OU-Iowa State: One Big Thing

It’s only Week 3 of the college football season, but for Spencer Rattler, it might as well be a mid-term.

Saturday night’s Big 12 Conference game at Iowa State is a significant test for Oklahoma’s redshirt freshman quarterback, and if the Sooners are going to avoid going 0-2 in league play for the first time since 1998, he’ll need more than passing marks.

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He might need running marks, too.

“He’s an athletic guy,” head coach Lincoln Riley said. “He presents opportunities to do that.”

Against the Cyclones, he might have too.

Oklahoma’s ground game through two games has been lacking. The Sooners are averaging just 127.0 rushing yards per game — that’s by far the fewest since Riley arrived in Norman in 2015, and it’s 50th nationally out of 72 teams. OU’s 3.63 yards per rush ranks 47th.

It’s been systemic: blocking schemes haven’t been efficient, running backs haven’t broken tackles, receivers have missed downfield blocks. OU’s longest run last week against Kansas State was 21 yards on a reverse by wide receiver Charleston Rambo — the first play of the game. OU’s longest run by a running back was just 14 yards by Seth McGowan.

The Sooner offense has lacked explosiveness.

“We’ve just got to continue to finish our runs and trust our eyes and trust what we see,” said junior running back T.J. Pledger. “It starts on the practice field. I definitely believe those big runs that you’re talking about are on the way.”

If not, Riley may need to enlist Rattler’s help. Rattler actually had OU’s longest run of the day against the Wildcats late in the game, but it was nullified by a holding penalty.

Statistically, Rattler actually ran the ball eight times last week, but three of those were sacks and most were scrambles. If OU is going to win in Ames, making him part of the actual running attack makes sense.

“I think all the quarterbacks in that room are athletic enough to be able to run the football,” Riley said. “But there’s always a lot of things that go into that. That’s probably as far as I’d go with that.”

Running or throwing, Riley is eager to see how his young QB performs in his first test away from Owen Field.

“I think he’s got a good mental makeup to play on the road,” Riley said. “I think he’s looking forward to it. It’s certainly gonna be a challenge. Road football at this level is always a challenge as we’ve said through the years, but especially a challenge as we play a good football team. So I’m excited for him. I think he’s got a great makeup to potentially be a great road quarterback, and that starts with going to tough places and finding ways to win tough games. That’s what this one will be.”

Iowa State is renowned for pulling off unlikely upsets at Jack Trice Stadium, especially in night games, although Riley said home crowds — whether in Norman, Ames or anywhere else this year — will be “dulled” and “less of a factor” because of reduced seating capacities.

“Yeah, it’ll be a challenge for him,” Riley said. “It’ll be different, certainly, in some ways. It’s just a lot different playing at home. It’s gonna be a lot different playing on the road. The atmosphere is not gonna be as strong or as raucous in either direction, and you just understand that’s part of the deal.”

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