Sep 8, 2018; Norman, OK, USA; Oklahoma Sooners quarterback Kyler Murray (1) passes the ball against the UCLA Bruins during the second quarter at Gaylord Family – Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports
Oklahoma will invade Ames this weekend with revenge on the mind after last year’s 38-31 Cyclone win in Norman. Here is a compilation of links, videos, quotes and notes to help you know the Sooners a little better before Saturday’s 11 a.m. kick on ABC.
Links
*** You need to check out this incredible catch (even though it didn’t count) by OU wide receiver CeeDee Lamb. He broke down the play here. (The Athletic)
*** OU quarterback Kyler Murray was named the Davey O’Brien Quarterback of the Week this week. (The Oklahoman)
*** Oklahoma feels like they’ve turned a corner on the defensive side of the football. Freshman safety Justin Broiles breaks down how they’ve improved since last season. (The Oklahoman)
*** The Sooners enter Saturday’s game having won 16 straight true road games and look forward to trying to keep the streak intact. (The Oklahoman)
*** How have revenge games gone for the Sooners in the past? Quite well, according to this list. (Stormin Norman)
*** Here are some numbers to know before Saturday’s game. (Stormin Norman)
Videos
*** Lincoln Riley’s full Iowa State week press conference.
*** Mike Stoops talks about what went wrong for the OU defense last season against Iowa State right here.
*** Kyler Murray talks about his stellar start to the season, losing star running back Rodney Anderson for the season and more right here.
*** OU defensive lineman Amani Bledsoe talks about what went wrong against the Cyclones last year right here.
They Said It
*** Lincoln Riley on Iowa State.
“Coach (Matt) Campbell’s done a tremendous job at Iowa State, it’s really an understatement. One of the most improved teams really probably in the country over the last few years. Obviously, we had a heckuva game with them last year. They had a great season. Knocked off a lot of really good football teams, won a lot of games. They’re very, very well-coached all the way around.”
“Defensively, you look at them, and I thought they were one of the best defenses in our league and in the country last year and they really proved that throughout the year. They’re one of the best tackling units that we’ve seen or we’ll face. I thought last year of just individually tackling, they were probably the best we saw all year, including Georgia, Ohio State, TCU, all the other fantastic defenses that we played. This group did the best job of tackling so they really make you work. They’re very smart schematically. I think their personnel is continuing to improve as they recruit better and better so they’re certainly a challenge defensively.”
“Offensively, they move the ball well. Obviously, (Kyle) Kempt, the quarterback, came in last year against us and played extremely well. I know we’re not exactly sure which quarterback we’re going to see but that’s kind of been a theme this year so really nothing new there. They do some really good things schematically that put you in a bind. I think we’re going to see one of the best running backs in the conference. (David Montgomery’s) a really physical player. Does some really, really nice things on film, very difficult to tackle, so slowing him down will be a big key regardless of who is at quarterback.”
*** Defensive coordinator Mike Stoops on the loss to Iowa State last season.
“They’re going to play well. We need to play a lot better than we did a year ago if we want to win. It’s not about them as much as it is about us. I didn’t think we played particularly well a year ago and if we want to win we’re going to have to play a whole lot better this year. That’s really what we’re concentrating on.”
“We’re going to see what they do. They haven’t changed much. They’re going to run their stuff. Quarterback run game was a big part of it a year ago and will maybe be a bigger part now that (Lazard) is gone. I doubt it will be Lanning since he’s gone, more the running back doing it. They did some good things. Came in here with a great plan and I thought they executed very well. They out-executed us for the 60 minutes so there’s a lot of stuff to get prepared for. They can still be a very explosive offense.”
*** Kyler Murray on Iowa State.
“They’re a good team. I’m not going to say too much about them other than they’ll be a good challenge for us.”
*** OU linebacker Kenneth Murray on David Montgomery
“I’ve studied him for the last three days, and he’s definitely a really good jump cut guy. Obviously, he runs extremely hard. It usually takes a couple guys to bring him down. He has great wiggle. He can get in and out of his cuts and stuff like that. He also has power. It’s gonna be exciting to get out there and go against them.”
