Game Primer: OU vs. Kent State

#5 Oklahoma

Kent State

Saturday, Oct. 4 / 3 p.m. CT / Owen Field

OPENING KICK

• No. 5/8 Oklahoma (4-0, 1-0 SEC) returns to action after its first of two bye weeks this season when it hosts Kent State (1-3, 0-1 MAC) on Saturday at 3 p.m. CT at Gaylord Family — Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman. The game, the second between the Sooners and Golden Flashes, will be televised by SEC Network with Dave Neal, Fozzy Whittaker and Morgan Uber announcing.

• Oklahoma's No. 5 AP ranking this week is tied for its highest under fourth-year head coach Brent Venables (it was also ranked No. 5 in the Oct. 8, 2023, poll after beating No. 3 Texas 34-30). The last time OU held a higher ranking was during the 2021 season (No. 4 in the Nov. 7 poll; ranked as high as No. 2 that year in the preseason poll). Ole Miss (No. 4) is the only SEC team rated higher than OU in this week's AP poll.

• The 2025 season marks the 131st in OU football history. The Sooners lead the nation with their 50 all-time conference titles, 27 11-plus-win seasons (tied), 33 AP top-five finishes and five No. 1 overall NFL Draft picks (tied). They rank second with their seven Heisman Trophy winners (tied), third with seven AP national championships, their 101 weeks as the AP's No. 1 team and 432 total weeks in the AP Top 5, fourth with their 419 NFL Draft picks and fifth with their 58 bowl appearances.

• Saturday's contest will mark the 1,356th in OU history. The Sooners rank fifth nationally with their .724 all-time winning percentage (954-348-53 record), trailing Ohio State (.736), Alabama (.733), Michigan (.733) and Notre Dame (.731). Since the end of World War II (1946 season to present), OU leads all programs with 710 wins (29 more than Alabama, the program with the next most) and owns a .766 winning percentage.

• Seven of Oklahoma's 2025 opponents, including six of eight SEC foes, are ranked in this week's AP or coaches top-25 polls: No. 4/4 Ole Miss, No. 9/7 Texas, No. 10/11 Alabama, No. 13/13 LSU, No. 15/15 Tennessee, No. 19/18 Missouri and No. 20/20 Michigan. Auburn was ranked No. 22/25 when the Sooners beat the Tigers last game, and South Carolina was ranked as high as No. 10 in both polls. The most AP-ranked teams OU has faced in a regular season is six in 2016.

Gaylord Family - Oklahoma Memorial Stadium

FOR THE FANS

• Approximately two hours and 15 minutes before each home game (12:45 p.m. this Saturday), OU players and coaches will arrive at Gaylord Family – Oklahoma Memorial Stadium via team buses and walk to their stadium entrance while being cheered by fans. This year's "Walk of Champions" path again originates from the Jenkins Ave./Brooks St. intersection just northeast of the stadium (view map here). The team will be led by the Sooner Schooner and OU Spirit.

• New this fall, free, public tailgating is open on the historic North Oval. For the first time in university history, fans have the opportunity to set up their tailgates on one of the most recognizable places on campus, creating an electric atmosphere just steps away from Gaylord Family – Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. Fans can claim spaces on the North Oval beginning at 6 p.m. on the Friday before a home game. More tailgating information, policies and a map, click here.

• Once again, "Party at the Palace, Presented by Allstate" will be held on the lawn immediately north of Gaylord Family – Oklahoma Memorial Stadium for fans of all ages, this week running from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Highlights include food trucks, giveaways, music, interactive games, inflatables and more. Additionally, 107.7 The Franchise, the flagship station of the Sooner Sports Radio Network, originates the start of its pregame show live from Party at the Palace beginning three hours prior to kickoff.

• OU Athletics and Sooner Sports Properties are producing limited-edition collectible game programs in high-quality print for home football contests against Auburn, Ole Miss, Missouri and LSU – OU's four 2025 SEC home opponents – plus Big Ten foe Michigan. Souvenir 96-page game programs are available for preorder for $20 each, and the 220-page 2025 OU Football Media Guide can be purchased for $40 (limited stock). Click here for details.

• The University of Oklahoma and the Southeastern Conference have zero-tolerance policies regarding fan field intrusions and throwing debris on the field. Starting in 2025, the SEC will issue member schools a $500,000 fine for violating the field-intrusion policy (paid to the opposing school for conference games) and a $250,000 fine for throwing debris on the field. Violations of these policies could also result in prosecution.

