Oklahoma’s road back after Texas loss starts at Kansas State

Oklahoma (4-1, 1-1 Big 12) still has No. 2 Baylor, No. 3 TCU and unbeaten No. 16 Oklahoma State on the schedule – excellent chances to leap right back into the playoff picture.

Anyway you look at it, however, Saturday’s game in Manhattan between the Sooners and K-State will be a strong test of character for both teams, which should make it a close contest.

The Kansas State Wildcats could use a big victory to snap back-to-back losses and get in the Big 12 win column.

“When [the opponent comes] off the sideline, you’re unsure what (formation) they’re coming out in”, Bob Stoops said. That’s what happens on the Forty Acres when you lose 50-7 to TCU, plummet to 1-4 (Texas’ worst five-game start since 1956) and have a handful of players sniping at each other on Twitter. The math is in their favor, but not if they play the way they did against a Texas team that is not as good as the one they will go up against in the Little Apple.

The Oklahoma Sooners and Kansas State Wildcats meet Saturday at Bill Snyder Family Stadium. The 19th-ranked Sooners haven’t lost back-to-back regular-season games since 1999, a span of 34 games. After a helmet hit Perkins’ knee against Oklahoma State, he’s been day-to-day since while missing the last two games. Malik Jefferson, Connor Williams, Patrick Vahe and John Burt, all true freshmen, have been first-stringers for all six games, while redshirt freshman Jerrod Heard took over as quarterback in Week 2. The play before, Oklahoma successfully stopped a Swoopes run from the same formation. The bottom line is we got out-executed.

With a few momentum generated by the big upset of Oklahoma, Texas get a bye week after a flawless time – there’s a big opportunity now to get healthy and continue improving in all three phrases. The Wildcats are by no means an offensive juggernaut, but 180 rushing yards per game is nothing to scoff at, especially since the Sooners just gave up 313 rushing yards. “Especially where we’re a pretty young group, and even the guys that aren’t younger are inexperienced”. “We have had hardly any all year”. “Darlington believes the Sooners will recover”. “I know that Coach Stoops will probably stand up here and say that it’s on him because he’s going to do that”.

On the defensive side of the ball the Wildcats are once again just behind Oklahoma, in the conference rankings, allowing 24.8 points per game.