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CHAMPIONSHIP NOVEMBER

Sooners have little room for error entering final month of season

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GAMEDAY PREVIEW

• Nov. 7-9, 2019

Kelly remains leader off the field OU linebacker plays active role on team despite injury VIC REYNOLDS @vicareynolds

Lee Morris couldn’t help but laugh when he heard Caleb Kelly’s new nickname.

Kelly, a senior linebacker who was a presumed starter at the weak side linebacker position, has been sidelined for much of the year with a knee injury he sustained in April.

Since the injury, he’s taken on a new moniker: ‘Coach Kelly.’

“Coach Kelly, huh? That’s new to me,” said Morris, a redshirt senior wide receiver.

“I’m just proud to see Caleb be back out there ... This is what OU is all about — facing adversity and whatever comes at you and just learning from it, improving and becoming successful after.”

The linebacker group gave Kelly the nickname due to the leadership role he’s taken since the injury, but the roots of it start long before Kelly enrolled at Oklahoma in June 2015, before he was a five-star recruit and even before he was a teenager.

In fact, Kelly’s coach-like playing style and infectious leadership could be seen when he took the fields at Lincoln Elementary School in Fresno, California.

“He always had that coach vibe and leader vibe that made people just gravitate toward him,” said Bryan Wi l c o t s, w h o ha s b e e n Kelly’s friend since fourth grade and was eventually his teammate at Clovis West High School. “Even when we were in fifth grade and played on our school’s team,

the sixth graders would always look at Caleb as the leader, so this Coach Kelly vibe has always been there.”

As he grew older, Kelly’s profile and stardom grew, and he eventually became one of the nation’s most highly touted linebacker prospects. But the Fresno native always carried an irresistible attitude and gravitas that always drew his teammates to follow his lead.

When he was a junior in high school, his Clovis West Golden Eagles were coming off a 5-7 season with a first-year head coach. He was voted a team captain by his peers, and Wilcots said Kelly regularly gave rousing speeches to motivate the team.

“Right before playoffs, we had a players-only meeting, and he just gave us a speech about how we had the most talent in the area and how it was our chance to make a run,” Wilcots said. “After that speech, we rallied together and had one of the best practices that I can remember from high school.”

Kelly led his team to the California Interscholastic Federation-Central Section quarterfinals that year, and he took his talents to Norman just two years later.

In his three years with the Sooners, Kelly has seen ups and downs. In his first two seasons, he flashed his elite talent and established himself as the potential future of the defense. In his junior year, Kelly lost his starting job in fall camp to Curtis Bolton and saw inconsistent playing time for much of the year.

While injuries are never something players want to face, Kelly’s came at a particularly inopportune time for him and the Sooners.

With Bolton graduating, the

starting spot appeared to be his again. Along with that, first-year defensive coordinator Alex Grinch was hired in January and was tapped to rebuild a struggling defense, a process in which Kelly’s talent, experience and leadership could have been crucial.

The nickname is something the players can laugh about, but it’s not entirely a joke. His relentless optimism, maturity and football IQ that he’s tried to instill in his teammates over the course of the past seven months proved valuable as the team adjusted to Grinch’s new scheme.

“The whole Coach Kelly thing is the real deal,” sophomore linebacker DaShaun White said. “He was a coach to us all, probably me the most. He was in our ear, and he made it an effort to know this defense in and out to help us. Anytime we were confused, he knew what we had to do.”

Kelly has thrived in his role as a pseudo graduate assistant coach, but Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley said during the bye week that he was fully cleared and returning to practice.

Although he’s traded his shorts and T-shirts for full pads and a helmet, his return to the field on Saturdays is still up in the air. Both Riley and Grinch have said that being cleared to practice and being cleared to play are different, and neither have given a concrete timeline of when he’ll be back on the field on Saturdays.

“He’s a guy that’s been out of football for a long time, and I think he’d tell you the same,” Grinch said. “I think he’s working his tail off, and he’s a guy that, as we’re going through the remaining weeks, there’s a role for him

CAITLYN EPES/THE DAILY

Then-junior linebacker Caleb Kelly walks on the field before the game Sept. 15, 2018.

and somehow, some way, he can help us.”

