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Bedlam 2011

Chris Tyndall, Sports Director
December 1, 2011
Filed under Sports

Whether you are cheering for crimson and cream or orange and black, the 2011 University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma State University Bedlam Football Game will be played on Saturday, December 3rd in Stillwater. Game time is 7:00 p.m., and it will be televised on either ABC or ESPN.

The Oklahoma Bedlam Football Game is 106 years old. Although historically the Sooners have had the greater success, recent years have been marked by tough competition.

Who will win? Here are both sides of the story.

Why OU will win.

The magic number is 8. The Sooners winning streak against the Cowboys is 8 years in a row.

With third year starter, Landry Jones, at the helm, the Sooners play at a high octane pace which if firing on all cylinders is nearly unstoppable. Just ask the Cowboys from last year where after a three interception first half, Jones calmly led his team through the fourth quarter with touchdown strikes of 87- and 76- yard touchdown bombs to seal the 47-41 victory in Stillwater.

Though the offense lost key playmakers, Ryan Broyles, NCAA’s all time receptions leader, and Dominique Whaley, the teams leading rusher, others such as Roy Finch, Brandon Williams, Kenny Stills and Jaz Reynolds have stepped up to the fill the holes.

The Sooners appear to have solved their red zone issues with the emergence of redshirt freshman, Blake Bell, in the “Belldozer” package, which produced 9 touchdowns since its inception 4 games ago. OSU’s run defense is ranked 93rd in the nation and hammered by Kansas State’s running quarterback Colin Klein who rumbled for 144 yards and 3 touchdowns on 33 carries.

If OU can take the pressure off Jones with the running game and convert key third downs and red zone opportunities they should win their 9th straight in the Bedlam Series.
Why OSU will win.

If Oklahoma State University is ever going to shake the “little brother” mantra off its back against the University of Oklahoma, then this is their best chance.

The magic number is 3 — the ranking of this Cowboy squad and the projected point spread for the game.
Led by Heisman contender and 28-year-old starter, Brandon Weeden, defensive end, Jamie Blatnik, and wide receiver, Justin Blackman, the Cowboys own the nation’s 3rd ranked offense and the 2nd ranked passing attack with an average of over 400 yards a game.  Their rushing attack isn’t shabby either with Jeremy Smith and Joseph Randle having over 1500 yards and 28 touchdowns between them.
Their defense, which many experts see as their weakness, is severely underrated with 37 turnovers, which gives its offense a cushion and is a key in their 10 wins this year.
If not for a stumble at Iowa State two weeks ago, the Cowboys would be ranked 2nd in the BCS and in line for a shot at the national championship.  Now they must win convincingly over OU to have a chance to jump Alabama to regain that position.
They face an OU team that has underperformed in its two losses and one without its top two playmakers. On defense, the Sooners secondary has been shredded by two inferior passing attacks compared to OSU’s and the loss of pass rusher, Ronnel Lewis, weakens an already depleted front four.
If the OSU passing attack stays potent, the defense can hold strong and force a couple key turnovers the Cowboys should break the streak and win their first game in the series in over 8 years.


 

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