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Oklahoma-Iowa State GameDay: X-Factor

Get Those Takeaways ... Get to Becht Early ... Look-Ahead Spot ... Focus ... Back to the Basics
John E. Hoover|
Oklahoma-Iowa State GameDay: X-Factor
Oklahoma-Iowa State GameDay: X-Factor

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Oklahoma Sooners

Get Those Takeaways

Oklahoma ranks tied for fourth in the nation in turnover margin at +1.75 per game. Iowa State is the national co-leader with zero fumbles lost. The Sooners, however, really excel at taking the football away through the air. OU is tied for second in the nation with eight interceptions, and Cyclones QB Rocco Becht has thrown three picks already this year. If the Sooners are going to win this thing comfortably, then this is where they can exploit a big advantage. Key Lawrence (two), Billy Bowman, Justin Harrington, Kendel Dolby, Gentry Williams, Danny Stutsman and Trace Ford already have INTs this season. Who will be next?

— John Hoover

Get to Becht Early

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Iowa State quarterback Rocco Becht will roll into Norman with plenty of confidence. The redshirt freshman enjoyed a career day last week against Oklahoma State, completing 27-of-38 passes for 348 yards and three touchdowns. Against OU defenses of old, Becht would be primed to carry momentum into Saturday, but the Sooners defense looks a different animal this year. A week ago, Oklahoma made Emory Jones look like, well, Emory Jones. Brent Venables’ defense did a good job containing Jones, making him stand in the pocket and throw the ball 41 times. Becht hasn’t displayed the wheels Jones has over his career, and if OU’s pass rush can hit home early, Becht should come back down to earth and play much closer to his career stats where he’s completed 62.7 percent of passes.

 — Ryan Chapman

Look-Ahead Spot?

Oklahoma has overlooked Iowa State in the past, falling to the Cyclones in 2017 in Norman and 2020 in Ames. While Matt Campbell’s team isn’t up to par with ISU’s 2020 squad, Rocco Becht and company are fresh off of a 34-27 victory over Oklahoma State that could give the Cyclones momentum heading into their trip to Norman. With the Red River Rivalry coming up next weekend, there is a chance that the Sooners are too focused on their matchup with the Longhorns and have a few hiccups against Iowa State on Saturday.

— Randall Sweet

Focus

Oklahoma (4-0, 1-0 Big 12 Conference) can't afford to look past Iowa State, which has played the Sooners tough in recent years, especially with a potential top-15 matchup against Texas looming next week in Dallas. Head coach Brent Venables didn't mention the Longhorns by name during his weekly press conference, but made a point of playing up the Cyclones (2-2) and quarterback Rocco Becht, who threw for 350 yards and zero interceptions in a win over Oklahoma State. As for the Iowa State defense, which leads the Big 12 Conference in total defense, Venables said "they've been the standard on defense the last five years or so in the conference." To a player, the focus is "going 1-0 each week." Center Andrew Raym said, "We don't look ahead. Everything this week is about Iowa State."

— Tim Willert

Back to the basics

The Sooners always have a dominant running game, and last year Eric Gray carried the torch. Oklahoma needs to find that same consistency heading into the heavy slate of Big 12 games coming up. One thing that stands out through the early portion of the season is Oklahoma trying to do too much on offense, when simplicity could be key. Bringing Jackson Arnold in for short yardage situations, switching up the running back rotation week by week and changing the game plan from heavy run to heavy pass are just a few examples of the inconsistencies. Oklahoma needs to get back to balanced football and pick a lead back to start building momentum and confidence.

— Ross Lovelace

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John E. Hoover
JOHN E. HOOVER

John is an award-winning journalist whose work spans five decades in Oklahoma, with multiple state, regional and national awards as a sportswriter at various newspapers. During his newspaper career, John covered the Dallas Cowboys, the Kansas City Chiefs, the Oklahoma Sooners, the Oklahoma State Cowboys, the Arkansas Razorbacks and much more. In 2016, John changed careers, migrating into radio and launching a YouTube channel, and has built a successful independent media company, DanCam Media. From there, John has written under the banners of Sporting News, Sports Illustrated, Fan Nation and a handful of local and national magazines while hosting daily sports talk radio shows in Oklahoma City, Tulsa and statewide. John has also spoken on Capitol Hill in Oklahoma City in a successful effort to put more certified athletic trainers in Oklahoma public high schools. Among the dozens of awards he has won, John most cherishes his national "Beat Writer of the Year" from the Associated Press Sports Editors, Oklahoma's "Best Sports Column" from the Society of Professional Journalists, and Two "Excellence in Sports Medicine Reporting" Awards from the National Athletic Trainers Association. John holds a bachelor's degree in Mass Communications from East Central University in Ada, OK. Born and raised in North Pole, Alaska, John played football and wrote for the school paper at Ada High School in Ada, OK. He enjoys books, movies and travel, and lives in Broken Arrow, OK, with his wife and two kids.

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