KU’s Les Miles praises Sooners: ’They are as talented as any team we’ve seen’
Les Miles knows what it’s like for the visiting team to win a football game at 80,126-seat Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium.
“That’s a great place, an historic field,” Miles, Kansas’ second-year coach, said of the location of Saturday’s 2:30 p.m. game between the No. 19-ranked Sooners (4-2, 3-2) and winless Jayhawks (0-6, 0-5).
Miles’ Oklahoma State Cowboys prevailed 16-13 over the Sooners on OU’s field in 2001 before falling to the Sooners 52-9 in Norman in 2003. The Cowboys, with Miles as coach, also split a pair of games against the Sooners in Stillwater. OSU won 38-28 in 2002 and lost 38-35 in 2004, giving Miles a 2-2 record against OU in the Bedlam Series.
He’s 0-1 versus OU as KU coach, the Jayhawks falling 45-20 Oct. 5 2019 in Booth Memorial Stadium.
“It’s a shame there won’t be as many people as they can fit into it,” Miles said. Just 20,300 fans will be allowed admittance for Saturday’s game because of COVID-19 restrictions. “It sounds very much like the inside of a jet air engine. It’s loud when that crowd is allowed to be there,” Miles added.
The Sooners, who have won 15 straight games against the Jayhawks, are coming off last week’s 62-28 victory over Texas Tech in Lubbock. OU scored 48 points in the first half.
“They are as talented as any team we’ve seen,” Miles said. “Our team looks forward to those kind of challenges. I think we’ll step in and play hard. I know we will.”
The Sooners, who enter as 37-point favorites, have scored at least 34 points in each of their last 11 games against KU. Each of the last 15 meetings in the series have been OU victories by at least 15 points. The Sooners have outscored the Jayhawks 648-206 in those games (average of 43-14) and have outgained KU 7,479 yards to 4,039 (average of 499 yards to 269).
OU has won the last six games in the series vs. KU by a combined score of 303-80 (51-13 average). KU has been held to seven or fewer points in four of the last six meetings and five of the last eight.
“I think what you have to do is what you always have to do, visualize those plays that are going to be good against this team, call those plays, limit your call sheet and put yourself in situations you need to win. If you do that, you have the best chance,” Miles said.
The Jayhawks, who have dropped 52 consecutive Big 12 road games, face an OU team that is led by freshman quarterback Spencer Rattler, who has completed 126 of 181 passes for 1,806 yards and 17 touchdowns. He leads the Big 12 in passing yards per game (301.0) and is second in touchdown passes.
Junior running back T.J. Pledger is fourth in the league in rushing at 71.4 yards per game. Freshman Seth McGowan is sixth in the league in rushing at 56.0 yards per game.
OU is second in the league in scoring offense (43.5 points per game) and KU last (16.2 ppg). The Sooners are first in total offense (410.8 yards per game) and KU again last at 267.5 yards.
OU is third in total defense (353.4 yards) and KU ninth at 456.7 yards. OU allows 27.0 points per game which ranks sixth in the league in scoring defense; KU is last in the league at 46.2 points per game allowed.
“Of course the end goal for every team is to win games,” said KU freshman quarterback Jalon Daniels. “All we can do is keep working on the field, in practice, the film room, keep studying everything we can. We’ll put 100% percent effort on the field. As a team we are always trying to show progress.”
The Jayhawks do head to Norman, Oklahoma faring well in at least one category. KU is 7 of 14 on fourth-down conversion plays. OU also is good going for it on fourth down with five conversions in seven tries.
“We are looking at situations with the opportunity to go for it based on what is our strength,” Miles said. “Do we have a call? Are we ready for that? If we use two (plays) maybe there’s a third we like to use. If not we’ll kick it on fourth down.”
KU will return home to meet Texas on Nov. 21 at Booth Memorial Stadium.
