Completed Event: Football at Temple on September 13, 2025 , Win , 42, to, 3
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University of Oklahoma Athletics
Game Primer: OU at Iowa State
October 02, 2020 | Football
18/16 Oklahoma
Iowa State
Saturday, Oct. 3/ 6:30 p.m. CT / Ames, Iowa
Opening Kick
• No. 18/16 Oklahoma (1-1, 0-1) plays its first road game of the season when it travels to Ames, Iowa, to face Iowa State (1-1, 1-0) on Saturday at 6:30 p.m. CT at Jack Trice Stadium. The game will be televised by ABC with Sean McDonough, Todd Blackledge, Todd McShay and Molly McGrath announcing.
• Oklahoma owns a 76-6-2 (.917) all-time record against Iowa State and is 37-2-1 (.938) vs. the Cyclones in Ames (losses came in 1960 and 1928). In the Big 12 era, the Sooners hold a 15-1 series advantage (7-0 in Ames).
• Since the start of the 1999 season (which was Bob Stoops' first as OU head coach), the Sooners are 14-1 against Iowa State, with 13 of the 14 wins coming by double digits (the Sooners won 42-41 last year). In OU's seven road games against ISU during that period (all wins), it has outscored the Cyclones 266-109 (average of 38-16).
• The Sooners' .917 series winning percentage against Iowa State is the best by one FBS program against another (minimum of 50 games played).
• Oklahoma is 22-1 in true road games since Lincoln Riley arrived in Norman in 2015. With Riley as their head coach (he took over for Bob Stoops in June 2017), the Sooners are 13-1 in true road games (only blemish was a 48-41 loss at Kansas State on Oct. 26, 2019).
• Oklahoma is 41-5 (.891) in regular season Big 12 play since the start of the 2015 season, which coincides with Riley's arrival at OU as offensive coordinator. Oklahoma State ranks second during that period (29-17; .630) while TCU, Texas and West Virginia rank third (25-21; .543).
• OU is the only program to win at least three straight Big 12 titles, and has done so twice (2006-08 and 2015-19). Its current streak of five 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 five-game outright streak [ACC]). The last time the Sooners won at least six consecutive conference championships was 1972-80 under head coaches Chuck Fairbanks (1972) and Barry Switzer. The last current Power Five program to win six straight outright conference titles is Oklahoma (12 in a row from 1948 to '59).
• Oklahoma's No. 18 AP poll ranking this week snaps a streak of 29 polls in which it appeared in the top 10. This week also marks just the third time in the last 59 AP polls that OU hasn't been ranked in the top 10. The Sooners have not been ranked as low as No. 18 since Oct. 10, 2016, when they were 19th.
Key Storylines
• Oklahoma has not lost back-to-back regular season games since Oct. 2 and 9, 1999, which was Bob Stoops' first season as head coach. That's good for the nation's longest active stretch (Alabama hasn't lost consecutive regular season games since 2007). The Sooners have won 40 straight regular season contests following a regular season loss.
• Iowa State's only two wins against the Sooners since 1961 came in 1990 (33-31) and in 2017 (38-31), both in Norman. OU has won 24 straight games in Ames and hasn't lost there since a 10-6 defeat Nov. 5, 1960 (three days before John F. Kennedy won the presidential election). ISU's six overall wins in the series have come by 1, 2, 4, 6, 7 and 13 points. Its 13-point victory came in the first meeting in 1928 in Ames.
• OU defensive coordinator Alex Grinch and Iowa State head coach Matt Campbell were teammates at the University of Mount Union in Alliance, Ohio, from 1999 through 2001 and won NCAA Division III titles in 2000 and 2001 (Grinch also won one in 1998 and Campbell won another in 2002). Grinch was a safety under head coach Larry Kehres while Campbell was a defensive lineman.
• OU redshirt freshman quarterback Spencer Rattler has thrown eight touchdown passes this season, one shy of the school record by players in their first two starts (redshirt freshman Landry Jones had nine in 2009). Rattler is tied for second nationally in TD passes and ranks fifth in completion percentage (.759) and passing efficiency rating (209.1). Among QBs that have played at least two games, he ranks fourth in passing yards per contest (338.5).
