(Picture Courtesy of ESPN.COM)Good Afternoon Hawkeye Nation! Some of you may be Christmas shopping to take your mind off of this afternoon's games, and some of you may be watching Oklahoma State vs. Oklahoma (the most important game for the Hawkeyes this afternoon). Here's what we know, and what we should be pulling for the rest of the day.
1. The Oklahoma offense has not looked good (at least in the fist half)- Oklahoma has only converted one first down on eight attempts. The run game has been shut down by a good Cowboy front line (only 29 yards). The pass game has been OK to say the least with Landry throwing for 137 yards but is only 10/24. Look for Bob Stoops to light a fire under his offense.
2. Oklahoma States offense isn't any better- The Cowboys are 0-9 on third down, with only 105 total yards in a first half that had three reviewed fumbles. Zac Robinson has looked a little shaky after taking a big late hit in the first quarter. He is 8/14 for only 37 yards. But the Cowboy running game has been decent racking up 68 yards.
3. This is going to be a defensive battle- The Sooner defense is stingy and battling their butts off to make sure this Cowboy offense doesn't score.
What the Hawkeyes need: A big second half offensively from the Sooners, as well as their defense to stay strong. Oklahoma State is the biggest threat to any Big Ten team pursuing a BCS at large bid. A loss to the Cowboys takes them out of contention. We need Arizona to beat Arizona State (with every Wildcat win, our out of conference schedule looks better). The Hawkeyes have the upper hand if the Sooners win because Ohio beat Temple (Temple was Penn State's best out of conference win. They were 9-0 after the loss in Happy Valley and looking very strong).
