No. 5 Oklahoma at Iowa State: Game thread, how to watch and final thoughts

Happy Gameday, Sooner Nation! It’s an early start to the Big 12 season as the Oklahoma Sooners travel to Ames to avenge their perplexing home loss last season at the hands of the Iowa State Cyclones.

Head on down to the comments section for the game thread, where we’ll be asking questions, making predictions and discussing the day’s action with y’all.

Coverage Info

TV: ABC 11:00 A.M. CT

Live Stream: WatchESPN

TV Commentary: Dave Pasch, Greg McElroy, Tom Luginbill

Radio: OU Radio / TuneIn / SXM TBD / Español

Week 2 College Football Viewing Guide (plus Jack’s gambling picks)

The last week has been a bummer with the news about Rodney Anderson being declared out for the season. It’s a heartbreaking injury to see for all Oklahoma fans and my best wishes go out to him in his recovery. Though the team (and college football) will miss him, Oklahoma’s offense has a rotation of solid backs to help fill the void.

No one player nor committee may be able to fully replace the true impact of a leader and supreme talent like Rodney Anderson, but OU’s stable of talent in a deep backfield can at least help sustain the potency of an offense ultimately under the helmsmanship of Kyler Murray. It’s likely we’ll see head coach Lincoln Riley open the playbook even further for the electric Sooners signal caller and incorporate multiple looks with the diverse skill set at his disposal with the likes of talented rushers Trey Sermon, Marcelias Sutton, Kennedy Brooks and freshman T.J. Pledger.

There are also the elite perimeter threats of CeeDee Lamb and Marquise Brown for the Cyclones to contend with. My jaw is still on the floor from Lamb’s spectacular one-hander last week against UCLA. One more look could never hurt.

An early road game in a place like Ames, Iowa, could always be a little tricky for a road favorite, but with the improved Cyclones under Matt Campbell, the Sooners will not be taking them lightly and should avoid another upset. The quarterback situation for a Sooners opponent is once again up in the air, as last season’s Sooner Killer Kyle Kempt has still not been named the official starter after suffering a knee injury last week and is listed as a gam-time decision. If Kempt’s backup Zeb Noland is the one to face this hungry Oklahoma defense ready to avenge last season’s upset loss, it could be a day of forced turnovers for Mike Stoops’ unit and a steady pounding from the Sooner offense today in Ames.

The defense will present multiple looks for OU, but this offense will be too much for Iowa State today. Any talk of the Sooners’ offensive line looking suspect against UCLA after the Anderson injury can be forgotten. It’s truly jarring what an injury like that can do to a team and especially for an offensive line that’s so used to blocking for a back as savvy as Anderson. The kinks will be worked out and against a solid Cylcones defense and playing for pride on national TV, the Sooners attack on both sides of the ball will be out to shine.

And shine they will. OU - 41, Iowa State - 17

In case you may have missed our podcast this week, here is episode three of Oklahoma Breakdown.