It’s unclear exactly what that role for Kelly will be in the final weeks of the Sooners’ season. With the NCAA’s new redshirt rule, Kelly could play in four games and still return for the 2020 season, when he’d presumably be one of the defense’s leaders.

“He’s kind of taking the injury day by day right now,” Wilcots said. “He wants to come back, but he understands that it all depends on how the season plays out, and he’s just going to do what he can to contribute.”

Nick Hazelrigg George Stoia Caitlyn Epes

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GAMEDAY PREVIEW

Nov. 7-9, 2019 •

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Shot at playoff drives Sooners OU fans have seen it before: Oklahoma’s fight to make it back CALEB MCCOURRY @CalebMac21

Senior quarterback Jalen Hurts sat at the podium with his usual calm demeanor.

Minutes earlier, Hurts and the then-No. 5 Sooners had suffered an upset loss to Kansas State, 48-41, in Manhattan, Kansas. It was their first loss of the season, heading into the latter half of the season in Week 9.

The Sooners have four games left in the regular season before the Big 12 Championship, and Hurts is more aware of the journey to the College Football Playoff than anyone on the team.

Hurts, a man who’s been to the national championship three times, knows what lies ahead to keep Oklahoma’s playoff chances alive.

"Climbing this mountain is not easy," Hurts said. "It's treacherous."

And he’s right. Losses late in the season can make the journey a lot more difficult. A loss in November can define an entire season. Teams that fly closer and closer to the sun as the wins pile on come down crashing and burning with late-season blunders.

The Sooners were 7-0 for the first time since 2004. Now, they're 7-1, and a second loss would destroy Oklahoma’s chance of returning to the College Football Playoff. The Sooners have to win out in order to keep those hopes alive.

But during the Lincoln Riley era, the Sooners have yet to lose a game in November. The y thr ive during these 30 days.

I t ’s “ C h a m p i o n s h i p N o v e m b e r,” a m o n t h Oklahoma uses to springboard into a Big 12 Championship and the postseason. Since Riley arrived in Norman as offensive coordinator, the Sooners have made three College Football Playoff appearances — after suffering upset losses in each of those seasons — and a 2017 Sugar Bowl win after losing two of their first three games that season.

“Something crazy happens every November. It’s always unexpected, it’s always blowing people’s minds.

But that’s what champions thrive in.”

RODNEY ANDERSON, FORMER OU RUNNING BACK

“We’ve been through this road,” Riley said after the Kansas State loss. “Everybody in the world’s going to say we’re done. We know how this works. We know what we’re capable of.

“We’ve gotta do a good job of getting ready for the next one and learn from this.”

Riley has a knack for turning learning experiences into championships. Riley’s first season as Oklahoma’s offensive coordinator is a perfect example of this: Riley and then-head coach Bob Stoops turned an upset loss to a 1-4 Texas team into three consecutive November wins against ranked opponents — two of them on the road.

But a Week 9 loss is a little late for comfort. With the loss, the Sooners dropped from No. 5 to No. 10 in that week’s AP poll, and they only have four games to climb their way back, and that’s only if they win out. They still have to face an unbeaten No. 12 Baylor in Waco and cap off the season with Bedlam in Stillwater.

This month is where we see what this team is made of.

With Hurts in his debut season with the Sooners and a new defensive coordinator in Alex Grinch, a lot of hype has

surrounded this team. This November will show whether the hype is deserved.

“Something crazy happens every November. It’s always unexpected, it’s always blowing people's minds,” said former Sooner and now-Cincinnati Bengals running back Rodney Anderson. “But that’s what champions thrive in. I think that’s what OU likes to hang their hats on. That’s where championships are won, that’s where big games are decided, and it all starts in November.”

‘WE NEEDED TO SCORE A F*CKING TOUCHDOWN’ Sooner fans are fond of the term “Championship November,” coined in 2015 because of the Sooners’ dominance in the month since.

In the Riley era, Oklahoma has played some of its greatest football and has prompted Big 12 Championships and College Football Playoff appearances. Oftentimes, November can be defined by a single game.

But November championship runs didn’t start in 2015.

In 2004, the last time the Sooners went undefeated in and season, the team’s national championship hopes came down to a single play.

