What X-Factors Could Shape Oklahoma’s Contest Against Missouri?

These are some of the X-Factors for the No. 8-ranked Sooners as they host the No. 22-ranked Tigers.

Oklahoma defensive tackle David Stone hits Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson. | David Leong-Imagn Images

Handling Success

If you read our “One Big Thing” on Friday, and if you’ve followed OU football closely for the last four years, you know how important this one is. Brent Venables’ biggest problem as head coach has been not sustaining success and falling victim to an upset. It’s one of the tenets he clings to and speaks about frequently. OU is currently on a humble, yet massively impressive two-game win streak — so impressive, the CFP selection committee has jumped the Sooners from No. 12 to No. 8 despite not a huge shakeup in the rankings ahead of them. Winning in Knoxville and Tuscaloosa were giant leaps forward for this program. The next step would be following that success with more success, winning at home as a favorite, and finishing the regular season on a four-game winning streak with a playoff berth.

— John E. Hoover

Score Early

Oklahoma’s offense was fairly conservative last week against Alabama, especially after the Sooners took an early lead, but Ben Arbuckle needs to open things back up on Saturday. It’s unclear how mobile Missouri quarterback Beau Pribula will be in his first start back from injury, and if OU can race out to an early lead, Brent Venables can test Pribula’s evasive abilities by sending a variety of pressure packages at the transfer quarterback with the Sooners’ talented pass rush. If the Tigers can keep it close, they’ll be able to lean on their star running back, Ahmad Hardy, and turn Saturday’s contest into a four-quarter brawl.

— Ryan Chapman 

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Finish Tackles

For how inconsistent Missouri’s passing game has been, the Tigers are superb at running the ball. Running back Ahmad Hardy has rushed for 1,346 yards and 15 touchdowns this year. Most recently, he went for 300 yards and three touchdowns against Mississippi State last week. Though it appears that starting quarterback Beau Pribula will be available, the Tigers’ offense, like usual, will be run-heavy. Oklahoma’s defense has been excellent, but losses to Texas and Ole Miss exposed weak points in the Sooners’ tackling. It’s hard to imagine Hardy won’t break off any big runs. But if the Sooners can even somewhat contain him and finish their tackles, it would make things hard for Missouri’s fairly one-dimensional offense.

— Carson Field

Get a Strong Pass Rush

While Missouri’s rushing attack gets plenty of attention, the Tigers’ passing attack cannot be overlooked. Missouri’s Kevin Coleman can beat you deep, but the Tigers have only thrown to him five times 20 or more yards down the field. With Matt Zollers behind center, Missouri has actually attempted a greater percentage of deep throws than with Beau Pribula. If Zollers is forced into action, he has been much less effective than Pribula when blitzed and put under pressure. According to Pro Football Focus, Zollers grades out at just 33.6 under pressure and 42.7 when blitzed. Zollers has thrown just one interception this season, but of course, so had Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson (on many more attempts) entering last week’s game. The Sooners’ defensive front will need to help out the back end with not only strong containment of the running game but also on the pass rush. Luckily for OU, that’s the strength of their defense.

— Ryan Aber

David Stone's Vocal Activity

The last time David Stone played in Norman, he was chirping at Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin all game. OU lost and an awkward exchange between Stone and Kiffin took place. There's nothing wrong with players talking trash during a game. Stone has not only become a great player this season, but he's also become one of the more vocal leaders on defense. With a College Football Playoff berth on the line and an opponent intending to run right at him, Stone putting actions to his words would do well to keep the Sooners ahead of the Tigers.

— Brady Trantham