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The Oklahoma Sooners and the Iowa State Cyclones have had some time off and are no doubt ready to hit the field. Oklahoma and Iowa State will face off in a Big 12 battle at noon ET on Saturday at Jack Trice Stadium. The Sooners should still be riding high after a win, while the Cyclones will be looking to get back in the win column.
Oklahoma ran circles around the Kansas Jayhawks two weeks ago, and the extra yardage (701 yards vs. 430 yards) paid off. Oklahoma walked away with a 52-42 victory. Their RB Eric Gray was on fire, rushing for two TDs and 176 yards on 20 carries.
There was early excitement for Iowa State after they claimed the game's first points two weeks ago, but it was the Texas Longhorns who ended up claiming the real prize. It was a hard-fought matchup, but the Cyclones had to settle for a 24-21 defeat against Texas. Iowa State's loss shouldn't obscure the performances of QB Hunter Dekkers, who passed for two TDs and 329 yards on 36 attempts in addition to rushing for one TD and 30 yards, and WR Jaylin Noel, who was on the other end of those TDs and tacked on 94 yards receiving. That was the first 300+ yard effort for Dekkers this season.
This next contest is expected to be close, with Oklahoma going off at just a 1-point favorite. Now might not be the best time to take the Sooners against the spread since they've let down bettors for the past four consecutive games.
Oklahoma is now 4-3 while the Cyclones sit at a mirror-image 3-4. Two stats to keep in the back of your head while watching: Oklahoma ranks 13th in the nation when it comes to rushing yards per game, with 222.6 on average. But Iowa State comes into the game boasting the 15th fewest rushing yards allowed per game in the nation at 105.3. These opposing strengths should make for an exciting matchup.