To kick off November, Stoops took his then-No. 2 Sooners to Kyle Field for a match against No. 22 Texas A & M . A yea r p r i o r, t h e Sooners beat the Aggies 77-0.

That didn’t stop then-second-year A&M head coach Dennis Franchione from throwing everything his team had at the 8-0 Sooners. The Aggies started the matchup 14-0, scored two touchdowns on a fake punt and a fake field goal and contained freshman running back Adrian Peterson — who finished with 101 yards and a touchdown — when it mattered.

“They don’t want to lose in front of their home crowd, especially playing against us,” said then-senior Vince Carter, who was named an All-American that season at center. “You always know that you’re going to get your opponent’s best effort ...

That’s the kind of mindset that we walked into games with. We were going to get our opponent’s best shot.”

It was the kind of game where it was so loud that quarterback Jason White had to grab his teammates’ jerseys and pull their helmets into his, calling plays individually. As A&M made more big plays, the crowd of 81,000 got louder.

“I’ve played in two national championship games, I played at Texas-OU, I’ve played in a Super Bowl, I’ve played at the next level in the NFL — that was by far the loudest I’ve ever heard a stadium,” former Oklahoma wide receiver Mark Bradley said of the A&M game.

With the game tied at 35-35 with 6:52 in regulation and the ball in the Sooners’ hands on the Aggies’ 40-yard line, Oklahoma needed to make a play. It was now or never.

Bradley, standing next to White, said he didn’t hear the senior quarterback’s play call. Not knowing what to do, Bradley kept his eyes on White as his team lined up.

All he knew was that A&M was on a roll. The amount of opportunities was shrinking, the crowd was getting louder, and it was time to put the Sooners back on top.

“We needed to score a f*cking touchdown. Somebody needs to get this bitch in the end zone,” said Mark Clayton, who finished the game with 102 receiving yards. “If it comes to you, catch it. Get it in. Figure it out.”

White called for the snap, and Bradley ran down the middle of the field to a weak spot in A&M’s coverage.

When he turned around to see what he should do next, he saw White running up and throwing him a pass.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Bradley recalls thinking.

Bradley made the catch, stopped, switched directions

OU coach Lincoln Riley prays with the team before the game against Texas Tech Oct. 5.

and ran around the two safeties in front of him. No one else caught him, and he ran to the back of the end zone.

The extra point was good, and the Sooners were up 4235, the final score. The season was saved.

For the remaining two games in November, the Sooners beat Nebraska and Baylor with a combined score of 65-3. They bested Colorado, 42-3, in the Big 12 Championship afterward.

“That’s where great teams have greater leaders that are able to help guys mentally — understand the scenario, not panic in the situation, but at the same time be able to step up,” Clayton said. “That is what’s telling of a championship team, and you can’t know until you’re literally in the fire. You don’t know until you’re there, and when you’re there, we’ll see if we have that or not.”

‘WE ALWAYS LEARN FROM OUR MISTAKES’ Eleven years later, the Sooners were thrown into the fire once again. But it wasn’t just one game. Ahead of Oklahoma were three ranked opponents, one after the other, in what would arguably become the program’s greatest conference championship run ever.

Then-No. 12 Oklahoma’s 44-34 win over No. 6 Baylor in 2015 launched the team, led by now-Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield, into a three-game win streak over ranked opponents in 2015. Oklahoma went on to beat No. 18 TCU in Norman and No. 11 Oklahoma State in Stillwater in the following

was born, a month that Sooner fans have come to know as a crucial part of the Riley era for gaining ground in hopes of winning the Big 12 Championship and earning a spot in the College Football Playoff.

“November is always important to get on a good winning streak before you know whether or not you’re playing in the Big 12 Championship,” said now-Baltimore Ravens o f f e n s i v e l i n e ma n B e n Powers, who played for the Sooners from 2016 to 2018.

“It’s just important because everything is right around the corner. Everything is two months away.”

Riley, now in his fifth year with the Sooners and his third as their head coach, is 15-0 in the month of November. The month is used for boosting postseason hopes after unexpected setbacks.

