only blemish was a 48-41 loss at Kansas State on Oct. 26).

• OU has won at least 10 games 40 times in its history, most of any program. It has double-digit wins in each of the last five seasons, nine of the last 10 and in 17 of the last 20. Its 25 seasons of at least 11 victories are also the most nationally.

• Riley owns the OU records for wins by a head coach in a debut season (12), first two seasons (24) and first three seasons (34).

• Entering the Nov. 26 Baylor game, OU ranked 118th by averaging just 63.2 plays per game. Over the last two contests, it is averaging a national-high 90.0 plays (95 at Baylor [most since 2015] and 85 vs. TCU).

KEY STORYLINES

• Saturday's game will feature three of the Big 12's premier offensive players in Oklahoma quarterback Jalen Hurts and wide receiver CeeDee Lamb and Oklahoma State running back Chuba Hubbard. Hurts leads the conference in total offense (394.5 ypg; next most is 349.4) and pass efficiency rating (203.1; next highest is 156.2; FBS record is 199.4), and ranks second in passing yards (289.5) and rushing yards (105.1; second most nationally among QBs) per game. Lamb leads the league with his 99.9 receiving yards per game, 21.7 yards per catch (ranks third nationally) and 14 receiving touchdowns (also third nationally). Hubbard paces the nation in all-purpose yards (185.8 per game) and rushing yards (166.6 per game) while ranking second with 20 rushing TDs.

• During its four-game winning streak against Oklahoma State (all since Lincoln Riley's arrival at OU), the Sooners are averaging 51.5 points. They have scored at least 33 points against the Cowboys in each of the last seven meetings, averaging 46.4 points during the stretch.

• Over the last game and a half, Oklahoma has held Baylor and TCU to a combined 273 yards (45.5 per quarter) while gaining 879 yards itself. During that same span, the Sooners have held a 143-61 advantage in plays, a 52-15 advantage in first downs and a 63:51- 26:09 advantage in time of possession.

• Five of OU's last six games (each of the last four) have been decided by seven points or less, and it is 4-1 in those contests.

• In a stat that speaks to their success on both sides of the ball, the Sooners have run just 54 more plays than their opponents this season (5 more per game) but have outgained them by a staggering 2,624 yards (239 more per game), or 1.49 miles. OU leads the nation in total offense (574.7 ypg) despite ranking 78th in plays per game (just 68.1).

• The Sooners are averaging a national-best 8.44 yards per play, which is just below their own FBS single-season record of 8.60 yards per play set last season.

• Junior receiver CeeDee Lamb has gained at least 135 receiving yards five times this season (135, 144, 167, 171 and 185), including in four of his last six games. Over his last five contests (he missed the Nov. 16 Baylor game due to a medical issue) he is averaging 112.0 receiving yards and has scored seven touchdowns. On the season, Lamb ranks third nationally in TD receptions (14; the OU single-season record is 17) and yards per catch (21.7) and 13th in receiving yards per game (99.9). Making his TD and yards-per-game numbers even more impressive is the fact that he ranks 85th nationally with just 4.6 catches per game.

• Lou Groza Award semifinalist Gabe Brkich is one of three placekickers nationally who have made all of their field goal attempts this season and is one of just two who have made all of their field goal AND extra point tries (the other is Wake Forest's Nick Sciba). The redshirt freshman, who didn't take over OU's placekicking duties until the season's fourth game (vs. Texas Tech), is 12 for 12 on field goals and 41 for 41 on PATs. His streak of 12 made field goals is the longest in school history at the start of a career and the longest ever by an OU freshman.

Lead, Redmond

ROAD WARRIORS

• Oklahoma has won 23 of its last 24 true road games, with the only loss during that stretch coming at Kansas State on Oct. 26. OU had a 22-game true road winning streak (it hadn't lost since Oct 4, 2014) come to an end Oct. 26 at Kansas State (48-41). It was the second longest such streak nationally since at least the end of World War II (the Sooners also won 25 straight from 1953 to 58).

• During the 22-game streak, OU outscored opponents 1,076-626 (49-28 average) and outgained them 12,829 yards to 9,208 (583-419 average).

• Oklahoma has outgained its opponent in 22 of its last 24 true road games.

• OU has scored at least 31 points in each of its last 29 true road games and at least 41 points in 21 of them.

