Oklahoma Football: 3 takeaways from blowout win over Oklahoma State

3. Oklahoma is the team we believed it was in the preseason

After a 1-2 start, many started to question if Oklahoma was overrated and living off prior seasons of success. Quietly, Oklahoma has strung together five straight wins and controls their own destiny for the Big 12 title.

Spencer Rattler was one of the reasons behind the tough start and was even benched at one point during the Red River Showdown. Since that game, he has completed 64 percent of his passes with 1,133 passing yards, 10 touchdowns and one interception. He has settled down immensely since the rough start and looks like a far better player as a result.

Coming into Saturday’s game, TJ Pledger was the Sooners’ leading running back. In a change of pace, Oklahoma relied heavily on Rhamondre Stevenson. The big back finished with 29 touches for 195 total yards. Stevenson was making life miserable for anybody trying to tackle him.

While the offense has been great, we cannot forget the effort of this defense. The Sooners’ defense has not allowed 30-plus points since the Texas game and has created a turnover in each of the past three games. They have done an exceptional job limiting passing attacks, as only one team (Kansas State) has passed for over 300-plus yards against the Sooners.

Tre Brown and the Oklahoma secondary did a great job taking away initial reads, forcing Illingworth to throw the ball away on a regular basis. We are seeing a trend of Oklahoma being able to rely on their defense. While it isn’t a unit that will challenge 2001 Miami Hurricanes, they are a good unit that is becoming dependable.