In 2016, losses to Houston and Ohio State in the first three weeks of the season saw the Sooners go from No. 3 in the AP poll to unranked by Week 4. Oklahoma climbed back to No. 7 and a Sugar Bowl win over Auburn after November wins over No. 25 Baylor, No. 10 West Virginia and No. 11 Oklahoma State.

Arguably the biggest upset in recent memory, unranked Iowa State’s 38-31 2017 win on Owen Field over the No. 3 Sooners dropped the team to No. 12. The loss was before the season's halfway mark, but the College Football Playoff committee often sees an upset home loss as a playoff death sentence. In order to come back, Riley once again orchestrated a slew of November wins

SIANDHARA BONNET/THE DAILY

Former OU coach Bob Stoops during the 2016-2017 season.

two weeks. The Sooners were Big 12 champions for the first time since 2012.

The loss to the Longhorns earlier that season had moved the Sooners from No. 10 to No. 19 in the AP poll.

After November, the Sooners were at No. 4, earning a spot in the College Football Playoff.

Hence the name “Championship November”

over No. 11 Oklahoma State in Boone Pickens Stadium and No. 8 TCU to make the Big 12 Championship game and earn a spot in the College Football Playoff.

“It was just a really competitive month,” said Anderson, who played for the Sooners from 2015 to 2018. “We were able to have success. It’s just about putting one foot in front of the other, just keeping

your head up and not looking back at the losses, but keep looking in front of you.”

With Kyler Murray leading the No. 7 Sooners' offense in 2018, a 48-45 loss to No. 19 Texas presented yet another setback for Riley.

The Sooners climbed their way back to College Football Playoff contention and saved their postseason hopes with a 59-56 win over No. 12 West Virginia in a thriller in Morgantown. Murray led the Sooners with 480 yards of offense and four touchdowns to clinch a spot in the Big 12 Championship.

“We always learn from our mistakes,” Anderson said.

“We just dissected that Texas game, and we learned what we needed to do better, and then we just applied it to the whole month of November.”

‘IT ALL STARTS IN NOVEMBER’ Ben Powers is to the point.

Before being selected in the fourth round of the 2019 NFL Draft, the former Sooner was a starting guard for Riley’s 2017 and 2018 teams poised for the College Football Playoff, and he played a critical role in a nation-leading offense. Looking back on those seasons, he said he still can’t give an answer as to why the Sooners were upset by Iowa State and Texas.

“I wish I could tell you,” Powers said.

Despite having Heisman winners like Mayfield and Mu r r a y c o m e t h r o u g h Norman, Riley has spent every season with the Sooners recovering from a setback. They were beaten by teams who had their sights set on the Sooners, which isn’t uncommon for a program that has now dominated its conference for four years, going on five. Now, with four straight Big 12 titles, the Sooners go into every game knowing their opponent isn’t going to pull any punches.

That was exactly the case when first-year Kansas State head coach Chris Klieman hosted the undefeated No. 5 Sooners in Manhattan on Oct. 26. The Wildcats won the coin toss and chose to receive to start the game. Their first drive was a punt, but that wouldn’t happen again until the fourth quarter after eight consecutive scores.

Klieman’s game plan was simple but effective: Give the Sooners as few scoring opportunities as possible by holding the ball as long as the Wildcats could. And that’s what they did.

The Wildcats had possession for 38 minutes compared to OU’s 21. Klieman made sure OU’s weak spots were exposed. Kansas State quarterback Skylar Thompson led an offense that ran for 213 yards, which gained ground on bursts of big gains. Oklahoma senior cornerback Parnell Motley was ejected in the second

CAITLYN EPES/THE DAILY

quarter after kicking a player, so Thompson made sure to take advantage of his absence and threw for 213 yards.

Oklahoma made costly turnovers — a Nick Basquine interception on a reverse play and a T.J. Pledger kick-return fumble — while also having the ball for only two drives in the third quarter. Both attempts ended in punts.

O n p a p e r, i t a p p e a r s the better team lost. With the recruiting Riley does, Oklahoma is the team with the most talent in the Big 12, and in a year where Riley has his most complete team to date, the Sooners were simply outplayed.

Powers can’t say why these losses happen. He just knows that the only way to move on is to take it and look forward.

“Tough,” Powers said.

“That’s college football.”

