Bedlam stakes high for No. 7 Oklahoma State, No. 10 Oklahoma
Oklahoma State wide receiver Tay Martin isn’t backing down from Oklahoma.
“I would expect to whoop their a–, honestly,” Martin said of Saturday’s meeting with the Sooners. “I don’t go into a game thinking otherwise. So, as long as we just do what we have to do, you know, take care of the little things, not try to do too much, do what we did to get here, honestly, we’ll be fine.”
The Sooners have long dominated Bedlam, leading the all-time series 90-18-7. Oklahoma has won the last six meetings between the programs and 16 of the last 18.
Heading into Saturday’s meeting in Stillwater, Okla., the No. 7 Cowboys are looking to escape the shadow of the No. 10 Sooners.
The Cowboys have already clinched a spot in the Big 12 Championship game, their first appearance in the game.
An Oklahoma State win and a Baylor win over Texas Tech on Saturday would end the Sooners’ six-year run of conference titles.
An Oklahoma win or a Baylor loss would set up back-to-back Bedlam matchups for the Big 12 title. By the time the game kicks off, the road to the title game figures to be even clearer, with the Baylor-Texas Tech game kicking off more than seven hours before kickoff in Stillwater.
“The potential is unique, but it’s on us to win,” Sooners coach Lincoln Riley said. “I approach this like every other one, even when we’ve had games before in the regular season where we’ve already clinched it. We’ve been in that position and knowing we’re going to the Big 12 title game and you don’t hold back.
“We don’t get 50 of these things. We don’t get 60 of these things. You only get so many.”
Both teams are still in the thick of a race for a College Football Playoff berth, with the Cowboys (10-1, 7-1 Big 12) in better position to make a leap into the top four.
Oklahoma State is in that position thanks in large part to its defense.
The Cowboys are allowing 267.5 total yards and 85.5 rushing yards per game.
“They don’t make a lot of mistakes,” Riley said of Oklahoma State’s defense. “There’s not a lot of gimmes where they busted and just gave the offense something. You just don’t see that much. They’re experienced, they’re well-coached, and it’s kinda what you’d expect. We need to play the same way.”
Since its Oct. 23 loss at Iowa State, Oklahoma State has outscored opponents 165-23.
While the Cowboys have been at their best lately, Oklahoma remains up and down.
The Sooners (10-1, 7-1) are coming off a 28-21 win over Iowa State where their defense dominated but the offense was held under 100 yards passing for the first time since 2014.
Even with his recent struggles, Oklahoma freshman quarterback Caleb Williams always has to be accounted for, coach Mike Gundy said.
“He’s a special talent,” Gundy said. “He can run around and throw the ball. It’s kind of like Nolan Ryan in football — he can fire it down the field from about any release. He’s very agile and elusive, faster than what he looks because he takes big strides, and he’s willing to just chunk it down the field and try to make plays.”
–Field Level Media
