2011 Prediction & Game Story
Week 13 - Iowa St at Oklahoma
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Nov. 26 at Oklahoma 26 … Iowa State 6
CFN Analysis: COMING
(AP) NORMAN, Okla. -- Landry Jones threw for 256 yards, Blake Bell punched in two short touchdown runs and Oklahoma (No. 9 BCS, No. 12 AP) set up a Bedlam showdown for the Big 12 championship by beating Iowa State
Trey Franks finished with 88 yards rushing on two long reverses to set up scores for the Sooners (9-2, 6-2 Big 12), and Michael Hunnicutt matched his career-high with four field goals.
Rebounding after allowing a school-record 616 yards allowed last week in a 45-38 loss at Baylor, Oklahoma held Iowa State (6-5, 3-5) to a season-low 245 yards and only let the Cyclones score after James Winchester's snap sailed over the head of punter Tress Way in the first quarter.
Oklahoma will visit No. 4 Oklahoma State next week with the winner earning the Big 12 title.
The Cyclones didn't sustain a drive for longer than 35 yards and got their only points on Jared Barnett's 10-yard touchdown pass to Albert Gary one play after Oklahoma's botched punt. They got shut out the rest of the way, failing in their chance to pull off another monumental upset eight days after the biggest win in school history last week against then-No. 2 Oklahoma State.
Iowa State hasn't beaten ranked opponents in back-to-back weeks since 1974 and was trying to win for just the sixth time in 76 meetings with Oklahoma all time.
Each team turned it over four times in a game played in front of thousands of empty seats at sold-out Owen Field, with winds sustained at over 30 mph and gusting beyond 40 mph.
The Sooners were able to find enough offense to win it. Bell scored on a 3-yard run and a 1-yarder, and Oklahoma settled for field goals on four other red zone possessions.
After being practically unstoppable in the scoring zone a week ago at Baylor, Bell ran into trouble early on against the Cyclones. He was stuffed on Oklahoma's first red zone possession, leading to Hunnicutt's 20-yard field goal, and then threw an interception to Jake Knott the next time.
But the Sooners kept going back to their third-string quarterback, who last week joined J.C. Watts and Jamelle Holieway as the only quarterbacks in the program's history with four rushing TDs in a game. He scored on a 3-yard keeper in the second quarter to give Oklahoma the lead to stay, then smashed his way into the end zone from a yard out on the next possession to make it 17-6.
Hunnicutt added field goals from 28 and 36 yards to push the halftime lead to 23-6, and he provided the only points of the second half on a 21-yarder. Franks set it up with a 45-yard reverse, getting tackled at the 1-yard line before the Sooners' goal line offense got stuffed.
Jones failed to throw a touchdown pass for the second straight game and had two interceptions.
Barnett finished with 125 yards on 13-for-28 passing with one interception, losing for the first time in four career starts. He also fumbled a first-quarter handoff to James White, after White had already fumbled on his first carry of the game.
The Cyclones also turned it over when linebacker Jevohn Miller muffed a kickoff that was blown around by the wind, leading to Hunnicutt's third field goal of the opening half.
Iowa State had its lowest yardage output since being held to 183 in a 52-0 shutout at Oklahoma last season.
Nov. 26 at Oklahoma 26 … Iowa State 6
CFN Analysis: COMING
(AP) NORMAN, Okla. -- Landry Jones threw for 256 yards, Blake Bell punched in two short touchdown runs and Oklahoma (No. 9 BCS, No. 12 AP) set up a Bedlam showdown for the Big 12 championship by beating Iowa State
Trey Franks finished with 88 yards rushing on two long reverses to set up scores for the Sooners (9-2, 6-2 Big 12), and Michael Hunnicutt matched his career-high with four field goals.
Rebounding after allowing a school-record 616 yards allowed last week in a 45-38 loss at Baylor, Oklahoma held Iowa State (6-5, 3-5) to a season-low 245 yards and only let the Cyclones score after James Winchester's snap sailed over the head of punter Tress Way in the first quarter.
Oklahoma will visit No. 4 Oklahoma State next week with the winner earning the Big 12 title.
The Cyclones didn't sustain a drive for longer than 35 yards and got their only points on Jared Barnett's 10-yard touchdown pass to Albert Gary one play after Oklahoma's botched punt. They got shut out the rest of the way, failing in their chance to pull off another monumental upset eight days after the biggest win in school history last week against then-No. 2 Oklahoma State.
Iowa State hasn't beaten ranked opponents in back-to-back weeks since 1974 and was trying to win for just the sixth time in 76 meetings with Oklahoma all time.
Each team turned it over four times in a game played in front of thousands of empty seats at sold-out Owen Field, with winds sustained at over 30 mph and gusting beyond 40 mph.
The Sooners were able to find enough offense to win it. Bell scored on a 3-yard run and a 1-yarder, and Oklahoma settled for field goals on four other red zone possessions.
After being practically unstoppable in the scoring zone a week ago at Baylor, Bell ran into trouble early on against the Cyclones. He was stuffed on Oklahoma's first red zone possession, leading to Hunnicutt's 20-yard field goal, and then threw an interception to Jake Knott the next time.
But the Sooners kept going back to their third-string quarterback, who last week joined J.C. Watts and Jamelle Holieway as the only quarterbacks in the program's history with four rushing TDs in a game. He scored on a 3-yard keeper in the second quarterto give Oklahoma the lead to stay, then smashed his way into the end zone from a yard out on the next possession to make it 17-6.
