Happy Hump Day, friends and fans!

It looks like the Iowa State Cyclones will be going with their black out uniforms on Saturday night when the Oklahoma Sooners come to town. It should make for an interesting dynamic from an aesthetics perspective. I can dig it.

In related news, here’s an interesting stat that ought to intrigue fans on both sides of this matchup. ISU has worn a version of all black uniforms during a Big 12 night game once in each of the past three seasons, and in those contests, the Cyclones are 3-0.

Something has to give. Either Oklahoma will experience its first two-game regular season losing streak since 1999, or Iowa State will suffer its first loss in their all-black alternates. Tune in this Saturday at 6:30 p.m. CT on ABC to find out which streak remains intact.

Now onto today’s Hot Links! Vocal leaders are stepping up inside OU’s locker room, creating defensive takeaways is still an emphasis for Alex Grinch, the NFL has its first COVID-19 postponement of the season and more!

OU Links

• Staying with Iowa State coverage, Sooners Wire’s Steven Plaisance broke down Matt Campbell’s Cyclones from a statistical angle to see how they match up with Oklahoma this weekend.
• OU is not a program that will ever be comfortable with losing, and it’s not a place where losses come in back-to-back games very often. The number one goal this week is to correct the mistakes that were made last Saturday and play sound, fundamental football this weekend in Ames.

• On Tuesday, Lincoln Riley said three Sooners in particular have stepped up as vocal leaders since the team lost to Kansas State. Those three are redshirt junior center Creed Humphrey, junior free safety Patrick Fields and junior defensive end Ronnie Perkins, writes the Norman Transcript’s Joe Buettner.
• Riley also reaffirmed his belief in Spencer Rattler as the OU QB going forward, as well as Alex Grinch’s emphasis on defensive takeaways, despite only having one to show for it through two games, writes SI Sooners’ Parker Thune.
• Speaking of Rattler, is Oklahoma expecting too much from him in his first season as a starter? Bleacher Report’s David Kenyon takes a look at that question.
• CBS Sports’ Ben Kercheval ponders if the Sooners’ loss to the Wildcats was a mere anomaly, or an omen of things to come later this season.

Around the Sports World

• The Tennessee Titans’ upcoming home game against the Pittsburgh Steelers has been postponed due to a recent COVID-19 outbreak shutting down the team’s practice facilities. The game could possibly be moved from Sunday to Monday or Tuesday.
• Kansas City Chiefs cornerback L’Jarius Sneed reportedly suffered a broken collarbone in Monday night’s win over the Baltimore Ravens. Without knowing the severity of the injury, he’s expected to be sidelined for an indefinite period of time. This is another tough blow for a KC secondary that has already lost multiple players since the 2020 season kicked off.
• For the second time this month, the NFL has issued a league-wide memo stressing its emphasis on coaching staffs wearing masks on the sideline during games. Now the league is threatening suspensions and possible loss of draft picks for those who continue to violate the leagues strict mask-wearing policy.
• The North Dakota State Bison are only playing one game this fall, as the coronavirus has hit the FCS football schedule much harsher than the FBS. This weekend, when NDSU takes the field against Central Arkansas, all eyes will be on redshirt sophomore quarterback Trey Lance. The 6’4, 226 pound dual-threat signal caller is a prospect many pro scouts believe could become one of the first QBs selected in the 2021 NFL Draft.
• Game One of the 2020 NBA Finals tips-off tonight. LeBron James and his Los Angeles Lakers are the odds-on favorite over Jimmy Butler and his Miami Heat. You can catch all the pulse-pounding action tonight at 8 p.m. CT on ABC.

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