With eight teams ahead of them in the current College Football Playoff rankings and five spots outside of the top four, the No. 9 Sooners have to march on through the season. It’s not an easy journey to the finish. Two weeks from now, unbeaten No. 12 Baylor will host Riley and his oneloss team, and Bedlam in Stillwater will conclude the regular season before the Big 12 Championship. Winning out is a must for any hope of a College Football Playoff appearance.

“That’s where championships are won,” Anderson said. “That’s where big games are decided, and it all starts in November.”

For this year’s team, members of that 2004 squad have some advice. Bradley, who caught for 685 yards and nine touchdowns in his twoyear career with the Sooners, knows games late in the season can be tough. In 2003, he and the No. 1 Sooners lost their only two games at the very end of the season to No. 12 Kansas State in the Big 12 Championship and No. 2 LSU in the BCS National Championship.

With a loss to Kansas State in Week 9, this year's Sooners still have their championship hopes in front of them. Riley just has to make sure this November continues the tradition of winning — and winning championships, at that.

“One game doesn’t determine the fate of your season,” Bradley said. “We lost the Big 12 Championship game late, late in the season and still played in the national championship game. So what I would say to them is, ‘One game doesn’t determine the fate of the season. You can’t always win them all, you can’t always remain perfect, but what shows is what happens after you lose that game ... because one loss can turn into two, two can turn into three, and on and on.’”

Caleb McCourry

caleb.a.mccourry-1@ou.edu

4

GAMEDAY PREVIEW

• Nov. 7-9, 2019

MEET THE OPPONENT IOWA STATE CYCLONES

CALEB MCCOURRY @CalebMac21

The No. 9 Sooners will host Iowa State (5-3, 3-2 Big 12) for a rematch two years after the Cyclones orchestrated an upset in Norman in 2017.

Iowa State will be the first test for Oklahoma (7-1, 4-1 Big 12) after the Sooners’ loss to Kansas State on Oct. 26.

Iowa State will come to Norman fresh off a 34-27 loss to Oklahoma State (5-3, 3-2 Big 12), but the Cyclones boast a high-powered passing attack and a solid defense.

Meet the Sooners’ opponent — Iowa State: HEAD COACH MATT CAMPBELL

Campbell led his team to Norman, and they came out 38-31 victors over the then-No. 3 Sooners. He and the Cyclones went on to finish the season 8-5 with a win in the Liberty Bowl.

Campbell, now in his ninth year as a head coach, started his coaching career in Bowling Green as a graduate assistant before he joined Mount Union — his alma mater — as an offensive coordinator and offensive line coach. Campbell played as a defensive lineman for Mount Union from 1999 to 2002 and was teammates with OU defensive coordinator Alex Grinch.

Campbell has racked up a 24-22 record at the helm of the Cyclones — 59-37 overall.

OFFENSE

Head coach Matt Campbell amassed a 3-9 re c o rd i n h i s f i r s t s e a son with the Cyclones. In 2017, his second season,

The Cyclones rank No. 16 in total offense, averaging 479.5 yards per game, and No. 26 in scoring offense, with a scoring average of

35.9 points per game.

None of the Cyclones that put a dent into OU’s 2017 defense are returning to Norman Saturday, but Campb ell has a lot t o w o rk w i t h i n h i s o ffense. Sophomore quarterback Brock Purdy has tallied 2,567 yards and 15 touchdowns through eight ga m e s, l e a d i ng a p a ssheavy offense that averages 328.4 yards in the air per game and is ranked No. 6 in the nation.

DEFENSE The Cyclones rank No. 32 in total defense, allowing an average of 342.4 total yards of offense from opponents per game.

I o w a S t a t e ’s d e f e n s e has made four interceptions and has forced eight fumbles.

The Cyclones are also tied at No. 23 in the nation in rushing defense, holding opposing offenses to an average 116.3 rushing yards.

PLAYERS TO WATCH Along with his passing success, Purdy has scored s i x t o u c h d ow n s o n t h e ground and has 196 yards on 59 rushing attempts.

Redshirt sophomore tight end Charlie Kolar knows a thing or two about Owen Field. Kolar is a Norman native who played at Norman North High School. The 6-foot-6 receiver leads the receiving corps with five touchdowns, while also having 486 receiving yards on the season — 14.3 per play.