• A reminder that umbrellas are not permitted inside Gaylord Family – Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. For a full list of OU game day policies, procedures and additional fan information, click here.

SOONERS TO WEAR THROWBACK ALTERNATE UNIFORM

• Drawing inspiration from the uniforms of the dominant Bud Wilkinson era, Oklahoma will wear an alternate uniform against Kent State on Saturday. The ensemble features crimson jerseys with white numerals, white tri-stripes on the shoulder sleeves and SEC and Jordan Brand patches. The uniform also includes crimson striping on the sides of the white pants and on the top of the logo-free white helmet. The helmet stripe is painted as opposed to a decal.

• The alternate uniform is representative of the one worn by OU teams from 1946-56 and closely resembles the "Sooner Legacy" uniform OU donned Aug. 30, 2003, in a 37-3 season-opening home win over North Texas. The Sooners wore the same uniform in last year's 16-12 win over Houston.

• Wilkinson coached the Sooners from 1947-63 and compiled a 145-29-4 (.826) record. The 1969 College Football Hall of Fame inductee led Oklahoma to 47 consecutive wins from the 1953 to 1957 seasons, still the longest streak in FBS history. Wilkinson, who compiled a 40-11 combined record against rivals Nebraska (14-3), Oklahoma State (17-0) and Texas (9-8), directed OU to its first three AP national championships in 1950, 1955 and 1956. The 1956 squad is often regarded as Wilkinson's finest, and possibly the best in program history. It went 10-0, posted six shutouts and outscored opponents 466-51.

• Wilkinson is the only individual in NCAA annals to win three national titles as both a player (1934-1936 with Minnesota) and a head coach.

KEY STORYLINES

• The only previous Oklahoma-Kent State meeting was a 33-3 Sooners win on Sept. 10, 2022, which served as the second game of Brent Venables' head coaching career.

• Saturday's game is expected to be the first start of the season for OU quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. The sophomore started four of his seven outings in 2024, completing 76 of 120 passes (63%) for 783 yards and three touchdowns (two interceptions) and rushed for 204 yards and a TD. His first career start marked the Sooners' first-ever SEC victory in a 27-21 game at Auburn on Sept. 28, 2024. His lone appearance this season came in OU's 42-3 win at Temple on Sept. 13 (completed 1 of 3 passes and rushed six times for 25 yards [long of 15]).

• While Oklahoma's offense has been strong through four games (it is averaging 31.3 points and 430.3 yards per game), the Sooners' defense has been other-worldly. OU leads the nation in opponent third-down conversion percentage (17.9; next best is 21.7), sacks per game (4.0), opponent plays of 10-plus yards (25) and opponent punts per game (8.3), and ranks second in total defense (207.5 ypg), opponent pass yards per attempt (4.6) and touchdowns allowed (three) and third in scoring defense (9.0 ppg) and passing defense (118.5 ypg).

• OU has given up just three points in the first quarter this season and has allowed just one touchdown in each of the second, third and fourth quarters.

• Redshirt junior punter Grayson Miller leads the nation with his 51.0-yard average. The transfer from NCAA Division II Central Oklahoma, who did not play in the season opener, has booted seven of his 13 punts over 50 yards (long of 66), with five inside the 20 and only one touchback. He began the season as OU's backup.

2022 OU-KENT STATE RECAP

• In the second game of the Brent Venables head coaching era, No. 7/7 Oklahoma trailed 3-0 late in the first half but drove 76 yards to score a touchdown with 18 seconds remaining in the second quarter and outscored Kent State 26-0 in the second half to post a 33-3 home win on Sept. 10, 2022. The Golden Flashes were picked by MAC head coaches to win the league's east division title.

• Kent State's three points were the fewest allowed by Oklahoma against an FBS opponent since a 41-3 win at Kansas in 2017. The Sooners recorded 14 tackles for loss (their most since 2019), including three sacks.

• OU quarterback Dillon Gabriel completed 75% of his pass attempts (21 of 28) for 296 yards and three touchdowns without an interception. His TD passes covered 36, 18 and 58 yards.

• Junior wide receiver Marvin Mims Jr. made a career-high-tying seven catches for a career-high 163 yards and two TDs. His scores covered 36 and 58 yards. Mims also registered a career-high 203 all-purpose yards. His 41-yard punt return was a career long and OU's longest in three seasons.

• Senior running back Eric Gray paced all rushers with 71 yards on 10 carries, which included a 44-yard run. Redshirt junior Marcus Major carried five times for 38 yards and a 16-yard score.

