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Sooners Prepare for Cat Fight September 25, 2001 by Jason Waganer Executive Editor
The nation's longest active winning streak is on the line this weekend as the Kansas State Wildcats travel to Norman to battle Oklahoma. The Sooners have won 16 straight overall and 15 straight at home. Below are a few notes and thoughts on the Sooners' conference opener:
* The ESPN Gameday crew has decided to broadcast this weekend from Norman instead of their original plans of traveling to College Station to cover the Aggies vs. Notre Dame. Chris Fowler, Lee Corso and Kirk Herbstreit will broadcast live from Owen Field from 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m.
* The game is the second nationally televised game of the year for the Sooners. The ABC telecast will start at 11 a.m. and will be broadcasted to more than 80 percent of the country. The game next week against Texas has also been picked up by ABC for the 2:30 p.m. slot. If the Sooners can pick up one or two wins against K-State and Texas, expect the Nebraska, Texas A&M, Texas Tech and OSU games to also be nationally televised on either ABC or Fox Sports Southwest.
*Oklahoma leads the series by a 65-16-4 count, including a 35-7-3 mark in Norman. The Sooners have won the last two meetings, both of which came last season, when they prevailed at Manhattan, 41-31, then again in the Big 12 Championship game at Kansas City, 27-24. Those two OU victories ended K-State's five-game winning streak in the series. Prior to that stretch, Oklahoma had reeled off 22 in a row over the Wildcats.
*Can OU overcome its recent penalty problems? In the last game against North Texas, OU committed 13 penalties for 120 yards. More than likely, the penalty problems were a result of not being ready to play. No matter what coaches say, it's hard for the defending National Champs to get excited about North Texas. Don't expect any lack of preparation or excitement this weekend, Bob Stoops is 7-1 against ranked opponents since coming to OU. He knows how to prepare a team for big games -- maybe better than anyone in the country.
*Against North Texas, the OU offense had more than 540 yards of total offense, but struggled turning all that yardage into points. Don't expect the Sooners to get anywhere close to 500 yards against K-State's dominate defense. However, if the Sooners can get to 300 yards of total offense, they should win the game -- but they definitely have to improve in the red zone.
*The Wildcats' QB Ell Roberson is getting ready for his first real test against a tough defense in a hostile environment. So far, his passing numbers haven't been anything to write home about. If this trend continues Saturday, it will be a long day for the 'Cats. Expect Stoops and Venables to take away the run game and make Roberson beat the Sooners with his arm. If this strategy is successful, look for the Sooners to get at least two interceptions.
*If the Sooners can somehow go undefeated again this season and capture their second straight National Championship, they'll have a great shot at making it three in a row next year with a much easier schedule. The Sooners will have four tough games next year, two of which are at home. They play Alabama and Colorado at home, Texas in Dallas and Texas A&M in College Station. The Sooners will more than likely have a second year starting QB in Nate Hybl and a slew of seasoned, experienced talent on both offense and defense. If the Sooners could pull it off and go undefeated this season and next, it would extend their winning streak to 41. Probably won't happen, but it's fun to think about.
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