Junior linebacker Jake Hummel brings veteran experience to Campbell’s defense. Hummel has tallied 15 tackles and a 48-yard pick-six this season. He recorded one tackle in the 2017 win over the Sooners.

Caleb McCourry

OU VS. IOWA STATE When: 7 p.m. Saturday Where: Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium How to watch: Watch on FOX or stream at foxsportsgo. com How to listen: KRXO FM 107.7 or KOKC FM 95.3 (Oklahoma City)

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WRITERS @GeorgeStoia @CalebMac21 @vicareynolds

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caleb.a.mccourry-1@ou.edu

THREE KEYS TO BEATING IOWA STATE VIC REYNOLDS

@vicareynolds victor.reynolds@ou.edu

CAITLYN EPES/THE DAILY

Junior running back Trey Sermon runs onto the field before the game against West Virginia Oct. 19.

1.

BE READY TO DEFEND THE PASS

In the Big 12, the Sooners seemingly have to face a quality quarterback every game, and Iowa State is no exception.

Sophomore Brock Purdy emerged as the future at quarterback in 2018, when he garnered a 7-2 record while starting the last nine games.

Through eight games in the 2019 season, Purdy has posted a 153.6 passer rating — which ranks third in the conference — and he has thrown 15 touchdowns. Purdy and the Cyclones throw the ball well and often, considering only 11 teams in the nation have a higher passing play percentage than Iowa State.

With a Sooner secondary that struggled to hold its own at times against Kansas State, Iowa State coach Matt Campbell will likely dial up passes frequently for Purdy. If Oklahoma wants to let the Kansas State loss be an anomaly, stopping the Cyclone passing attack will be crucial.

2.

HAVE A BALANCED RUNNING GAME

The lack of opportunities for running backs Trey Sermon and Kennedy Brooks was a widely criticized aspect of Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley’s play-calling against Kansas State. The duo combined for just six carries in the loss, which is a low number for two former All-Big 12 running backs.

That’s not to say the Sooners didn’t run the ball at all, because senior quarterback Jalen Hurts ran the ball 19 times for 96 yards and three touchdowns. This is a season-long trend, as his 103 carries outnumber Sermon’s and Brooks’ 101 combined on the season.

Hurts certainly should have opportunities to run the football, but keeping the running backs involved could be beneficial to the offense. With a healthy dose of Hurts, Sermon and Brooks, the Sooners realistically have one of the best backfields in the nation, and the running game will be key to controlling the game against the Cyclones.

3.

FINALLY FORCE A TURNOVER

First-year defensive coordinator Alex Grinch rarely loses focus on creating turnovers. It is the centerpiece of his defensive scheme, and he brings the topic up nearly every time he speaks to the media. But in the Sooners’ last four contests, they haven’t been able to get a single takeaway.

A turnover realistically could have swung the outcome of the game against Kansas State, as the Wildcats were able to keep possession for 38 minutes and the Sooner offense was not able to gain any traction. Grinch cited this as one of the key reasons for the defense’s collapse in the loss, and he insisted the trend would have to change.

In the Cyclones’ most recent game, a 34-27 loss to No. 23 Oklahoma State, Purdy threw three interceptions that were a major part of the game’s outcome. The idea of forcing three takeaways is ambitious after the Sooners’ recent games, but if they can force at least one, they should be in good shape to win.

This week’s DAILY predictions

No. 9 Oklahoma (7-1, 4-1 Big 12) starts “Championship November” against a difficult team: Iowa State (5-3, 3-2 Big 12). The Sooners will have to be on their A-game if they want to bounce back with a win after a shocking loss to Kansas State two weeks ago.

OU 48, IOWA STATE 28 I expect the Sooners to get back on track this week after their poor performance against Kansas State two weeks ago. But it won’t be easy.

Iowa State has suffered three lossGEORGE es this season, all by single digits.

STOIA, The Cyclones are coming to Norman SPORTS expecting to leave with a win, much EDITOR like they did two years ago.

