MANHATTAN, KANSAS -- Landry Jones and Ryan Broyles helped No. 11 Oklahoma get back on track and spoil 10th-ranked Kansas State's dream season.
Jones threw for a school-record 505 yards and five touchdowns, his All-American wide receiver caught 14 passes for 171 yards and a score, and the Sooners bounced back from a stunning defeat to beat the previously unbeaten Wildcats 58-17 Saturday.
Kenny Stills added four catches for 101 yards, Roy Finch finished with 73 yards rushing and another 69 through the air, and the Sooners' potent, fast-paced attack managed 690 yards of total offense against the league's top-ranked defense.
Jones' passing total shattered the previous record of 468 yards he shared with Sam Bradford, while Broyles moved into first place on the Big 12's career list with 4,499 yards receiving.
It wasn't all good for Oklahoma (7-1, 4-1).
Leading rusher Dominique Whaley was hurt while blocking on the first play of the game. The Oklahoma medical staff put an air cast around his lower left leg and he was removed from the field on a cart. He later returned to the sideline on crutches, but the extent of the injury was unknown.
Little else went wrong, though, one week after everything did.
Their national championship hopes dashed by Texas Tech - along with their 39-game home winning streak - the Sooners were out to spoil the same hopes harbored by the Wildcats (7-1, 4-1). They were off to their best start since 1999, after being picked to finish near the bottom of the Big 12.
Relying on a smoke-and-mirrors offense that had been consistently out-gained all season, Kansas State still managed to climb into the top 10 by taking care of the ball, protecting the quarterback, making sure tackles and not getting called for penalties.
Well, that all changed against Oklahoma's relentless pressure.
Collin Klein was sacked seven times, the Wildcats were penalized an uncharacteristic five times, normally reliable kicker Anthony Cantele missed a chip-shot field goal and a defense that had been assignment sound all season crumbled against Oklahoma's onslaught.
Kansas State actually led 17-14 midway through the second quarter, but the Sooners scored late in the half, and John Hubert's fumble with 19 seconds remaining allowed Michael Hunnicutt to kick a 53-yard field goal on the final play for a 23-17 halftime advantage.
It was the start of 44 straight points scored by the Sooners.
Broyles hauled in a 29-yard touchdown catch early in the third quarter, tight-rope walking down the sideline for the final 10 yards. Moments later, Jones hit Jaz Reynolds for the second of his two touchdown catches to give Oklahoma a 37-17 lead.
Finch added a 31-yard touchdown run later in the third quarter and the rout was on.
By the time Trey Millard slipped through the porous Kansas State defensive front and outran the secondary to the endzone for a 61-yard touchdown run with 11 minutes left in the game, a crowd of 51,004 that was in such a festive mood early in the afternoon had started for the doors.
Klein finished with 92 yards and two TDs rushing for Kansas State, but he was just 8 of 16 for 58 yards through the air. Hubert added 71 yards rushing.
The Sooners have won five straight in the series, their last loss coming in the 2003 conference championship game. They haven't lost in Manhattan since 1996.
More importantly, the impressive performance keeps alive their Big 12 title hopes.
The Sooners and Wildcats are both chasing undefeated Oklahoma State, with Kansas State getting the first shot against the nation's third-ranked team next weekend. Oklahoma gets its chance against its in-state rival in the annual Bedlam game on Dec. 3.
Tuesday
November 5th, 2024
9:50AM
