K-State Football Answers Oklahoma (Part I – John Hubert Edition)

Sep 22, 2012; Norman, OK, USA; Kansas State Wildcats running back John Hubert (33) celebrates with fans after defeating Oklahoma Sooners 24-19 at Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-US PRESSWIRE

In the lead up to Saturday’s 24-19 win over Oklahoma, NewsOK.com posted a series of three questions and three goals for the Sooners. K-State provided the answers. Today we’ll be examining these answers, while Tuesday will focus on how K-State managed to bottle the Sooner goals.

Question 1: Can Oklahoma stop Kansas State’s rushing attack?

Answer 1: No.

K-State didn’t necessarily run around, over, and through the Sooner defense, but it certainly did enough to control the clock and pull out the best win in the Big XII so far this year. The team rushed for 213 total yards while averaging 4.8 yards/carry. More importantly, it maintained possession for almost ten more minutes than Oklahoma. This was by no means a dominating performance on the level of the Miami win, but the rushing attack yielded enough to keep pace with Oklahoma’s passing attack.

If OU still plans on contending for the conference title, it’s going to be on the back of its defense. While Collin Klein was an effective runner (79 yards), he at least looked human this weekend. K-State’s linemen did an excellent technical job of pulling and sealing gaps on the outside at times, but were slightly outmuscled at the point of attack. While Oklahoma was kept out the backfield, the Sooners were often able to meet Wildcat rushers at the line of scrimmage. This scenario benefited John Hubert more than Klein. In the open field I love the cornerback v. Klein matchup; Klein will simply bull over the overmatched defender. 250 pound linebackers don’t tip over so easily.

Hubert was extremely impressive with his second-effort production, and accrued much of his yardage after the initial point of contact. His powerful touchdown run while bulling through several Sooners resembled something we’d expect of a Trent Richardson – not K-State’s 190 pound runner. He ended the night with 130 yards and one touchdown while averaging 5.7 yards/carry due to his ability to break tackles.

This was a good overall effort from the offense. Snyder’s game plan – ball control, ball control, ball control – was executed just as intended. This starts with the ability to run the ball, and K-State didn’t disappoint.

To visit part II, click here