3 keys to an Oklahoma Sooners win over the Kentucky Wildcats
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The Oklahoma Sooners take on the No. 17 Kentucky Wildcats (Coaches Poll) for their third straight ranked game on Saturday evening in Norman. It's Oklahoma's first time playing inside the friendly confines of Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in nearly a month.
Wearing the Wilkenson Era throwbacks, the Sooners hope to build on a memorable performance against the Texas Longhorns. However, they face a Kentucky team looking to make their own history.
The Wildcats have won three straight, against South Alabama, South Carolina, and No. 10 LSU. They're 3-1 in SEC play, including a Week 2 win over Texas A&M. Even in their loss to Alabama, the Wildcats were leading at halftime. Will Stein has Kentucky believing they can compete with the best teams in the SEC, and they're coming to Norman with the intention of knocking the Sooners out of the College Football Playoff picture.
So what must the Sooners do to pick up the win over the Kentucky Wildcats on Saturday? Here are three keys to the game.
1. Win the running game
The Kentucky Wildcats have run the ball well this season, averaging 5.1 yards per carry this season and 181.8 rushing yards per game. They have a success rate of 53.4% this season. They want to develop everything off of their rushing attack. The Sooners' defense has been good against the run, but this may be their biggest test of the year.
Oklahoma found some success running the ball in the second half of the Texas game, but they need to build on that. The Wildcats have allowed a rushing success rate of 47.6% this season and are 11th in the SEC in rushing yards allowed per game. This provides the Sooners an opportunity to get the ground game going.
2. Don't Get Baited
This season, Kentucky quarterback Kenny Minchey has used play action on 40% of his dropbacks. They'll also use a lot of action between the quarterback, running back, and wide receiver to create misdirection in the run and pass game. Head coach and offensive play caller Will Stein will create a lot of looks to put the Sooners in conflict.
They need to stay patient with their responsibilities and play consistent team defense.
3. Game Managing Mateer
The Oklahoma Sooners offense still has a lot to improve, but one of the best takeaways from the win over Texas was how John Mateer managed the game. From the second quarter on, he was decisive with the football and never put it in harm's way. Mateer was willing to take the check down, which kept the Sooners ahead of the chains and moving the ball.
Oklahoma threw more on first down, which put them in better second downs situations, opening up the playbook for offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle.
Even though this Kentucky defense isn't as good statistically as the defenses the Sooners have faced through the first five games of the year, that shouldn't change the approach for Mateer. Get the ball out quickly, take the easy completions in the short passing game, push the ball down the field a few times, and when necessary, take some shots to your best player.
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This article originally appeared on Sooners Wire: 3 keys to an Oklahoma Sooners win over the Kentucky Wildcats
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