Austin Seibert continues hot streak for Sooners
Just two weeks ago, Austin Seibert’s status as the do-everything kicker for No. 10 Oklahoma seemed to be in question. Coach Lincoln Riley said he had confidence in the kicker, but he didn’t rule out the possibility of looking at different players to attempt field goals.
But in the last two games, Seibert has squashed any concerns about his ability by connecting on five straight field goals in the wins against Texas and Kansas State.
Against Kansas State, Seibert tied a season-long with a 36-yard field goal in the third quarter to cut OU’s deficit to a point.
He also made four extra points, and now has 179 made in his career — good for fourth in Sooner program history.
Seibert punted just once, kicking it away for 48 yards. Late in the game, he and holder Wesley Horky had a snafu when the snap went high and went right through Seibert’s hands. He tried to recover and fall on the ball, but instead, Kansas State recovered and went on to score.
Even so, Riley trusted Seibert to attempt the game-winning field goal if Rodney Anderson’s final run hadn’t ended in the end zone.
Mykel Jones bounces back
It looked like sophomore wide receiver Mykel Jones might have exited the Sooners’ win early Saturday night when he injured his shoulder on a 31-yard catch early in the third quarter.
He was helped off the field with trainers tightly flanking him, appearing to keep his shoulder immobilized.
Afterward, quarterback Baker Mayfield said Jones’ shoulder popped out on his hard landing after the catch.
But even with the injury, Jones was able to re-enter the game in the fourth quarter to make a crucial 13-yard catch in the Sooners’ game-winning drive.
He finished with a careerhigh 76 yards on three catches.
“The moment was never too big for us,” Mayfield said. “We were just ready to go do our jobs. I mean Mykel Jones’ shoulder popped out of place and then he makes one of the key catches on third down. We had a lot of guys step up tonight and so I’m very proud of the way our team played second half.”
OU drops to No. 10 in AP poll, OSU No. 11
Oklahoma (6-1, 3-1 Big 12) and Oklahoma State both escaped Saturday with close victories, with the Sooners coming back to beat Kansas State and the Cowboys coming up with an interception in overtime to beat Texas on the road.
But the wins couldn’t keep the teams from sliding — slightly — in The Associated Press Top 25.
Each dropped a spot, Oklahoma to No. 10 and OSU to No. 11, thanks to Notre Dame’s blowout victory over USC.
The Fighting Irish climbed from No. 13 to No. 9 on the strength of their 49-14 win over the Trojans.
The Big 12 once again has five ranked teams, with TCU leading the way at No. 4.
Alabama remained a unanimous No. 1, followed by Penn State and Georgia.
Defense forces takeaways
Before the win against Kansas State, the Oklahoma defense had just five takeaways this season.
But that number greatly improved Saturday with Steven Parker’s fumble recovery and Jordan Thomas’ interception.
Parker forced a fumble and recovered it at OU’s 12-yard line in the first quarter, and Thomas picked off quarterback
Alex Delton in the second quarter.
“The fumble, I thought, was big,” defensive coordinator Mike Stoops said. “We were kind of reeling at the time of the two. So those were big.”