• For the first time since 2018, three Sooners registered double-digit tackles in a game. Linebacker Danny Stutsman (12) and safety Billy Bowman Jr. (11) set career highs in tackles for the second straight game, while safety Justin Broiles tied a career high with 11 stops in his first start of the season.

• Stutsman recorded 4.0 tackles for loss, OU's most in three seasons, including a sack, while Bowman Jr. was credited with a forced fumble and recovery on the same play.

• Junior defensive end Reggie Grimes had 2.5 TFLs for the second straight game and 1.5 sacks.

• Redshirt junior defensive back Justin Harrington logged his first career interception (returned it 22 yards).

1985 TEAM TO BE HONORED

• Oklahoma's 1985 team will be honored on the field at halftime Saturday, as this season marks the 40th anniversary of the program's sixth national championship.

• Head coach Barry Switzer's Sooners finished 11-1 and outscored opponents by an 371-103 margin (average of 31-9). Ranked No. 1 in the preseason AP poll, Oklahoma fell to as low as No. 10 following a 27-14 home loss to Miami (Fla.) in the season's fourth game. OU dominated its final seven regular season outings, holding five opponents to seven or fewer points, including No. 2 Nebraska in a 27-7 home victory that clinched the Big Eight title.

• Making their second of four straight Orange Bowl appearances, the third-ranked Sooners downed top-ranked Penn State 25-10 on New Year's night in Miami behind a 71-yard pass from freshman quarterback Jamelle Holieway to sophomore tight end Keith Jackson, a 61-yard touchdown run by sophomore fullback Lydell Carr, four field goals by junior kicker Tim Lashar, two interceptions by redshirt junior defensive back Sonny Brown and 13 solo tackles by redshirt sophomore linebacker Brian Bosworth. Lashar and Brown were named game MVPs.

• Bosworth (unanimous), redshirt senior noseguard Tony Casillas (consensus) and redshirt senior defensive end Kevin Murphy were 1985 first-team All-Americans. Switzer, Bosworth, Casillas, Jackson and Rickey Dixon, a sophomore defensive back on that team, are all members of the College Football Hall of Fame.

HOME IS WHERE THE 'W' IS

• The Sooners are 148-15 (.908) at Gaylord Family — Oklahoma Memorial Stadium since the start of the 1999 season (Bob Stoops' first year as head coach), giving them just one more home loss than conference titles during the period. It is the second-best home winning percentage in the country over the last 26-plus seasons (Boise State [.909] is first and Ohio State [.897] third). OU has outscored its foes by an average of 42-18 in those games.

• Including this week's game, OU has sold out 163 straight originally scheduled home contests dating back to the start of the 1999 season. Only Nebraska has a longer current streak.

• Gaylord Family — Oklahoma Memorial Stadium celebrated its 100th season in 2024. The 100th anniversary of the first game played in the stadium will be on Oct. 17. On that day in 1925, the first contest was played in front of the new 16,000-seat west stands, a 7-0 victory over Drake.

• The first game played at the current stadium site, called Owen Field and named after former head coach and athletics director Bennie Owen (a charter member of the College Football Hall of Fame), took place in 1923, before stadium construction got underway.

• OU owns a sparkling 426-88-15 (.819) all-time record at the "Palace on the Prairie" and has faced 99 opponents there (remaining home foes Ole Miss and LSU this season will take that number to 101).

NORMAN, OK - September 20, 2025 - Oklahoma Wide Receiver Isaiah Sategna (#5) during the game between the Auburn Tigers and the Oklahoma Sooners at Gaylord Family - Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, OK. Photo By Morgan Givens/University of Oklahoma

MORE ON THE OFFENSE

• Slated to make his first start of the season on Saturday, sophomore quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. last year became just the seventh OU quarterback to start at least one game as a true freshman and became the first OU true freshman QB to win on the road in his first career start (27-21 at Auburn). He is the older brother of OU true freshman defensive back Maliek Hawkins and the son of former Sooners cornerback Michael Hawkins, who played for Bob Stoops in 2002 before spending multiple years in the NFL.

• Redshirt junior quarterback John Mateer, ESPN's top transfer from last season, is off to a stellar start. He ranks second nationally with his 351.3 yards of total offense per game. He has registered at least one rushing TD and at least one passing TD in each of his last 10 games, good for the longest active streak nationally and tied with Louisville's Lamar Jackson for the third-longest streak since the start of the 2000 season.

