The Oklahoma Sooners took on the Kansas State Wildcats in their Big 12 opener this past weekend. The Sooners came into the game 3-0 in non-conference games, and the Wildcats were 2-1 going into the game. Over the past few seasons, Kansas State has played well against the Sooners in their matchups, and this game was no exception. The Wildcats scored first, and for the rest of the first half, the sooner were trying to play catch up. Going into halftime, the score was 24-17 in favor of Kansas State. It was more of the same for the second half of the game.
Where was the Sooner team from the last three games? Where was the run game? Why were there so many yellow flags thrown at the Sooners? Those questions and more will need to be asked and answered by the coaching staff before the next game especially if they want to avoid a repeat of this game. Kansas State is always a competitive opponent, and this time was no exception. So today we look at a few takeaways from the game.
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Another Slow Start for the Sooners
The offense for the Sooners got off to yet another slow start. It is hard to tell if there is a problem somewhere or if the offensive coordinators and play-callers are feeling out the defense. The concern with this continuing to happen is that Oklahoma will fall behind in scoring and must continuously keep working to even the score or pull ahead.
On the other side of the ball, at times, it also appears that way for the Sooners’ defense. They had a difficult time in the first half of the game containing the run plays executed by the Wildcats. Moreover, they had a difficult time stopping Adrian Martinez and Deuce Vaughn.
Stop With the Yellow
The Sooners were penalized a season-high 11 times for 87 yards in the game. Also, do not forget a few of these came a crucial times in the game for the Sooners. For example, Brayden Willis was flagged for a false start on fourth-and-one when OU attempted to go for it. That alone in the second quarter contributed to a loss of momentum for the Sooners. The Sooners did themselves no favors, shooting themselves in the foot throughout the game with unnecessary penalties.
Offensive Inconsistency
The Sooners looked out of sync on offense, especially in the first half of the game. Though the second half was better, it was still basically one step forward and two steps back. Dillon Gabriel missed Drake Stoops several times but was able to hit 50-yard touchdown passes to Theo Wease and Marvin Mims. The penalties didn’t help, either. As mentioned previously, the slow start did not do them any favors in this game, and then if you add in the play-calling and mental mistakes, it was a recipe for a loss.
While the sky is not falling, these issues will prevent the Sooners from being the Big 12 powerhouse they should be. While all three are bad and combined are a disaster, the slow start has to be the big issue to work on. A slow start means the possibility of playing from behind, which is what happened against Kansas State. The Sooners are 3-1, but also 0-1 in Big 12 play, and while there is no need for panic, this cannot continue if a winning record or Big 12 Championship are the goals.
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