Coming off the biggest win in school history a week ago at home against No. 2 Oklahoma State, the Cyclones (6-5, 3-5 Big 12) were unable to complete a sweep of the Sooner State squads as No. 9 Oklahoma (9-2, 6-2) capitalized on four ISU turnovers in a 26-6 victory Saturday afternoon.

The lowdown

Just two plays into the game, Oklahoma’s defense began to set the tone for the game as Oklahoma defensive end Patrick Alexander forced ISU running back James White to fumble on the ISU 22-yard line and the Sooners recovered. The Sooners got as close as the ISU 4-yard line, but a third-and-goal pass from quarterback Landry Jones to Roy Finch fell incomplete and Oklahoma settled for a 20-yard field goal by kicker Michael Hunnicutt.

Another fumble ended the Cyclones’ next drive as White and quarterback Jared Barnett mishandled a handoff on the Oklahoma 25-yard line and OU linebacker Corey Nelson recovered. However, the Cyclones would get the ball back inside Oklahoma’s 20 just five plays later as the long snap on a punt flew over punter Tress Way’s head, giving the ball to Iowa State on the Oklahoma 10.

Barnett wasted no time getting the Cyclones on the scoreboard as he found redshirt sophomore wide receiver Albert Gary in the back of the end zone for a 10-yard touchdown pass. ISU kicker Zach Guyer missed the extra point, his first in 27 career attempts, and the Cyclones took a 6-3 lead with 5:48 remaining in the first quarter.

The two teams traded punts before Oklahoma began its final drive of the first quarter with just more than three minutes left from its own 41-yard line. A trio of 10-plus-yard completions by Jones brought the Sooners down to the ISU 1-yard line before Jones left the field in favor of OU’s goal line set with 6-foot-6-inch, 245-pound freshman Blake Bell in the shotgun. On only his fourth pass attempt of the season, Bell was intercepted by ISU linebacker Jake Knott in the end zone as the Cyclones ended the opening quarter ahead 6-3.

Barnett and the Cyclones went three-and-out and the Sooners took over from their own 21-yard line. Again offensive coordinator Josh Heupel dialed up some intermediate passing routes as Jones completed all five of his pass attempts on the next drive for 73 yards. Bell came into the game again and this time used his frame to bowl into the end zone on a three-yard touchdown run to give the Sooners a 10-6 advantage.

ISU punter Kirby Van Der Kamp came on to punt for a third time as the next ISU drive stalled as the Sooners’ defense continued to stifle the Cyclones’ offense. Oklahoma wide receiver Trey Franks scampered down the left sideline on a 43-yard reverse to kick off the Sooners’ next drive, bringing them down to the ISU 21. Five plays later, Bell scored on his second rushing touchdown of the day to put Oklahoma ahead by 11, 17-6.

The Cyclones had great field position at their own 45-yard line to start the next drive but squandered another opportunity in OU territory as linebacker Travis Lewis intercepted a deflected pass by Barnett. Lewis returned the ball for a touchdown, but a block in the back penalty brought the ball back to the ISU 43-yard line. The Sooners capitalized on the turnover eight plays later as Hunnicutt split the uprights on a 28-yard field goal with 23 seconds remaining in the half. 

Windy conditions affected the game all afternoon as was evidenced on the ensuing kickoff as ISU freshman linebacker Jevohn Miller mishandled the kickoff and Oklahoma recovered. Hunnicutt booted his third field goal of the day, this time from 37 yards as time expired to give the Sooners a 23-6 halftime lead.

After trading punts to start the second half, Oklahoma looked poised to increase its 17-point lead before ISU defensive tackle Jake McDonough forced a fumble by Finch inside the ISU 30-yard line. The Cyclones recovered but were unable to convert the turnover into points as a Barnett run on third-and-2 at the Oklahoma 45 came up a yard short and the Cyclones punted.

After a scoreless third quarter, the Sooners again used a Franks reverse to get into scoring position as the sophomore wide receiver carried the ball from the ISU 46 all the way down to the 1. The ISU defense held the Sooners out of the end zone, but Hunnicutt nailed his fourth field goal of the day, this time from 21 yards out, as the Sooners took a 26-6 lead.

The Cyclones were forced to go for it on fourth down on their next two drives, but incomplete passes by Barnett on both tries ended Iowa State’s chances at its first win in Norman since 1990.

Turning point

Down 17-6 with 3:22 remaining in the first half, the Cyclones started their third drive of the second quarter from their own 45-yard line. A pair of runs by running back Jeff Woody brought the ball to the Oklahoma 39-yard line and then Barnett found Gary for an 11-yard completion. 

After an incomplete pass, Barnett dropped back and fired a pass, while being heavily pressured, that was batted into the air by OU linebacker Tom Wort. Fellow linebacker Travis Lewis snagged the deflected ball and ran the ball in for what appeared to be a score, but an illegal block in the back penalty did not negate the interception but did bring the ball back to the ISU 43.

The Sooners capitalized with a field goal eight plays later and added another before the end of the first half to bring their halftime lead to 23-6.

X factor

Oklahoma wide receiver Dejuan Miller

The 6-foot-4-inch, 217-pound Miller had one of the best games of his four-year career, hauling in seven of Jones’ 22 completions for 86 yards. The senior from Metuchen, N.J., did not cross the goal line but was on the receiving end of four of Oklahoma’s nine first downs through the air and led all receivers in catches and receiving yards.

By the numbers

0.45: combined yards per carry average for both teams in the first quarter as the Cyclones and Sooner combined for nine yards on 20 carries.

2: first-half fumbles for White.

3: interceptions for ISU senior defensive back Ter’Ran Benton in his last four games. In addition to his interception, Benton added 11 tackles and a fumble recovery.

3+: turnovers in eight of 11 games for the Cyclones this season.

6: false start penalties committed by the Cyclones.

6: points for Iowa State, its fewest scored in a game this season.

44: yards per carry for Oklahoma’s Franks, who carried the ball on two reverse plays, one for 43 and the other for 45 yards.

161-18: combined score in last four meetings between Iowa State and Oklahoma in Norman.

Up next for Iowa State

The Cyclones will wrap up the regular season next Saturday as they travel to Manhattan, Kan., for a matchup with No. 11 Kansas State. The Wildcats (9-2, 6-2) will enter Saturday’s showdown following a bye week with their last win coming in a 17-13 win against Texas. Kansas State has won the last three meetings between the two teams, but each game has been close with the Wildcats, winning by a combined 16 points.