No. 3 Oklahoma entered the Big 12 Conference Play against Kansas State with the hope of reaching the Big 12 Championship Game and College Football .L playoffs. Those dreams still exist, but now the Big 12’s top team and the Wildcats don’t look unbeaten after a surprising 38-35 loss.
This discomfort is a sign of an AP Top 3 team in the history of the program against Kansas State’s first road win and another straight win over Oklahoma. In addition, Chris Kleiman became the first coach to beat Oklahoma twice since Lincoln Riley took over as head coach.
This was a complete flick by Oklahoma and there really is no other way to see it. The Suners had a 21-7 lead from the half and at one point led by 21 points with just a few minutes left in the third quarter. Loss like this – again – in the state of Kansas, not only for the Suners, but for a depth of 12 as a whole. Keep in mind that K-State COVID-19 was below seven starters due to concerns and contact tracing.
There is a lot to overcome the extreme discomfort of wildcats. So here’s what we learned here.
OU’s offense is cited when it needs to shine
Stop at the Heisman Trophy Chatter for quarterback Spencer Rattler – at least for a moment. While there’s no denying that the kid has incredible hand talent, he’s definitely more in Oklahoma’s second game … human … yes, Ratler spent 387 yards and four touchdowns, and showed some incredible accuracy, especially on the run. He also threw three picks, including the final one, to seal the game. The first interruption wasn’t really his fault because it was a disruptive pass. But another was a ball thrown down in tight coverage. Kansas State was able to turn it into six points on its next possession.
But he was not the only retailer. Protection was OK with Kansas State registering three sacks, six tackles for losses and three other quarterback haste. Both teams were also heavily penalized for getting stuck on the Sunners Multiple Drive due to penalties. Oklahoma scored 14 seconds half point, but it was on eight properties. It is amazing to see crime being perpetuated and influenced by the unmanned Kansas state.
The defense of the OU is still a responsibility
Sauners started the game by allowing just 32 yards in the first three innings. And even at halftime, they keep the K-State under 100 yards offense. However, in the second part, things got tangled up. Kansas State began landing some big plays, including a 77-yard catch behind Deuce V and a 78-yard catch from Justin Gardner.
In fact, five of the final six assets of the game for K-State are as follows:
- 5 plays, 29 yards, F.G.
- 2 plays, 38 yards, td
- 8 plays, 38 yards, td
- 3 plays, 75 yards, td
- 7 plays, 78 yards, td
Overall, Kansas State averaged 7..8 yards per game, and was better before his final drives. Defensive coordinator Alex Greench has stepped in with the group since arriving in Oklahoma. But often the Sonars have fallen into these invisible works or have collapsed completely.
Deuce Vaughn is the modern Darren Sproll
You’re going to hear a lot about Vaughn now – i.e. he’s 5ft-5. Yes, it’s short, but it has the potential to play big. He finished the day with 45 yards and eight carry for touchdowns. Not bad, had a hard time finding an ongoing game with Wildcats in mind. That’s about 5.6 yards per carry. But where Vaughn really made his impact was in the passing game, where he had four receptions for 129 yards. Again, 77 came on a play, but it has a lot of speed, and yes, it can get a little lost in coverage. Either way, Kansas State knows how to use it.
Although Vaughn has only played two games, he feels we can already predict that he will become a super producer in his career and has not gone unnoticed by the NFL scouts. While it’s a little early to say that it will be every bit like a sprout – another Kansas State, which is smaller in size – he’s certainly done enough to catch a glimpse of those comparisons.
Capitalized on K-State turnover
To win, Kansas State needed help. Boy Wildcats never got it. They won the turnover fight 4-0 while Seth McGowan scored 14 and stopped Rattler. In addition, Kansas State blocked Punt and created a touchdown on his incoming possession. Kansas State also stopped Ratler on the fourth down run and blocked the Suners punt. That’s essentially six turnovers for 21 points. If you’re going to pull a stranger as a fore-touchdown underdog, you do just that.
KBS Sports was with you every step of the way for the state of Kansas to be extremely upset. Check out the live blog feed below for more about today’s game.
