Getting to know No. 14 Oklahoma, and its monster RB

By Staff     Oct 30, 2015

Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops walks off the field after the Sooners’ 36-20 loss to Texas in the Red River Rivalry on Saturday in Dallas. OU — 14-0 under Stoops in games played after the UT game — will play Saturday at Kansas.

Even if you have heard this one before, don’t stop. Because the details of the challenges that lie ahead for Kansas football do vary from week to week — though the results in the win-loss column have not.

This Saturday, the winless Jayhawks and first-year coach David Beaty have to deal with No. 14 Oklahoma (6-1 overall, 3-1 Big 12). [Insert horrifying Halloween joke here.]

Since a surprising loss to Texas three weeks ago, the Sooners seem to be taking out their frustrations from that setback on their opponents, with back-to-back drubbings of Kansas State, 55-0, and Texas Tech, 63-27.

And if you follow KU football, you probably realize just how much the Jayhawks struggle against Oklahoma. In particular, Stoops is 10-0 against Kansas, and since he took over in Norman the average score in the KU-OU games is 39-12.

Kansas also enters its homecoming game (2:30 p.m. kickoff, Saturday at Memorial Stadium) on a 10-game losing streak, dating back to last season.

Oklahoma running back Samaje Perine (32) has blockers as he heads up the field against the Kansas defense during the third quarter on Saturday, Nov. 22, 2014 at Memorial Stadium in Norman, Oklahoma.

OU racked up 405 rushing yards last week vs. Texas Tech. KU’s success against the run this season? Not so great. The Jayhawks are allowing 244.9 yards a game (9th in Big 12, and 118th nationally).

Again, you just might remember how Oklahoma ran over, through and around Kansas last year. And that’s a perfect place to start our list of Sooners who should have the Jayhawks’ attention.

**FIVE SOONERS TO WATCH**
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*No. 32: RB Samaje Perine | 5-10, 230, soph.*
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– All running back Samaje Perine did last year against Kansas was set an FBS record with 427 rushing yards. Four hundred twenty seven rushing yards! In one game. Not to mention five touchdowns. As a freshman.

Oklahoma running back Joe Mixon (25) runs with the ball during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Kansas State in Manhattan, Kan., Saturday, Oct. 17, 2015. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik)

– Perine is feeling good entering his second appearance against Kansas, too, coming off a 201-yard, four-TD showing against the Red Raiders.

– Four times in his young career, Perine has gone for at least 200 yards on the ground and four scores.

– Perine already has 2,000 career rushing yards, becoming just the sixth Sooner in the Stoops era to reach that mark. He got there on his 326th career carry, meaning he did it faster than former stars DeMarco Murray (342) and Adrian Peterson (365).

– His stat line this season reads: 116 carries, 621 yards, seven touchdowns.

– Just FYI: he bench presses 440 pounds.

Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) passes against Texas during an NCAA college football game Saturday, Oct. 10, 2015, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Roger Steinman)

*No. 25: RB Joe Mixon | 6-1, 217, R-fr.*
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– What’s that you say? Another OU running back Kansas has to worry about? You bet. Joe Mixon would be the featured back at most programs — and maybe Oklahoma, too, if not for a major off-the-field issue.

– Like Perine, Mixon destroyed TT, with 154 rushing yards and two touchdowns.

– This RB gets involved in OU’s passing attack, as well. Mixon averages 55.3 rushing yards and 32.9 receiving yards a game. He has four rushing TD’s and three receiving TD’s.

– Mixon was the No. 1-rated running back by Rivals and 247Sports coming out of high school.

Kansas wide running back Tony Pierson (3) is dragged down by Oklahoma linebacker Eric Striker (19) during the quarter on Saturday, Nov. 22, 2014 at Memorial Stadium in Norman, Oklahoma.

– So why didn’t he play last year? Mixon was suspended from the OU program in 2014, after being charged with a misdemeanor for punching a female student. He later accepted a plea bargain in the case.

Stoops addressed reinstating Mixon this summer, at Big 12 Media Days: “First, let me say there’s no place for it,” Stoops began. “It should never happen. There’s not only domestic violence, but there’s violence towards women, there’s violence in general. None of it should be tolerated, and it has been disciplined.”

*No. 6: QB Baker Mayfield | 6-1, 209, jr.*
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– A former Texas Tech quarterback, junior Baker Mayfield has fit in just fine in OU’s offense. And he enjoyed seeing the Red Raiders last week, putting up 212 passing yards and a pair of touchdowns.

– The QB has completed 67.5% of his passes this season, for 2,087 yards and 21 touchdowns.

– Mayfield is averaging 298.1 passing yards a game and has only thrown four interceptions in his 212 attempts.

– OU’s QB ranks sixth in FBS in passing TD’s a game (3.0) and 12th in total offensive yards per game (324.1).

– As that last stat indicates, Mayfield can run the ball when needed. He rushed for 85 yards and two scores earlier this season, against Tulsa.

– He absolutely lit up K-State, with five passing touchdowns — all coming in the first half of the rout in Manhattan.

*No. 19: DE/OLB Eric Striker | 6-0, 222, sr.*
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– In last season’s 44-7 romp against Kansas, linebacker Eric Striker helped limit Kansas to 103 yards of total offense and no offensive points. Striker recovered a fumble and had two tackles for loss, as KU had just seven first downs and punted 11 times.

– With six sacks this season, Striker now leads OU’s top sacking linebacker ever, with 21.5. He ranks sixth overall in program history.

– During OU’s last four games, Striker has come away with 8.5 tackles for loss.

– As if he wasn’t menacing enough on defense, Striker did something for the first time last week vs. Tech: he intercepted a pass. Oh, yeah, and still got 1.5 sacks.

– Earlier this season against West Virginia, he had 12 tackles, 3.0 TFL, two sacks and a forced fumble.

*No. 1: ILB Dominique Alexander | 6-0, 220, jr.*
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– Striker wasn’t the only Sooner to nab his first career pick last week. Inside linebacker Dominique Alexander also pulled off that feat.

– At 8.3 tackles per game, Alexander ranks fourth in the Big 12.

– His 30 solo and 58 total tackles lead OU’s defense, and Alexander has 5.5 tackles for loss in 2015.

– In his 33 career games — 28 starts — Alexander has 245 tackles, 14.5 tackles for loss, five sacks, three forced fumbles and two pass breakups.

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