Oklahoma football continues to roll vs. Jayhawks

John Barry November 10, 2020 8:49 am

It was a beat down in Norman as Oklahoma football beat the Kansas Jayhawks 62-9. I would like to say, I was one point off on my prediction for the score. Oklahoma was dominant from the beginning and did not let up. The Sooners are the hottest team in the Big 12 right now after Saturday. If Oklahoma continues to play the way it is right now, there is no doubt it will be in the Big 12 title again. Kansas State losing to Oklahoma State helped the Sooners immensely. Now if Iowa State loses one or two games, Oklahoma will just need to win out, which is easier said than done.

The Sooners dominated the entire game. The defense brought pressure and made plays while the offense scored and moved the ball at will. Spencer Rattler played maybe one of worst games this season and was still 15 for 27 with 212 yards passing and one touchdown. Rattler got banged up after a hit he took on a touchdown run in the second quarter. Rattler said it feels like one big bruise. Luckily for Oklahoma, backup quarterback Tanner Mordecai was 7 for 8 for 128 yards and one touchdown.

Oklahoma doubled Kansas in total yards and was toying with its defense. I also said last week, which I will reiterate, Kansas is also not very good at football right now. Granted, the Sooners have been making it look easy on offense the past couple weeks. The offense’s biggest problem has been protection and turnovers.

Rattler had one interception Saturday, and that was the only turnover for the Sooners. Rattler is young, but the turnover problem overall has gotten much better. The Sooners offensive line has improved enormously as well. Giving Rattler plenty of time while opening big holes for the run game is exactly what Lincoln Riley needs for his offense. Oklahoma did exactly what they should and treated the Jayhawks like they were undefeated.

The defense won the day for the Sooners. One of Oklahoma’s outside linebackers, Nik Bonitto, was my MVP for the game. Bonitto finished with three sacks, four tackles and two quarterback hits. Bonitto is a very valuable redshirt sophomore who seems to always bring the pressure but is barely late before he can make the play. That was not the case this weekend.

The Oklahoma defense has stayed aggressive and focused only allowing 95 yards rushing on 42 attempts. The addition of Ronnie Perkins on that defensive line created a lot of opportunities for many Sooners to go and make a play. Although the Sooners had some self-inflicting wounds earlier on in the game, they ended up not being costly.

A few third-and-long plays were converted earlier on which defensive coordinator Alex Grinch said were “very disappointing and the most glaring thing,” when referring to how how the defense was that day. Small mistakes that need polishing because we have already seen teams take advantage of them.

Now, with Oklahoma on a bye week, the Sooners will begin to prepare for Bedlam, a very anticipated and emotional game that has way too much on the line for both teams. A bye week is needed for the Sooners to give the team some needed rest before this last stretch. While Oklahoma is looking to win its sixth straight title, Oklahoma State is looking at its first title win since 2011.