LAST YEAR VS. OKLAHOMA STATE

• In a back-and-forth game that featured 1,342 yards of offense, Oklahoma posted a 48-47 home win over Oklahoma State on Nov. 10, 2018. OU tied a season-high with 702 yards (353 rushing and 349 passing) and recorded its 14th Bedlam win in the last 16 meetings.

• Running back Trey Sermon scored a touchdown on a 1-yard run with 3:29 remaining to put OU up 48-41, only to see the Cowboys counter with a TD on 4th-and-12 with 1:03 to go. OSU went for the win, but an incomplete pass on the two-point conversion attempt resulted in a one-point lead for the Sooners, and ultimately the victory.

• Sermon (124) and Kennedy Brooks (165) both cracked the century mark in rushing yards. Brooks scored three touchdowns and averaged 11.0 yards per carry, while Sermon ran for two TDs and averaged 7.8 yards per rush.

• Quarterback Kyler Murray was 21 for 29 through the air for 349 yards and a touchdown pass while running for 66 yards. The game marked his first of the season in which he didn't throw for multiple TDs.

• Marquise Brown, who scored his first touchdown since the Texas game, finished with eight receptions for 142 yards. His score came on a 51-yard pass from Murray late in the second quarter. In two career games against OSU, Brown finised with 407 receiving yards and three touchdowns on 17 receptions (23.9 yards per catch). All three TDs were longer than 50 yards.

• Kenneth Murray finished with a team-high 11 tackles. With the game tied at 41 and with OSU reaching the OU 36-yard line, Murray recovered a fumble that led to Sermon's game-winning touchdown six plays later. It was the game's only turnover.

• Kicker Austin Seibert made both of his field goal attempts (21 and 36 yards) and all six of his extra points to become OU's and the Big 12's all-time leading scorer.

Lead, Murray OSU 18

DEFENSE ON THE RISE

• Hired in January, coordinator and safeties coach Alex Grinch, who is a 2019 Broyles Award semifinalist, has overseen major improvement on the defensive side of the ball through 11 games this season.

• Oklahoma ranks 13th nationally in opponent third-down conversion percentage (30.2; last year ranked 119th at 46.4), 21st in tackles for loss per game (7.2; last year ranked 57th at 5.6), 26th in passing defense (194.9 ypg; last year ranked 130th at 294.0), 31st in total defense (336.2 ypg; last year ranked 114th at 453.8); 36th in sacks per game (2.6; last year ranked 49th at 2.1), 45th in rushing defense (141.3 ypg; last year ranked 59th at 159.8) and 54th in scoring defense (25.5 ppg; last year ranked 101st at 33.3).

• In Big 12 play, OU leads the league in total defense (330.0 ypg) and passing defense (188.4 ypg), and ranks second in pass defense efficiency (126.9 rating) and third in rushing defense (141.6 ypg) and sacks (2.4 per game).

• OU has forced a punt on its opponent's first possession in all 11 games this season.

• Oklahoma has allowed more than 6.0 yards per play once in its 11 games this season (6.9 by Iowa State). In the 41 games from 2016-18, OU allowed at least 6.0 yards per play 20 times.

• Seven of OU's top nine tacklers this season are freshmen or sophomores. Four sophomore defenders (S Pat Fields, DL Ronnie Perkins, S Delarrin Turner-Yell and LB DaShaun White) have started every game, and another (DB Brendan Radley-Hiles) has started 10.

"AIR RAID" A MISNOMER

• Fans and media have often referred to Oklahoma's offense under Lincoln Riley as the "Air Raid." The label is not exactly accurate, however, as the Sooners have rushed more than they've thrown in each of the five years since Riley arrived in Norman, and that's counting plays in which the quarterback was sacked as pass plays (officially they are recorded as rushes). OU's rushing play percentage was 52.6 in 2015, 57.7 in 2016, 53.1 in 2017 and 54.7 in 2018. Through 11 games this season, 57.1% of the Sooners' plays have been rushes.

CONTROL FREAKS

• The Sooners ran 95 plays at Baylor and 85 plays vs. TCU the last two games. Prior to the Baylor contest, Oklahoma had not run 80 or more plays in a game since the 2018 Rose Bowl (double overtime) vs. Georgia (81 plays), and had not done so in a regulation game since 2017 vs. Texas Tech (81). The last time OU ran at least 180 plays over two games was in 2015 (87 plays at Baylor and 95 plays vs. TCU).

