After a sloppy performance against Missouri helped OU lose its No. 1 ranking in the AP poll, the Sooners hope their struggles provided a wake-up call for the team.
No. 2 Oklahoma will look to bounce back with a strong showing against Ball State when OU wraps up nonconference play against the Cardinals on Saturday night.
Oklahoma rallied from an 11-point deficit in the first quarter — its first time playing from behind at home in 21 games — to beat Missouri, but gave up 532 yards of offense.
Despite the Sooners’ 38-28 win, the media bumped Louisiana State ahead of Oklahoma in the AP poll after LSU trounced then-No. 16 West Virginia, 47-21, on the road.
Senior linebacker and defensive captain Travis Lewis said he hopes the team’s lackluster outing last week was a reality check to the players.
“To be a top-caliber team and to win a national championship and play like this, it’s not going to happen,” Lewis said.
Oklahoma welcomes a Ball State team that put up 48 points last week against Army.
The Cardinals are led by sophomore quarterback Keith Wenning, who has completed 73 percent of his passes for seven touchdowns and no interceptions.
During Ball State’s 48-21 victory against Army, Wenning’s favorite target was Willie Snead. The freshman wide receiver broke out to catch 10 passes for 180 yards and one touchdown against the Black Knights.
“We have a lot of weapons at receiver,” Wenning said after the game. “He’s one that shined today. I hope he continues to grow and the other receivers continue to grow.”
The Cardinals are tied for first in the country in red-zone efficiency, scoring all 17 times they’ve been near the goal line, including 13 touchdowns.
First-year coach Pete Lembo implemented a fast-paced, no-huddle offense at Ball State, and the Cardinals have responded by increasing their yards-per-game output from 304 last season to 388 this year.
With a 3-1 record, Lembo said he is pleased with his team’s performance in the first month of the season.
“It probably exceeded my expectations just because we have such a long way to go in so many areas before we feel complete,” Lembo said.
But Ball State has its work cut out for it Saturday against Oklahoma, which has won 38-straight games at home — the nation’s longest streak.
Although the Cardinals of the Mid-American Conference are a 39-point underdog, OU coach Bob Stoops said Ball State has the Sooners’ attention.
“In today’s world, there’s a lot of good football players everywhere — there really is,” Stoops said. “They’ve got a lot of good players. They’re very sound and good at what they’re doing, schematically.”
Junior cornerback Demontre Hurst said the team has been preparing with a sense of urgency — especially after how the Missouri game played out.
“We knew we had to pick up our energy and intensity level at practice,” Hurst said. “Ball State’s going to come in and give it their best. We can’t leave the field feeling like we did last week.”
Oklahoma will be without junior center Ben Habern, who is out six to eight weeks after breaking his right arm against Missouri. Sophomore guard Gabe Ikard will start in Habern’s place against Ball State.
Sophomore receiver Trey Franks is still suspended indefinitely for an unspecified violation of team rules, but sophomore receiver Kenny Stills — who sat out the Missouri game with concussion-related symptoms — will return Saturday, Stoops said.
AT A GLANCE: Ball State season results
• Sept. 3: Defeated Indiana, 27-20
• Sept. 10: Lost to South Florida, 37-7
• Sept. 17: Defeated Buffalo, 28-25
• Saturday: Defeated Army, 48-21
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poeticjustiZZ 7 months, 4 weeks ago
OU should easily pull this one off. However, I don't think they lost the #1 spot more than LSU just pure won and deserves it thus far. Beating three top 25 teams on the road or neutral site is nothing to overlook. OU hasn't had those challenges yet.