Oklahoma State vs. Kansas Preview
LAWRENCE, KS – Oklahoma State has proven itself capable of bouncing back from a loss and getting up for a key road game in conference play.
The 12th-ranked Cowboys now need to avoid looking ahead at the most inopportune time as their chase for the Big 12 South Division title continues Saturday at Kansas.
Oddsmakers from online sports book Sportsbook.com have made Oklahoma State –24.5 point spread favorites for Saturday’s game against Kansas. Current NCAA Public Betting Information shows that 87% of more than 734 bets for this game have been placed on Oklahoma State –24.5.
Coach Mike Gundy’s team, looking to go 5-0 on the road and win its fourth straight overall since falling to then-No. 14 Nebraska, closes its regular season at home against 16th-ranked Oklahoma on Nov. 27. If the Cowboys (9-1, 5-1) win their final two games, they will represent the South in the Big 12 title game for a BCS berth.
They also took a big step as a program last Saturday with their 33-16 win at Texas, ending a 12-year losing streak to the Longhorns. Brandon Weeden threw for 409 yards and two touchdowns, one to Justin Blackmon for his FBS-leading 16th, and Kendall Hunter added 116 rushing yards and two scores.
“It was a good week for us last week and a good win for our football program,” Gundy said. “The players felt really good about their victory. We’ve got to get back to work… and this is an important week from the standpoint of staying focused on Kansas and our ability to travel and play well.
“We’re looking forward to another good week and these guys are ready to play up in Lawrence.”
It has been nothing but good weeks for Blackmon, recently named a Biletnikoff Award semifinalist for the country’s best receiver. The sophomore has caught a touchdown pass and surpassed 100 yards in all nine games he has played – both school records – and leads the country with 158.9 yards per game.
“He isn’t a finished product. He is the kind of kid that learns from his mistakes,” offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen said of Blackmon, who had 20 receptions for 260 yards as a freshman. “All I can say is this, every time that he is on the field, he is the best player. So the 10 teams that we have played against, he has been the best player on the field.”
Blackmon needs three TD catches to equal Dez Bryant’s single-season school record of 19, set in 2008, and 266 yards to break Rashaun Woods’ mark of 1,695 from 2002.
The Cowboys, ranked 10th in the BCS standings, have the top FBS offense at 547.5 yards per game, with Weeden throwing for a school-record 3,319 yards and 27 touchdowns. He has topped 400 passing yards three times this year and is four TD passes from matching Josh Fields’ school record of 31, set in 2002.
Both Blackmon and Weeden should be able to make up significant ground in their respective statistical chases against Kansas (3-7, 1-5), which has been outscored 252-95 in Big 12 play. Defense, though, wasn’t the problem for the Jayhawks in their 20-3 loss at No. 9 Nebraska last Saturday.
They were held to five first downs and 87 total yards, including 15 passing in coach Turner Gill’s return to Lincoln, where he won three Big Eight titles as an option quarterback. It was a stark reversal from the dramatic 52-45 victory over Colorado the previous week in which Kansas rolled up 453 yards and scored 35 fourth-quarter points.
“We’ve got to compete and we’ve got to be balanced on offense and defense,” defensive end Toben Opurum said. “When the offense plays well, we have to play well and vice versa.”
This game is the second of a brutal three-game close for the Jayhawks, who conclude their season versus archrival and 15th-ranked Missouri on Nov. 27.
Kansas leads the all-time series 29-28-3, but Oklahoma State has won five of six since the Big 12 was formed in 1996, including victories in all three matchups in Lawrence.