Between questions looming about both quarterback positions and both coaching positions, the 109th installment of Bedlam should be nothing short of exciting.
Both teams are facing concerns with its quarterback: Sophomore Trevor Knight’s lingering neck injury for the Sooners and Oklahoma State’s controversy between Daxx Garman and Mason Rudolph.
The Cowboys burned Rudolph's redshirt last week in its loss to Baylor, and coach Mike Gundy has not revealed who will start against the Sooners. Redshirt freshman Cody Thomas will make his third straight start for OU in Knight’s absence.
“He’s confident in what he’s doing,” co-offensive coordinator Josh Heupel said. “Not that he wasn’t confident going into week one. He’s a competitor. He’s been in a lot of competitive situations.”
As if that wasn’t enough, could this be the last time Bob Stoops and Gundy meet at midfield for a Bedlam game? Both head coaches are rumored to be candidates for coaching jobs elsewhere.
For now, both coaches and teams are worried about the season finale in Norman. Oklahoma is playing to salvage a broken and disappointing season, while the men from Stillwater are just hoping to become bowl eligible.
“Another one of the teams that’s better than their record indicates,” Stoops said of Oklahoma State. “They always do a good job with balance… Very disciplined on defense in their structure and the way they play.”
Two weeks ago, these two teams saw completely different outcomes.
Samaje Perine ran away with the all-time single game rushing record with 427 yards and five touchdowns as the Sooners routed Kansas 44-7. Down in Waco, Baylor trounced all over the Cowboys 49-28.
This week, Oklahoma looks to continue its dominance, hoping for an 11th win in the past 12 games against the ‘Brightest Orange in America.’
In order for that to happen, it all starts with the way Cody Thomas performs. The redshirt freshman hasn’t exactly had the most ideal weather conditions in his first two starts so Saturday should be the first chance for him to truly showcase his throwing ability that has garnered some criticism the past few weeks.
The running game will take care of itself. If Thomas can get things going through the air, it opens up things on the ground immensely.
However, center Ty Darlington isn’t going to overlook this OSU defense, which is ranked eighth in the Big 12.
“They’re a good defense, they really are,” Darlington said. “Especially in their front seven, they’re really solid… It will definitely be a challenge.”
The numbers don’t help Oklahoma State on the other side of the ball either. The Cowboys rank seventh in the Big 12 in scoring offense with just over 26 points per game.
The gap wasn’t as wide last season as the two teams were much more evenly matched. But it was Blake Bell’s touchdown pass to Jalen Saunders with 19 seconds to play that lifted the Sooners to an upset win in Stillwater.
“I’m expecting us to go out and play our game and handle our business so it doesn’t have to come down to something like that,” cornerback Zack Sanchez said of last year’s outcome. “Like I said, you never know what can happen but if we play our game we should be alright.”
Junior wide receiver Sterling Shepard and senior defensive back Quentin Hayes are both listed as questionable for Saturday’s game unless either of them make progress throughout the week.
With or without the two, this game has plenty of storylines and both teams have more than enough to play for — as if beating an in-state rival wasn’t enough.