• Sooners freshman Marvin Mims has a team-high three touchdown catches through OU's first two games. He's the program's first player since redshirt freshman receiver Ryan Broyles in 2008 to register three TD receptions in his first two career games (Broyles is OU's career records holder for receptions, receiving yards and receiving TDs). Mims, who attended Lone Star High School in Frisco, Texas, is the state's high school record holder for receiving yards in a career (5,485) and in a season (2,629 on 117 receptions and 32 touchdowns last year). He has eight catches fora team-high 111 yards this season.
• Oklahoma ranks first nationally in opponent third-down conversion percentage, holding Missouri State and Kansas State to a combined 2-for-22 (9.1%) mark. Out of 72 FBS teams that have played at least one game this season, Iowa State ranks 54th with its 37.0% conversion rate on offense (10 for 27). OU also ranks eighth in the country in total defense, allowing 267.5 yards per contest and fourth in rushing defense at just 60.0 yards per game. Iowa State running back Breece Hall leads the Big 12 with his 128.5 rushing yards per outing and is coming off an 18-carry, 154-yard rushing performance (7.6 average) at TCU in which he scored three TDs.
Road Warriors
• Oklahoma has won 24 of its last 25 true road games, with the only loss during that stretch coming at Kansas State, 48-41, on Oct. 26, 2019. That defeat snapped a 22-game true road winning streak (the Sooners hadn't lost since Oct 4, 2014), which was the second longest such streak nationally since at least the end of World War II (OU 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 23 of its last 25 true road games.
• OU has scored at least 31 points in each of its last 30 true road games and at least 41 points in 21 of them.
Last Year vs. Iowa State
• Oklahoma improved to 195-0 since 1937 when leading by at least 21 points at halftime but had to hang on to do it in a 42-41 win over Iowa State last year on Nov. 9. It was the 15th straight home victory for the Sooners, who were up 35-14 at half and 42-21 after three quarters but needed a Parnell Motley interception on a potential ISU game-winning two-point conversion attempt with 24 seconds left in the contest.
• Iowa State held a 32:39-27:21 advantage in time of possession. The margin in the second half was 20:13 to 9:47.
• OU gained 499 yards against a Cyclones team that entered the game ranked second in the Big 12 by giving up just 347.8 per league outing. Quarterback Jalen Hurts accounted for five touchdowns in the first half and finished with 273 passing yards (18 for 26, three TDs, one interception) and 68 rushing yards (two scores).
• CeeDee Lamb finished with eight catches for 167 yards and two touchdowns (48-yarder in the first quarter and 63-yarder in the second). Kennedy Brooks registered his seventh career game of at least 100 rushing yards (second of the season) with a 15-carry, season-high 132-yard effort that included a 48-yard burst to give the Sooners a 42-21 lead with 3:47 left in the third quarter.
• Freshman Trejan Bridges caught OU's other touchdown pass, a 7-yarder in the second quarter.
• Safety Delarrin Turner-Yell and linebacker DaShaun White (career high) led OU with nine tackles each.
Snake in the Grass
• Redshirt freshman Spencer Rattler, the consensus No. 1 quarterback in the 2019 recruiting class, threw for a state-record 11,083 yards (116 passing touchdowns) and ran for over 1,000 yards (14 TDs) in his career at Pinnacle High School in Phoenix, Ariz. The 2018 Elite 11 MVP was the No. 9 overall national recruit by 247Sports, No. 13 by Rivals and No. 29 by ESPN.
• Rattler appeared in three Oklahoma games last season, completing 7 of 11 passes for 81 yards and a touchdown without an interception. He also ran three times for 23 yards.
• Rattler is OU's fourth starting QB in four seasons. Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray won the Heisman Trophy in 2017 and 2018, respectively, while Jalen Hurts was the 2019 Heisman runner-up.
• So far this season, Rattler ranks fourth nationally among quarterbacks who have played at least two games by averaging 338.5 passing yards per contest and with his 209.1 passing efficiency rating, and is tied for second with eight touchdown passes.
