NCAA football preview: Oklahoma State trying to keep their grip on first place
The no. 10 ranked Oklahoma State Cowboys need a win on Saturday 20 November over the last place Kansas Jayhawks to stay in first place in the competitive Big 12 Conference. A loss would likely put them all tied up with Oklahoma, which would mean the
two Oklahoma Universities would each have a change for first place when they face each other in the last game of the year.
Kansas’ season so far
The Jayhawks started off on the wrong foot, losing 6-3 to North Dakota State. They rebounded in week two to stun formerly ranked no. 15 Georgia Tech, 28-25, but fell the following week to Southern Mississippi, 31-16.
A victory over New Mexico State in week four kept the Jayhawks at .500, but they went on a four-game losing streak against opponents Baylor, Kansas State, Texas A&M and Iowa State.
A 52-45 victory over Colorado ended their losing streak, but last weekend’s loss to former no. 8 Nebraska put the Jayhawks in a tough position. They are playing for pride this weekend, and will play for
it next weekend when they end their season against Missouri.
Oklahoma State’s previous games
The Cowboys have had an excellent season, and it started with six straight wins over Washington State, Troy, Tulsa, Texas A&M, Louisiana-Lafayette and Texas Tech.
Their 51-41 loss to Nebraska on 23 October ended their streak but has since picked it up against Kansas State, Baylor and Texas.
Last week’s victory over Texas ended a losing streak against the Longhorns which goes back to 1997.
The Cowboys sit atop the south division in the Big 12 and can set up a showdown against in state rival Oklahoma on 27 November for the divisional title.
Kansas’ keys to victory
The Jayhawks need to forget about their season and concentrate on the task at hand which is ruining the Cowboys season. They sit near the bottom in the passing and rushing categories and their defence is not that much better, which allows an average
of 33 points per game.
"We've got to compete and we've got to be balanced on offence and defence," defensive end Toben Opurum said according to espn.go.com.
The offence started their season with freshman quarterback Jordan Webb but has since made the change to junior Quinn Mecham. They also changed their offensive strategy after they made the change in quarterbacks,
sticking more to the run than the passing game. It has not worked very well, but this is a work in progress.
Freshman running back James Sims can carry this team and has been given the opportunity to be a star. His 130 touches for 582 yards and seven touchdowns is great numbers to have as a freshman and he will
only get better as he gets older.
If the Jayhawks are to be successful against the Cowboys, let Sims carry the ball and maybe the team to victory, but defence will be mandatory.
Cowboys’ keys to victory
Quarterback Brandon Weeden has led this offence to victory in nine of 10 games, and there is no reason to assume he'll do otherwise. He has a second ranked passing game, throwing an average of 359.1 yards per game, and a 30th ranked rushing
game which averages 188.4 yards on the ground.
The aerial assault is thanks in large part to the country’s leading receiver, Justin Blackmon. He has 16 touchdowns, 84 receptions and 1430 yards so far this season and could be a candidate for the Heisman
trophy.
"All I can say is this, every time that he is on the field, he is the best player. So the 10 teams that we have played against, he has been the best player on the field." Offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen
said of Blackmon according to espn.go.com.
Prediction
The Cowboys show no signs of letting up, even with this weekend’s easy match up.
Oklahoma State 45 – Kansas 14
Tags: