3 Offensive Keys vs. Iowa State: Sooners need to get the ground game going
Oklahoma will host their first Big 12 opponent of the year on Saturday night when Matt Campbell’s Iowa State Cyclones come to Norman for what should be a rocking crowd.
Oklahoma looks to go 2-0 in Big 12 play and set up a massive matchup with arch-rival Texas next week in Dallas.
This week, though, the focus is on the Cyclones. For a Sooners team that looked resilient on the road against Cincinnati, they’ll have to be better this week. Otherwise, they could be on upset watch.
Offensively, they were good, not great.
Sure, Dillon Gabriel threw for 322 yards, completed 68% of his passes, threw a touchdown, and ran for a score. However, two missed throws that would have been sure-fire touchdowns took the luster off what would’ve been a great day.
On the ground against possibly the best defensive line in the conference, they ran the ball 34 times for 103 yards. It wasn’t good in the first half, but improved to average more than four yards a carry in the second.
That efficiency level must be more consistent against an Iowa State team that will employ a defense begging Oklahoma to run against it. With that said, here are three keys to a more complete offensive showing and for the Sooners’ offense to help pull out a victory.
Up Next: Keys to the Game
Don’t play with your food
We’re confident the coaching staff has expressed many times this week.
Oklahoma cannot get caught looking ahead to what takes place in Dallas next weekend. For an Oklahoma offense that needs to put a more well-rounded performance on tape after leaving meat on the bone in Cincinnati, all attention should be on attacking John Heacock’s defense.
Start fast and finish.
A couple of scoring drives on Oklahoma’s first two or three possessions would be monumental in setting the tone. This feels like a game where if Oklahoma lets the Cyclones hang around into the fourth quarter, things might get weird.
The way to combat that? Take the air out of their sails early.
Up Next: Attack the Fronts
Attack the Box
Iowa State’s defensive coordinator is one of the more creative defensive coaches in the NCAA. His 3-3-5 has inspired a lot of coaches. Even Brent Venables shadowed Heacock in the mid-2010s and took notes from him.
The Sooners need to be able to run the ball on Saturday night. The advantages schematically should be there as the 3-3-5 is weak on the edges. The tackles for Oklahoma, Walter Rouse and Tyler Guyton, will be critical. Utilizing outside runs to get numbers to the edge can beat Iowa State’s defense.
Wide receiver blocking could also help bust a few big plays as well.
The other variable is figuring out who will be the primary ball carrier for this strategy.
Venables has publicly said that they are looking for someone to be the bell cow, and this feels like a game where one could emerge. We don’t know who, but that would be an excellent development as the Sooners get deeper into Big 12 play.
Up Next: Can’t Miss the Can’t Misses
Can’t miss the layups
Dillon Gabriel looked pretty good against the Bearcats. But it could’ve been a 20+ point win had he connected on a couple of plays to his receivers. Instead, it was a 14-point win in which the defense was near perfect.
Again, he was not bad. But as the competition stiffens and the games have added weight, plays like that must be made.
If given the opportunity to connect for walk-in scores like that, the Sooners have to. Eventually, a team will burn you for missing on those.
For a team like Oklahoma, the big play matters. Gabriel’s average depth of target ranking is 49th out of 68 FBS quarterbacks because they throw so close to the line of scrimmage or behind it.
Teams with better defensive backs will stifle that if the threat of the big play isn’t present. So, completing big plays isn’t just crucial for this game alone but for the remainder of the season.
Now, while doing that, Gabriel needs to walk the thin line between too aggressive and too reckless.
Iowa State has a few defensive backs, Beau Frayler and Jeremiah Cooper, who are playmakers. Being too overzealous could result in multiple interceptions.
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