• In his starting debut in the season opener against Missouri State, Rattler completed 14 of 17 passes for 290 yards and four touchdowns (no interceptions) in only one half of work. He followed with 30-for-41 effort for 387 yards and four more TDs (three interceptions) against Kansas State. In the first half of play, he has completed 86.1% of his passes (31 of 36) for 471 yards and seven TDs.
Young Running Backs Room
• Oklahoma, which has produced a Big 12-high six individual 1,000-yard-rushing seasons by running backs over the past five years (the next most in the league during that span is three) and has led the Big 12 in rushing offense in all three of Lincoln Riley's campaigns as head coach, is dividing its carries in 2020 among a largely inexperienced group.
• OU returned just 20.4% of its rushing yards and only 18.4% of its rushing touchdowns from last season.
• Senior Rhamondre Stevenson is OU's leading returning rusher, but has yet to play this season. He ran 64 times for 515 yards and six TDs in his debut season last year, and his 8.0 yards per rush led the nation among players with at least 50 carries.
• Junior T.J. Pledger carried 10 times for 65 yards and a score last season while redshirt freshman Marcus Major ran 10 times for 28 yards in his three contests. Pledger missed this year's opener against Missouri State before starting against Kansas State (41 yards on 13 carries). Major ran 11 times for 31 yards against Missouri State but did not play against KSU.
• Freshman Seth McGowan is a consensus four-star recruit who was rated as the nation's No. 13 running back by Rivals and No. 16 by 247Sports and ESPN after rushing for more than 3,700 yards and 45 touchdowns at Mesquite Poteet High School in Texas. He's led OU in rushing in both games this season (61 vs. Missouri State and 73 vs. Kansas State) and has a team-high three rushing TDs.
Foot Note
• During Lincoln Riley's three-plus-year head coaching career, Oklahoma ranks second nationally with its 87.3% success rate on field goal attempts (55 for 63). The Sooners trail only Florida, which has converted 91.7% of its tries (55 for 60). TCU is the next best Big 12 school in the category (80.3%; 53 of 66).
• During the same period, the Sooners rank third nationally in PAT conversion percentage among teams with at least 150 attempts, converting 255 of 256 tries (99.6%). Only Georgia (178 for 178) and Utah State (170 for 170) have higher success rates.
"Air Rade" 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, 54.7 in 2018 and 57.3 last season. This season has been different so far, with the Sooners running only 42.9 percent of the time.
Heisman U
• Quarterbacks Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray became Oklahoma's sixth and seventh Heisman Trophy winners in 2017 and '18, respectively, moving the Sooners into a tie with Notre Dame and Ohio State for the most Heisman winners. Other OU winners were QB Sam Bradford in 2008, QB Jason White in 2003, RB Billy Sims in 1978, RB Steve Owens in 1969 and RB Billy Vessels in 1952.
• Quarterback Jalen Hurts was the 2019 Heisman Trophy runner-up and became Oklahoma's 11th Heisman finalist, most of any school (finalists were first named in 1982). Miami (Fla.) ranks second with nine finalists, Alabama ranks third with eight and Florida ranks fourth with seven.
• Oklahoma boasts 10 Heisman finalists in the last 20 years (since 2000), which is four more than the program with the next most during that span (Alabama has six).
• OU is the first program to ever produce five Heisman finalists in a four-year period (Hurts, Murray in 2018 [won], Mayfield in 2017 [won] and Mayfield [finished third] and receiver Dede Westbrook [finished fourth] in 2016). With Mayfield's and Murray's wins, Oklahoma is the only program to produce different quarterback winners in consecutive seasons.
• OU is tied for the most Heisman runners-up, as well (six). OU's second-place Heisman finishers were Kurt Burris (1954), Greg Pruitt (1972), Sims (1979), Josh Heupel (2000), Adrian Peterson (2004) and Hurts (2019).
• Oklahoma has produced four Heisman Trophy winners in the last 17 years. Only three other programs have produced four winners ever.
