COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) -Oklahoma has quietly marched along as Big 12 South rivals Texas, Texas Tech and Oklahoma State have taken turns playing marquee games in the national spotlight.
Since losing to the Longhorns in Dallas on Oct. 11, the sixth-ranked Sooners (8-1, 4-1 Big 12) have rolled to easy victories over Kansas, Kansas State and Nebraska. The softer schedule has hurt Oklahoma in the Bowl Championship Series standings – the Sooners dropped from No. 4 to No. 6 after beating the Cornhuskers 62-28 last week.
Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops was surprised to see his team slip, but as long as the Sooners keep winning, the rankings should take care of themselves.
rs playing the Cowboys in Lubbock.
“I know we still have three big games left,” Stoops said. “In the end, that’s what matters, what you do from here on out. Other teams have some big games as well. There’s a lot that still can happen and we’re very aware of that.”
Oklahoma delivered early knockout punches in its last two games, leading Kansas State 55-28 at halftime and Nebraska 35-0 after the first quarter. They’re big favorites again this week and have won eight of the last nine meetings with the Aggies, who are 2-4 at home this season.
The Sooners still need to be careful. They’ve lost four of seven games at Kyle Field since the start of the Big 12 and their margin of victory in all three wins was a touchdown or less.
M team with a 5-4 record to a 30-26 victory over then-No. 1 Sooners.
“Who hasn’t had some tough times down there?” Stoops said. “It’s a wild atmosphere, usually. You have to play well, and they’ve had some good teams, too. There have been some exciting games, but you still have to take care of your business, focus on taking care of the ball and executing.”
(427.11 per game), 102nd in points allowed (32.56 per game) – and this may be the best offense they’ve seen all season.
The Sooners have gone over 500 total yards in six games and have averaged 55 points in their last three. While Colt McCoy and Graham Harrell have gotten most of the attention lately, Sam Bradford leads the Big 12 in touchdown passes (34) and is one of only three quarterbacks in the country with over 3,000 passing yards.
M held Colorado to 392 yards in a 24-17 win last week, but that was the Big 12’s worst offense. The Buffaloes have scored 166 points all season; the Sooners have scored 165 points in their last three games.
Kines’ concerns start with the pace of Oklahoma’s offense. The Sooners average less than 30 minutes of possession time per game and have 30 scoring drives under two minutes.
“You don’t have time to celebrate or cry,” Kines said. “If you made a good play, you better get lined up, ’cause they’re coming again. You make a bad play, you better get it out of the way, ’cause they’re fixin’ to hit you with another one. They do a great job with their tempo.”
Oklahoma’s defense has had its own issues and will be without standout end Auston English, out “maybe three weeks” with a sprained knee, Stoops said.
the last 22 games in which they’ve won the turnover margin – though two of the losses came against Oklahoma.
The Sooners lead the Big 12 with a plus-12 turnover ratio, but the Aggies’ offense has dramatically improved in recent weeks behind sophomore quarterback Jerrod Johnson, who will make his seventh career start. Johnson ranks 18th nationally in pass efficiency and he’s thrown only four interceptions, two fewer than Bradford.
“You can see that he’s getting more and more comfortable each and every game,” Stoops said. “He’s got the ability to run, but he’s a really good thrower.”
M’s second-leading receiver, with 42 catches for 535 yards.
“I’m going to try not to make it too much of a personal thing,” Fuller said. “I was committed there at one point and I made the decision to come here. Stuff like that happens all the time in college football.”
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