5 takeaways from Oklahoma’s 50-20 win over Iowa State
Oklahoma continues to march right through their final season in the Big 12 by dispatching one of their long-time foes in the conference one last time. Saturday evening, the Sooners pulled away from the Iowa State Cyclones and in a 50-20 blowout.
The game itself started off with a bang as Billy Bowman returned an interception to open the scoring for the Sooners before the offense even took the field.
A couple of coverage busts led to two Iowa State touchdowns and kept the Cyclones in the game early into the second quarter. Oklahoma would respond, scoring the game’s next 29 points to seal the victory.
The Sooners played a good game for the most part. While they continue to evolve and grow as a team, they can now turn their attention to their biggest game of the season. In the aftermath of the win, here are 5 takeaways after watching Oklahoma get to 5-0 on the season.
The aura around the defense is certifiably different
It feels like we are trying to convince ourselves this defense is different every week. But after this week, it’s time to acknowledge at least they are a better unit in every facet than years prior.
They had a blown coverage and a misread on two plays that led to touchdowns. However, if you take those two plays away, the Cyclones would be under 250 yards for the game.
The second half was much more in line with what we’ve seen from this defense. They pitched a second-half shutout and gave up less than 100 total yards after halftime.
This offense is a pass first offense
It may be a hard pill for some to swallow, but this team is at its best when Dillon Gabriel and these receivers can play pitch and catch. They are the deepest and most consistent playmakers on the offense.
From now on, it feels like the Sooners should tailor themselves to attack teams that way and let the run game complement it.
Gabriel threw for 366 yards and three touchdowns. Eight different receivers had two or more catches.
This team has a few different gears
When the Cyclones kicked a field goal with 9:06 left in the second quarter, it felt like Oklahoma was about to fall into a knock-down drag-out fight with a team they should be comfortably ahead of.
Instead, the Sooners hit a different gear and reeled off 29 unanswered points to sprint ahead of Iowa State.
The defense turned it up, and the offense executed at a high level. What could’ve turned into a fight for their undefeated lives turned into a team showing the world they are not the 2022 version of themselves.
The offensive line needs to find another level before next Saturday
Bill Bedenbaugh’s guys should rest up and recover now because next week, they’ll face something they haven’t seen this year.
Oklahoma will not succeed next week against Texas unless their offensive line takes a step forward. They were far from bad on Saturday, but what allowed them to thrive against Iowa State may not be enough to do the same against the Longhorns.
This line doesn’t play with an edge. Far too often, they don’t finish blocks or look like a unit trying to impose their will on opposing teams.
Gentry Williams stock is soaring
Tulsa’s own, Gentry Williams, continues to string together good performances. The talented cornerback is a menace in coverage and a strong defender in run support. He had a nice interception after Danny Stutsman put pressure on Iowa State’s Rocco Becht and had a great tackle for loss in the first half.
He’s a player.
The Sooners are a much better defense when he’s on the field. With the remainder of this season and at least one more full season to play in college, it’s hard to imagine a scenario where he isn’t playing on Sundays in the future.
Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Bryant on Twitter @thatmanbryant.
