Oklahoma
Oklahoma-Nebraska GameDay: X-Factors
John Hoover: Mickey Joseph
When a coach is fired midseason, there’s virtually at all times a right away uptick. Assume again to 2018, when Mike Stoops was fired. For the subsequent few weeks, gamers expressed how comfortable they have been, how various things have been, and the product on the sphere mirrored their new perspective. The protection was higher. However by the tip of the season, Ruffin McNeill’s protection was as unhealthy because it ever was beneath Stoops. That’ll occur Saturday in Lincoln, too. Nebraska gamers really feel wounded proper now, they usually’ll struggle to defend their honor and the honour of their new coach, interim Mickey Joseph. Will it’s sufficient? We’ll know Saturday afternoon. However for a Nebraska crew determined to show issues round, it’s a very good begin. As athletic director Trev Albert stated, “We needed to do one thing.” Watch how laborious the Cornhuskers play.
Ryan Chapman: Dealing with the Noise
Nebraska gained’t be the perfect protection the Sooners have confronted this yr, however Memorial Stadium will pose the most important check. The brand new offense beneath offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby was spectacular within the first quarter in opposition to UTEP and the third quarter in opposition to Kent State, nevertheless it has proven the power to sputter. Now, the offense might be thrown in entrance of 90,000 rabid followers who haven’t hosted OU since 2009. Communication might be key to maintain the offense working at a quick tempo.
Gabriel is assured the Sooners might be up for the problem, although the 90,000 followers in Lincoln would be the most away followers the UCF switch has ever performed in entrance of.
“The way in which we put together and the best way we follow form of will get us prepared for it simply as quick as we play, the noise at follow,” Gabriel stated on Tuesday. “It’s troublesome to copy a recreation ambiance however I feel we do a very good job at attempting to get it as shut as we will.”
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Josh Callaway: Containing Casey Thompson
Casey Thompson is a stable school quarterback. Is he a future NFL starter? Seemingly not. Is he ok to beat a top-10 crew on his personal? Most likely not that both. However, he is athletic, could make issues occur, and has already performed properly in opposition to Oklahoma as soon as – albeit beneath the earlier OU defensive regime. If the Sooners need to hold the nice instances rolling on the defensive aspect of the ball this week, they cannot let Thompson prolong performs and wreak havoc together with his legs. Whether or not which means scrambling for yardage and even simply giving his guys sufficient time to get free down the sphere – that’s how this recreation may get furry for the Sooners. Man-to-man, talent-to-talent, Oklahoma ought to win this recreation handily. But when Thompson begins ad-libbing with nice success, that’s the place issues may get dicey fast for OU.
Ross Lovelace: Early Offense
Oklahoma struggled to attain in opposition to Kent State out of the gates, and the Golden Flashes gave the Sooners a primary half scare. Due to a really late rating, Oklahoma held a 7-3 lead at half time. In Lincoln, with 90,000 followers ready to grab the momentum and run with it, the Sooners can’t afford an identical begin. The offense should click on early for Oklahoma to discover a rhythm, and for that to occur, the bottom recreation should be established. Fortunately, the Sooners return beginning lineman Wanya Morris to the lineup, which ought to solely assist the offense as a complete. Marcus Main and Eric Grey ought to each get loads of touches on Saturday.
Oklahoma
How to watch Arizona State at Oklahoma State: New TV channel update
The Arizona State at Oklahoma State Big 12 football game got a TV upgrade.
Originally scheduled to air on FS1, Saturday’s game in Stillwater will now be televised on FOX.
If the Yankees hadn’t blown a 5-0 lead in Game 5 of the World Series, Game 6 would be airing on FOX on Saturday. Instead, Sun Devils and Cowboys fans will get the benefit of the wider reach of a major network.
Arizona State (5-2, 2-2) is coming off a bye week and enters the game as 3.5-point favorites. Oklahoma State (3-5, 0-5) is trying to get back on track after losing five consecutive games.
ASU running back Cam Skattebo, who has rushed for 848 yards and 10 touchdowns in seven games, could be in line for a big game vs. an OSU run defense that is dead last in the Big 12 – and second-to-last in all of Division I-A college football.
“He very well could be the best back we’ve played,” Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy. said “He’s a good back. They feed off him. So if you want to slow them down, in my opinion, you better tackle him.”
The Cowboys are giving up 251 rushing yards per game and are coming off a 38-28 loss to Baylor where they missed 21 tackles and allowed a staggering 343 yards on the ground.