Hunnicutt added field goals from 28 and 36 yards to push the halftime lead to 23-6, and he provided the only points of the second half on a 21-yarder. Franks set it up with a 45-yard reverse, getting tackled at the 1-yard line before the Sooners' goal line offense got stuffed.
Jones failed to throw a touchdown pass for the second straight game and had two interceptions.
Barnett finished with 125 yards on 13-for-28 passing with one interception, losing for the first time in four career starts. He also fumbled a first-quarter handoff to James White, after White had already fumbled on his first carry of the game.
The Cyclones also turned it over when linebacker Jevohn Miller muffed a kickoff that was blown around by the wind, leading to Hunnicutt's third field goal of the opening half.
Iowa State had its lowest yardage output since being held to 183 in a 52-0 shutout at Oklahoma last season.
Iowa State (6-4) at Oklahoma (8-2) Nov. 26, 12:00, FX
Here’s The Deal … The world kept wanting to give the Sooners a shot at the national title, but they just wouldn’t take it.
With all the upsets and all the craziness of last weekend, everything was set up perfectly for Oklahoma to move in range of the coveted top two spot and putting everything in a great position to hype up the Oklahoma State game next week. Instead, Robert Griffin decided he’d like the win the Heisman, and the Sooner secondary decided to try to make it happen in the final moments of a thrilling 45-38 Bear win.
No game was more exciting last weekend than Iowa State’s double-overtime gamechanger against a depressed and saddened Oklahoma State team that had every opportunity to grab the win, and didn’t. The Cyclones played out of their heads with key takeaways, efficient passing, and several big plays – all uncharacteristic of the 2011 season. With six wins and a bowl appearance already in place, now it’s time to go after the gravy with Kansas State up next after the road trip to OU. Unfortunately, though, Cyclones will have to come up with another historic performance to come out of Norman with a win.
Iowa State has never beaten the Sooners since the Big 12 was formed and have lost their last 15 in the series wince a 33-31 win in Norman in 1990. In the last 43 games between the two, Oklahoma is 43-1-1, and in the 75 meetings, Iowa State has won just twice in Norman. OU is 69-4-2 in the series.
Why Iowa State Might Win: No, Iowa State quarterback Jared Barnett isn’t Robert Griffin. He’s not as fast – no one is – and he’s nowhere near the same sort of passer, but he looked the part last week against Oklahoma State with 376 yards and three touchdowns against and 84 on the ground. Oklahoma’s defense had a hard time containing Missouri’s James Franklin, Kansas State’s Collin Klein, and Griffin, who all took off and kept the offense moving. OU blew away Kansas State, but the D had a hard time getting rid of Mizzou and lost to Baylor. Barnett is one of the Big 12’s better running quarterbacks and has the potential to take off for 100 yards against a Sooner linebacker that doesn’t seem able to keep mobile playmakers in the pocket. Barnett’s mobility should be able to neutralize the terrific OU pass rush.
As good as the Sooner defense has been, it hasn’t done enough to take the ball away with just two fumble recoveries and a mere three picks – all against Texas A&M – in the last five games. Iowa State is hardly stingy with the ball, but if it can win the turnover battle it’ll have a shot to pull off yet another shocker.
Why Oklahoma Might Win: Lost in all the craziness of the Oklahoma State win was that the Iowa State defense didn’t really stop Brandon Weeden and the passing game. It held the air show in check by tackling and keeping the short plays from turning into big plays, but Weeden still pitched it around the yard for 476 yards and three touchdowns. Also lost last week in Baylor’s win over OU was Landry Jones’ 447 passing yards for his fifth 400-yard passing game of the year and his third in the last four games. Iowa State isn’t going to stop the Oklahoma passing attack. The pass rush is non-existent and the Sooner O line isn’t letting Jones get touched.
The Iowa State offense is way too inconsistent and is more likely to be like it was against Kansas, a 13-10 win, than it was last week against OSU. The Cyclones have scored more than 17 points just three times in the last four games and has scored 44 points just once in a three overtime win over Iowa. OU is averaging 44.7 points per game.
What To Watch Out For: Barnett got all the credit and all the attention for the win over Oklahoma State, but the real stars were linebackers A.J. Klein and Jake Knott, two veterans who might not be the fastest playmakers around, but they don’t miss stops. They made kept the Cowboy running game to a crawl while doing a great job against the shorter OSU passes combining to make 27 tackles. Their roles will be different against IU, but they should each come up with more than their share of plays.
The OU running game hasn’t worked nearly as well without Dominique Whaley, but sophomore Roy Finch has been effective. A slippery-quick runner he has rushed for 93 yards or more in three of the last four games, but he’s
not going to do much around the goal line with a new star emerging. 6-6, 241-pound redshirt freshman Blake Bell is a big, talented pro-style passer who has been great at times in practices, but so far this year he’s been on the bench until the last three games. He ran for a touchdown in garbage time against Kansas State, ran for two more against Texas A&M, and last week he was Tebow around the goal line against Baylor with four touchdowns on five carries. Landry Jones is still the quarterback, but Bell is giving a glimpse of 2012.
What Will Happen: Oklahoma reacted to the loss to Texas Tech with a 58-17 win over Kansas State. In the final home game of the year, and after the Baylor loss, Iowa State is in trouble. The Sooners have won 13 straight home finales, mostly in blowout fashion. Expect another.
CFN Prediction: Oklahoma 48 … Iowa State 17
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Click For Latest Line From ATS: Oklahoma -28 O/U: 61.5
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