Instant Analysis: Oklahoma Drills Iowa State

Oklahoma (8-1, 5-1) rolled to an easy 52-16 win over Iowa State (3-6, 2-4) on Saturday evening inside of Gaylord Family Memorial Stadium. Here's the instant analysis of what went down: 

How the Sooners won

Oklahoma wasted no time getting on the board early in the opening half by scoring on the first play of two separate drives.

Lincoln Riley dialed up some trickery on the first touchdown with a flea flicker reverse pass that resulted in a Dimitri Flowers 75-yard touchdown reception. It froze up the ISU defense completely, and it was just the start the Sooners needed in a game they had to win before they enter their gauntlet stretch to end November.

On the first play of the Sooners’ third drive, Mayfield connected with receiver Dede Westbrook for a 27-yard touchdown that basically deflated any chance the Cyclones had of staying in the game.

The quick scoring continued in the second half where the Sooners had two more touchdown drives that lasted less than two plays. 

What could’ve gone better?

OU coughed up its ninth fumble of the season in the second quarter when Perine was stripped on the first play of the drive. At the time, the Sooners held a 21-3 lead and held pristine field position by starting at the Iowa State 44-yard line.

The turnover let the Cyclones build up a little bit of momentum as they drove down the short field and drilled their second field goal of the game.

Perine’s fumble didn’t cost the Sooners against ISU, but a turnover like that could be game changing against teams like Baylor, TCU or OSU.

Chunk plays

The Sooners scored on touchdowns of 74, 8, 27, 75, 56 and 55 yards. Those “chunk plays” let the air out of the Cyclones throughout the entire game, and it was encouraging to see that offensive coordinator Lincoln Riley wasn’t afraid to take the risks.

What’s next?

The wait is finally over! The Sooners will travel to Waco to take on Baylor (8-0, 5-0) this Saturday. Kickoff time has yet to be determined.