Here are the updated details on how to watch and follow Arizona State at Oklahoma State on Saturday:
Arizona State at Oklahoma State TV Channel, Live Stream, Betting Odds
Who: Arizona State (5-2, 2-2) at Oklahoma State (3-5, 0-5) in a Big 12 football game
When: 4 p.m. MST/6 p.m. CT | Saturday, November 2
Where: Boone Pickens Stadium | Stillwater, Oklahoma
Live Stream: Stream Arizona State-Oklahoma State live on fuboTV (Start your free trial)
TV Channel: FOX
Our Prediction: Arizona State 34, Oklahoma State 30
Betting Odds: Arizona State is favored by 3.5 points per FanDuel Sportsbook
Live Updates, Highlights: Follow the game on Arizona State On SI for live updates and big-play highlights throughout Saturday’s matchup
More Big 12 News & Analysis
Oklahoma
Saturday a Must-Dominate For Oklahoma
NORMAN — It isn’t lost on Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables that the Maine Black Bears are looking for their fifth win against an FBS opponent in the Sooners this Saturday.
“I could brag on Maine,” said Venables, the Sooners’ third-year man, during Tuesday’s press conference. “They’ve got 17 graduate [seniors]. What does that mean? They’ve got a lot of experience.”
The Black Bears, who play in the FCS Colonial Athletic Association, will bring their 4-4 record over 1,900 miles to Memorial Stadium. Two weeks ago, they scored a 35-7 win over FCS No. 5 Villanova and beat No. 21 Albany 34-20 on Sept. 28. If ever there was a game featuring a vulnerable Sooners team hosting a scary FCS team that could be too close for comfort, this Saturday is ripe for that opportunity.
“There are schemes that we’ve got to get ready for, and we need to get them down quickly, and otherwise they get sloppy and it don’t look good,” Venables said. “That’ll show up, too, and if I said, ‘Hey fellas, we’re playing this opponent this week, we’ll see you on Thursday. Give you the first three days of the week off and we’ll start up on Thursday.’ How do you think that’s going to look? No matter who you play, that’s going to look like crap.”
Maine defeated Mississippi State 9-7 in 2004, its only SEC win in program history. That year’s Bulldogs went 2-6 in conference play with wins against No. 20 Florida and Kentucky on consecutive weeks. After this week, the Sooners will have three chances to win their second conference game in their inaugural SEC season: Nov. 9 at No. 25 Mizzou; Nov. 23 vs. No. 14 Alabama; and Nov. 30 at No. 16 LSU.
“They’re a good FCS team,” freshman cornerback Eli Bowen said Monday night during player media availability. “They’ve beaten a lot of top teams in that division, so we can’t take them lightly and that’s shown by our record also.”
“That’s the last thing you want to do is kind of fall asleep on an opponent,” senior corner Dez Malone concurred. “This still is the game of football, and you’ve got to go out and compete and play your 1/11 and I think we’re treating them like we would treat anyone else on the schedule. And that’s the best thing we can do at this point.”
It also isn’t lost on this team — though it might be hard to imagine them winning another game after Saturday — that Maine is a must-win, fifth win to have a prayer of reaching the six-game bowl eligibility threshold and a must-dominate for further consideration. The Sooners hold the second longest active bowl streak in college football and have not missed bowl season since 1998.
“It’s actually pretty important to win this because we’re one more closer to getting to a bowl game,” junior defensive lineman R Mason Thomas said. “I know that’s huge because we have a bowl streak going back a long time. We’re not trying to look forward, but we know we have to win to make a bowl.”
Oklahoma
San Antonio vs. Oklahoma City, Final Score: Spurs outshot and out-defended by Thunder, 93-105
Oklahoma City (4-0), clamping down on a Spurs squad with its top-ranked defense, used an 18-2 run in the first quarter to stake itself to a comfortable lead that was not threatened in a 105-93 victory. The Thunder started white hot from three (14 first half makes), while many San Antonio forays stalled out deep in the paint with 2-3 defenders lurking nearby. Chet Holmgren got the better of his more heralded counterpart throughout much of the first half with 15 points and two blocks, while Victor Wembanyama had his worst output of the young season.
San Antonio (1-3) was led again by Jeremy Sochan (17 points and 9 rebounds) accompanied by grizzled veterans Harrison Barnes (18 points and 4 rebounds) and Chris Paul (14 points and 9 assists). The team let Wembanyama (6 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 blocks) down by not being able to find him in advantageous spots in the halfcourt, which was not helped by him getting bogged down by his own frustrations. Malaki Branham chipped in 15 points off the bench.
