Oklahoma Football: Jalen Hurts’ Heisman campaign rolls on vs. Kansas State

Oklahoma football takes a road trip to Manhattan, Kan., in Week 9 in search of a “style points” victory to impress the soon-to-meet CFP committee.

Oklahoma has blasted all but one of its opponents this season, leading the national in total offense at 612.9 yards per game (60 yards more per game than the second-highest team, UCF) and setting up an extraordinary Heisman campaign for transfer quarterback Jalen Hurts. Kansas State, on the other hand, dropped its first two Big 12 contests this season before bouncing back to beat TCU last week, 24-17.

For OU, the mission is simple: maintain the unblemished record (7-0) so far and advance to win the Big 12 title game. While the Sooners beat the Longhorns a couple weeks ago and have decimated the other teams on their schedule, they have yet to rise above No. 5 in the polls. Will that change when the CFP committee releases its first set of rankings on Tuesday, Nov. 5?

The Sooners obviously can’t control what the other four teams ranked ahead of them do, but at least one is guaranteed to lose — LSU and Alabama are scheduled to meet in Week 11. For OU to put itself in the best position possible for the postseason, it needs to win on Saturday — ideally, in a convincing fashion as 24-point favorites.

Here’s how you can watch:

Date: Saturday, Oct. 26
Time: 12 p.m. ET
Location: Manhattan, Kan.
Venue: Bill Snyder Family Stadium
TV: ABC
Live Stream: WatchESPN

Keys to Victory

Offensively, the two teams will match strength vs. strength: the Wildcats, despite playing in the pass-happy Big 12, own the nation’s fifth-best mark in pass defense (152.5 passing yards allowed per game). OU, of course, counters with a potent offense behind Hurts and an array of NFL-caliber weapons across the board.

Wideouts CeeDee Lamb and Charleston Rambo possess impressive hands, great stop-start ability, and elusive change-of-direction moves that have helped them already combine for more than 1,000 receiving yards through seven games. Running backs Trey Sermon and Kennedy Brooks average more than 7.2 yards per carry.

Hurts, while directing the show, has thrown for 20 touchdowns and three interceptions. He’s also rushed for more than 700 yards for the season, leading the team in rushing.

If Kansas State is to have a chance at the upset, quarterback Skylar Thompson is going to need to direct the offense to hold possession and to not turn the ball over.  The junior from Independence, Mo., has thrown for seven touchdowns and only one interception this season.

Betting Odds

Odds courtesy of Bovada

Spread: Oklahoma -24.0
Over/Under: 57.5

Prediction

Oklahoma entered the 2017 road trip at Kansas State as a Top 10 team seeking to stay alive in the playoff hunt with one loss already. This Baker Mayfield-led and heavily favored squad trailed in the fourth quarter against Kansas State before prevailing, 42-35.

A similar “trap” game seems unlikely to for the Sooners this time around. Oklahoma is about to head into a bye week before hosting No. 23 Iowa State. This year’s OU offense is humming on all cylinders and shows no signs of stopping on Saturday. Look for the Sooners to make it five in a row over the Wildcats.

Final Score: Oklahoma 45, Kansas State 24