But led by Jalen Hurts, Oklahoma will get back to its roots on both sides of the ball Saturday. Hurts will have a big day, and the defense will look much more like it did earlier in the season. OU will jump out to an early lead and never lose it. I’ll take the Sooners by 20.

George Stoia

georgestoia@ou.edu

OU 42, IOWA STATE 21 The Sooners are in need of a bounce-back victory after their upset loss in Manhattan, and Saturday is a perfect opportunity.

Iowa State is bringing an offense that ranks No. 16 in the FBS CALEB in total offense, averaging 479.5 MCCOURRY, total yards per game, and a defense ASSISTANT that ranks No. 32 in total defense.

SPORTS EDITOR But Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley isn’t going to let Iowa State’s Matt Campbell come to Norman and upset the Sooners for a second consecutive year, and defensive coordinator Alex Grinch is going to clean up the defensive struggles the Sooners had against Kansas State.

Caleb McCourry

caleb.a.mccourry-1@ou.edu

OU 52, IOWA STATE 20 After the Sooners’ abysmal defensive performance against Kansas State, Alex Grinch’s group will play with a laser focus on Saturday.

VIC The Cyclones are one of the betREYNOLDS, ter offenses on Oklahoma’s schedSENIOR ule, so a strong defensive outing SPORTS could serve as a statement that the REPORTER Sooners’ loss in Manhattan was an anomaly. Offensively, there’s little to suggest that anyone in the Big 12 can stop the Sooners when they have the ball. With a defense focused on redemption and an offense that keeps excelling, Saturday should prove to be a bounce-back game for OU. Vic Reynolds

victor.reynolds@ou.edu

GAMEDAY PREVIEW

Nov. 7-9, 2019 •

5

‘We’re focused on being 1-0’ Hurts rallies team, hopes to rebound after shocking loss GEORGE STOIA @GeorgeStoia

Wearing a crimson hoodie and a black Jordan brand hat, Jalen Hurts stood before the media Monday with a slight smirk as a reporter jokingly asked him if he preferred winning to losing.

He gave nothing but a slight nod as he walked away from the podium. In his previous six minutes at the podium, he said six times that he and the No. 9 Sooners are just “trying to go 1-0” this week against Iowa State.

Rewind nine days.

Hurts stood before his teammates at the Will Rogers World Airport just hours after Oklahoma’s shocking loss to Kansas State in Manhattan. He called a team meeting.

“We just made a pact to each other : We’re going to do everything for each other. We’re going to play for each other and give it all we got,” sophomore defensive lineman Ronnie Perkins told SoonerScoop’s Carey Murdock Monday of Hurts’

Senior quarterback Jalen Hurts smiles before the game against Kansas State Oct. 26.

team meeting. “Jalen ran the whole thing. He talked the whole time, and everybody listened.”

T h e d e t a i l s o f Hu r t s’ message have been kept within the team. His teammates said the message was simple.

“I don’t really want to reveal the details of that,”

senior wide receiver Nick Basquine said, “but things that needed to be said were said. And he led that.”

Hurts, with only four regular season games remaining in his college football career, is trying to make every one count. He transferred to Oklahoma for an obvious reason: to win a national

championship.

With OU’s unexpected loss to Kansas State and a No. 9 spot in the first College Football Playoff rankings released Tuesday night, reaching that goal just got a lot harder. But, as someone who has been to the top of the mountain, Hurts knows the Sooners still have everything

CAITLYN EPES/THE DAILY

in front of them.

He also knows it’s going to take one week at a time, starting with Iowa State on Saturday.

“We’re focused on being 1-0 this week,” Hurts said.

“I think we’re trying to take the right approach of it, controlling what we can control, working hard every day.”

Hurts’ meeting at the airport could serve as a turning point for this team. In years past, Oklahoma has faced adversity, suffering one loss that could have derailed each season.

But the leaders who came before Hurts didn’t let that happen.

“Baker (Mayfield) did similar things like when we were going through our ups and downs,” Basquine said. “A lot of us aren’t new to it, but we are a young team, so that’s kind of their first experience of that.”

And there’s no one better than Hurts to lead those discussions. “ He’s t h e f a c e o f o u r team,” Basquine said. “He’s the quarterback. The leader of our team. If somebody is going to do it, he should be the first guy to do it.”