The Thunder were led by Holmgren (19 points and 5 rebounds) who paced four starters in double figures – Luguentz Dort (20 points and 6 rebounds), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (18 points and 5 assists), and Jalen Williams (12 points and 8 assists) — a group that thoroughly outplayed their counterparts.
The visitors had considerable difficulty getting through the lane amidst a sea of Thunder arms, and settled for jumpers with many of them clanging off the rim. Oklahoma City’s success from three allowed them to settle into the catbird seat. While the Spurs steadied themselves and kept OKC off the boards over the last two minutes of the first, they still ended a difficult opening frame down seven.
The Thunder (editor’s note: like a bad case of dysentery – JRW) made life difficult for San Antonio at one both ends, while shooting confidently and brazenly from distance in their halfcourt offense. The Spurs’ deficit ballooned to 19 before they found a veteran line-up that could somewhat deter the hopeful contenders. Chris Paul’s timely shooting staved off OKC running away with things, but the Thunder still went to the half up 59-44.
The Thunder started the second half by attacking the basket at-will. Holmgren tagged Wembanyama with an elbow to the face on a drive, and Harrison Barnes’ fadeaway brought San Antonio within 11. Behind Barnes and Paul, the Spurs managed to impressively win the quarter 26-23 despite Oklahoma City’s astounding success from distance.
Observations
- With the stirring Celtics / Pacers tilt spilling into overtime, the Spurs / Thunder telecast started with San Antonio up 10-7.
- OKC is forcing a turnover on one of every five possessions, per Zach Kram of The Ringer. They thusly generated countless deflections and steals in triumph tonight.
- Those SATX uniforms are pretty meh.
- With the Spurs being on the national airwaves again, we (well, mainly I) need to get used to the longer television timeouts.
- It’s these type of tough road games where Barnes needs to more forcefully assert himself on the offensive end – and he ended up doing that!
- I lost count of the times that Tim Legler and Dave Pasch commented on San Antonio’s suboptimal offense.
- This might have been the first game this season that felt a little too big for Stephon Castle.
- Victor Ease: Not sure how to feel about Wembanyama stationed on the free throw line (like Dirk Nowitzki used to). While he is able to see the floor well from that perch, he can’t punish the defense with that mid-range jumper yet.
- Sequence of the Game: After Zach Collins emphatically turned away Aaron Wiggin’s dunk attempt at the start of the second period, Malaki Branham’s connected from the wing.
- In a fast-paced opening handful of minutes, the Spurs briefly held a small lead. Jalen William’s steal of Paul’s crosscourt pass and breakaway dunk drew Pop’s ire. San Antonio had trouble converting its looks from the perimeter, while Holmgren hit two early ones of his own. As the Spurs’ field goal drought spanned nine attempts, OKC extended out to a 20-10 advantage. Zach Collins’ three and a spinning lay-up by Blake Wesley fended off an early blowout. The Thunder had the Spurs down 26-19 after one.
- San Antonio managed to get a pair of shot-clock violations on OKC late in the first and at the start of the second. Wembanyama tumbled to the floor with his defender, and Jalen Williams found a streaking Holmgren for a transition dunk. A visibly frustrated and possibly injured Wembanyama went straight to the locker room. Holmgren’s three after an inbounds turnover and Ajay Mitchell’s three put the Spurs down 19. After Holmgren inexplicably tried throwing himself a lob off the backboard, Paul hit a pair of threes to bring San Antonio within ten. Paul’s third three was answered very quickly by Jalen Williams and Luguentz Dort, and the Spurs were fortunate to be down only 15 at the break.
- OKC held a lay-up parade to start the second half to match their biggest lead at 19. Julian Champagnie encouragingly hit a corner three, and Barnes’ driving dunk brought San Antonio within two touchdowns. Dort’s second uncontested three of the frame put the Thunder up 19 again. Paul hit a patented mid-range jumper and found Sochan for an acrobatic lay-up. Barnes’ wing three brought the Spurs within eight as they mounted their first serious push. After San Antonio’s finest defensive stand of the game, Keldon Johnson’s three trimmed their deficit to seven.
- Malaki Branham’s bankshot three again brought San Antonio within seven to start the fourth, which ended up being the closest that they would get. No other Spurs could help Branham mount a comeback attempt in the stanza.
San Antonio heads west for a road SEGABABA against Lauri Markkanen and the Utah Jazz tomorrow night at 8:00 PM CDT.
Happy Halloween Pounders!
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