Hot Takes | OU vs. Kansas

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– Would you believe Kansas is 23 spots higher than the Sooners in defense on the S&P?

– OU is 9th in the nation offensively in the S&P. Kansas is 55th defensively. For comparison, Texas Tech is dead last in defense. I do not believe the Sooners will have a tough time scoring points in this contest.

– Kansas is DEAD LAST in S&P for offense. Dead. Last. So, naturally, I expect the Jayhawks to have a few good moments against OU’s defense.

– Kansas’ receivers Steven Sims and LaQuivionte Gonzalez are good enough to gain yards against the ridiculously porous Sooners secondary.

– Is the Kansas offensive line good enough to give the Sooners secondary time to leave guys wide open? I don’t think so. BUT…I also thought the Sooners would defeat Texas Tech rather soundly. I guess I don’t know anything.

– With Samaje Perine out for a second straight week, Mixon will get the bulk of the carries. Mixon definitely showed his ability last week in Lubbock. This week, I expect Abdul Adams to get more carries and be able to showcase his talent. He reminds me of a cross between Roy Finch and Allen Patrick.

– Speaking of extra reps, this needs to be a week when Austin Kendall gets some reps during the second half. Last week in Lubbock should have been one of those games, but…

– Will the Sooners defense continue to give 12-yard cushions on 3rd and 11 and then back pedal an additional 8 to 10 yards?

– Don’t look now but Baker Mayfield is completing 71% of his passes. In 2015, he finished at 68%. He is truly a surgeon and is the type of player who will not be fully appreciated until he is gone.

– Last week, how many times did you see a Tech receiver catch a pass and then count to three before an Oklahoma defender came into the picture? It would be funny if not so very true and frequent. Surely Kansas can’t do the same, right?

– DeDe Westbrook is currently playing football on another planet. Expect another big game from him.

– I’ve been waiting for Dahu Green to assert himself. He is slowly coming along. Look for him to have a few more catches on Saturday.

– With Obo likely out, Kapri Doucet and Caleb Kelly will get more reps. OU fans will not be disappointed. I like the way both of these guys play.

– Emmanueal Beal is my pick for surprise player of the year. The dude plays hard. Fast motor. Reckless abandon. I like it.

– Am I crazy for thinking Jordan Parker played pretty well last week? One touchdown pass was a Mahomes just pulling the string on the fade route. He still misses too many tackles but I think he is a difference maker waiting to happen.

– Many have mentioned the play on the field directly affecting the 2017 recruiting class. I think these cats are watching the play and thinking “I can start next year as a true freshman.” That is a good thing. I also think Bob Stoops understands the level of talent he has coming in, at least for now, and knows a Big 12 title will go a long way in his continued pitch to keep guys on board and pursue one or two new guys. After watching film on a few of the commits, I feel some of these guys could probably be seeing significant playing time right now. Don’t let a few losses, and poor field performance make you think recruits will somehow jump ship. Look at the last few years for Tennessee as empirical evidence.

– Super K had a tweet about it this week, but I agree that it is mind boggling to see a defense forfeit space to a spread team who is geared toward manipulating space on the field. Kansas is not the type of team that should scare the OU defense but fans will be looking to see if there is more pre-snap press coverage, more space taken away, etc. If not…there may be bigger issues for the defense than what we see during the games. 

– Earlier this evening, Brandon shared some videos of past OU defenders with JY, K, and myself. Is the next great Sooner defensive player on the roster right now? I think that is a legitimate question. I truly thought Caleb Kelly would be starting somewhere by this point in his freshman season. Is it Beal? Doucet? Jordan Parker? Hard to say, but right now there are a lot of folks looking and wondering.

– O/U on Mayfield passes Saturday: 25

– O/U on Mixon carries Saturday: 20

– O/U on Mixon receptions Saturday: 8

– O/U on Mayfield carries Saturday: 6

– O/U on Adams carries Saturday: 13

– O/U on Andrews targets Saturday: 5

– O/U on Westbrook receptions Saturday: 7

– O/U on Kansas passing yards Saturday: 225 (SEASON AVG: 254)

– What odds do you give OU for winning out?

– My score prediction last week was awful, and I sort of knew it when I made it. This week, I’m fairly confident the Jayhawks will have absolutely no answer for a very effective Sooners offensive attack. Will Kansas get some points? Yes. The OU defense is not good enough to keep that from happening. Final score: OU 45 Kansas 17 (second time is a charm, right?)

– I have a business trip to Iowa next week. Meeting is Thursday morning about 2 hours from Ames. If I get a ticket to the Iowa State game who wants to meet up?