Oklahoma vs. Kansas Preview By: Ryan Lewis Posted on: November 16, 2018

Overview

After two weeks of atrocious defensive performances, the Sooners will look to make positive steps this weekend when Kansas come to town. This is the home finale for the season, senior night, and a night game, which should make for an excellent gameday atmosphere.

The Opponent

The Team: Kansas is not good at this footballing thing. After winning only three games over the past three seasons combined, winning two non-conference games this year sparked some optimism for the program. Then, Kansas beat TCU for its first conference win in almost two full years. That turned out to not be enough, however; Kansas is on its seventh head coach of the century and will make it eight next year, as David Beaty has already been let go. Many were surprised at the decision to fire him now, as equaling the win total of the past three seasons combined should be seen as progress. Regardless, Beaty will be on the sidelines for the rest of the season before departing.

The Offense: Pooka Williams is fourth in the Big 12 in running the ball with 770 yards/game and fifth in the conference in yards/attempt (5.9). He is about the only bright spot for the Jayhawk offense. The team ranks 115th in the nation in total yards/game, 97th in passing yards/game, 95th in rushing yards/game, and 110th in points/game.

This offense is more in line with those of Kansas State and TCU than it is Texas Tech and Oklahoma State. Through 10 games, the entire Kansas team has 1,972 passing yards; Kyler Murray had more than that after just seven games. If the Jayhawks can’t be even marginally two-dimensional on Saturday, they will be in for a long night.

The Defense: Those team stats are better on the other side of the ball, but still very poor. The defense ranks 79th in the nation in total yards/game, 99th in passing yards/game, 65th in rushing yards/game, and 78th in points/game. Something the Jayhawks have done well, however, is create turnovers; the team is fourth in the nation in turnover margin at +15, with a per game average of +1.50. (For reference, the Sooners are at exactly a 0 turnover margin). Kansas will try to keep that turnover trend going this weekend.

Oklahoma

The Offense: Despite having only 8 out of 14 drives result in points in the Bedlam game, the Oklahoma offense still put up 48 points. When a “slow” day at the office still almost results in half a hundred, you know the offense is pretty darn good. The Sooners have gotten into quite a groove offensively over the second half of the season; the offensive line has grown into a true force and the rushing attack of Kennedy Brooks and Trey Sermon has imposed its will. This season, Oklahoma has run the ball more often than it has passed it in seven of the ten games. The success of the run game is a huge key for the Sooners in any game. Let the duo of Brooks and Sermon wear down the Jayhawk defense this weekend

Something to keep an eye on; Oklahoma started its Heisman Campaign for Kyler Murray last night. While he might normally be pulled very early in this type of game, does he get a little extra playing time to pad his Heisman stats? It’ll be something to watch for.

The Defense: Bedlam was one of the toughest wins to watch in recent memory for Sooner fans. Although the offense certainly didn’t keep up its usual machine-type production, they still put up 48 points. The defense, however, had an incredibly rough day. Many of the same complaints that OU fans had for years under Mike Stoops – tackling, large cushion for DB’s, lack of pressure on the quarterback – reared their head again this past weekend. While Kansas won’t present much of a challenge, this is a weekend that the Sooners defense can show that they are making strides to become a championship-level defense.

Prediction

The Jayhawks haven’t beaten OU since 1997 and have only won 8 games in the series since 1950. The main focus of this game, besides obviously winning, needs to be in reassuring coaches, players, fans, and Playoff Ranking voters that the Sooners defense is progressing. Another high-scoring affair with the Jayhawks would be a major dent in the perception of Oklahoma. That won’t happen this weekend, however; the Sooners will take this one 52-17.