NORMAN – All the hopes for a Big 12 Championship and a shot at the national crown will be on the line Friday night when No. 6 Oklahoma play against No. 12 West Virginia in Morgantown.
After beating lowly Kansas 55-40 Saturday in Norman, OU (10-1 overall, 7-1 in the Big 12) sits alone atop the Big 12 standings thanks to Oklahoma State’s upset of No. 12 West Virginia (8-2, 6-2). Texas (8-2, 6-2) beat Iowa State (6-4, 5-3) and the Longhorns will be heavy favorites to beat Kansas Saturday.
Should OU and No. 11 Texas win this weekend, they would have a Red River Shootout rematch for the first time ever on December 1 in the Dallas Cowboy stadium.
If West Virginia beats OU Friday, West Virginia and Texas would play in the title game because even though all three would have a 7-2 league mark, they both have beaten the Sooners.
Oklahoma arguably has the best offense in the nation but the defense has been suspect for a few games. The 40 points the Jayhawks scored is their second highest total of the season.
Kansas has dismissed Coach David Beaty but he will coach the final game Saturday. KU has hired former LSU and Oklahoma State coach Les Miles.
Kansas running back Pooka Williams rushed 15 times for 252 yards (16.8 yards per carry) and two touchdowns. Williams even threw a touchdown pass.
“It is extremely frustrating because on the outside we are winning these games, but in the locker room it feels like we are losing them,” said OU safety Robert Barnes. “I know that’s not just me but everyone on the defense knows that this is not how we want to play. It’s unacceptable to every single one of us but at the same time it starts with us and being able to change it is with us.”
Last week against OSU, the Cowboys seemed to pass at will. This week, the OU defense couldn’t seem to stop the run.
“Yes, we were all thinking that we were struggling last week with passing, then tonight we struggled with the run, tackling, not making the plays we usually are making, so we just need to go back on Monday and really just focus on the things that we need to focus on to get better,” Barnes said. “Then work on them all week at practice. It is Championship November and if we want to get to where we want to get, then we are going to have start playing up to a championship level on defense.”
Jayhawk quarterback Peyton Bender was 19 of 27 passing with no touchdowns or interceptions.
“We have guys in position,” OU defensive coordinator Ruffin McNeill said. “We tell them to not worry about mistakes. All mistakes are mine, so don’t hesitate. Go make it. We tackle every day, so we’ll just continue to do that and continue to work hard.”
OU quarterback Kyler Murray, a top Heisman trophy hopeful, passed for 272 yards and two touchdowns plus he rushed 8 times for 104 yards – including a 75-yard scoring play.
“He did some good things,” OU coach Lincoln Riley said of Murray. “I thought he was patient most of the night. His challenge tonight was to throw the football. The conditions were certainly a factor, both in the throw game and in the kicking game, for both teams. I thought he did a nice job. He read well. The decisions were pretty good. He had one bad decision on the interception but had a little pressure there early on a bad call by me and just didn’t see the corner.”
OU’s offense was efficient in the first half.
“The game felt like it was going by quick,” Murray said. “We had four possessions the first half. We made the most of it – we threw four first-half touchdowns. We put the ball in the endzone and that’s all we can ask for.”
Was the brisk north wind a factor?
“The wind didn’t really affect me a lot, to be honest with you,” Murray said. “I think it did a little bit on the ball with Marquise (Brown) at the end there. It was kind of chilly, but it is what it is.”
“That dude (Kyler Murray) is a talented guy, and how many plays did he make that were in broken down third and long situations?” Beatty asked. “They didn’t call holding on either team, and I can live with that. I take my hat off to them (the referees) because those guys got to settle it on the field and they did a really nice job of letting them play.
“I was hoping we could limit him a lot more than we did. We picked him off once, and it was a nice play, but he’s a special player. That Heisman needs to go to him. He’s a terrific player – I think he’s that good.”
OU running back Kennedy Brooks was a workhorse, rushing 25 times for 175 yards and two touchdowns.
“(I was) really proud of Kennedy Brooks,” Riley said. “I thought he really stepped up tonight after the early fumbles, which can get a lot of young guys down. He was really our only back that we had tonight, so we needed him to play good and he really did.”
Brooks seems to be getting better every game.
“I wouldn’t say it’s the best, because the best is yet to come,” Brooks said. “The game has slowed down a little bit, just playing, getting comfortable with the game speed. The offensive line keeps it easier on me to see the holes. Going through practice, running the plays over and over again, seeing how the linebackers fit, how the plays develop. Doing all that makes the game easier on me.”
Wide receiver Brayden Willis blocked a Jayhawk punt and linebacker Curtis Bolton returned it for a score. Bolton scored on a recovered fumble in a game earlier this year.
The victory gave Oklahoma 10 wins – the 39th time that OU has won 10 games in a season. That’s the best in the nation.
OU kicker Austin Seibert had seven points against Kansas, which gives him 465 career pints and that moves him into fourth place all-time with NCAA career scoring among kickers. The record is 494 points, which is held by former Arizona State kicker Zane Gonzalez.