OU 3-2-1 kickoff: Will Sooners' defense play disciplined football vs. Kansas?
The OU football team faces Kansas on the road at 11 a.m. Saturday.
The Sooners (7-0, 4-0 Big 12) escaped with a 31-29 home win over UCF in Week 8, while the Jayhawks (5-2, 2-2 Big 12) are fresh off a bye week. Here's a look at some key points to watch when the two teams play:
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3 players to watch for OU vs. Kansas
OU wide receiver Nic Anderson: The redshirt freshman stepped up against UCF in the absence of Andrel Anthony, who's out for the season with a knee injury. Anderson hauled in a career-high five catches for 105 yards and two touchdowns, and he figures to be a go-to target for quarterback Dillon Gabriel again on Saturday.
OU running back Tawee Walker: The junior didn't play against UCF due to what head coach Brent Venables described as "in-house suspension." OU's run game struggled as a result, but Walker is expected to play against Kansas. He boasts 53 carries for 241 yards and four touchdowns this season.
OU defensive end Ethan Downs: The junior leads OU in sacks this season with 4.5, and 3.5 of them have come in the last three games. Downs is playing his best football of the season, and it's no coincidence that OU's entire defensive line is also hitting its stride.
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2 big questions for OU vs. Kansas
Can OU's offensive line fend off Kansas? OU's offensive line dealt with plenty of changes against UCF. It was without starting right guard McKade Mettauer (ankle) for all but special teams, and freshman Cayden Green also earned his first career start at left guard. Now the group will be tested by Kansas, which ranks second in the Big 12 in sacks (19) this season.
Can OU's defense play disciplined football? The group fell victim to numerous trick plays by UCF, which recorded 397 yards of offense as a result. That's the second-highest total OU's defense has allowed all season, and it must now face a Kansas offense that also likes to use trickeration.
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1 wild prediction for OU vs. Kansas
Marcus Major will set a new career high for rushing yards: The redshirt senior's career high is 110 rushing yards, which he set against Florida on Dec. 30, 2020. Now he'll face Kansas, which let OSU's Ollie Gordon run for 168 yards on 29 carries in its most recent game. Is it unusual to have the same bold prediction two weeks in a row? Maybe. But Major has been OU's most consistent runner this season, and I believe he'll have a big game on Saturday.
—Justin Martinez, Staff writer
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This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OU vs. Kansas football: Will Sooners play smart vs. tricky Jayhawks?
