Oklahoma had some remarkable stat lines on Saturday night against the Kansas State Wildcats. Ryan Broyles caught 8 passes for 92 yards and 2 scores. He also carried the ball twice for 23 yards. Landry Jones completed 70% of his passes for 296 yards and 4 touchdowns. DeMarco Murray averaged 4.1 yards per carry and Chris Brown was even better at 5.5. In all, Oklahoma's offense produced 458 total yards.
However, some of the stats that are going to stand out more to Sooner fans are 8 penalties for 85 yards, 156 receiving yards and 195 kick return yards by Brandon Banks, being outscored 30-21 after the first quarter and a shameful 1st and 45 that OU was very fortunate to convert and keep a touchdown drive alive.
Ultimately the stat that carries the most weight were the 42 points that Oklahoma put on the board compared to K-State's 30. It's just that beating K-State by 12 at home after leading 21-0 in the first quarter is a bit unsettling. OU saw that lead cut to within 5 points twice and despite the fact that Landry Jones orchestrated two crucial scoring drives in the 4th quarter, to push the lead back to 12 on both occasions, everyone in crimson and cream knew that our Sooners had just dodged a bullet.
We should give the Wildcats all the credit that they deserve for not quitting when down on the road by 21 points early. How about giving Bill Snyder some credit for coming up yet another game plan to make a good OU defense just look silly? Kansas State came to play and that's exactly what they did and they did it without hesitation. For whatever reason, be it caused by Kansas State or by coaching, Oklahoma's offensive machine was put in neutral after the first quarter and didn't return to gear until the fourth when Jones went 10-for-10 passing and DeMarco Murray scored both by receiving and running. It was just the second time this season OU has won back-to-back games and the first time they were able to match their opponents point for point in order to preserve a win.
It was ugly at best Saturday night for Oklahoma. We saw things from this team that we had hoped were buried for the season. Instead there were false starts, holding penalties and the resurrection of the, "and 45 yards to go" phrase. However, can we all just agree than an ugly win is better than a pretty loss?
Quotables
"Defensively there in the fourth quarter they came up with a few stops when we had to have them. It was a positive game that way. No turnovers for us was really great. I thought we ran the ball and that was really positive."
"I thought the line held up and protected. Landry threw good balls. Those guys came up in open spaces and caught the ball better, and we made more competitive plays that way. It was good to see our running game be productive. I thought Chris (Brown) and DeMarco (Murray) really ran physical."
"Dejuan (Miller) made some really good plays and competitive plays. It appears to me that a lot of those guys are just settling in and getting more comfortable competing in those moments and making those plays they are capable of making." - Bob Stoops
"I thought that we gave up some third downs and they did a good job of converting. In spurts, I don't think that we tackled the way we are capable of tackling and we didn't contain the quarterback at times on some pressure. I think that they did a good job and they never gave you a steady dose of one thing." - Brent Venables
"It's good when guys step up, it's definitely a good thing. We just have to keep moving up from here. We have a lot of talent and a lot of guys have the chance to play, we just have to make the best of it." - Ryan Broyles
"We stepped up, and in the second half, we just got things rolling again like we did at Kansas. We just have to keep it going and get better every week."
"Every game you just have to keep getting better. And I'm getting better. I'm seeing the stuff easier out on the field and seeing the coverages more."
"I don't know if it's knowing which guys are standing out and making plays. I have confidence in all my receivers. It's just getting the ball to them and putting it on target and they're going to make plays for me." - Landry Jones
"I felt like I was getting my chance to show what I can do. I'm more talented. I don't want to sound too cocky, but that's just the inner confidence that I have in myself that I know I can play at a high level. When my number is called on third down, those catches are the biggest catches for me and to keep the drive alive and to keep it going. I felt real good today. I felt in a rhythm, and we really came out with a good victory today." - Dejuan Miller
"Landry is growing each week. He's a great player and a great competitor. He knows the job is his now, and he's a great guy." - DeMarco Murray
"A loss is a loss. I think the fact that the youngsters did come back and made the effort and got back in the ball game, I think that's a positive. I don't know though, this is the first time I have been around them and I still don't know how they respond. I mean the Texas Tech loss you go down and get beat 1,000 to nothing and then you turn around the next week and beat a Texas A&M team pretty good and everything goes right for a couple quarters and a few minutes. So I don't know in all honesty. They ought to be upset and disappointed that they lost a ball game against no matter who it is.
"That was a great football team down here at Oklahoma but you ought to be disappointed you lost because that is what the competitive nature is all about. We will find out over the weekend and on Monday. If indeed that is the case then I think they will recommit themselves and try to continue to get better. And in some form or fashion, we did get a little bit better today in some areas, but not collectively. But Oklahoma had a lot to do with that.""You have got to be proud of the fact that they didn't give up, which I am. On certain areas that we have played better and not giving up and playing better was the most important thing to us and I think we did that. You know when you do those things and take it a step at a time, a play at a time, then all of a sudden you have got a chance and you are back in the ball game. But when they have got the ball and its first and 100 and then they end up getting a first down you have got some real problems."
"That we had a chance to do something that really would have been something special in their lives and we failed to do it. We didn't coach them well enough to get what we needed accomplished. " - Bill Snyder