In the final minutes of Hurts’ availability Monday, he went back and forth with a reporter before the reporter finally asked just how bad Hurts wants to go 1-0 this weekend.

His answer, much like his attitude, was on par with his focus.

“Pretty damn bad.”

George Stoia

georgestoia@ou.edu

Sooners look to avenge 2017 loss to Cyclones OU victory could kick off month of redemption CALEB MCCOURRY @CalebMac21

Ronnie Perkins got home just in time to see the Cyclones run away with the lead.

Then just a recruit, Perkins missed the majority of Oklahoma’s 38-31 loss to Iowa State in October 2017. Around the fourth quarter, Perkins returned to his home in St. Louis after a high school game, and he tuned in to see Iowa St at e q u a r t e r b a ck Ky l e Kempt throw a 25-yard fade to wide receiver Allen Lazard over Oklahoma cornerback Jordan Thomas for a touchdown with 2:19 left in regulation.

The extra point was good, and the Cyclones, who forced a turnover on downs on the next Sooner drive, ran down the clock on Owen Field in front of a crowd that was cr imson and cream. The unranked underdogs, led by then-second-year head coach Matt Campbell, had upset No. 3 Oklahoma in Norman. Perkins got a text

from OU defensive line coach Calvin Thibodeaux soon after.

“I remember Coach Thibodeaux texting me after the game like, ‘Man, it’s just a game. Don’t feel n o d i f f e re n t a b o u t i t ,’” Perkins said. “I was kind of shocked. I really was. It was kind of shocking, but it’s college football. That’s what happens ... It’s part of the game.”

On Oct. 29 of the same year, Perkins verbally committed to the Sooners, who by that point were already three games into an eightgame win streak to crawl back into College Football Playoff contention, before falling short to Georgia in the Rose Bowl. First-year head coach Lincoln Riley orchestrated a comeback in the AP p oll that saw w ins over three ranked opponents and a Big 12 Championship win after suffering one of the most shocking upsets in program history. “ I f y o u ju d g e by t hat team that year, we handled (the loss) pretty darn good,” Riley said. “We haven’t had many losses around here in the past few years, but we’ve handled most of them pretty well, I think.”

Iowa State (5-3, 3-2 Big

1 2 ) re t u r n s t o G a y l o rd Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium on Saturday to face a 7-1 Oklahoma team that is just coming off a loss to Kansas State, another shocking defeat for an Oklahoma team that looked poised to go undefeated with quarterback Jalen Hurts in the backfield and first-year defensive coordinator Alex Grinch on the sideline. Falling short in Manhattan, Kansas, is a reminder that losing is a numbing, unfamiliar feeling in the Lincoln Riley era.

“Ever y loss at OU is shocking. It hits you different. It hits you hard.

(Kansas State) was no different,” Riley said during the bye week. “The opportunities after are no different, either. It’s a chance for us to really rally as a team.”

What separates the loss against the Wildcats from the loss against Iowa State in 2017 is the team’s immediate response. Right after the Sooners got off t h e p l a n e a f t e r l e av i ng Manhattan, Hurts led a full-team meeting in the airport, and everyone listened to the former national champion.

“I definitely feel like the guys have that sense of urgency,” junior linebacker

CAITLYN EPES/THE DAILY

The OU defense gets blocked by an Iowa State player during the game Oct. 7, 2017. OU lost the game, 38-31.

Kenneth Murray said on Monday. “I definitely do feel like this year’s different, and I definitely feel it’s more different in a more positive way.”

Campbell and the Cyclones will head back to Norman for the first time since the 2017 loss with a f a i rly d i f f e re nt tea m.

Kempt has been replaced

by sophomore quarterback Brock Purdy, who has tallied 2,567 passing yards and 15 touchdowns.

The Cyclones rank No. 16 in total offense, with 479.5 yards of total offense per game.

Iowa State is unranked with three losses, but that didn’t mean anything in 2017, when the team was

2-2 heading into Norman. “ I k n ow t h e y wa nt t o come back and win again,” Perkins said. “I know the older guys who did play in that game — they still got a little chip on their shoulder.”

Caleb McCourry

caleb.a.mccourry-1@ou.edu

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