The No. 6 Oklahoma Sooners (7-0, 4-0 Big 12) will be on the road against the Kansas Jayhawks (5-2, 2-2 Big 12) on Saturday, Oct. 28 at 11:00 a.m. (CT).
Oklahoma will have to play much better this week if they want to beat Kansas for the 19th time in a row. The Jayhawks haven’t beaten Oklahoma since 1997, so it is sure to be a ruckus crowd in Lawrence on Saturday.
What to watch for
Oklahoma’s offense cannot start slow
The Sooners went scoreless in the third quarter of last week’s game against UCF and only had a total of 17 points on the board. OU can’t do that against this Kansas team on the road.
The Jayhawks have an offense that can score in a hurry, so the Sooner offense can’t afford to stall out at times. Luckily for Oklahoma, Kansas ranks 94th in the nation in total defense.
OU’s defense vs KU’s run game
The Jayhawks’ offense averages 212 rushing yards per game on 5.6 yards per carry. Running backs Devin Neal and Daniel Hishaw Jr. have combined for 1,096 rushing yards on a total of 158 carries.
On the other side, the Sooners’ defense gives up 118.7 rushing yards per game, with opponents averaging 4.1 yards per carry. The battle between Kansas’ offensive line and Oklahoma’s athletic defensive front will be one to watch.
How will OU respond after last week’s scare?
The Sooners are currently nine-point favorites over the Jayhawks, but the line has moved around a bit. Oklahoma was a 17.5 point against the UCF Knights last week, and only won the game by two. It was the first game of the season that OU did not cover the spread. Will they come out flat again this week, or will they go into Lawrence and execute a good game plan?
Prediction
38-27 Oklahoma