• True freshman running back Tory Blaylock ranks second on the team with 179 rushing yards on the season and registered a 100-yard performance (two touchdowns) at Temple two games ago. It was Blaylock's first career 100-yard rushing outing, and he became the first OU running back to register two touchdowns this season. The last two OU freshman (true or redshirt) running backs to register a 100-yard rushing effort in at least one of their first three games were DeMarco Murray in 2007 (100 in third game) and Adrian Peterson in 2004 (100 in first contest).

• Senior tight end Jaren Kanak played linebacker his first three years (started nine games in 2023 and one last season) but converted to tight end in the spring. The former high school receiver and quarterback has caught 18 passes for a team-high 307 yards over OU's first four games. The 307 yards lead the nation's tight ends (next most is 247 by New Mexico's Dorian Thomas) and represent 67% of the receiving yards amassed by OU's tight ends all of last season (455).

• Redshirt senior receiver Deion Burks, who spent three years at Purdue and is in his second at Oklahoma, caught seven passes and one TD in each of the first two games in 2025 and leads the Sooners with 23 receptions (has scored two TDs). His 88 yards vs. Illinois State and 101 vs. Michigan represent his two highest totals at OU.

• Redshirt junior receiver Isaiah Sategna III ranks second on the team in receptions (22) and receiving yards (284). The first-year Sooner (transferred from Arkansas) is coming off back-to-back career highs in receiving yards, catching seven passes for 97 yards at Temple and a career-high nine passes for 127 yards and a 24-yard score versus Auburn.

• Redshirt senior receiver Keontez Lewis has 17 receptions for 210 yards on the season and caught two TD passes against Illinois State. His nine catches vs. the Redbirds were a career high (he finished with 119 receiving yards).

• Oklahoma is the only SEC team and one of just three squads nationally (Texas Tech and Baylor are the others) with four or more players who each average at least 50.0 receiving yards per game (Kanak 76.8, Sategna III 71.0, Burks 66.3 and Lewis 52.5).

• OU has scored on all 17 of its red-zone trips this season (12 touchdowns and five field goals). It is one of 13 teams nationally that has produced points on every red-zone trip on the year.

• The Sooners threw for at least 270 yards twice in 2024 (284 vs. Maine and 275 vs. Navy in the Armed Forces Bowl), but have done it four times in four games this season (392 vs. Illinois State, 270 vs. Michigan, 287 at Temple and 271 vs. Auburn).

• In the win over No. 15 Michigan, Michael Fasusi became the first OU freshman to start at left tackle in his first career game. He played 66 snaps and allowed just one QB pressure. He missed the season opener vs. Illinois State and the game at Temple before returning in a reserve role against Auburn.

• Redshirt senior offensive lineman Febechi Nwaiwu is the only OU offensive lineman to start all four games this season. He has started all four contests at right guard (also started all 13 games there last year).

MORE ON THE DEFENSE

• Through four games, Oklahoma has allowed just three total touchdowns and 45 total first downs. The Sooners also allowed three touchdowns through the first four games in 2023, but the last time OU held its first four opponents to fewer total touchdowns was the 1989 season (two). It has been since 2007 that the Sooners have allowed 45 or fewer first downs over their first four games (45 that season).

• The defense has also allowed the fewest total offensive opponent yards (830) since 1989 (823), the fewest passing yards (474) since 1998 (408), the fewest passing touchdowns (one) since 2012 (also one) and the lowest opponent third-down conversion rate (17.9%) since at least 1995. It has also forced the most opponent punts (33) since the 2015 season (35).

• Of Oklahoma's opponents' 46 possessions this season, 20 of them (43%) have resulted in a 3-and-out with no points.

• The Sooners have forced nearly as many punts (33) through four games as they have allowed total points (36). OU leads the country with its 8.3 opponent punts per contest.

• The strength of the Sooners' defense very well could be its line, with three players returning who started a combined 33 games last season (senior Damonic Williams 12, senior R Mason Thomas 11 and freshman Jayden Jackson 10) and another who started three and saw extensive field time (senior Gracen Halton). That quartet totaled 118 tackles, 26 tackles for loss, 17 sacks and 16 QB hurries last season. Phil Steele ranked OU's defensive line as the best in the country this summer, and ESPN/SEC Network analyst Cole Cubelic said in May the Sooners have the league's best defensive line, "... and it ain't even close."

• Three junior linebackers pace the Sooners in tackles. Kip Lewis leads the team with 23 tackles, Sammy Omosigho ranks second with 20 despite not starting a game this season and Kobie McKinzie ranks third with 15. The trio has combined for 6.5 tackles for loss (2.5 by Omosigho and 2.0 each for the others).

• Against Illinois State, Courtland Guillory became only the second OU true freshman to start at cornerback in a season opener (the other was P.J. Mbanasor in 2015). Guillory has nine tackles, a pass breakup and a QB hurry through four games.

• The Sooners have yet to force a turnover.

A LOOK AT SPECIAL TEAMS

• Oklahoma ranks first in the SEC and fourth nationally in net punting average (47.3). Redshirt sophomore Jacob Ulrich (first-team All-Conference USA last season at Kennesaw State) averaged 47.5 yards on two punts against Illinois State before giving way to redshirt junior Grayson Miller the last three games. Miller leads the country with his 51.0 yards per punt and seven of his 13 boots have gone longer than 50 yards.

• The Sooners rank 11th nationally and second in the SEC by allowing just 12.9 yards per kickoff return.

• Redshirt junior Tate Sandell has handled placekicking and kickoff duties the first four games. The first-year Sooner is 6 for 7 on field goal tries (including a 52-yarder at Temple) after making 19 of 23 last year at UTSA.

• Redshirt junior Ben Anderson is OU's long snapper for the third straight year. He earned third-team All-SEC honors last season and was a 2025 third-team preseason All-American by Phil Steele.

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 (710) than any other program (next most is 681 by Alabama).

• Oklahoma has finished in the top 5 of the AP poll a nation-leading 33 times (Ohio State is second with 31).

• OU leads all FBS programs with 50 all-time conference championships. The rest of the top five includes Nebraska (46), Michigan (45), Ohio State (39) and USC (37). The Sooners' 14 league titles since 2000 are the most among Power Five programs (Ohio State ranks second with 11).

• No program has more all-time 11-win seasons than Oklahoma's 27 (Alabama also has 27).

• Since the start of the 2000 season, OU ranks second with 18 seasons of at least 10 wins and ranks second with 265 victories.

• Since former head coach Bob Stoops arrived in Norman in 1999, OU leads the country with its 13,215 points scored. Boise State (12,843) is second and Oregon (12,611) third.

• Oklahoma's 81 consensus All-Americans since 1950 lead the nation (Alabama and Ohio State rank second with 77 each). Since 2000, OU has produced 31 consensus All-Americans, tied with Ohio State behind only Alabama.

EXTRA POINTS

• The Sooners are 29-5-1 all-time as the No. 5-ranked team in the AP poll (16-1-1 at home). Oklahoma last played a game as the AP's No. 5 team at the start of the 2020 season when it opened with a 48-0 win over Missouri State in Norman. OU's last loss at the AP's No. 5 squad was in 2019 at Kansas State (48-41). The lone home loss as the AP's fifth-ranked team was in 1976 to Oklahoma State (31-24). OU has won 10 straight home contests as the AP's No. 5 team.

• This week's AP poll features a nation-leading 10 SEC teams (including nine of the top 16): No. 4 Ole Miss, No. 5 Oklahoma, No. 6 Texas A&M, No. 9 Texas, No. 10 Alabama, No. 12 Georgia, No. 13 LSU, No. 15 Tennessee, No. 16 Vanderbilt and No. 19 Missouri. The Big Ten ranks second with six AP top-25 teams while the Big 12 and the ACC have four ranked teams each.

• The Sooners have won their last 85 games when holding opponents under 21 points. Their last loss under the circumstance came at Nebraska in 2009 (10-3).

• In their 20 wins since the start of the 2023 season, the Sooners have outscored opponents 175-35 off turnovers. In their 11 losses during the same span, they have been outscored 105-27 off turnovers.

OPENING KICK

FOR THE FANS

SOONERS TO WEAR THROWBACK ALTERNATE UNIFORM

KEY STORYLINES

2022 OU-KENT STATE RECAP

1985 TEAM TO BE HONORED

HOME IS WHERE THE 'W' IS

MORE ON THE OFFENSE

MORE ON THE DEFENSE

A LOOK AT SPECIAL TEAMS

COLLEGE FOOTBALL'S BEST

EXTRA POINTS

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Ben Anderson

Tory Blaylock

Billy Bowman Jr.

Deion Burks

Michael Fasusi

Courtland Guillory

Gracen Halton

Maliek Hawkins

Michael Hawkins Jr.

Jayden Jackson

Jaren Kanak

Keontez Lewis

Kip Lewis

John Mateer

Kobie McKinzie

Grayson Miller

Febechi Nwaiwu

Sammy Omosigho

Tate Sandell

Isaiah Sategna III

Danny Stutsman

R Mason Thomas

Jacob Ulrich

Damonic Williams

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