Oklahoma football was ready for Iowa State’s upset bid, handling the Cyclones in Ames a year after ISU stunned the Sooners in Norman.
Oklahoma rolled through the Big 12 last season with one glaring hiccup, a home upset to a feisty Iowa State team that came out of nowhere. The Sooners were hefty favorites to win the conference again in 2018, but they still had to get through the Cyclones, this time on the road.
The Sooners opened the scoring with a bang, ripping off a 75-yard touchdown pass from Kyler Murray to Marquise Brown after converting a chip shot field goal earlier in the first quarter. Staked to a 10-point lead, Oklahoma survived some big plays by the Iowa State offense, never trailing on their way to a hard-fought 37-27 victory.
There were moments when it looked like the Cyclones were going to threaten an upset, but Oklahoma weathered the storm. When they needed a big play they found it, proving why they belong at the top of the Big 12.
Oklahoma didn’t punch their College Football Playoff ticket just yet, and Iowa State is going to give people problems in an otherwise wide-open Big 12. Here are the three biggest takeaways from the Sooners’ revenge over the Cyclones.
3. Rodney Anderson isn’t going to be easily replaced
The loss of Rodney Anderson was announced in the week leading up to the Iowa State game. Anderson was able to pick up big yards against an elite Georgia team in the Playoff last season and was well on his way to another impressive season in 2018. Now he’ll miss the remainder of the year, and Oklahoma is going to feel his absence.
Marcelias Sutton left the game in the third quarter with an injury, leaving the Sooners with Trey Sermon and TJ Pledger in the backfield. Outside of Murray’s improvised running, the Oklahoma ground game was largely ineffective. Sutton, Sermon and Pledger combined to carry the ball 23 times for 94 yards and one touchdown. If that’s all they can do against Iowa State the odds of them making much progress on the ground against a Playoff caliber team aren’t looking good.
The differentiator between good programs and great programs is depth. It’s one thing to have blue-chip players on the starting line, it’s another to be three-deep with 5-stars with more on the way. Oklahoma doesn’t have the depth to survive one injury at running back. That was painfully evident against Iowa State.
2. It’s still too early to tell if Iowa State’s 2017 season was a fluke
What Matt Campbell and Iowa State were able to accomplish last season was historic. Ames, Iowa was vaulted into the national dialogue and the Cyclones had an outside chance at sneaking into the College Football Playoff midway through the 2017 season.
Entering 2018 the question was whether or not that one memorable season was the confluence of several lucky bounces or the beginning of a new era of competitiveness for Iowa State. Scoring three points against Iowa wasn’t an encouraging start, but a strong outing against Oklahoma has officially put the verdict firmly into “wait and see” status.
Beating Oklahoma every season isn’t a reasonable expectation, but Iowa State gave the Sooners everything they could handle. Hakeem Butler is filling the void left by Allen Lazard. He had a big day on Saturday, catching five balls for 174 yards and two big touchdowns.
On the ground, David Montgomery continues to be a bruiser, always falling forward and getting the extra yard. If the Cyclones can find consistent quarterback play by either Zeb Noland or Kyle Kempt, one good season could turn into two, then three, then more.
1. Kyler Murray is even better than his lofty expectations
Baker Mayfield is not someone Oklahoma was expected to seamlessly replace. The walk-on turned Heisman Trophy winner was nearly flawless in his final season in Norman. Everyone knew future professional baseball player Kyler Murray is a freak athlete. They knew he was going to put up numbers. But it wasn’t possible to foresee how well he would command this offense.
Through three games, Murray has been incredible. He’s not just making the routine plays; he’s literally running circles around defenders before finding the open man for a big play. The story wasn’t any different against Iowa State in Week 3. Murray completed 21 of 29 passes for 348 yards and three touchdowns. He carried the ball 15 times for 77 yards.
Murray was going to be in the national media because of his baseball fame and high-profile status as the quarterback at Oklahoma. But what he’s done thus far has surpassed even the most optimistic expectations. Murray has the Oklahoma offense running like a well-oiled machine and the Sooners’ eyes are firmly fixed on the College Football Playoff.
More performances like this will elevate Murray into the Heisman Trophy conversation. This isn’t a coronation just yet, but it is a deserved apology to No. 1. Murray has shattered expectations and he’s only getting started.