3 - 2 - 1 KICK OFF
Here's a look at some of the key players and questions ahead of OU's meeting with Texas Tech at 7 p.m. Saturday at Jones AT&T Stadium:
3 players to watch
Nik Bonitto: The linebacker's role in the defense has grown significantly this season and he's been right in the middle of some of the defense's biggest plays. That doesn't figure to change in this one, and the Sooners figure to try to get at Tech quarterback Henry Colombi in a variety of ways.
Marvin Mims: He has become OU's most dangerous receiving threat as a true freshman and he's coming off the biggest game of his career. He could be in line for another one, as only four FBS teams have allowed more passing yards per game this season than the Red Raiders.
Spencer Rattler: He is putting up numbers that are at least somewhat comparable to the three quarterbacks that preceded him, two Heisman winners and another who finished as a runner-up to the award. Rattler has been particularly impressive early in games, completing 72.8 percent of his passes in the first half. The redshirt freshman has thrown for at least two touchdown passes in all five games and has 15 touchdown passes total.
2 big questions
Will any or all of the suspended players return? The initial suspensions of wide receiver Trejan
Bridges, defensive end Ronnie Perkins and running back Rhamondre Stevenson should be over, though their statuses remained unclear even late in the week. The Sooners could particularly use Stevenson, as the running game could use some extra pop, even with T.J. Pledger's back-to-back 100-plus yard games.
Will the Sooners top 600 yards of total offense? They've only done it once this season and just 26 times total in the 73 games since Lincoln Riley arrived as offensive coordinator. But it's become a habit against Texas Tech, with the Sooners topping that threshold in each of their last five meeting — all Sooner wins. Since 1996, no other team has topped 600 yards of total offense against an opponent in five consecutive meetings and no other team during that span has bested the Sooners average total yardage of 683 per game against one opponent over a five-game span.
1 wild prediction
Spencer Rattler tops 400 yards passing. Rattler almost reached the mark against Kansas State, when he finished with 387. The last Sooners quarterback to throw for 400 or more yards was Jalen Hurts last season — against the Red Raiders. The Tech passing defense has not been very effective this season and with a diversity of targets and an improving offensive line, Rattler seems due for a very big day.