• Two of OU's three highest total possession times since 2015 have come in the last two weeks (41:11 at Baylor and 39:31 vs. TCU). The other was in 2016 at West Virginia (39:54).

• OU's average possession time of 40:51 is the highest nationally over the last two weeks. The next highest (among teams playing both weeks) is 37:50 by Navy. The Sooners have run the ball 116 times in their 180 plays the last two games (64.4% of the time).

HURTS: SO GOOD

• Owner of a 36-3 career record as a starter, Jalen Hurts is one of three finalists for the Maxwell Award (collegiate player of the year) and Davey O'Brien Quarterback of the Year Award.

• Hurts has completed 181 of 248 passes (71.4%) for 3,184 yards (289.5 per game) and 30 touchdowns with six interceptions. He has also rushed 180 times for a team-high 1,156 yards (105.1 per game) and 17 TDs. Hurts leads the nation in yards per pass attempt (11.8; FBS record is 11.6), yards per completion (16.6) and points responsible for per game (25.8), and is second in total offense (394.5 yards per game), third in passing efficiency rating (203.1; FBS record is 199.4) and sixth in completion percentage, rushing TDs and passing TDs.

• Hurts is averaging 394.5 yards of total offense per game. That's more yards than 44% of the other FBS teams (57 of 129) and more yards than 42% of other Power Five teams (27 of 64).

• Hurts is only the third FBS player to register at least 3,000 passing yards and 1,000 rushing yards by the 11th game of a season. The feat was also accomplished by Louisville's Lamar Jackson in 2016 and '17 and Texas A&M's Johnny Manziel in 2012 (Jackson [2016] and Manziel won the Heisman Trophy).

• Hurts already ranks second in OU single-season history in quarterback rushing yards. He needs 133 rushing yards to tie Jack Mildren's record of 1,289 in 1971. Hurts also needs three rushing TDs to tie Mildren's single-season record of 20 by a QB (also in 1971).

• Hurts has posted five passing efficiency ratings over 245.0 this season. Since at least 1996, the most efficiency ratings over 245.0 recorded by an FBS player in a season (minimum 15 attempts) had been three (Mayfield in 2017).

• Hurts is the only player nationally this season with five games of two-plus rushing touchdowns and two-plus passing TDs (Louisiana-Monroe's Caleb Evans [three] is the only other player with more than two).

Lead, Hurts Hayes

NO LITTLE LAMB

• Consensus first-team midseason All-American and Biletnikoff Award Finalist CeeDee Lamb is continuing his rapid ascent on OU's charts this season. The junior wide receiver from Richmond, Texas, who was also a Maxwell Award semifinalist, ranks second in career receiving touchdowns (32), fourth in receiving yards (2,964) and is tied for ninth in receptions (157) despite playing in just his third season.

• In 10 games this year (he missed the Nov. 16 contest at Baylor due to medical reasons), Lamb has posted team highs of 46 catches, 999 receiving yards and 14 receiving touchdowns. He ranks third nationally in receiving TDs and yards per reception (22.3) and 13th in receiving yards per game (99.9).

• Lamb caught at least one touchdown pass in each of OU's first six games this season, running his streak going back to last year to eight contests. He has caught at least one touchdown pass in nine of his 10 games this season and has 11 TD receptions over his last seven outings. He was named Walter Camp National Offensive Player of the Week and Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week after catching a career-high 10 passes for 171 yards and three touchdowns vs. Texas on Oct. 12.

• Lamb is tied for third among active FBS players (and No. 1 among non-seniors) in career receiving TDs (32). The non-senior with the next-highest total is Alabama junior Jerry Jeudy (25). Lamb ranks seventh among active FBS players with 2,964 career receiving yards, and again is No. 1 among non-seniors.

• Also a 2019 preseason AP second-team All-American as an all-purpose player, Lamb ranked eighth nationally in 2018 with his 8.2 yards per punt return. He ranks 29th this season by averaging 8.1 yards on 22 returns.