• An Oklahoma quarterback has finished in the top four of Heisman voting in each of Lincoln Riley's five years with the Sooners (Mayfield fourth in 2015, third in 2016 and first in 2017; Murray first in 2018; Hurts second in 2019).
Big 12's Bell Cow
• Since the first year of the Big 12 in 1996, OU has claimed 13 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 13 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 140-30 (.824) in regular season Big 12 play since the start of the 2000 season. That's 24 more wins than the program with the next most victories during that period (Texas; 116-54) and 45 more than the program with the third most (Oklahoma State; 95-75).
College Football's Best
• During the modern era of college football (since the end of World War II), the Sooners are the nation's No. 1 team with more wins (665) than any other program (next most is 621 by Ohio State).
• Oklahoma is the highest-scoring program in college football history with 36,466 points (in 1,290 games).
• OU leads all FBS programs with 49 all-time conference championships. The rest of the top five includes Nebraska (46), Michigan (42), Ohio State (38) and USC (37). The Sooners' 13 league titles since 2000 are the most among Power Five programs (Ohio State ranks second with 10).
• No program has more all-time 10-win seasons than Oklahoma, which has 40 (including a nation-leading 17 since 2000). In addition, OU's 26 seasons with at least 11 wins are the most in college football history.
• Since former head coach Bob Stoops arrived in Norman in 1999, OU leads all Power Five conference programs in wins (227) and points scored (10,863).
• The Sooners have made 421 all-time appearances in the AP poll's top five, more than any other program (Alabama is next with 415 and Ohio State third with 388). That means OU has been in the top five in 36 percent of all AP polls (1,172 total polls), which started in 1936. OU has made 26 AP top-5 appearances since the start of 2017.
Extra Points
• Oklahoma has absolutely dominated the first quarter this season, outscoring Missouri State (31-0) and Kansas State (7-0) by a combined 38-0 margin. The Sooners limited the two opponents to 13 total yards on 24 plays (-0.5 average) in the opening 15 minutes. OU holds a 62-7 first-half scoring advantage and has given up just 135 yards on 47 plays (2.9 average) in the opening half of play.
• Sophomore Austin Stogner and redshirt sophomore Drake Stoops each posted career highs in receptions and receiving yards last week vs. Kansas State. Stogner caught five passes for 83 yards, while Stoops had three receptions for 93 yards, one of them a 32-yarder for his first career score.
• Freshman Marvin Mims' three touchdown receptions are the most by a Sooner in the first two games of a career since Ryan Broyles had three as a redshirt freshman in 2008. Broyles is OU's career leader in receptions, receiving yards and receiving TDs. Mims is one of three Sooners with at least 100 receiving yards this season (Charleston Rambo 110, Stogner 100).
• OU has ranked in the top seven nationally in total offense each of Lincoln Riley's five years calling plays and in the top three each of the last four seasons (7th in 2015 [530.2 ypg]; 2nd in 2016 [554.8]; 1st in 2017 [579.6]; 1st in 2018 [570.3]; and 3rd in 2019 [537.6]).
• Since Riley joined the OU program as offensive coordinator before the 2015 season, the Sooners rank third nationally by averaging 324.2 passing yards per game and lead the country in passing efficiency rating (189.8; next best is 168.1) and yards per pass attempt (10.8). During the same five-year span, OU paces the nation with eight individual 1,00-yard rushing seasons (Samaje Perine in 2015, Perine and Joe Mixon in 2016, Rodney Anderson in 2017, Kennedy Brooks and Kyler Murray in 2018 and Brooks and Jalen Hurts in 2019).
• In 70 games since Lincoln Riley arrived in Norman in 2015, OU has punted more than its opponent just eight times. On five of those seven occasions it was just one more punt.
• The Sooners have as many Big 12 titles the last five seasons (five) as they have lost games against Big 12 opponents (44-5 record; includes three Big 12 Championship games).
• Every Oklahoma freshman class since 1999 has won at least two Big 12 championships. Baylor's 2011, 2012 and 2013 freshman classes are the only other ones that have won two Big 12 titles (BU won league crowns in 2013 and '14).
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