That Lincoln Riley’s offense uncorked a double nickel on KSU is perhaps less surprising than the other part of the score. Kansas State was not only shut out, they were flat dominated by the same Sooner defense that was shredded for over 300 yards rushing only a week ago. They tried the pop pass that so bedeviled Mike Stoops a year ago. This time it resulted in a sack. They tried to throw. They tried to run. Nothing worked.
Nothing worked, to the tune of 110 total yards, 31 of which came on one play. The Wildcats seriously threatened only once, but missed a field goal. Other than that, they did not sniff the scoreboard. Oklahoma picked KSU three times without a turnover of its own, including a Zack Sanchez pick six on the first KSU possession of the second half, and should have had at least two more interceptions.
The Sooner offense, meanwhile, was as efficient as we have seen it. Indeed, it looked like the Air Raid really for the first time since Riley came to Norman. Baker Mayfield was slinging it all over the yard, quickly, most of the time, to make up for the sieve that his offensive line continues to be. Mayfield was 20-27 on the day for 282 yards and five touchdowns, all in the first half. 12 Sooners caught passes, led by Dede Westbrook with five catches for 85 yards and a score. The game was 35-0 at the half, and most of the locals cleared out after that.
We knew it might be our day when we realized that Kansas State is out of Locketts. We were sure it would be our day when KSU missed on a sure TD pass when a receiver got 10 yards free and the ball was overthrown. Oh, and after the Sooners spent eight hours Friday in the OKC airport waiting for their charter flight, their return charter flight did what amounted to a flyby of the stadium during the game.
So, what to make of this? Who knows? Had this team shown up in Dallas last week, that game would have been a blowout for the Sooners, as it should have been. If this team shows up the rest of the season, that sunshine pumping about conference championships, etc., doesn’t sound so far-fetched after all.
These Sooners are certainly not as bad as they looked last week. They are probably not as good as they looked this week. Sometimes teams need a wakeup call of some kind to realize their full potential. Last week was certainly a wakeup call. Whether this team realizes its full potential or not, and what that potential is, remains to be seen. And that’s the fun of it.
See you Saturday for a rare afternoon kickoff against Texas Tech.
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