MURRAY MEETING EXPECTATIONS

• Junior linebacker Kenneth Murray, who ranked second in the Big 12 and 13th nationally last season with his 155 total tackles (most by a Sooner since Curtis Lofton had 157 in 2007), was named 2019 Preseason Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year by media who cover the league. He's lived up to that billing and was named a semifinalist for the Butkus, Bednarik and Lott IMPACT Trophy awards, as well as an ESPN midseason All-American. He has registered team highs of 79 tackles and 12.0 tackles for loss, including 3.0 sacks, three pass breakups and four QB hurries. He was named the Lott IMPACT Player of the Week after wins over Houston (Sept. 1) and at Baylor (Nov. 16).

• Murray registered nine games of double-digit tackles last season as a second-team All-Big 12 performer, including three contests of at least 15 stops (28 vs. Army [most by an FBS player since at least 2000], 17 vs. Baylor and 15 vs. Alabama in CFP Semifinal at the Orange Bowl).

• Murray, who has started all 39 games since the start of 2017, has 32 career tackles for loss and 8.5 sacks. His fumble recovery against Oklahoma State last season with the game tied at 41 helped OU post a 48-47 win.

OFFENSE HAS ROLLED UNDER RILEY

• Oklahoma owns the nation's most productive offense since the start of the 2015 season, which was Lincoln Riley's first year as OU's offensive coordinator. Riley still calls plays as head coach.

• Since the start of the 2015 season, OU ranks first nationally in points per game (45.3; next most is 41.9), total offense (561.9; next most is 517.1), touchdowns from scrimmage (371; next most is 352), pass efficiency rating (190.6; next best is 167.7), yards per pass attempt (10.8) and completion percentage (69.5), third in passing offense (326.3) and eighth in rushing offense (235.6).

• In 65 games since the start of the 2015 season, OU has registered at least 500 yards of total offense 49 times, including in 39 of the last 48 outings, topped the 600-yard mark on 24 occasions and gone over 700 yards seven times. Similarly, OU has scored at least 30 points in 58 of 65 games since Riley's arrival, at least 40 points 44 times, at least 50 points 25 times and at least 60 points eight times.

GOING FOR BIG 12 FIVE-PEAT

• If Oklahoma beats Baylor in next week's Big 12 Championship, it will mark the program's fifth straight league crown. The last time the Sooners won at least five consecutive conference championships was 1972-80 under head coaches Chuck Fairbanks (1972) and Barry Switzer.

• OU is the only program to win three straight Big 12 titles, and it has done so twice (also from 2006-08). Baylor (2013-14) is the only other program to win two Big 12 championships in a row.

• OU's current streak of four straight outright league championships is the longest among Power Five programs since Alabama won five in a row from 1971 to '75 (Clemson is also riding a four-game outright streak [ACC]).

BIG 12'S BELL COW

• Since the first year of the Big 12 in 1996, OU has claimed 12 league titles and is followed by Texas (three), Baylor, Kansas State and Nebraska (two each), and Colorado, Oklahoma State, TCU and Texas A&M (one each). All 12 of the Sooners' titles have come since the start of the 2000 campaign, with no other program during that span winning more than two. OU is 139-29 (.827) in regular season Big 12 play since the start of the 2000 season. That's 25 more wins than the program with the next most victories during that period (Texas; 114-54) and 45 more than the program with the third most (Oklahoma State; 94-74).

Lead, Riley

EXTRA POINTS

• The Sooners are 25-3 overall and 10-0 in true road games as the No. 7 team in the AP poll. Against ranked opponents, OU is 7-2 (2-0 on the road) as the AP's No. 7 squad.

• OU has been ranked in the AP's top 10 in 50 of the last 52 polls. The only times it wasn't during that stretch was following its 2017 loss to Iowa State (fell from third to 12th) and following its 2018 loss to Texas (seventh to 11th).

• The Sooners have won 50 straight games when leading after the third quarter. The last such loss came on Dec. 6, 2014, when they led Oklahoma State 28-14 entering the fourth quarter but lost 38-35 in overtime.

• In Big 12 play, three Sooners rank in the top four in points per game. Quarterback Jalen Hurts is second at 9.8, receiver CeeDee Lamb is third at 9.7 and kicker Gabe Brkic is fourth at 9.6.

• Oklahoma has outscored its opponents 131-35 in the first quarter this season (average of 12-3).

• In 65 games since Lincoln Riley arrived in Norman in 2015, OU has punted more than its opponent just five times. The last time it happened was 26 games ago (vs. Georgia in the 2018 Rose Bowl).

• Seventeen true freshmen and 12 redshirt freshmen have played for Oklahoma this season.