Wednesday Walkthrough: Oklahoma State Week
The Kansas Jayhawks looked as good as they have all season last weekend when they blew out the UCF Knights, and they’ll look to continue that momentum this coming Saturday when they visit the Oklahoma State Cowboys.
There’s plenty riding on this game for KU. That includes going into the bye week on a high note, staying firmly near the top of the Big 12 standings and, most importantly, securing bowl eligibility just seven weeks into the season. To do that, it will have to take down an OSU team that may finally be finding its identity.
Kansas coach Lance Leipold had plenty to say this week as game day approaches, so let’s dive right into the highlights and what to watch for in Week 7.
LISTENING IN ON LANCE
“I think our defense is playing ... to a level that I'm pleased with. And some of the depth I was anticipating could come has started to come, especially in the second level at our linebacker position. And the rotation of defensive linemen has taken the step that we thought."
Leipold was asked about what has surprised him about the team so far this year, and while he said he didn’t want to shortchange anyone by calling it “surprise,” he pointed out the play of the front seven as an early season positive. And, in fairness, most KU fans would likely tell you that they’ve been surprised by how well that unit has played. The defensive front, in particular, has been a big reason why KU has taken off the way it has this season.
“I think he's probably playing at a little higher level than at times what I thought ... He's talented. I think he's not even near the ceiling yet of what he can completely be if he keeps after it."
Austin Booker has been a major asset along that defensive line, including another big game on Saturday. He’s now up to five sacks this season, and while Leipold said that he doesn’t set statistical expectations for players and still thinks there’s room for Booker to grow, he added that he thinks the Minnesota transfer is playing his best ball since he was in high school.
“I think Armaj had one of his better games, maybe his best game. He's very physical. Kobe's an extremely physical player and Michael Ford was our player of the week on the offensive line for just his steady play again.”
Kansas’ offensive line play was stellar against UCF, opening up plenty of running lanes for their stable of running backs and protecting Jason Bean well on his few dropbacks. Armaj Reed-Adams, Kobe Baynes and Michael Ford all rotated at the guard spots throughout the game to positive results, and Leipold was happy with what they were able to do in the face of some adversity (specifically, nicks and bruises for players across the line). He added that one of the benefits of using that rotation is that it can limit some of that wear and tear.
“They played their best game of the year on Friday night against the defending conference champions. I think they've kind of hit a little more of a stride."
Oklahoma State has had its fair share of struggles early this season, but after a home win over the Kansas State Wildcats last Friday the Cowboys are riding high into this coming Saturday’s matchup. We’ll get to more on them specifically in a moment, but Leipold made sure to point out both their experience in the trenches and how difficult it can be to play them on the road.
KNOW YOUR ENEMY
When: Saturday, Oct. 14 at 2:30 p.m. CT
Where: Boone Pickens Stadium, Stillwater, Oklahoma
Spread: Kansas -3.5
After a decent yet somewhat uninspiring 2-0 start to the season, Oklahoma State dropped its next two games against South Alabama and Iowa State before its win last weekend. It appears that coach Mike Gundy has finally settled on a permanent quarterback, two-time transfer Alan Bowman. After starting his career at Texas Tech and making a stop at Michigan, the fifth-year senior is completing just 53.3% of his passes this year for 748 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions. He was effective if not somewhat pedestrian last time out, going 19-of-35 for 235 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions.
OSU’s defense has graded out slightly better than its offense this year. According to SP+ at ESPN, the Cowboys’ defense is ranked 50th in the nation while their offense is 58th. Oklahoma State has been mostly careful with the ball, only committing five turnovers all season, but it has also only generated five takeaways through five games.
For the fifth time in seven games, Kansas heads into their matchup as the betting favorite. Currently, the line sits at 3.5 points. Last week, the line jumped the fence and the Jayhawks were underdogs on the closing line, though they would have covered regardless given how lopsided their win was. KU is 3-3 against the spread this season while Oklahoma State is 2-3. Also potentially notable is that OSU has gone under its game’s total four out of five times this year.
JAYHAWK TO WATCH
According to Stats Perform’s TRACR metric, Oklahoma State has the country’s #52 run defense and just the ninth best out of 14 programs in the Big 12. A second straight game against mediocre run stoppers sounds like another opportunity for the Kansas rushing attack to take off.
This isn’t the first time we’ve chosen Devin Neal this season and it may not be the last, but it’s certainly deserved again. He has been sensational this year, entering this week just shy of 600 yards on the ground while averaging a staggering 7.7 yards per carry. He racking up some of the best production of any back in the Big 12 while only shouldering about 75% of the workload of the other league leaders.
Assuming Bean starts again this week, he’ll likely have to make a few more plays with his arm for Kansas to pick up the win. Still, Andy Kotenicki and this Jayhawks offense can rely on the ground game to carry them. We’ll see plenty of Daniel Hishaw and Dylan McDuffie, but with a meaningful game coming up right before a bye week, relying on your best players should be the expectation. Thus, why not count on maybe the best running back in the conference to make some crucial plays?
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